Part 7

With the gentlemen settled into the large smoking room with Rupert, and the ladies sitting down to tea and desert in the drawing room with Tilly, Eliza and William parted ways to speak individually to each guest.

When Eliza had entered the drawing room she'd noticed Mrs Thompson had been sitting on the armchair comforting a visibly upset Arabella, whilst the other two ladies, Mrs Stratton and Mrs Rosenthal seemed to keep to themselves. Perhaps she was the closest to Arabella in the room, so a good place to start her investigation.

William remained in the hallway nearest the library, so as to keep an eye on the crime scene while they awaited Detective Phillips arrival. Eliza moved up to Rupert's study on the third floor with her first interviewee, Mrs Thompson, who had been sat next to William at dinner.

The two women settled themselves in Rupert's study. Eliza had lit the oil lamps in the room, and motioned to Mrs Thompson to sit down on the chair at the desk, while she walked around to sit the far side of Rupert's desk. She had found a few blank pieces of paper and a pencil in a desk tray, and prepared herself to make her notes.

"Mrs Thompson, I don't think we've properly been introduced. My name is Eliza Scarlet. I'm a private detective, and Inspector Wellington has asked me to speak to the ladies here regarding what has happened in the library tonight," Eliza started gently.

"Please, call me Bertha. I just can't believe it." Mrs Bertha Thompson seemed friendly, and was visibly stunned by the evening's events, as she smoothed over her dress while she made herself comfortable in the chair.

"Is it true? Hugo is … dead?" She asked, almost unable to say the word.

"I'm afraid to say, yes he is," Eliza confirmed.

"But how?"

"We don't know the full circumstances at the moment. Now, may I ask, how well did you know Mr Goldberg?"

"I didn't know him that well I'm afraid. Mr Goldberg's family law firm has done business with my husband's firm on many occasions. So, they have worked together over the years, but it was only really at evening events like this that I ever saw him."

"Do you know if he was well liked?"

"I guess so. He always seemed to be surrounded by people when I have seen him," Bertha shrugged. She'd noticed at various events, he was never one to be alone in a corner. He could usually be found near the drinks and surrounded by people, men and women.

"And Arabella, you and she seem to be close?"

"Well, we've become acquaintances over the years. I wouldn't say we are close friends, but we've mixed in the same circles for a while, so, we know of each other. Occasionally, I might see her when a group of us meet for tea and cake, or sometimes we play cards together, whist mainly."

"You get along?" Eliza asked.

"I suppose. She seems nice, but, not to everyone's taste. I guess she can be seen as a bit overbearing. She likes the attention, always has something to say, and well, its not always the nicest things. I much prefer to keep myself to myself if I'm honest."

"Do you know how things were between Mr and Mrs Goldberg?"

Bertha took a moment to respond, and Eliza instantly picked up on her hesitation, and watched her shift in her chair.

"Was there trouble?" Eliza asked, wondering if perhaps all was not as rosy between the couple as Arabella had made things seem earlier.

"I don't know, not for certain. I mean, us ladies we talk, and there are suggestions, but, I try to not involve myself in that talk, so I don't anything know for sure." Eliza wondered how much idol gossip might help in this investigation, but, if there were something, no matter how small, she still needed to know.

"Please, no matter the detail, it could be important," Eliza pressed.

Bertha waited a moment in thought, she didn't want to make assumptions or cause trouble for anyone. She felt uncomfortable even mentioning it, but she supposed she had to say.

"It could be nothing, but there was mention, among some of the group, that perhaps Arabella was not…" Bertha paused wondering how best to phrase it, before continuing. "Perhaps, she had an interest outside of her marriage," she said slowly and pointedly.

Bertha looked uncomfortable at her own suggestion as she fidgeted with her hands and Eliza looked at her confused for a moment, before she realised quite what she was meaning.

"You believe she was having an affair?" Eliza confirmed.

"I don't know," Bertha confirmed quickly. "It just there was mention among the ladies, that she'd been seen a number of times, with the same man…. A man who was not her husband."

Eliza thought back to her client this week, she herself assumed the husband was having an affair, only it turned out to be his daughter. She knew she couldn't jump to the conclusion that Arabella was having an affair just based on her being seen with another man. Still, she wrote a note down on her paper, that it was something of interest to be looked into further.

"Did you happen to notice Mr Goldberg leave the dinner table tonight?" Eliza asked.

She had been so distracted trying to avoid Arabella's teasing glares, by William holding her hand and even by Rupert and Tilly, that she'd not paid any attention to Hugo at the dinner table. She hadn't even noticed if he had been there when she got up to follow Tilly out of the dinning room.

"I don't remember exactly. I was talking to Inspector Wellington during dinner, but I do think maybe, perhaps, Hugo might have left the table before you and the Inspector left."

Eliza nodded, it would explain why he'd not walked pass her and Tilly arguing in the hallway, or interrupted her and William. It was highly possible that he was already in the library before they were in the hallway.

"When I arrived tonight, it seemed like everyone invited knew each other?"

"I suppose. The ladies know each other from the occasional gathering at each other's houses. My husband worked with Hugo, but the other men knew each other from dinner parties like these I think."

"And you know Mrs Parker, Rupert's mother," Eliza queried. She remembered Rupert saying everyone invited knew his mother.

"Well, yes, she is friends with my mother, and when she said that Rupert's new wife to be wanted to make some friends, my mother insisted I help invite some guests… And well if you've ever met Mrs Parker, you'd know that she's not someone you say no to."

Eliza smiled, she knew that Mrs Parker was certainly someone you crossed at your own risk. She was curious that Mrs Parker had introduced Tilly as Rupert wife to be, perhaps she'd not been informed that Rupert hadn't actually agreed to Tilly's proposal. She made a mental note to ask Rupert what exactly his mother knew of his relationship with Tilly.

"So the guests tonight, weren't organized by Tilly or Mrs Parker, but by you?"

"I suggested who Tilly should invite, and convinced the ladies that they and their husbands should come, since they don't really know her, or Mr Parker for that matter."

"What about the staff? Have you seen any of them before at any other parties?"

Eliza only knew Rupert's two buters, the rest of the staff for the evening she was unfamiliar with. It was certainly possible that one of them were involved. Perhaps they held a grudge from a previous engagement, Eliza wondered.

"No, don't recall ever seeing them before. I believe they are all staff of Mr Parkers. Tilly certainly never asked me about hiring any help to serve tonight."

Eliza leaned back in her chair. Aside from the suggestion that Arabella might be unfaithful, Mrs Thompson had no further information.

Eliza spoke to the young Mrs Stratton next, who was poised and quiet and could offer very little information about Hugh Goldberg, Arabella or the state of their marriage. She never even made mention of the idea of Arabella being unfaithful. Eliza could only hope that William might have been having better luck with the gentlemen of the group.

Down in the hallway near the library doorway, William had brought Mr Thompson out of the room where the gentlemen were drinking and smoking to speak with him privately. He'd already spoken with Mr Rosenthal who seemed to be able to offer little insight into the situation, having only met Mr Goldberg at dinner parties, and could only suggest that he was a reasonable gentlemen.

Mr Thompson was a tall man with dark thinning hair slicked back, and a small dark mustache, perfectly groomed. He presented himself as proper gentleman, tall and shoulders back. He already knew William was a Police Inspector, from speaking during drinks, so for once William didn't need to formally introduce himself and could get straight to the point of his investigation.

"Mr Thompson, how well did you know Mr Goldberg?" William asked, when they were far enough from the main smoking room so as not to be overheard.

"I knew him as well as most people know a colleague. He occasionally consulted on legal matters via his families law firm, so we'd worked together for a number of years." Mr Thompson spoke with an impeccable Queen's English accent.

"And did you get along?" William questioned.

"I wouldn't say we were friends, but we've crossed paths outside of work. I've seen him at the Brownlee on a number of occasions, but we only really socialized due to the ladies, otherwise I'm sure it would have been purely a working relationship. He was not to my taste," Mr Thompson admitted.

"Did he seem well liked to you by others?"

Mr Thompson paused, and thought carefully before answering the Inspectors question.

"I don't wish to speak ill of the dead Inspector, but if I'm honest I found him to be a slightly odious man. Many of my colleagues, and myself included, found he was always too full of himself, overly confident and rather obnoxious. We only dealt with him because the company has worked with his father's firm for many years, and his father insisted we dealt with him."

"Were there any issues with his work?"

"Not that I'm aware of. He is… was … a competent lawyer, however I do suspect his position in the company was more down to his father then his abilities."

"I see. How well do you know Mrs Goldberg?"

"Oh I've sat next to her on the odd occasion, such as an event like this evening, but other then that, I think my wife might be able to offer more of an insight."

William knew Eliza would have been speaking with Mrs Thompson, so he made a mental note to ask her afterwards.

"Do you know how they were together, when you've seen them?

"They always seemed happy, I suppose." Mr Thompson sighed, and William sensed a tone to his answer, so pushed a little further.

"Seemed?" He queried.

"Yes. At any parties they were always sociable, and I guess you would say they put on a united front. However, between us, he didn't exactly treat his wedding vows, or perhaps his wife, as a gentleman should."

"You think there was problems in the marriage?'

"I don't think it Inspector, I know it. Whilst I've not witnessed this myself, I am in fact very happily married to my wonderful wife. However, it's a well know fact between the gentlemen that I work with, that Mr Goldberg regularly frequented a number of … shall we say, less than desirable clubs around town..."

William nodded, understanding that the man was trying to politely infer he attended the various brothels around London.

"He had, lets say, a rather frequent wandering hand, if you get my meaning," Mr Thompson continued. "I am aware he had a number of different ladies that he spent the night with, on a number of occasions."

"I see."

"As I say, I do not wish to speak ill of the man, god rest his soul, but that is the truth of the matter."

William had to admit, this was a rather different impression of Mr Hugo Goldberg, then he'd previously been given.

Eliza finished up with Mrs Rosenthal, and whilst she could not offer any further suggestions on Hugo, she did admit that she did not get along with Arabella, and for the most part avoided her if she could.

Having spoken to everyone else, Eliza finally had to admit that she needed to speak with Arabella. It wasn't a task she was looking forward to, but a necessary one. She went down to the drawing room to collect her and brought her back up to the study.

The walk up the stairs had an uncomfortable silence. Arabella was clearly upset by her husbands death, but that fact didn't seem to dull her dislike of Eliza. Her annoyance at having to be interviewed by Eliza was written all over her face.

Eliza had told herself she would do her best to remain impartial, and polite towards Arabella, setting aside her own feelings. The woman had just suddenly lost her husband in what were suspicious circumstances. No matter what had happened between them in the past, Eliza did feel for her situation at this moment.

Once in the study, Eliza motioned for her to sit in the chair at the desk, and took up her own place the other side of the desk opposite her.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Eliza told her genuinely.

"What would you know, you're not married," Arabella said hurtfully.

Arabella sat back in the chair and defensively folded her arms. She stubbornly refused to make eye contact, instead looking at the dark walls around them, and made no attempt to hide her distain of Eliza.

"My father recently passed rather suddenly, so I do know your shock at the moment," Eliza told her, ignoring her comment and offering her own insight as an olive branch.

Arabella stayed quiet, and continued to avoid looking directly at Eliza, a permanent scowl was resting on her face. This wasn't going to be easy, Eliza realised.

"Can you tell me about your husband?"

She sighed, and took a minute to answer, as if replying to her question was a waste of her time. Eventually, she relented and begrudgingly spoke.

"He was well liked, he spent most of his time at his fathers offices, he is… was, a senior partner at the law firm, so he was always busy with various work and meetings, he often worked late and weekends."

"Do you know of anyone who might want to hurt him, perhaps even someone not here tonight?"

"No," Arabella confirmed firmly.

"Have you seen any of the staff serving here tonight at any other parties?"

"No," she said again, her tone firm and irritated at having to answer Eliza's questions.

Eliza took a moment, trying to think of the best way to get Arabella to open up to her. Despite their background, she needed Arabella to trust her to find out what had happened to her husband.

"How long before the he was found had he left the table?"

"I don't know, maybe 5 minutes, 10 minutes at most, I don't know for sure."

Arabella sat in her chair looking exhausted, as she rubbed her face then rested her hands on her stomach. Eliza watched her closely as a thought occurred to her. She wasn't entirely sure how best to word her thought. After all, it was generally frowned upon to ask, unless you were absolutely certain. Arabella was clearly not happy with her, and this was sure to make her even more unhappy if she was wrong, but Eliza had to ask.

"Arabella, I'm sorry … but … are you expecting?"

Eliza was nervous to ask. She certainly didn't look like she was, but from her demeanor, how she with sitting, and how her hands seemed to be resting protectively over her stomach, it seemed a possibility. Perhaps it was still very early stages, Eliza wondered, as she watched carefully Arabella's reaction to the question.

Arabella's eyes widen as she sat up straighter in her chair, and flattening her dress, which really was quite tight. She seemed shocked, and Eliza wasn't sure if it was because she'd correctly guessed she was with child, or just at the mere suggestion that she might be. She didn't answer straight away, and the longer they sat in the uncomfortable silence, the more Eliza believed she was correct in her assumption.

"It's still quite early. I've not really told anyone." Arabella answered eventually, her tone changed. She seemed uncomfortable at the question, but she had softened her angry tone towards Eliza.

"Did your husband know?" Eliza asked, and again Arabella was slow to answer the question.

"Yes, he was aware," she finally responded with a quiet sigh.

Eliza thought about Bertha's suggestion, that Arabella might not have been faithful to her husband, so Eliza really had to ask the next question, even if it might anger her.

"I have to ask this, but, is the baby your husband's?" Eliza queried.

She was suddenly rather grateful that there was a desk in-between them, because Arabella's face turned to anger, her hands tightened to fists and momentarily looked like she was about to launch herself over the desk at Eliza.

"Of course, how could you think…?" Arabella started furiously. Only she stopped, her eyes dropped, and a moment later she brought her hands to cover her face as she burst into tears.

Eliza sat watching her old school enemy crumble in front of her, and for once she was at a loss for words. She didn't know if it was the shock of her husband's death that had finally got to Arabella, or the question about her baby, but the person in front of her just sat in her chair uncontrollably sobbing her heart out.

Eliza kept quiet, unsure what her best course of action would be. She quietly let Arabella cry until she eventually calmed herself into a quiet gentle sob, and slowly she dropped her hands from her face. With swollen red eyes she finally looked directly at Eliza and shook her head.

"No, it's not," she softly said.

"Did you're husband know?" Eliza decided to keep her opinions to herself and not judge the situation.

"He didn't even care Eliza." Arabella finally admitted, breaking away from the idea of her perfect marriage.

"Our marriage wasn't a love match. Your father might not have cared about the life you lead or what sort of person you marry, but I had a responsibility to my family that you have no idea about. Our families arranged Hugo and I. We were both good breeding, but he never really wanted to be married to me or I to him. We were rarely home together, and apart from the occasional dinner party we never paid much attention to each other. He kept to his life and I kept to mine."

"Did you murder him?" Eliza asked, knowing that even though Arabella now had motive, she was almost certain that she never left the table.

"No, I most certainly did not! I had absolutely nothing to do with what's happened to my husband." Arabella was adamant, and Eliza almost believed her.

"You are pregnant, with another man's child. Your husband was very wealthy, so you stand to inherit a lot of money now. You could easily leave and start a new life with your lover." Eliza laid bare the facts that were inescapable.

Arabella gave Eliza a cold hard stare that could only be match by one of Tilly Hildegard's steely glances. With her tears dried, and gritted teeth, Arabella spoke icily calmly for the first time.

"I can assure you Eliza, no matter how my husband and I felt about each other, this baby would have been far better off in life with Hugo alive, as it's father."

Eliza was starting to be convinced that Arabella wasn't involved, but if she didn't murder her husband…. Who did…?

To be continued….