Saturday Scene Late Morning Saturday the 17th

[Blackguard]

It was the most opulent townhouse in Windsor Town.  To enter its portals was a matter of envy, but not this morning.  A cardinal sin had been committed inside.

A well-to-do gentleman was interrogating a heavyset woman at the doorstep.  She was of the servant class.  A large footman accompanied the gentleman , looking on quietly.

Approaching the three was an equally well-dressed middle-aged man.  "What is the matter?" the arriving stranger inquired.

The other gent gave the visitor the eye.  "And who might you be sir?"

"I am Sir Charles Sedley and I am here to visit my friend.  Who might you be?"

"A pleasure Sir Charles.  I am Richard Higgins.  I am the constable for the town and this is my man.  This woman is the housekeeper to the tenant.  She arrived this morning to clean the premises and found the tenant dead, an apparent suicide."

The servant nodded with a sad look.

"The tenant.  Is it Alexander Merriweather?" Sedley asked.

"I'm afraid so," Higgins replied.  "Did you know him well?"

"I fear so," Sedley replied.  "Can I see him?"  The playwright appeared agitated.

[Douglas FitzJames]

It was Saturday morning, and Douglas was making his way through town. Dressed in one of his bright red, woolen uniforms, he was anticipating the afternoon's panned activity of accompanying Bridget Osbourne, her sister and her cousin on an 'adventure' into the Great Park, when he noticed a certain kerfuffle across the street. The town house was exceedingly fine, and the gentleman who appeared to be trying to gain entry he recognised as one of the Merry Gang. The man had been amongst the usual suspects at the Reception. The others he didn't know, but none of them looked gently born though one had the manner he associated with authority, more military or law-keeping, not unlike himself.

The Merry Gang of course were close friends of His Majesty, though Rochester had a tendency to overstep himself, and generally not the sort one wanted getting into trouble. Plus that house reeked of money. So Douglas sauntered over.

"Guid mornin' m'Laird, sirs, ma'am." He said politely, tipping his broad brimmed and feathery hat in Sedley's direction. "Can I be o' assistance?" The red uniform was licence to stick his nose into all sorts of business and the big Scotsman had no qualms about using it.

Subtitles
*"Good morning my Lord, sirs, madam. Can I be of assistance?"

[Blackguard]

"Yes," Higgins replied.  "The groom took him down.  Sedley made ready to enter the house when Douglas approached.  Higgins sighed.  Whenever the King held court in Windsor, all the lords, Life Guard and Yeoman thought they could boss everyone around in Windsor Town.  Higgins thought the town quiet enough without all the interference.

"Good day ... Captain," Higgins greeted Douglas, pausing to see his rank.  Sedley turned to greet the officer in a more welcoming way.  "It seems as though there was a suicide and I was going to go in to see Merriweather.  Did you know the man Captain?"

They were ushered into the house.  In the dining area on the ground floor, the body of Alexander Merriweather lay on a sheet.  A rope had been tossed over the rafter and there was a noose.  A chair under the noose had been kicked over.  A servant stood next to him.  He looked to be a groom from the stable.

[Douglas FitzJames]

The fellow with the authoritative air was subjected to a more thoughtful regard as he glanced at Douglas's uniform and greeted him by rank. He thought he recognised the type. "Constable." He acknowledged. And if there was a constable, there must be a crime. The other fellow, the one from the Merry Gang, seemed rather more pleased to see him, and explained that there had been a suicide. Merriweather. He asked if Douglas knew him. "Mostly by reputation." He admitted, having hung out with the Gang only very occasionally, and only when there were other things going on as well. He certainly wasn't part of the inner circle. "But things that weel concern the King concern his Life Guard. An' the loss o' one o' his friends weel concern him deeply." Friends, cronies, same same. The Gang were those whom Old Rowley liked to party with. "Cap'n Douglas FitzJames, Baron Dundarg, at yer service." He offered with a bow. 

Not that he had any particular want or need to interfere with the local legal process... unless he saw something that didn't sit right. Deferring to Sedley, Douglas followed the man inside. They were greeted by the view of a man who was vaguely familiar and clearly very dead. It certainly looked as though he had hung himself. Tie off the noose, put the rope around your neck, jump off the chair, choke to death. A simple enough process. But one could also be made to stand on a chair, with one's hands tied, have a noose placed, and have the chair kicked out from under one. 

Glancing at Higgins, he was interested to see what the man would do. "Yer scene, constable." He said simply, before turning to Sedley. "Ye kent him weel, did ye nae?"** He asked in softer tones, knowing that this man had likely lost a friend. 

Subtitles
* "Constable. Mostly by reputation. But things that will concern the King concern his Life Guard. And the loss of one of his friends will concern him deeply."
** "Your scene, constable. You knew him well, did you not?"

[Blackguard]

To Higgins, Merriwether was an important man.  No one knew where he got his money, but he seemed to have plenty of it.  The idea that the man had friends at court drew into question the depravity of the court.  Yet, he would not let on his true feelings.  Like so many others, he had accepted gifts from the man.

"Baron," Higgins greeted formally with a deferential nod.  Douglas encouraged the Constable to take charge of the situation, so the man moved about the scene as Sedley replied "I knew him well enough, I suppose, but I am not sure anyone really knew him.  He was ever up for a prank."  The dark side of Alexander needed no mention.  It was not good to speak ill of the dead.

Higgins returned with a piece of parchment to show Douglas and Charles.  At the top were the words "God forgive me."  Nothing else followed on the clean sheet of paper.  "Does this look like his handwriting?"
"I suppose," Sedley replied.

"His groom said it looked to be his master's handwriting," Higgins stated.  The housekeeper was illiterate.  "I interviewed the groom.  He tells me that Merriweather was very troubled by something terrible he had done.  The man is subject to litigation already. He sent his manservant to London to collect some valuable to bring to Windsor town.  The man is due back today.  The groom slept in the stable and heard nothing.  I have walked through the house with him and no valuables seem missing.  Merriweather had his trunk key on him and his money chest is still locked.  So, there is no evidence of foul play.  No door or window appears damaged.  No forced entry.  I will question the manservant when he returns.  If there is nothing unexpected in his testimony, I think there is no reason to doubt anything other than a suicide," he concluded.  The groom nodded his agreement with the assessment.

[Douglas FitzJames]

I am not really sure that anyone knew him.

It was an interesting sentiment; Merriweather had presumably been something of an enigma to many, even his closest associates. Certainly there had been plenty of foul rumours about him, yet he had been tolerated. It only emphasised to Douglas how loudly money spoke. "Endin' wi' th'ultimate prank." The Scotsman observed quietly as Higgins went about his work. "Wha haes the last laugh?"* He wondered aloud. 

Higgins returned with a note, that certainly looked like a suicide note, though Sedley did not seem so confident that it was the man's handwriting. Douglas said nothing initially, listening as Higgins related what he had learned, noting with interest how prominently the groom seemed to feature in all of it. Douglas was by nature a suspicious bastard, and to his mind there were certain assumptions being jumped to. 

"Afore ye wrap up Constable, I wuid like tae mak a few investigations m'sel." He said simply, not expecting any opposition. He might not be considered proper nobility by many, but he wasn't a commoner and he could use that rank to his advantage. Looking over at the housekeeper, he spoke to her first. "Does yer master keep a journal, er hae a writing desk?" He asked her. "I think we need tae compare that note tae his previous writin's." He told Sedley. "Ye er tae stay in my sicht."** He added to the groom. "Was it the groom wha summoned ye as weel?"*** Douglas asked Higgins.

Then he approached the body. The big Life Guard had no fear of death, and he reached easily for the man's head, lifting it gently and rocking it back and forth to determine whether the man's neck was actually broken. Rigor mortis made a corpse stiff shortly after death, but if the neck was dislocated there was still play in it. A long or violent drop tended to break the neck, a short one less so. He also examined the skin of the man's neck for the expected rope marks. Setting the man's head down gently, he then examined Merriweather's wrists, looking for any sign of rope or cord marks there as well. 

Looking back at Sedley, another detail of the Constable's story, as received from the groom, percolated through his mind. "I ken he haed a certain reputation." He said delicately, not wanting to speak ill of the dead. "Hae ye e'er kent him tae show remorse?" He asked. Stress over litigation was one thing, true remorse was another. 

Subtitles
* "Ending with the ultimate prank. Who has the last laugh?"
** "Before you wrap up Constable, I would like to make a few investigations myself. Does your master keep a journal, or have a writing desk? I think we need to compare that note to his previous writings. You are to stay in my sight. Was it the groom who summoned you as well?"
*** "I know he had a certain reputation. Have you ever known him to show remorse?"

Edited December 29, 2022 by Douglas FitzJames

[Blackguard]

The housekeeper nodded.  "He keeps papers and such locked in his desk sir."  She pointed upstairs.  There were multiple keys on Alexander's keyring.  "No sir, I done found him and fetched the groom."  The groom nodded.

An examination of the body found the deceased seemed to have choked to death rather than suffer a broken neck.  His neck and his wrists had rope burn marks.  His breeches were soiled.

"When he was amongst courtiers he seemed unapologetic for his ways," Sedley replied.  "Whether he showed contrition in private, it is hard to say." 

[Douglas FitzJames]

Douglas nodded slowly as both the house keeper and Sedley answered his questions, letting the information percolate through. The man's neck wasn't broken, which was consistent with him having stepped off a chair rather than off a gibbet. People didn't realise that the length of drop, together with a well-tied knot, was necessary for a clean break. It was a nasty way to go, and explained the soiled breeches. But who tied their own wrists together to commit suicide? It was true that Merriweather's private thoughts on his doings might have been different to those he displayed publically, but his reputation for unpleasant actions was hardly new. Why the sudden change of heart?

So the housekeeper found Merriweather, she summoned the groom who cut him down, and then one of them presumably sent for Higgings. Not saying anything of his findings immediately, Douglas moved to examine the chair which had been knocked over, and the floor on which it had stood. The noose was hanging from the rafters above, but where was the rope from his wrists? "Whin ye foond him, hou exactly did he luik?" He asked the housekeeper. "An' whin ye cut him doon, whit exactly did ye cut?"* This was to the groom. He wanted to be certain of his suspicions before voicing them. 

Subtitles
* "When you found him, how exactly did he look? And when you cut him down, what exactly did you cut?"

[Blackguard]

There was no sign of any rope other than the one that had served as the noose.  There was no separate rope for the wrist.

The chair had nothing remarkable,  It had fallen over, or been pushed.  The floor had no real marks, though there were traces of urine on the floor and a slight skid mark from where the chair likely had been.

"He were there with his eyes near popped out," the housekeeper replied.  "I cut him down after Annie cried out fer me," the groom added.

[Douglas FitzJames]

Douglas nodded to himself, satisfied that his suspicions were confirmed. "Master Sedley, Constable Higgins, kin I invite ye tae observe my findin's?"* He said, gesturing to the constable and the poet. 

Indicating Merriweather's head first, he detailed his findings. "Constable Higgins, I'm sure ye ken that the drop frae the gibbit, taegether wi' a guid knot, is needed fer snappin' a man's neck, giein' him a quick death." Which was all the mercy a criminal got. He glanced at the lawman. "This man's neck isnae broken, which matches wi' him haein' ainly dropped off a chair. Hence why his een were buggin' oot." He added with a glance at the housekeeper. "A mos' unpleasant thin' tae find." He added with a touch of sympathy. "He choked tae deeth, which is a slow an' nasty wa' tae gie." And explained why he'd soiled himself. For some reason, men who had their necks broken on the gibbet tended to come in their breeks instead. "Ye kin see here the marks on his neck frae the rope."** Douglas gently lifted the man's chin so that Sedley and Higgins could see the bruising and abrasions, though Higgins had no doubt seen it before. He glanced from one to the other to check that they were following him.

The Life Guard moved to the dead man's side. "Noo, if ye weel luik here, ye weel see that he haes similar rope marks on his wrists." He gentle pulled Merriweather's sleeves back to show the bruising and abrasions, much like those on his neck. "On the gibbet ye tie a man's hands sae he cannae interfere." Which was only sensible. "But whit man, seekin' tae kill hissel', ties his ain wrists, struggles agin' those bonds, thain unties thaim an' puts the rope awa' afore he dees?" He asked, looking from Sedley to Higgins, the latter more pointedly. "I put it tae ye that abody else put the rope aroond his wrists, an' removed it efter his deeth." He said, in case anybody was missing his point. "This man didnae kill hissel; he was murdered."***

Subtitles
* "Master Sedley, Constable Higgins, kin I invite ye tae observe my findin's?"
** "Constable Higgins, I'm sure you know that the drop from the gibbet, together with a good knot, is needed for snapping a man's neck, giving him a quick death. This man's neck isn't broken, which matches with him having only dropped off a chair. Hence why his eyes were buggins out. A most unpleasant thing to find. He choked to death, which is a slow and nasty way to go. You can see here the marks on his neck from the rope."
*** "Now, if you will look here, you will see that he has similar rope marks on his wrists. On the gibbet you tie a man's hands so (that) he can't interfere. But what man, seeking to kills himself, ties his own wrists, struggles against those bonds, then unties himself and puts the rope away before he dies? I put it to you that somebody else put the rope around his wrists, and removed it after his death. This man didn't kill himself, he was murdered."

[Blackguard]

Higgins approached to hear the speculation of the Captain.  Each supposition was met with a nod.  The announcement of murder, however, caused the housekeeper to gasp in alarm and the groom to show surprise on his face.

Higgins did not want a murder in his town and he was motivated to challenge Douglas, but another event stopped him short.  He turned towards the open door.

In through the front door walked a large man in servant attire and a travel cloak about him.  "What is all this then?" the man, in his 40s, announced.  Saddlebags were over his shoulder.   "I am Gregory, Master Merriweather's manservant."  He moved towards the corpse.  "I return from London to find this!  What is afoot?"

[Douglas FitzJames]

The door had been left open and suddenly a man appeared in it, apparently fresh from travel, who arrnounced himself as Merriweather's manservant. This must be the fellow who was sent to London to retrieve something. Certainly the man seemeed to feel he had some authority in the house, from the way he spoke. 

Douglas turned to face the man, secure in the thought that his bright red uniform was impossible to miss. "Yer master's deed laddie; likely murdered." He said bluntly. "He was foond this mornin'." Did the manservant protest too much? The big Scotsman looked him over carefully. "Whit was it ye were sent tae London fer?"* He asked. The timing was terribly coincidental. 

Then he turned to Higgins. "We shuid compare that note tae the man's writin's at his desk."** That would seal the deal, he felt. If the note didn't match the man's everyday writing - and surely as a member of the Merry Gang he would write - then it was clear evidence that someone else had been involved in his death. 

Subtitles
* "Your master's dead man, likely murdered. He was found this morning. What was it you were sent to London for?"
** "We should compare that note to the man's writings at his desk."

[Blackguard]

Gregory shook his head in upset as he viewed the body.  "Murdered?"  He looked at the cut rope.  "Who?  How?" he found himself mumbling.  "I have served him many years and there are many that would want him dead I suppose," he confessed.

"He was found hung this mornin Gregory," the groom added.  Douglas wanted to confirm handwriting.  Gregory offered to look at the writing.  "It looks like his hand,"  he testified.

"He sent me to retrieve something from his house in London.  I believe he intended it as a gift," the manservant replied.

The manservant went up stairs into the master's study, dropped the saddlebags and pulled forth a letter from a stack of written instruction.  Upon inspection Douglas would see that the handwriting was similar though it was more shaky than the other example.

[Douglas FitzJames]

Douglas met Gregory's gaze squared, and answered in firm, calm tones. "He was hanged. T'was made tae luik like suicide, but whae'er did it tied his hands." The man looked shocked, as well he might on finding his long time master not only dead but of foul play. "As tae wha, that's the question."* He acknowledged. And if Gregory knew that there were many who might want the man dead, then he could probably help. 

Something from London, intended as a gift. Was it pure coincidence that it was this morning the man's master was found dead? Gregory disappeared up to his master's rooms and came back with a dry-looking letter, with which to compare the apparent suicide note. "Thank ye." Douglas regarded the two examples, side by side. "Similar, but unsteady," he observed quietly, than added more loudly, "likely written under duress." Though he supposed the man's hand might have been imitated. But even Douglas would acknowledge that being about to take one's own life probably counted as duress. And if not that, then what else could the man's killer threaten him with? The big Scotsman knew all too little about Merriweather's doings to guess. 

It would be all too easy to dismiss this as suicide, especially with the number of enemies the man apparently had, but the fact of the rope abrasions about the man's wrists, and Sedley's assertion that it was uncharacteristic for him to show remorse, at least in public, played on Douglas's mind. "Hae ony o' the doors er winders been forced?"*** He asked, looking from the housekeeper to Higgins. Had anyone noticed a forced entry?

Subtitles
* "He was hanged. It was made to look like suicide, but whoever did it tied his hands. As to whom, that's the question."
** "Thank you. Similar, but unsteady, likely written under duress."
*** "Have any of the doors or windows been forced?"

[Blackguard]

"Tied his hands?" Gregory asked and he looked at the corpse.  "The Master ... he was known to ... like to be tied up and tie up others, if you know what I mean."  There was little emotion in his voice.

The housekeeper and groom went to check the windows as the Constable declared "my man checked and saw no sign of forced entry on all ground floor windows and doors."  He turned towards Douglas and declared "Captain, in light of this evidence, I cannot help but conclude it was a suicide."  It was the desired result of course.  It made it extra sweet to show up a Life Guard Captain who thought he knew better.