Read Online The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert - Free Book Online Page B

“according to the note I found in her basket.” She took a folded paper out of her pocket and handed it to the captain. “There was a sprig of hawthorn, as well,” she added.
    The captain put his pipe back in his mouth and unfolded the paper. “ ‘See that Flora has good care, or I shall come and fetch her,’ ” he read aloud, around the stem of his pipe. “No signature.” He looked up, one eyebrow cocked. “A bit cheeky, I’d say.”
    “I am sure it must be a crime to abandon a baby,” Beatrix said. “That’s why I’ve brought her to you, Captain Woodcock. I very much hope you can find her parents.”
    “Find her parents?” Miles grinned. “I should think that would be your department, Miss Potter.”
    Dimity had to repress a smile. Bea had already gained a reputation amongst the villagers as something of a sleuth. She had retrieved a stolen miniature painting, had helped to identify old Ben Hornby’s killer, and had managed to unmask that frightful woman who had tricked Christopher Kittredge into marrying her—and keep her from making off with the Kittredge family jewels.
    At the thought of Christopher, Dimity felt at once a deep sadness (the appalling business had been so painful for him) and a quick joy (it was over now, and he could get on with his life). She also felt a warm, abiding gratitude, for if Bea had not found out that the dreadful woman was already married to someone else, Christopher might still be married to her. There would be no chance that—
    She blushed and pulled her mind away. It was impossible. She would not think it. To cover her confusion, she said, “Abandoning a baby must be a crime. Mustn’t it, Miles?”
    “Most certainly it is a crime, although it’s rarely prosecuted.” Miles pursed his lips. “It might be hard to locate the parents. And if they were found, would one want to force them to take back a baby they had abandoned out of desperation?”
    Dimity’s maternal spirit was aroused. “But that’s appalling!” she exclaimed hotly. “A mother who abandons her baby ought to be put in gaol!” She appealed to her brother. “Miles, you must arrest this person!”
    “Easier said than done, my dear Dim,” Miles replied. “Any idea who left the child, Miss Potter?”
    “As a matter of fact, I saw the person,” Beatrix said. Her mouth turned up at the corners. “I caught a glimpse of her as she was scaling the wall along the side of my garden.”
    “Scaling the wall ?” Dimity asked doubtfully. The wall at Hill Top was brick, and something over five feet high.
    “Yes. A plump creature,” Beatrix said. “She was wearing a red woolen petticoat, blue-and-white-striped stockings, and pattens. But I don’t think she was the baby’s mother.”
    “Oh?” Miles asked. He put his pipe into his mouth. “Why not?”
    “Because she had gray hair,” Beatrix replied with a small smile. “She was certainly nimble—she seemed to sail over the wall in quite a remarkable way—but I had the impression that she was rather old.”
    Pulling on his pipe, Miles looked down at the basket. “We may have two crimes, then. Kidnapping and child abandonment.”
    “Two crimes and a mystery,” Beatrix said.
    “Yes, a mystery,” Miles replied. “Whose baby is this?”
    “I don’t know of anyone in the village who fits your description,” Dimity said. It sounded very odd indeed, but she did not doubt her friend, whose powers of observation were quite remarkable. Bea noticed things that other people did not, which came of being an artist, Dimity supposed. Sometimes she almost seemed to see through people, into their insides. It could be disconcerting, especially if you were thinking something you didn’t want her to know.
    “There’s old Dolly, of course,” she added. “But she always wears black, and she gets around with a cane. The poor old thing would never be able to hop over your wall. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who is that spry.”
    Elsa Grape appeared