Botheration. Amy groaned. Her head immediately began to throb harder, and she wanted nothing more than to ask Lacey to refuse them entrance so she could enjoy William’s visit. However, the detectives hadn’t even waited for Lacey to return but trooped in right behind her.
Amy sighed. “Good afternoon, Detectives.”
They came to an abrupt stop as they looked at William. “What happened to you?”
“Lady Amy and I were in a bit of an accident Saturday evening.”
Detective Carson sat, with Detective Marsh taking the chair across from him. Reluctantly she took a seat on the settee, where William joined her. They formed a cozy little group, and Amy wished them to perdition.
Marsh shook his head. “An accident, eh?”
William cleared his throat to gain the detectives’ attention. “Lady Amy and I were returning from the Assembly Rooms Saturday evening when my carriage wheel broke.”
“No dead body this time, Lady Amy?” Carson smirked at her, which set her head to throbbing even more.
“Nasty business,” Marsh said as he flipped open his ever-present notepad and pulled a pencil from his pocket. “The roads need to be dealt with. Too many ruts in the streets.”
Still annoyed at their interruption, Amy said, “How can I help you, Detectives?”
“Just a few questions about some of your friends.” Carson grinned. She didn’t trust that man at all. She straightened in the chair as best she could and stared at him. “Indeed? Why are you concerned with my friends?”
Marsh scratched the side of his nose. “Well, we haven’t uncovered any friends that St. Vincent had by talking to his employees at his shipping company, or his neighborhood. It seemed the man kept to himself. So, it appeared to us that his social life must have revolved around you and your friends, since he was your fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé.”
“I have a list here of those who turned up as having an association with you, that most likely had some contact with Mr. St. Vincent.”
There was no way to get out of this, since it would be impolite for her as a dignified lady to rise and march from the room, leaving William to deal with them. “Very well. Whom do you wish to know about?”
“Mr. Richard Miles.”
What was it they wanted to know about him? Should she tell the detectives about Mr. Miles’s drug involvement? Unless they asked specifically, she decided to remain silent about that.
“He is a member of my book club, the Mystery Book Club of Bath. We meet every Thursday evening at Atkinson and Tucker bookstore. Mr. St. Vincent attended with me a few times but was not an active member, so I don’t think he and Mr. Miles were actually friends.”
Carson leaned back in his chair, his eyes sharp and questioning. “Did you know Mr. Miles sells illegal drugs?”
They had done their homework. “I can’t imagine how I would know that.”
Unless you asked your gardener about his drug use and he then identified Mr. Miles as his drug provider.
Since they had known about her seeing Mr. Miles and Mr. Harris at the Pump Room, and that Mr. Harris had danced with her and proposed to her, who knew what these men—to whom she’d obviously not given enough credit—had also learned? Did they know she was lying?
Detective Marsh looked down at his notepad as Detective Carson said, “Lady Suzanne Carlisle.”
Suzanne? Even Amy hadn’t known the woman’s first name. She shook her head. “Again, she is a member of my book club. All I know of her is she attends the Assembly Room dances most Saturdays, and it is said her husband is waiting for an appointment from the Queen as ambassador to France. Her contact with Mr. St. Vincent was slight. No more than conversation at the meetings he attended.”
A quick flash of an agitated Lady Carlisle arguing with Mr. Miles outside the Assembly Room the Satu
rday before stopped her for a moment, but as odd as that seemed, that wouldn’t have any connection to Mr. St. Vincent.
Marsh continued to take notes while Detective Carson shot names at her. “Mrs. Gertrude Miles.”
Good heavens, were they going to go down the entire book club membership? “She is Mr. Miles’s mother, and a lovely, sweet woman. She is quite fond of mystery books and enjoys our book club meetings.”
“Any connection other than that to Mr. St. Vincent?”
“No.”