Love & Murder: An Eliza Winter Mystery

Poppies

Eliza's responses to Colin were curt at the train station and she could see his confusion when she pulls Lucy to sit with her instead of him. Eliza fills Lucy in on the conversation she had with her aunt and her mother over breakfast and suddenly Lucy understands the change in Eliza's demeanor.

When they arrived at the train station in Kent, Colin attempted to pull Eliza aside, but she strode off in the direction of the motorcar waiting for them instead. Eliza was relieved when they arrived at Lady Davenport's Kent Estate, knowing Colin would be back to focusing on the task at hand. Lady Davenport greeted them kindly and had tea and nibbles waiting for them in the morning room.

"I am so grateful that you allowed us to come," Eliza says to Lady Davenport while plucking a pink macaron from the tea tray. Colin had opted for brandy instead of tea and Lucy was with Brandon, Colin's Valet preparing their rooms.

"Anything for my Penelope," Lady Davenport says while reaching for a handkerchief. "I still cannot accept that is she gone." She dabs her eye and Eliza puts down the half-eaten macaron. She reaches for Lady Davenport's hand and says, "I truly can't either."

"You two were close. I was glad she had someone to be there for her. Even now, helping to track down the beast that did this to her," Lady Davenport gasps while getting her tears in check. She gives a slight shake of her head while taking in a deep breath.

"She was a good friend to me. Even now, I find myself wishing to call her. Wanting to hear her voice and wishing she'd give me advice on what to do. She left quite the empty void in my heart," Eliza confesses, trying to control her own emotions. She did wish Penelope was here, telling her how to handle Colin. Should she treat the situation with subtlety or demand answers? Should she fall for a man who could have anyone, and that anyone being her worst enemy? Should she pull away from him or tell him exactly how she feels?

Colin looks to her but he doesn't reach for her hand. He gives her a soft smile before finishing his brandy. Lady Davenport clears her throat and then says, "Now, you came to my home for a reason. How can I help?" Colin drops his empty glass on the table and takes control of the conversation.

"Lady Davenport, I would like to be clear before we start this investigation that I am not here to drag Lady Penelope or her reputation through the mud. I'm not here to judge, nor am I here to stir up trouble. I am trying to seek out the truth and Eliza here believes the truth may lie here in Kent." Colin looks to Eliza and she nods. Lady Davenport sits up straighter and sticks her chin in the air, "The things you have accused my niece of are preposterous detective. I do not believe for a second that she was involved with a man and the slander about her virtue must be stopped. I will not have any part in it."

"We are not asking you to feed into it or to confirm it Lady Davenport," Eliza quickly interjects. "We just want to explore all avenues here. If Penelope had met a man here in Kent, we need to make sure he did not murder her. And for all we know, she may have become pregnant by an unspeakable act. We are not assuming that her virginity was given freely, but that it may have been stolen." Lady Davenport's eyes widen. She swallows hard and until the words were out of her mouth, Eliza had not thought that Penelope could have been raped. The things written in her diary suggested otherwise, but it is possible that her murderer could have forced himself upon her.

"We are just trying to bring justice to Lady Penelope and you can be as involved as you wish in this task," Colin states. Lady Davenport nods to them and sighs. She flits her brown eyes to the high ceiling before saying, "Penelope used to go on long walks around the property. Like you said, I have a wide field where poppy's grow past the stables and it bleeds into the far tree-line that surrounds the estate."

"Who owns the neighboring properties?" Colin asks and Lady Davenport replies, "The one directly behind me has had many owners, the latest one being the bank. The one to the left is a family that was been in Kent longer than the Davenports, but currently houses three generations of females. The one on the right also houses a family, the Buckshaws, but currently only Lord and Lady Buckshaw are in residence. Their son and daughter have taken up homes in London."

"How old is Buckshaw's son?" Eliza asks and Lady Davenport frowns, "Old enough to have noticed a girl like Penelope."

Colin nods, "We'll start with the Buckshaw's then." He pushes himself off the sofa and Eliza follows. The butler comes in with Eliza and Colin's outerwear and when Lucy comes down to hand Eliza her bow and arrow set, Colin looks to her startled, "And what in God's name, is that?"

"We are hunting a murderer Lord Bradshaw. I think I should be prepared in case I encounter a deceptive man," she states and then stares at him. She buttons up her fitted jacket and notes the flicker of confusion in his eyes. She slings the leather arrow case over her shoulder and spins around. Colin catches Lucy's glare and feeling uneasy, he grabs his hat. He follows behind Eliza but instead of entering the motorcar, she takes off to the left, walking into the grassy area on the side of the footpath.

"I thought we were going to the Buckshaw's" Colin calls out, now jogging to catch up with her.

"We are," Eliza says shortly as she crosses into the meadow that slopes down a hill. She's breathing heavily and clutching onto the leather strap now slug diagonally across her chest.

When they climb to the top of the hill, Eliza stops to catch her breath. She looks down onto the open field and Colin comes to stand next to her. They look over the wide area of land, that's swollen with plump greenery from all the summer rainfall. Eliza points to the fluffy plush tree-line and says, "The poppies used to blossom all the way from here to the tree-line." Colin scans the land, welcoming the breeze that blows Eliza's hair from her face and then says, "So the Buckshaws are not the bordering estate then. Their property line wouldn't be near the poppies."

Eliza nods, "It looks like it's the empty estate that does. Maybe an empty homemade for a convenient hideout?" Colin looks to Eliza and shifts his weight as he says, "So you're speaking to me again?" Eliza keeps her gaze to the meadow as she replies, "Only when it pertains to Penelope." Colin lets out an incredulous laugh, "Oh? I wasn't aware that that's what this was all about?" Eliza snaps her hard stare to him and replies, "Oh, but didn't you? Isn't solving this murder what this has always been about?" She points between them and then stalks off down the hill before he can reply.