Anne Perry - A Breach of Promise

"Not at all. He is our family lawyer, and as you may have observed, extremely fond of Zillah. We have no secrets to hide from him." He opened the door and walked in.

Delphine was sitting elegantly on the sofa with a piece of embroidery in her hands, although she was paying it little attention. Zillah and Sacheverall had returned from their walk in the garden. Perhaps it was a little cool. Now they stood over by the window close together, and Sacheverall was talking to her earnestly, gazing at her eyes, her lips. The sunlight caught the brilliance of her hair, shining bronze and gold. They all looked at Lambert as he came in.

Lambert went straight to the point. "Mr. Monk has told me some disturbing things about Melville's death. It seems it is not as simple a suicide as it first appeared."

Sacheverall made as if to interrupt, coming a step forward into the room.

Lambert overrode him. "There are things which need explaining, and we cannot let the matter go until that has been done."

"With respect, sir," Sacheverall argued, "to continue to go over the matter can only cause further distress to innocent people. That Melville should take her own life is easy enough to understand." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "She was obviously a person of-at its kindest-a disturbed mind and unnatural disposition. She realized the great wrong she had done both to Zillah"-he smiled at her and put his hand on her arm-"and to Isaac Wolff. To avoid further dishonor, she killed herself. What further explanation can be needed?"

"A great deal," Lambert answered with a sharpness that surprised Monk, and from the look in his face, Sacheverall also. Only Zillah seemed happy with her father's words.

Delphine looked merely annoyed. "Leave the wretched creature in peace." She shook her head. "As Mr. Sacheverall so wisely says, she was only too obviously disturbed. Pursuing her reasons for taking her life can only distress you, my dear, and perhaps cause you to blame yourself where there is no justification. I have told you over and over that no fault lies with you. You believed what she told you, as did we all." She placed her hand lightly on his arm. "It is not fair to hold yourself responsible in any way. I hate to see you suffer for this. Please… let us all put it behind us. No good can come of knowing any more, even if it were possible." She regarded him very earnestly. "And truly, Barton, can we say that her inner turmoil is any of our business? Can we not allow her, at least in death, a little privacy?"

For the first time Lambert hesitated. He glanced at Monk, then back at Delphine.

"What things?" Zillah asked.

Lambert did not answer.

She looked beyond him to Monk. "What things need to be answered, Mr. Monk? Why do you care what happened? Please answer me truthfully. I am very tired of evasions and euphemisms told to protect me."

"You don't need to know, my dear…" Sacheverall said, reaching toward her with his hand.

She moved a step away from him. "I wish to know," she said, still looking at Monk. "Did she kill herself over what we did to her? Was it because of what everyone said about Mr. Wolff?"

Delphine winced.

"We can't blame ourselves for that!" Sacheverall said quickly, a flush of anger marking his cheeks.

Zillah appeared not even to have heard him. She remained looking at Monk.

"I don't know what it was, Miss Lambert," he answered. "If that was the cause, I don't understand why she did not tell the truth. It would have ruined her professional reputation in this country, but there are other countries, and she had lived and studied in some of them. Surely that would have been better than death? The only crime she was accused of was so easily explained."

"Easily!" Sacheverall said with amazement. "Perhaps in your circles, Monk, but hardly in the society in which he-she moved, and among the people who would be her patrons. I think you forget she practiced her profession among the very cream of society, not the sort of person who might regard that kind of… perversion… as acceptable."

Zillah swung around to glare at him. "It was not a perversion!" she defended hotly. "She did nothing wrong or not… normal. She only dressed as a man; she didn't behave as one in-in a personal sense." The color was hot in her cheeks also, but for the embarrassment of having to seek words for something she was uncertain of and which it was indelicate to discuss. "You are trying to say that she was in some way mad, and that's not true."

"My dear Zillah, you have no idea what she may have done… in private!" Sacheverall expostulated.

"Neither have you!" she said instantly. "You are suggesting something ugly, but you don't know."

"We know she killed herself," he said gently. "That is unarguable. Young people in good health, with sufficient funds and a stable character, do not take their own lives. It is a crime against God, as well as against the state." He looked calm and satisfied with that answer.

Zillah looked back at Monk. "Is that true?"

"It is part of the truth," he agreed.

"And the rest of it?"

"Zillah…" Delphine said warningly.

"The rest of it?" Her eyes did not deviate from Monk's.

"The rest of it is that I wonder if she did kill herself, or if someone else did in order to bring the case to a conclusion before I investigated any further and uncovered something unpleasant," he replied.

She looked completely confused, as if she could see no sense in what he had said.

Sacheverall let out a guffaw of ridicule.

"What were you investigating?" Zillah asked. "About Killian? I-I mean Keelin… I don't understand a great deal about the law, but if there was something, surely if she told Sir Oliver, he would have kept it secret? Doesn't he have to, if he was her barrister? Anyway, what could it be?" Her brow darkened. "And why were you investigating her? Sir Oliver was supposed to be defending her. He was on her side!" She was indignant. She felt a trust had been abused.

"No, Miss Lambert," Monk said softly. "I was investigating you."

"Me?" She was amazed. "I have nothing to hide."

"What about Hugh Gibbons?"

"Oh!" She looked away and the color rushed crimson up her cheeks. "Well, that was all rather foolish. I suppose I was indiscreet-"

"Zillah!" Delphine said warningly.

Sacheverall frowned and stood perfectly still. It was the first time he had seemed uncertain of himself since Monk had come in.

Zillah ignored her mother. She was still facing Monk. "I did not behave very well. I should know better now. I would not permit myself to become so… emotional. Unless, of course, I were married." She took a deep breath but did not lower her eyes.

Monk found himself feeling extraordinarily partisan towards her. Each time he saw her, it became easier to understand why Keelin Melville had liked her so much she had inadvertently allowed this tragedy to happen.

"Perhaps anyone who is capable of passion is indiscreet at some time or other," he said quietly. He had no idea how he might have erred in his own youth. It was gone, with all his other memories. But he knew himself well enough to be sure it had occurred, and probably often. Not that it was the same for women, of course-at least not to society.

"That is hardly a worthy sentiment, Mr. Monk," Delphine said, looking quickly at Sacheverall and away again. "I would be obliged if you would not express it here. It is not the way we believe-or behave. Zillah was fond of this young man and saw him more frequently than we desired. It was inevitable, since he moved in the same circles. Before he became too enamored of her and overstepped propriety, or we unintentionally encouraged hopes in him that would not be fulfilled, we went for a short holiday to Crickieth, in North Wales." She forced herself to smile. "By the time we returned he had formed an attachment for another young lady, altogether more suitable to his age and situation. The word passion is far too strong for such a childhood fondness."