The Sign of Death by Callie Hutton (children's books read aloud .TXT) 📗

“Yes.”

“I will be happy to oblige. What do you need?”

“I would like you to accompany me to the book club meeting this Thursday.”

Her aunt closed her eyes. “Oh Amy, my dear. Anything but that.”

“Oh, please, aunt. It’s very important, and it’s not so bad.”

“Sitting around listening to you and your cohorts discussing murder, mayhem, and dead bodies?” She shuddered. “I prefer sunshine and happiness.”

Amy smirked. “Well.… I did attend some morning calls with you. Besides, you can stuff cotton into your ears if you like. I only need you to do a sketch for me. You are so very good at drawing, I know you can capture one of our members on paper.”

Aunt Margaret sighed as if she were being asked to take her place at the guillotine. “I will do it for you. And for poor William, who is in a very difficult place right now.”

“Thank you so much. With your sketch, we might be able to establish that Mr. Davidson was at the pub the night Mrs. Johnson was killed. Then we would be one step closer to solving Mr. Harding’s murder too.”

“Mr. Davidson from the Assembly dances?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“I remember meeting him a few times at the dances. He’s an odd man. Very quiet, always seems to be studying everyone.”

Just then Stevens stepped into the drawing room. “My lady, Lord Wethington awaits you downstairs.”

“Thank you.” Amy looked down at Persephone, who looked so very comfortable, and sighed. “I guess I won’t take her for a walk today after all.” Amazingly enough, the dog shifted and closed her eyes, and made no effort to bark when Amy left the room.

Once she and William began their walk, she told him about Aunt Margaret accompanying them on Thursday for the purpose of sketching Mr. Davidson.

“I didn’t know your aunt had such talent.”

“Yes. She does. She paints a little bit too, but drawing is really where her talent lies. I just wish she would do more with it, but she always just considered it a hobby.”

“Unlike you, who turned your hobby into a career.”

“Thank you for that, William. Yes, it is my career.”

The wind picked up, and it grew quite cold for walking. “I think we should go back to your house. I’ll get my carriage and we can ride to a tea shop.”

Amy nodded, beginning to shiver. “Yes. A very good idea.”

The walk back was much quicker, and the wind was at their back. William retrieved his carriage from the mews, and his driver soon had them on the road and heading to the center of Bath, where most of the stores and shops were.

“Can we go to Sally Lunn’s? I haven’t had one of her buns in a long time.”

“An excellent idea,” William said. “I haven’t been there for a while myself.”

Sally Lunn’s was housed in one of the oldest buildings in Bath. The secret recipe for its famous buns had been handed down for ages and had earned the tea shop many returning customers. The place was also a favorite spot for tourists.

“How was your meeting with Mr. Nelson-Graves?”

William’s demeanor immediately grew more serious. “It’s not looking good, unfortunately. It appears a date for a trial is being worked out with the House of Lords. Since I am a peer, I must be tried there.”

“Then everyone knows about your charges?”

“No. Not yet, anyway. Mr. Nelson-Graves is keeping my name out of it until he has no choice but to reveal it. I am hoping to have the true killer behind bars before it gets that far.”

They settled in a seat near the window, watching those brave enough to walk around in the chilly air.

“I must make a visit to Mrs. Carol Whitney,” William said as they waited for their tea. “With all that has happened, I forgot to report back to her that I found her stepson—that he has been ill but is now on the mend.”

“I wonder how he’s getting on with Mrs. Johnson dead. It was her house he was living in, isn’t that so?”

“Yes. He went there when he began to feel sick, and she took care of him.”

“That was very nice of her. He must feel terrible about her death.”

“Yes. I’m sure he was notified by the police.”

“He might not even still be there.”

William shrugged. “That is a possibility. But first we must visit with Mrs. Whitney and let her know her stepson is all right.”

“Have we removed her from our list, then?”

William lips tightened. “No one is being removed from our list until this is over. The only person who I know for a fact is innocent is me.”

CHAPTER 28

“Have you seen my copy of The Woman in White? I know I left it here in the drawing room.” Lady Wethington wandered around the room, looking under chairs and tables.

William looked up from his comfortable chair in the drawing room, where he was reading his morning newspaper. “I believe I saw the book in the kitchen, of all places. I thought perhaps Cook had decided to join our book club too.”

“Oh dear. That is correct. I remember having it in my hands when I went to visit Cook yesterday to arrange for my dinner party.”

“Dinner party?” He lowered his newspaper and watched his mother blush prettily.

“Yes.” She raised her chin. “I decided it was time we held a social affair or two.”

“If I remember correctly, we had Lady Amy’s family for dinner less than a month past.”

“My dear son. Having guests for dinner once a month hardly signifies entertaining. Once you marry, you know Lady Amy will want socializing.”

“Wait. What makes you think Lady Amy and I will marry?”

He grew uneasy when she merely stared at him with raised brows and a you don’t fool me look. He picked up his newspaper, shook it to straighten it out, and continued to read.

“I am planning a dinner party for a week from Friday.”

He lowered the newspaper again. “Mother, with murder charges hanging over my