distress it would cause him, the dark shadow over the beauty of Applecross. It was a loveliness more than simply that of a great house where art and nature had combined to create a perfect landscape of flowers, trees, water, and views to the hills and fields beyond. It was a place of peace where generations of love of the land had sunk into its fabric and left a residue of warmth, even in the starkness of late autumn.
Approached from the southwest along an avenue of towering elms, the classic Georgian facade looked toward the afternoon sun over the downs. The gravel forecourt was fronted by a balustrade with a long, shallow flight of stone steps that led down to the vast lawn, beyond which lay the ornamental water.
âIâm afraid it will become most unpleasant,â he said unhappily. âPeople will be frightened because sudden death of the young is a terrible reminder of the fragility of all life. She had seemed on the brink of new joy after her bereavement, and it has been snatched away from her. Only the boldest of us, and the least imaginative, do not sometimes in the small hours of the morning also fear the same for ourselves. And they will not understand why it has happened. They will look for someone to blame, because anger is easier to live with than fear.â
âI donât understand!â she said with a gulp. âWhy on earth would she do such a thing? Isobel was cruel, but if anyone should be mortified, it is she! She betrayed her own vulnerability in front of those who will have no understanding and little mercy.â
âWe know that, my dear Vespasia, but they do not,â he said softly, still touching her so lightly she felt only the coldness of his fingers. âThey will see only a woman with every cause to expect an offer of marriage, but who was publicly insulted by suggestions that she is a seeker after position rather than a woman in love.â His face twisted with irony. âWhich is an absurd piece of hypocrisy, I am aware. We have created a society in which it is necessary for a woman to marry well if she is to succeed, because we have contrived for it to be impossible for her to achieve any safety or success alone, even should she wish to. But frequently we criticize most vehemently that which is largely our own doing.â
âAre you â¦Â are you saying that Isobelâs remark drove her to commit suicide?â Vespasiaâs voice cracked as if her mouth and throat were parched.
âIt seems so,â he admitted. âUnless there was an exchange between Bertie and Gwendolen after she left the withdrawing room, and a quarrel she did not feel she could repair.â
Vespasia could think of nothing to say. It was hideous.
âYou offered to help me,â Omegus reminded her. âI may ask that you do.â
âHow?â
âI have very little idea,â he confessed. âPerhaps that is why I need you.â
Vespasia swallowed hard. âI shall tell Isobel,â she said, wondering how on earth she could make such a thing bearable. The day yawned ahead like an abyss, full of grief and confusion.
âThank you,â he accepted. âI shall have the servants ask everyone to be at breakfast, and tell them then.â
She nodded, then turned and went back upstairs and along to Isobelâs room. She knocked on the door and waited until she heard Isobelâs voice tell her to go in.
Isobel was lying in the bed, her dark hair spread across the pillow, her eyes shadowed around as if she, too, had slept badly. She sat up slowly, staring at Vespasia in surprise.
There was no mercy in hesitation. Vespasia sat on the bed facing Isobel. âI have just met Omegus in the hall,â she began. âThey have found Gwendolenâs body in the lake. The only conclusion possible from the circumstances is that sometime after our unfortunate conversation in the withdrawing room she must have gone out alone and, in some