C. Harris - Who Buries the Dead

Sebastian settled into the chair and ordered a glass of burgundy. “I’m told you knew him well.”

“I did, yes. His largest plantation in Jamaica lies between the land I inherited from my great-uncle and that of my mother’s family.”

“Have you spent much time there? In Jamaica, I mean.”

Sir Galen reached for his tea and took a small sip. “I have, yes. After the death of my grandfather, I was sent to the island to live with my uncle. I find I miss it if I’m away from it too long.”

Something of Sebastian’s thoughts must have shown on his face, because Sir Galen said, “I’m told you’re a rather outspoken abolitionist.”

“Yes.”

Sir Galen stared down at the delicately patterned china cup in his hands, then set it aside. “It’s a dreadful institution. I don’t care what the Bible says; I can’t believe we were meant to own our fellow beings as if they were nothing more than cattle and horses.”

“Yet you do.”

“I do, yes; by the hundreds. I inherited them, the same way I inherited Knightly Hall in Hertfordshire and the money my grandfather invested in the Funds. I suppose I could sell them, but while that might soothe my conscience, it wouldn’t do anything to improve their situation, now, would it? At least while they’re under my care, I can see they’re treated well.”

“You could always free them.”

“And so I would-if I could. But the law requires me to post bond guaranteeing their support for the rest of their lives. All five hundred of them. It would bankrupt me. If I were a better man, I suppose I’d do it anyway. But. .” He shrugged and shook his head.

Sebastian studied the Baronet’s sun-darkened, broad-featured face. Sebastian had heard of a woman who, upon inheriting an estate in the West Indies, loaded all of the plantation’s slaves on a ship and transported them to Philadelphia, where she was able to set them free without posting a bond. But all he said was, “Did Preston feel the same way?”

“Stanley? Good God, no. He was convinced slavery was instituted by God to enable the superior European race to care for and shepherd the benighted souls of Africa. He genuinely believed that manumission was a misguided evil and contrary to God’s plan.”

“How often did he visit Jamaica?”

“He used to go out there quite regularly. But since his son, James, has taken over the management of the plantations, he’s been more content to adopt the role of an absentee landlord.”

“What can you tell me about his dealings with Governor Oliphant?”

“Oliphant?” Knightly pressed his lips together in disgust, as if the name tasted foul on his tongue. “He was extraordinarily unpopular with the planters, you know. Governors frequently are, but. . Let’s just say that Oliphant went far beyond what was proper.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not really. Anything I could say would be all speculation and hearsay, and I have a healthy respect for England’s slander laws-and no desire to fall afoul of them.”

“Could Preston have had something to do with Oliphant’s rather sudden, unexpected return to London?”

“He never boasted of it, if that’s what you’re asking. But-” Sir Galen cast a quick glance around and grimaced suggestively. “Well, his cousin is the Home Secretary, now, isn’t he?”

“Miss Preston tells me her father was afraid of Oliphant.”

“I’ve heard he has a reputation for being someone you don’t want to cross. Unfortunately, Stanley Preston wasn’t the kind of man to let that stop him.” Knightly shook his head. “He was a brilliant man, well educated and learned in a number of subjects. But he was not always wise.”

The waiter delivered Sebastian’s wine, and he paused to take a deliberate sip before saying, “I understand Preston was also upset because of his daughter.”

A faint band of color appeared high on the older man’s cheekbones. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“He was disturbed, was he not, by the reappearance in London of a certain hussar captain?”

“I take it you mean Wyeth?”

“Yes.”

Sir Galen shifted his gaze to the large, gilt-framed battle scene on the far wall. “I’m afraid Anne-Miss Preston-has a generous nature, which combined with a warm and trusting heart can sometimes lead her to misjudge those she meets, especially when a friendly manner and a graceful address create the appearance of amiability.”

“You believe Wyeth’s amiability to be merely an appearance?”

“I fear it may be. But then, as you are doubtless aware, I am not exactly a disinterested party. When she was younger, the difference in our ages seemed insurmountable. It was only recently I’d begun to think perhaps I might have some chance, but then-” He broke off and shifted uncomfortably with all the embarrassment of a painfully reserved man in love with a younger woman who has given her heart to another.

“Do you think Preston would have forbidden a match between his daughter and Captain Wyeth?”

“He was certainly determined to do all within his power to prevent them from marrying. He had a younger sister, you know, who married an Army officer and died a hideous death at the hands of the natives at a fort in the wilds of America.”

“No, I didn’t know that. Yet Anne Preston is of age, is she not?”

“She is, yes.”

“Would she have married without her father’s blessing, do you think?”

“If she believed his blessing unfairly withheld, I suspect she would, yes.”

“And would he have disinherited her, if she married against his wishes?”

“He certainly swore he intended to do so. But would he have actually carried through with the threat?” Knightly tipped his head to one side, then shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”

Sebastian stared at him. “You’re saying Preston threatened to disinherit Anne if she married Captain Wyeth?”

“He told me the day before he was killed that he would cut her off without a farthing if she did. But I can’t say whether or not he ever threatened Anne herself. He was like that, you know-full of bluster and passion, saying he was going to do things he would later realize were folly-once he calmed down.”

“Men of that nature frequently accumulate enemies.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Can you think of any-apart from Oliphant and Wyeth?”

Sir Galen studied his empty teacup, as if lost for a moment in thought. Then he shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t, no. As I said, his passions sometimes ran away with him, leading him into careless or hasty speech better left unsaid. He doubtless alienated more people than he realized. But can I think of anyone else angry enough to kill him and cut off his head? No.”

“Any idea what Stanley Preston might have been doing at Bloody Bridge that night?”

“No. I hadn’t actually given it much thought, but you’re right; it is odd for him to have been there so late, is it not?”

“He didn’t often walk at night?”

“Only to the pub and back. There was a time not so long ago when Bloody Bridge had a well-deserved reputation for violence. I can’t imagine him going there alone, at night.”

“Did he say anything to you about some Stuart relics he was considering buying?”

Knightly shook his head. “Not that I recall, no. But then, I’m afraid I sometimes didn’t pay a great deal of attention when Stanley would start prattling on about his collection.”

Sebastian set aside his wineglass and rose to his feet. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”

Sir Galen rose with him and tucked his paper under one arm in an awkward, self-conscious gesture. “He was a good man, you know. My uncle died the summer I was fourteen, when we were in Jamaica. I had already lost my grandfather, and my parents long before that. Stanley Preston took me under his wing. I was nothing more than a tiresome adolescent, but he treated me like a man grown. You couldn’t ask for a truer, more loyal friend. Whoever killed him-” He broke off, as if fearing the intensity of his emotions might lead him into the kind of intemperate speech he’d just credited to Stanley Preston. He pressed his lips together and shook his head, then said, “Whoever killed him left the world a poorer place.”