The pool of St Branok

"I wonder if Grace will stay there," said Justin.

"She's been helping with the campaign. I suppose that has to go on."

"It will be a hopeless cause now."

"You mean ..."

"Why, Angelet, you don't think they would elect a man whose wife has just died in mysterious circumstances?"

"Mysterious circumstances ..."

"It will come out at the inquest. No one can say till then. I wonder if Grace will stay. She can't very well without Lizzie's being there."

"What does that matter?" I asked. "Lizzie is dead. I can't believe it."

I lived in a daze. There was one thought which kept coming into my mind. It was what Ben had said: "Don't give up hope. Something will be done."

Something had been done.

No. I would not believe that of Ben. He was vigorous in his pursuit of what he wanted. He had married for it. Would he murder for it?

There! I had said the word to myself. And now it haunted me and I could not get it out of my mind.

There was great anxiety in the family. We met and talked over the matter. They all said that Lizzie had been taking the drug to help her sleep. Some drugs were dangerous. It was easy to take too much.

Uncle Peter was staying at Manorleigh for the inquest.

We were all waiting for the outcome. That would either still our fears or make them realities.

We did not want to read the papers but we could not stop ourselves. They were full of the case. Everyone was talking of the sudden death of Mrs. Elizabeth Lansdon ... wife of one of the candidates in the constituency of Manorleigh. She had been found in her bed by the close friend of herself and her husband ... Mrs. Grace Hume, widow of the Crimean hero, grandson of Peter Lansdon the philanthropist. Why did they have to go into those details every time they mentioned them?

There were hints as to what might have happened. Mrs. Elizabeth was shy and retiring; she had given the impression that the life of a successful politician's wife had little charm for her. It was her friend, Mrs. Grace, who had shone at the meetings; she it was who mingled with the people, kissed the babies and expressed general concern for the welfare of the voters ... taking on the work and duties of the candidate's wife.

Hints ... all the time. I was amazed how the press enjoyed the hunt for sensation. They reminded me of a pack of hounds chasing a fox. Ben had angered them. He had been too clever, too successful; and they hated that. And now was their opportunity to destroy all that success.

We heard the result of the inquest before Uncle Peter came back to tell us about it.

We were all gathered together in the house in the square. Justin and Morwenna were with us. They said they felt like members of the family and wished to share our grief at such a time.

We heard the paper boys crying out in the street. "Inquest Result ... Mrs. Lizzie Inquest. Read all about it."

The papers were brought to us. In thick headlines it read: "Coroner's Verdict: Accidental Death."

We all breathed with relief. I was sure the others had feared what I had that it might have been "Murder by some person or persons unknown."

Uncle Peter returned. Lizzie's body was to be brought to London and she would be buried in the family vault. He told us all about it.

"What an ordeal! It seems that Lizzie had been in the habit of taking the stuff. It's a dangerous habit. She should have been stopped. Ben didn't know about it. That didn't do him much good. It gave the impression that he was a neglectful husband.

"Grace was put through a lot of questioning. She was the great friend. Yes, she had known about the laudanum. No, she had not thought it necessary to inform Lizzie's husband. She knew that Lizzie had difficulty in sleeping and was amazed how well and happy she was when she had a good night's sleep. Grace had thought it was helpful ... taken in moderation. She had had no notion that Lizzie might be exceeding the dose. In fact she had thought she took it only rarely. Then she told them how she had gone to see Lizzie that morning. They had already ascertained that Ben and Lizzie did not share a room. They didn't like that very much. As a matter of fact at this time I was getting a little worried.

"Grace was good. An excellent witness. She said Ben was a kind husband and that Lizzie was very fond of him. The only thing Grace knew of that worried her was having to face people and do what was expected of her ... not by her husband. He was always very gentle with her ... but by others. Grace had always done her best to help her.

"They asked if Grace was aware of certain remarks which had been made in the press. Grace said she was. And how did they affect her? She ignored them, because they were nonsense and she knew that they were made by people who feared their candidate was not going to win the election. Mr. Lansdon had never behaved in any way which was not in keeping with the conduct of a gentleman and a good and faithful husband.