Never Trust a Rogue Read Online Free PDF Page B

Strangler!”
    Baffled, Lindsey sank down onto the chair in front of the maid. What was she babbling about? Judging by the utter fright in those watery blue eyes, something dreadful had happened. Flora was shivering, tears still flowing, lips quivering.
    “There, there.” Lindsey took one of the girl’s chapped hands and rubbed it. “Calm down so you can tell me what this is all about.”
    “There’ll be no telling of any sort,” Miss Underhill said sternly. “Perhaps in India you were allowed to gossip with the servants about criminal activities, but we are not so relaxed in our standards here.”
    “Oh, don’t be stuffy; you want to hear about it, too,” Blythe said. “And I know what happened. A maidservant was found murdered over a fortnight ago. She was strangled in Hyde Park, and her body was left along the banks of the Serpentine!”
    Glancing up, Lindsey stared at her sister in horrified amazement. “A maidservant was
murdered
? You can’t mean . . . one of ours?”
    “Of course not. She was employed by Lady Entwhistle.”
    “But . . . how do you come by your information?” Lindsey felt a little nonplussed by the news. “And why did
I
never hear of this?”
    “My maid confided in me only this morning. You see, no one took notice until there was a second murder a few days ago. The circumstances were nearly identical to the first one. That means the same man must have done it.” Blythe drew up another stool and sat down, leaning forward as if they were engaging in a cozy gossip. “The news has spread below stairs in every house in Mayfair.
That’s
the secret I was going to tell you, Linds, before you so rudely tossed me out of here.”
    Lindsey had no patience for games. “Kindly share all the details. Who were these two girls? Do you know their names?”
    Blythe shrugged. “Me? I haven’t the slightest notion—”
    “Maria Wilkes was the first,” Flora broke in, her eyes red and damp. “’Tis wot I ’eard the ’ousekeeper say. I don’t know the other. Oh! I—I fear there’s a killer on the loose. An’ wot’s worse is that—”
    “Enough.” Silencing the maid with a sweep of her hand, Miss Underhill tut-tutted in disapproval. “I hardly think this is an appropriate discussion for the ears of young ladies.”
    “It’s too late now,” Blythe declared, her small chin jutted at a stubborn angle. “You know how Linds loves a good mystery. If I don’t tell her the rest, she’ll pester me to no end.” Returning her gaze to Lindsey, she went on, “Apparently the housemaid, Maria Wilkes, had a gentleman lover, and she crept out of Lady Entwhistle’s house after dark to meet him—”
    “Blythe Crompton!” the governess chided. “You shouldn’t know of such things, let alone speak of them.”
    “Pish-posh. I’m practically an adult. There’s no needto sweep indiscretions under the rug and pretend they don’t exist.”
    “Nevertheless, this conversation has gone on too long. You must proceed to the schoolroom posthaste. Such an unfortunate tragedy has nothing whatsoever to do with any of us here.”
    The governess was bending down to reach for Blythe’s arm when Flora let out a loud sob. Burying her face in her hands, the maid launched into another torrent of weeping.
    Everyone froze in place.
    Lindsey was the first to move, getting up to kneel beside Flora and give her a comforting hug. “You needn’t be frightened. You’re quite safe here in this house. I’m sure the authorities will apprehend the murderer very soon.”
    Flora lifted her head to gaze teary eyed at Lindsey. “Oh, ’tisn’t fer meself that I fear. ’Tis fer me cousin, Nelda. Oh, sweet Jaysus. She’s gone!”
    “Gone? Gone where?”
    “I—I dunno!” Flora took a deep, shuddering breath. “She was in service, miss, at a fine house on Curzon Street. I went to visit her yesterday evenin’, on me ’alf day off. But she weren’t there. Cook told me Nelda left with nary a word of warnin’.