A Memorable Memorial Thursday 9 pm

[Douglas FitzJames]

Douglas regarded the man Gregory thoughtfully. He recalled the first time he'd seen the man, coming in through the door of this very house whilst they were investigating the fact that his master had been killed, his corpse laid out on the table. The man's apparently helpful demeanor could hide a multitude of things.

"I'm nae sure ye kin, laddie." The Life Guard replied amiably, mirroring the man's politeness. "Ye arrivit efter yer master was alreardy deed an' his rope cut, as I recall." He explained, hooking his thumbs into the silk sash about his waist. "Martha foond the body," so she'd said, "which is why we need tae speak tae her. I'm sure we cuid compensate her fer a wee bit o' lost sleep." * Douglas wasn't above buying his information. He also wasn't above threatening for it, but one step at a time. 

Subtitles
* "I'm not sure you can, man. You arrived after your master was already dead and his rope cut, as I recall. Martha found the body, which is why we need to speak to her. I'm sure we could compensate her for a little bit of lost sleep."

[Charles Audley]

A step behind Dundarg, Charles gave the manservant a smile of commiseration, and a look that suggested that he, Charles, was as exasperated by the Scot as Gregory, and was here only to keep Dundarg within the bounds of civility.

That was not, in truth, a great test of acting ability.

"Questions have been raised," he said apologetically, "and, little though I like it — "

He glanced sidelong at Dundarg again.

" — It would be best if those questions could be laid to rest 'ere they are asked... officially."

Every word of that happened to be true.

Charles shifted his weight, coincidentally causing his purse to jangle faintly, and gave the manservant another friendly smile.

"We would of course, as Dundarg says, be willing to compensate Mistress Martha, and I give you my word as a gentleman that she will suffer no distress."

A final flick of his eye to Dundarg.

[Blackguard]

Rochester sighed as he watched the interchange from afar.  "This is taking far too long.  It is simple accuse the manservant and then the maid.  One will break within a minute."
Dorset replied "are you in a hurry to go somewhere else tonight Johnny?"  He looked ay Anne and offered "maybe the niece arranged it after all."  He sensed Anne's angst.

Gregory remained polite.  He was in little position to deny their request.  Though the servants were not employed by any of the persons present, there were three earls and a Life Guard officer present.  They were friends, to some extent, of his late master.  The one with a patch seemed to suggest money, but Gregory made no reaction.

"Let me go and rouse her then," he offered.  Such was the life of a servant, always at the service of one's master.

It took several minutes for the pair to return.  Martha had a bed cap covering her hair and a robe that looked to have seen better days wrapped around her heavy torso.  She fought a yawn as Gregory led the way with a lit candle. "These gentlemen would like to ask you some questions," Gregory announced as they closed the distance.

Margaret recognized the soldier. There was no forgetting him.  She pulled the robe tighter around her, as if were armor to protect her somehow.  "I took me medicine before bed and I still be groggy, so I hopes you gents and lords will be kind and patient."  Her medicine was likely something with alcohol as it could be smelled on her breath.

[Anne-Elisabeth Devereux]

“Only if they actually know something. And even if they do, they might lie to protect one of their own … or even each other.” Anne-Elisabeth shook her head at Rochester, implying that he should have known that. “You don’t much about human nature, Johnny-poo.”

 

Dorset claimed she might be right about Merriweather’s niece, but she was quite certain that he didn’t believe it. Even the most jaded gentlemen had idealistic views of ladies. They either had no idea of how ruthless a woman could be, or chose not to acknowledge it.

 

The Barbadian Countess looked toward Dundarg and Chatham, sighing dramatically. “They probably intend to question every servant in the house.” Looping one arm through Dorset’s and the other through Rochester’s she grinned wickedly. “I think we need to liven things up.”

[Douglas FitzJames]

"Thank ye."* Douglas replied when Gregory agreed to go and fetch Martha. He was quite prepared to play the bad cop to Chatham's good, but if everyone was feeling cooperative, there would be no need. 

The poor woman had indeed been in bed from her attire, and said that she had taken some 'medicine', which was presumably either straight alcohol or laudanum; it could be smelled on her breath. Not that any of them were innocent of that right now, except possibly Gregory. 

"Sorricht lassie." Douglas assured Martha when she asked that they be patient and kind. "We're concerned aboot the deeth o' yer late master, as ye ken. Thairs evidence he was kilt, rather thain hung hissel'." He explained again, in case she'd tried to forget. Of course, technically Douglas used the wrong term; a man was hanged, meat was hung. Or maybe it wasn't an accident. "I'm sure ye un'erstand that the deeth o' a peer is ta'en verra seriously, by both the Law an' the King."** He added, to add weight to what he was saying. Was Merriweather a peer? Or was he just someone with lots of money who hung around with peers? If not a peer, he was known to have been a benefactor of the King whilst in Exile, even Douglas knew that. Presumably it was why he was tolerated. 

"Noo, Constable Higgins sayed that he searched the groond floor o' the hoose an' foond nae evidence o' a forced entry." The Scotsman continued in the same slow, even manner, the same gentle explanation. "Sae unless we kin find some other evidence, we mun assume that the killer was abody in the hoose at the time." Or aided by them. "Which I believe was yersel, an' the groomsman wha was sleepin' in the stable?"*** Leaving only Martha herself. 

Douglas hadn't heard Johnny's advice to just accuse somebody and see if they crack, but he was instinctively following the same rationale. If Martha was convicted of murdering Merriweather, she'd hang if she was lucky.

Subtitles
* "Thank you."
** "It's alright girl. We're concerned about the death of your late master, as you know. There's evidence he was killed, rather than hung himself. I'm sure you understand that the death of a peer is taken very seriously, by both the Law and the King."
*** "Now, Constable Higgins said that he searched the ground floor of the house and found no evidence of a forced entry. So unless we can find some other evidence, we must assume that the killer was somebody in the house at the time. Which I believe was yourself, and the groomsman who was sleeping in the stable?

[Charles Audley]

"Worry not mistress," Charles said soothingly. "We just need you to fill in some details for us so that the matter can be laid to rest. This should largely be a formality, and we will endeavour not to keep you overlong before allowing you to return to the comfort of your bed."

Behind his carefully constructed façade of warm friendliness, Charles wondered if this 'medicine' she had taken would be an asset or obstacle for the interrogation. He flicked a quick glance at her eyes, trying to see if her pupils were blown, which would indicate that she had taken laudanum, rather than just a stiff drink.

He let Dundarg take the lead then, discreetly observing both Martha and Gregory as the Scot spoke. The housekeeper was more likely to show a reaction under pressure, he judged, but the valet's reactions, if he gave any, were more likely to be useful.

He held his peace for a moment after Dundarg fell silent, letting the servants work through the unspoken implications, and then gave Martha a reassuring smile.

"So please, mistress," he said gently, "tell us what you remember of the evening and night before you found the body — it was you who found the body? I have that right?" He shook his head. "That must have been a terrible shock, finding him lying there."

[Blackguard]

Her eyes were bloodshot, but not dilated.  It was less likely that she was drugged.

Douglas scared the woman.  Gregory reached a reassuring hand to her arm as she seemed ready for flight.  "Me?  I be a housekeeper.  I wouldna know how to kill someone, nor strong enough.  I'd not be harming a butterfly good sirs," she replied in a shaky voice.  "There be no murder sir," she mumbled.

The man with the eye patch was nicer.  She immediately turned to him.  "Ye be a good man milord," she offered, hoping it was true.

"The master had been in a foul mood all week, stormin wit all an everything.  He sent Gregory yon and drank heavily, he did.  Sad he was. Like judgement weighed on him.  I went to bed early, praying he'd not ring me bell.  I worried he'd make a mess in his state.  No bell did ring in the nite.  Found him hanging, I did.  Nearly jumped out of me cap.  I cried to Artie to do something about master!" she emphasized.  Artie was likely the groomsman.

[Blackguard]

Anne and the two Earls

Dorset and Rochester put up no fight when Anne suggested they liven things up.  "A threesome then?" Rochester offered with a smile to Anne.  "I suppose I can tolerate Dorset," he sighed.  "The bedrooms are upstairs.  Let us not tarry," he announced as he pulled the other two in that direction.  Dorset just laughed.  Kingston seemed content to just watch the entertainment unfold.

[Douglas FitzJames]

The Interrogation

There be no murder sir.

Everyone kept telling Douglas that it was just a suicide. And each time they did he checked himself. Was he making a mountain out of a molehill? Was he reading too much into what had happened? The worm of doubt was a constant, wriggling companion but it came up against Douglas's instincts, which kept screaming at him that there was more to it than met the eye, and these were the same instincts that had given him the uncanny ability on the battlefield to duck just as the bullet or blade went overhead. The subconscious saw things the conscious did not. 

He was clearly scaring the woman; good. That was his intention. Chatham stepped in beautifully, playing the gentle one of the two, and Martha turned to him almost automatically to plead her case, and Douglas listened with interest. Something had clearly been up, assuming that her description of Merriweather's behaviour wasn't usual, and it mustn't have been or it wouldn't be worth mentioning. So he'd been worried about something from the sound of things. Perhaps he knew his doom was coming. 

"Did ye check aw th'upstairs rooms that mornin efter Higgins left?" He asked bluntly, letting Chatham smooth things over. "Did ye find ocht amiss?"* He just wanted to get whatever he could out of Martha, then she could go back to bed. Douglas didn't really think she'd done it, but the fear was important for getting her to spill the beans. 

Subtitles
* "Did you check all the upstairs rooms that morning after Higgins left? Did you find anything amiss?"

[Anne-Elisabeth Devereux]

Dorset, Rochester, and Cambray

 

Anne-Elisabeth rolled her eyes at Rochester. “Is sex all you ever think about?” She let go of his arm but not Dorset’s. “No, don’t answer that. I really don’t want to know.”

 

It seemed to her that he had been trying to seduce her since the night they met. He might have more luck if he didn’t have the pox. She could tell that he had been quite handsome before the disease had ravaged his appearance. Yet if she had to choose between a pox-free Rochester and Dorset, the handsome double Earl would win every time.

 

“We should do something that everyone can enjoy.” She wagged a finger at Rochester in warning. “And don’t suggest an orgy.

 

“You need something besides than a good swive

To bring an occasion alive.

A limerick or two

Will definitely do

To ensure that this party will thrive.”

[Blackguard]

Anne and the Two Earls

Rochester had not been expecting Anne to take him up on his offer.  Nor had Dorset.  It was why the latter had laughed.

"Something that we can all enjoy?" queried Rochester.  "Like making fun of the Scot?"  When she started with another limerick, he looked exasperated and sought out the Irishman's gaze in support.  James was an opponent of limericks.  "If this persists," he warned as he looked at Dorset, "I may join Merriweather in hanging myself."

"Come come, do not be a foe,

Become the Rochester of well I know.

You've tortured others with hateful prose,

Adopting a spirit of most anything goes.

So whine not or to Hell you can go."   Dorset responded.

Rochester blew a kiss at the other earl.  "Enough of this, I have to piss."  He blew a kiss to Anne as well.    "Annie, you can come watch what you are missing as I use the piss pot."  With a leer, he moved to gain access to the large ceramic piss pot in the corner.

 

OOC ~ This is a separate sub-thread for Anne, and can be joined by Francis or James.  Douglas and Charles Audley are sepaarte and need not wait for others to continue.

[Anne-Elisabeth Devereux]

Anne-Elisabeth didn’t dignify Rochester’s comment about ridiculing Lord Dundarg with a reply, even though a match of wits between the two gentlemen would be entertaining. The tall Scot definitely gave as good as he got.

 

She smiled sweetly when he spoke of hanging himself. “If you do, then we can throw another party.”

 

As she suspected he would, Dorset composed a limerick of his own. Rochester claimed he had to piss. “Sorry but I didn’t bring my telescope,” she said to his offer, implying that such an instrument would be needed to see his cock.

 

He moved off to the corner, and Anne-Elisabeth squeezed Dorset’s arm. “Alone at last, more or less,” she whispered. Lord Kingston and Master O’Neill were still in the room, but they were being quiet. She grinned wickedly.  "It's been awhile since we've seen each other.  Have you missed me?"  She had certainly missed him since that night they had gone to the baths together.

 

[Charles Audley]

The Interrogation

The housekeeper did not fall into the subtle trap Charles had set. He had implied that she had found Merriweather lying on the floor, but she explicitly said 'hanging,' which was consistent with what had been said been before. He had not really expected anything to come of the rhetorical snare, but one always had to try the simple solutions first.

She could still have been involved, of course, but I do not think it likely...

He listened closely to her story, expression carefully attentive and amiable.

"Forgive me mistress, but when you say that you prayed that Merriweather would not ring your bell, does that mean that you expected him to? I mean, would it have been unusual for him not to call on you during the night?" he asked gently. 

He hesitated a moment before continuing.

"I understand this must be distressing, mistress, and I apologise that the necessity has been forced upon you, but I must ask you to continue. You called 'Artie' for assistance. What happened then?"

Dundarg had questions too, of course, and asked them in a fittingly brusque manner. Charles flicked him the warning look his own role in this demanded. (A task made easier by the fact that he was genuinely just a little irritated: to his mind, the Scot was jumping ahead.)

"A little courtesy and compassion costs us nothing Dundarg," he said reproachfully. "You and I may be used to such things, but it behoves us to take a softer approach with those who are not."

He turned back to the housekeeper and smiled.

"In your own time mistress," he said gently.

[Blackguard]

The Interrogation

Martha far preferred dealing with the nice young man with the eye patch.  Her glance was but brief for the Scot.

"Artie took him down, he did.  I war at a loss good sirs."

As to the question about a bell, she seemed confused.  Surely the Earl must have a bell for his own servants.  "Sometimes he calls when a fire is out or he needs something.  Not every night you see."

The story continued.  "Artie said we needed to fetch the constable. I went upstairs right after, seeing if master had made a mess.  I dinna want no gent to think I donna keep a clean house.  There was empty bottles that was easy to clear.  Been drinking some of the night he had."

[Blackguard]

Annie

Johnny nodded his head to her sweet reply to his proposed suicide.  It was a point in her favor.

He too smiled sweetly as she ridiculed him with mention of a telescope.  "It is a shame you did not bring it as I understand they need darkness for best use and I know just the right dark recess to sheathe it."  He looked plainly at her rear.*

Once alone, Anne asked Dorset the typical female query.  "Intensely," he replied playfully.  "Did it make your heart grow fonder?"

Sedley was standing not far away.  "You know, the two of you could search upstairs.  One of the bedrooms might hide a clue," he jested.

 

*Had this been after a certain planet was discovered in 1781, he could have said "I would like to introduce it to Uranus."

[Douglas FitzJames]

The Interrogation

Chatham was playing the part of the 'good cop' beautifully. Douglas snorted in derision at the man's reproach. "We arsk, she answers, an' thain she kin gie back tae beid."* He replied, happy to play the unrefined soldier. It wasn't like it was far from the truth. But he didn't interrupt as the other man said soothing words to the maid, and predictably she turned to him, almost in appeal, as she said what she knew. 

Artie had to be the groom. So she'd not watched her master being taken down? Unsurprising. "Nae un thinks ye keep a puir hoose lassie." He said gruffly, a small reassurance offered. "Were the bottles aw alcohol, er was thair anythin' else amongst thaim?"** He asked, wondering whether Merriweather had been at the laudanum as well. Or something else that might have hidden a soporific. Kingston had pointed out it would be hard to hang a dead man, and the same went for a sleeping one, but then it was also hard to hang an uncooperative man. 

Still, things kept coming back to the groom. "Is Artie aboot th'hoose as weel?"*** Douglas asked, turning to Gregory.

Subtitles
* "We ask, she answers, and then she can go back to bed."
** "No one thinks you keep a poor house girl. Were the bottles all alcohol, or was there anything else amongst them?"
*** "Is Artie about the house as well?"

[Charles Audley]

The Interrogation

"Indeed mistress, no one who sets foot inside could have any doubts as to your skills as a housekeeper," Charles said soothingly. "But you say that you went upstairs to see if there was any mess to be cleared? I assume, then, that that was were Merriweather was when you retired for the night? But you found him downstairs?"

That was potentially interesting.

"I will ask that you pardon the indelicacy of the question, mistress, but these bottles you cleared away... would you say that there was an unusual number of them?" he asked with an apologetic expression. "And they were the only thing that needed cleaning?"

Dundarg asked after the groom then, and Charles was almost prepared to agree that it was time to move on.

"Thank you mistress, you've been very helpful. I am sorry to have disturbed you," he said with a smile, pressing a crown's worth of shillings into her hand. "Oh! One last question actually. Who locked up the house that night?"

[Anne-Elisabeth Devereux]

Anne-Elisabeth and the Merry Gang

 

Anne-Elisabeth laughed at Rochester’s comeback and wiggled her backside in a humorously seductive way. His retort was so perfect that she couldn’t think of a thing to say in return. He had won this round of wit fair and square and she acknowledged it with a grin and a wink.

 

Had Dorset really missed her or was he just saying what she wanted to hear? His tone was playful, as hers had been. “Hmmmmm.” she replied when he turned the question back on her. Anne-Elisabeth placed one finger beneath her chin and tilted her head slightly upward in a melodramatic pose of contemplation. “Let me think about it …”

 

Sedley suggested that they search the upstairs bedrooms. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to eavesdrop?” Her smile was cheeky. “Or were you actually born in a barn?”

[Blackguard]

The Interrogation

Both men seemed interested in the master's bottles.  "There was a mess of strong drink bottles emptied and his ... medicine," Martha revealed.  The medicine was most likely laudanum.  "He war in a mess to be sure.  "Aye, he war in his bedroom milords.  Thats war I seen him last, alive that is."  The nice lord surprised her with coin.  She looked shocked, as did Gregory.  She was about to refuse the coin but then thought better of it.  "Thank ye gentlemen.  God bless ye"  

"Nothing else war awry in his room, I suppose," she answered.  "Artie sleeps in the stable mostly.  It were him that locked the door.  He does that when Gregory is away."  It seemed to be a male responsibility in this household.

"Shall I summon Arthur for you milords?" Gregory asked as he moved to fetch him.

[Douglas FitzJames]

The Interrogation

Alcohol and laudanum both, from the sound of things. Merriweather had been 'in a mess' as Martha put it. He'd seen an end coming. Douglas wondered again if the man had simply topped himself, the wrist marks completely unrelated. No, he would see this through to the end, even if it meant proving that he was wrong. "Thank ye Martha; ye sleep weel." He said simply as the housekeeper was dismissed, nothing that Chatham pressed a coin into her hand. 

So the groom had locked the door, and he was the one to cut Merriweather down. Douglas nodded to Gregory's enquiry. "If ye wuid." He said simply, whilst on the back of his neck a few hairs stood on end. Something wasn't quite right, he was certain. I see a rope that hides not one murder, but two, the fortune seller had told him. Could he find the killer before the second murder?

He glanced at Chatham, silent query. Were they ready for their next interviewee?

Subtitles
* "Thank you Martha; you sleep well."
** "If you would."

[Charles Audley]

The Interrogation

"If you would not mind, thank you," Charles told Gregory with a polite smile. They had gotten all they were going to get out of the housekeeper, but perhaps they would have better luck with the groom.

He waited for both servants to be out of earshot before turning to Dundarg.

"The drinking and the emotional incontinence fit a suicide," he murmured, "but then they also fit a man who thought he was in imminent danger of being murdered. It sits oddly with me, though, that he should drink several bottles — and laudanum among them — upstairs and then, presumably thoroughly inebriated if not absolutely paralytic, make his way downstairs seemingly without any noise or fuss, tie a noose fit for purpose, and mount a chair and hang himself, again without any noise or fuss."

He frowned.

"I cannot remember if you or Sedley said — was there a note?"

Charles glanced about, making sure that no one else was likely to overhear, and stepped closer to Dundarg, lowering his voice to be absolutely sure.

"I have a... theory, Dundarg. I am not sure that it is likely, indeed it may well not be, but the possible consequences if I am right demand that I offer it for consideration. Think on what Merriweather was: a man of gross vice and a fortune of vague origin, with ill-defined but definitely shady connections on the Continent, and ready access to the company and homes of some of his Majesty's closest intimates, particularly when those gentlemen are drunk or otherwise intoxicated. What does a man like that, considered in such a light, look like?"

He did not wait for an answer.

"To a spy, he looks like a risky and volatile but possibly valuable asset."

He paused to let Dundarg interject should he wish before continuing.

"Someone may have been cleaning house."

[Blackguard]

There were a few minutes to talk among themselves before Gregory arrived with the groom.  Arthur was a large man of perhaps 30 years,  strong enough to hitch wagons, do manual labor, and provide a sense of protection to the house.  He was dressed in a simple brown velvet attire.

"Milords, this is Arthur Redding.  He is the groom.  Arthur, this is Earl of Chatham and the Baron of Dundarg and they have some questions for you.," Gregory introduced.

Arthur had removed his cap and nodded his understanding and deference.  He seemed a shy man, with eyes cast to the ground throughout.

[Douglas FitzJames]

The Interrogation

As Arthur was fetched, the two men had a chance to compare notes. Douglas nodded as Chatham pointed out that Merriweather's behaviour was appropriate for a man considering suicide, but also for a man fearing his own imminent demise. Douglas had the same thought. "An' a noose is a hard thing tae tie weel whin sober." Especially if one wasn't practiced at it. Dundarg added to Chatham's thought that somehow a drunken Merriweather had made it downstairs without alerting the help. Still... "If the maid tak's laudanum regular, she micht nae hae heard him."* He acknowledged. 

"Thair was a note. Both Sedley an' Gregory thocht it luiked like his handwritin', but I didnae hae the chance tae compare't wi' his othair writin's. T'cuid hae been written under duress."** But even then surely it wouldn't be as neat.

Chatham's theory was listened to with interest. "He luiks like a spy hissel'." The big Scotsman agreed. "I'm wonderin' whither some art smugglin' deal went awry an', as ye say, abody haes 'cleaned hoose'." That was Douglas's theory, that Merriweather had fallen afoul of some angry business associate. "The question is, hou do we find oot?"*** And there he wasn't certain. No doubt evidence had been cleaned away in the interim. 

Indeed the person who might know best was probably Gregory himself. Douglas found himself watching the man as he ushered Arthur in. 

"Guid e'en Mister Reddin', apologies fer disturbin' ye but we wuid like tae arsk ye a few questions aboot last Saturday. I'm sure ye recall."+ How could anyone forget?

Subtitles
* "And a noose is a hard thing to tie well when sober. If the maid takes laudanum regularly, she might not have heard him."
** "There was a note. Both Sedley and Gregory thought it looked like his handwriting, but I didn't have the chance to compare it with his other writings. It could have been written under duress."
*** "He looks like a spy himself. I'm wondering whether some art smuggling deal went awry and, as you say, somebody has 'cleaned house'. The question is, how do we find out?"
+ "Good evening Mister Redding, apologies for disturbing you but we would like to ask you a few questions about last Saturday. I'm sure you recall."

[Blackguard]

Anne Elizabeth

"Actually, it was my mother with whom I perfected my eavesdropping," Sedley laughed. "With you, there is no need to overhear you . I know that look and you are wanting some sex," the older man laughed as he lifted his drinking glass in salute.

"Charlie Sedley was not born in a barn," Rochester shouted from across the room, "but I was born in a manger," he laughed. "Charlie Sackville was born in the Middle of sex," he continued to taunt.

Dorset shook his head "you were born in a manger because your father preferred sex with a goat."  He then laughed with a bleating sound.  The Merry Gang gatherings were often just an opportunity to insult one another in a juvenile, if sometimes witty, way.

[Charles Audley]

The Interrogation

"It's a difficult conundrum," Charles agreed. "The manservant could probably shed a great deal of light on things were he so inclined, but he seems to me the most likely of the servants to lie, and the most likely to lie well."

He frowned.

"The groom might have seen something and not realised its import or meaning, I suppose, and the manservant could be honest, or you and I might trip him up... but I do not think any of that likely I confess. If there is any evidence of Merriweather's dealings it will be in his study, or perhaps his bedroom. We can search them, I suppose, but by now they have likely been... sanitised of anything incriminating, for lack of a better term."

Gregory arrived back with Arthur, and Charles took a moment to assess the groom as Dundarg greeted him. Nothing of any note beyond the nervousness, but that was frankly both understandable and to be expected under the circumstances, and likely indicated nothing more than an awareness of the social gulf.

"We won't keep you long, I promise," he said as gently as he could. "Don't worry, this is largely a formality Master Redding. Perhaps you could start by telling us what you saw and did that Saturday?" 

[Blackguard]

The two lords seemed far more friendly than Arthur had expected.  His life consisted mostly of being berated by his social betters.

"There's not much to tell me lords," the big man began.  "I get up early to feed the horses and then go inside.  I was to make me breakfast when I seen master hanging from a rope.  It were a simple slip knot and cinched tight on his throat.  He looked to die badly, choking, so I took him down and called to Martha.  We looked about and saw nuthin but a note and she was sent to fetch the constable," he recounted slowly and quietly, all the time looking at the floor.

[Anne-Elisabeth Devereux]

Anne-Elisabeth and the Merry Gang

 

“Gentlemen always think ladies want sex,” she replied to Sedley’s comment.

 

Anne-Elisabeth rolled her eyes. Why had she wanted to be a part of the Merry Gang again? Of course, she knew the answer. She enjoyed their company and they could help her become known for her wit. But at times like the present, when they were hurling childish insults at each other, she questioned her resolve. She was much younger than they were but she felt more mature when they were acting like this.

 

She took Dorset’s arm. “Let’s go upstairs and look for clues.”

[Douglas FitzJames]

The Interrogation.

Douglas nodded thoughtfully as Arthur described his activities that morning, carefully keeping his expression neutral. The spiel the man gave was clearly rehearsed, and what was more, certain details didn't match what Martha had told them. But Douglas didn't want to let him know yet that he'd picked that up. "I see. That mun hae been a shock tae find yer master sae."* He offered by way of commiseration, throwing a brief glance at Chatham to see whether he'd noticed as well. Martha had said that she'd sent for Arthur, whilst Arthur said it was he who had found the body. 

"Was thair ocht else immediately aboot yer master whin ye foond him?"** He asked, to see what the man would say. The Saturday before there had been mention of a chair, knocked over. 

"An' wha wuid hae seen tae't that the hoose was lockit up the nicht afore?"*** He asked simply, interested to see what the man would say. 

Subtitles
* "I see. That must have been a shock to find your master so."
** "Was there anything else immediately about your master when you found him?"
*** "And who would have seen to it that the house was locked up the night before?"

[Charles Audley]

The Interrogation

Charles had long years of experience in keeping a straight face, and so his expression did not flicker a jot as Arthur told his story, which of course contradicted the housekeeper's in every important detail. It really was astounding, he reflected, just how bad most people were at this. They had had the better part of a week to concoct a story together, and this was still the best they could manage?

And the worst part of it is that they would have gotten away with it if Dundarg were not the most stereotypically ignorantly belligerent Scot I've ever met...

Ignorantly belligerent or not, the Life Guard knew how to question a man, and had the sense to not immediately leap on the groom for the contradictions. 

"A shock indeed," he sympathised. "But just so we have all the details squared away, where did you find the note?"

Even as he addressed the groom Charles kept a portion of his attention focused on Gregory. The manservant, after all, had also heard Martha and Arthur contradict one another, and Charles was very interested in how he was reacting.

[Blackguard]

While the lords kept their facial expressions neutral, Gregory did not. He seemed surprised by Arthur's quick rendition, which was at odds with Martha's and what he believed was the more accurate story.  It was clear that he wanted to interrupt and say something, but he withheld on account of the lords questioning him.

Arthur did not respond to Douglas' first follow up about surprise.  He kept a sullen voice and kept looking down.  "The note was on the table near him," he intoned.  "Chair was knocked over, but nuthin else on the table outta the ordinary milords.  I lock up the house at nights when Gregory not here."