“An unpleasant position for them, sir.”
“Very unpleasant. Now to get at the truth, one must have all the facts of the case. A lot depends, must depend, on the reactions, the words and gestures, of Mr. Jefferson and his family. How did they feel, what did they show, what things were said? I am asking you, Edwards, for inside information, the kind of inside information that only you are likely to have. You know your master’s moods. From observation of them you probably know what caused them. I am asking this, not as a policeman but as a friend of Mr. Jefferson’s. That is to say, if anything you tell me is not, in my opinion, relevant to the case, I shall not pass it on to the police.” He paused.
Edwards said quietly, “I understand you, sir. You want me to speak quite frankly; to say things that, in the ordinary course of events, I should not say, and that, excuse me sir, you wouldn’t dream of listening to.”
Sir Henry said, “You’re a very intelligent fellow, Edwards. That’s exactly what I do mean.”
Edwards was silent for a minute or two, then he began to speak. “Of course I know Mr. Jefferson fairly well by now. I’ve been with him quite a number of years. And I see him in his ‘off moments, not only in his ‘on ones. Sometimes, sir, I’ve questioned in my own mind whether it’s good for anyone to fight fate in the way Mr. Jefferson has fought. It’s taken a terrible toll of him, sir. If, sometimes, he could have given way, been an unhappy, lonely, broken old man well, it might have been better for him in the end. But he’s too proud for that. He’ll go down fighting, that’s his motto. But that sort of thing leads, Sir Henry, to a lot of nervous reaction. He looks a good-tempered gentleman. I’ve seen him in violent rages when he could hardly speak for passion. And the one thing that roused him, sir, was deceit.”
“Are you saying that for any particular reason, Edwards?”
“Yes, sir. I am. You asked me, sir, to speak quite frankly.”
“That is the idea.”
“Well, then, Sir Henry, in my opinion the young woman that Mr. Jefferson was so taken up with wasn’t worth it. She was, to put it bluntly, a common little piece. And she didn’t care tuppence for Mr. Jefferson. All that play of affection and gratitude was so much poppycock. I don’t say there was any harm in her, but she wasn’t, by a long way, what Mr. Jefferson thought her. It was funny, that, sir, for Mr. Jefferson was a shrewd gentleman; he wasn’t often deceived over people. But there, a gentleman isn’t himself in his judgment when it comes to a young woman being in question. Young Mrs. Jefferson, you see, whom he’d always depended upon a lot for sympathy, had changed a good deal this summer. He noticed it and he felt it badly. He was fond of her, you see. Mr. Mark he never liked much.”
Sir Henry interjected, “And yet he had him with him constantly?”
“Yes, but that was for Miss Rosamund’s sake. Mrs. Gaskell, that was. She was the apple of his eye. He adored her. Mr. Mark was Miss Rosamund’s husband. He always thought of him like that.” “Supposing Mr. Mark had married someone else?” “Mr. Jefferson, sir, would have been furious.” Sir Henry raised his eyebrows. “As much as that?” “He wouldn’t have shown it, but that’s what it would have been.” “And if Mrs. Jefferson had married again?” “Mr. Jefferson wouldn’t have liked that either, sir.” “Please go on, Edwards.”
“I was saying, sir, that Mr. Jefferson fell for this young woman. I’ve often seen it happen with the gentlemen I’ve been with. Comes over them like a kind of disease. They want to protect the girl, and shield her, and shower benefits upon her, and nine times out of ten the girl is very well able to look after herself and has a good eye to the main chance.” “So you think Ruby Keene was a schemer?” “Well, Sir Henry, she was quite inexperienced, being so young, but she had the makings of a very fine schemer indeed when she’d once got well into her swing, so to speak. In another five years she’d have been an expert at the game.”