Murder in Moreton Read online

  Murder in Moreton

  Eliza Thomson Investigates (Book 2)

  VL McBeath

  Murder in Moreton

  By VL McBeath

  Copyright © 2019 by VL McBeath, Valyn Publishing

  (a trading company of Valyn Ltd).

  For more about this author please visit:

  https://vlmcbeath.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author at:

  https://vlmcbeath.com/contact/

  *

  Editing services provided by Susan Cunningham (www.perfectproseservices.com)

  Cover design by Michelle Abrahall (www.michelleabrahall.com)

  ISBNs:

  978-1-9999426-5-6 (Kindle Edition)

  978-1-9999426-7-0 (Paperback)

  Main category - FICTION / Historical Mysteries

  Other category - FICTION / Crime & Mystery

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Author’s Notes and Acknowldgements

  Also by VL McBeath

  Chapter One

  Eliza Thomson closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the carriage trying unsuccessfully to suppress a grin. As the horses slowed to a walk, she straightened up again hoping her husband hadn’t noticed. But who was she fooling? Of course he had.

  “What’s the matter with you?” he asked.

  Smiling at his soft Scottish lilt, she placed a gloved hand on his. “Oh, my dear, I do hope you grow to love this place as much as I do. Just promise me that whatever happens in the next half an hour, you won’t go scurrying back to London.”

  Archie studied her, his dark brown eyes causing her stomach to flutter as they always did when he looked at her that way. “Why would I do that?”

  Eliza stared out of the left-hand window as the carriage approached the surgery. “Because our private lives will soon be a thing of the past. I must have seen at least half a dozen sets of curtains twitching as we drove down the street, and my guess is that before we can climb down from the carriage, Connie will be out in the street to meet us.”

  Archie’s brow furrowed. “She’s your oldest friend, you’ll be pleased to see her, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will, I can’t think of a better person to be living next door to, but the speed with which she greets us will show you how quickly news travels around here.”

  “It’s hardly got far to travel, we’ll be stopping outside her house. Besides, I expect she’ll be glad of the company now she lives alone.”

  Eliza peered through the window to catch a glimpse of the small terraced cottage nestled alongside the village surgery. “She will although she’s used to it by now. It’s over two years since Mr Appleton died. Besides, this is Moreton-on-Thames, not London. Everyone knows everyone around here; it’s difficult to be on your own even if you want to be.”

  Her husband squeezed her hand. “That’s good then, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose so, for Connie at least, but I worry about you. After living in London for so many years, becoming part of such a close-knit, not to mention nosy, community will take some getting used to … if you ever do.”

  “It was my decision to come if you remember. We wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t happy about it.”

  Before Eliza had a chance to respond the carriage came to a halt and an attractive woman wearing a navy bonnet over dark blonde hair hurried down the garden path to meet them. A smile highlighted the faint lines around her turquoise eyes.

  “You’re here!” Connie’s eyes sparkled as the driver helped Eliza from the carriage. “I’ve been looking out of the window for you since two o’clock. What kept you? Your horse and carriage arrived over an hour ago.”

  Eliza laughed. “We couldn’t come in our little carriage. We had bags we wanted to bring ourselves, so one of the removal men drove it over for us. By the time we’d loaded everything up, we didn’t leave London until ten. Then we had to stop in Richmond and join Father for luncheon. You should be thankful we’re here already. It’s not four o’clock yet. Is the kettle on?”

  Connie raised a hand to her lips, stifling a gasp, but Eliza grinned. “Don’t look so worried, I’m teasing. We sent word to Iris, our new maid, that we’d be here around this time. Will you join us?”

  Eliza linked her arm through Connie’s, but her friend hesitated as Archie appeared from the far side of the carriage.

  “I’d love to, as long as I’m not intruding. Don’t you and Dr Thomson want to get settled in first?”

  “Of course you’re not intruding, we won’t be doing anything until we’ve had a cup of tea, will we, dear?”

  Archie rolled his eyes at his wife. “You might not be but I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to do.” He extended his hand to Connie. “Good afternoon, Mrs Appleton. It’s nice to see you again. It looks like the removal men are finished.”

  A smile lit up Connie’s face. “They are, they left about half an hour ago. I imagine the maid will have everything unpacked.”

  “I doubt it,” Eliza said. “Didn’t you see the number of crates we had delivered? Now, come along. The sun might be bright, but it isn’t warm. I need to get inside and you can bring me up to date with all the gossip.”

  The double-fronted, stone cottage with its neatly trimmed thatched roof sat behind a small, well-stocked garden. Archie opened the gate for the ladies before he directed the driver around the back of the surgery towards the stables. He arrived at the front door before they did.

  “While you familiarise yourself with the house, I might as well get myself acquainted with the surgery,” Archie said. “It won’t be long before people start hammering on the door wanting to be seen.”

  Connie nodded. “There’ve been people calling for the last week asking when to expect you. I told them not to bother you for a few days yet.”

  “You’re a love, thank you.” Eliza patted Connie’s hand before turning her attention to Archie. “If you don’t want to join us, I’ll ask Iris to make up a separate tray and bring it through to the surgery for you.”

  “There’s no need for that. Give me ten minutes and I’ll join you.” Archie ushered them through the front door, but the sound of the church bells announcing four o’clock brought Eliza to a standstill.

  “Good gracious, I don’t remember them being so loud.” She put her hands over her ears. “I hope they don’t ring all through the night. The surgery must be a lot closer to the church than our old house, we could hardly hear them there.”

  Connie shook her head. “Because you were surrounded by so many trees at your other house, I shouldn’t wonder. You’ll get used to them soon enough, although the way things are going, they won’t
be ringing for much longer.”

  Eliza’s forehead creased. “Why not?”

  “The bell tower needs repairing and unless they can find the money to mend it, the bells will need to be stopped. We’ll all miss them if that happens, nobody will know what time it is.”

  Eliza put an arm around her friend. “In that case, I won’t complain and hope they can raise the money. Now, let’s get inside.”

  Iris met them at the door and directed Archie towards a narrow corridor on the right-hand side that led to the surgery; she then showed the ladies to the drawing room. A fire cast a welcome glow across the room and Eliza flicked her eyes over the dark wooden panelling while resting her hands on the back of one of the two green velvet settees positioned opposite each other on either side of the hearth.

  “It’s a nice enough room, but the house feels so much smaller than the one in London. It’s to be hoped we’re not expected to do much entertaining.”

  “Nice enough indeed.” Connie seated herself on the settee facing her friend. “This is a lovely big room, especially in the summer when the early evening sun shines through the bay window. If you wanted bigger, you shouldn’t have married a doctor. You know what your father thought of the idea.”

  Eliza feigned a swoon onto the empty settee, disturbing the chignon that sat beneath the rim of her hat. “Don’t remind me, but Archie’s worth it, don’t you think? Even after all these years he’s still handsome, only more distinguished with those flecks of grey in such dark hair.”

  Connie sighed. “You know he is.”

  “And the profession’s becoming more respectable,” Eliza continued. “At least that’s one less thing for Father to complain about.”

  Connie scowled at her friend. “Your father doesn’t complain, he’s a lovely man and you wouldn’t have him any other way. He’s spoiled you terribly over the years. What have you ever wanted that you didn’t get?”

  “That cup of tea for one thing.” Eliza pushed herself from the settee in time to help Iris through the door with a large tray laden with a selection of sandwiches and cakes, cups, saucers and a polished silver teapot. “Ah, here you are; my, that looks nice. Cook’s obviously been busy.”

  “We wanted to give you a good welcome, madam. There’s a letter here for you, too; the letter opener’s on the tray.” Iris indicated towards the delicate silver knife.

  Eliza picked up the large Manila envelope. “Thank you for everything you’ve done these last few days Iris, and can you thank Cook for me too? I’ll pop into the kitchen to see you both once Mrs Appleton’s gone.”

  “Very well, madam.” Iris finished pouring the tea before moving to the settee to plump up the cushions. “Will that be all?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  With a brief curtsey, Iris headed for the door.

  “What have you got there?” Connie sat forward in her seat as Eliza sliced open the top of the envelope and turned to the last page to confirm the sender.

  A grin brightened Eliza’s face. “It’s from the police in Oxford. Did you see the details in the paper about a murder they had several months ago?”

  Connie gave an involuntary shudder. “I saw the headlines, but I don’t share your delight in reading about murder. I’d have thought you’d have gone off it, too, after what happened in London.”

  Eliza grimaced. “Yes, don’t remind me, but it’s quite different when the story’s written up in the newspaper.”

  “If you say so.” Connie failed to look convinced. “Anyway, why are the police sending you a letter?”

  “I wrote to give them some advice about the case. They hadn’t even considered the idea that the murderer could be a woman and so I explained to them why I thought they should.”

  Eliza turned her attention to the letter before looking back at Connie, her grin turning into a broad smile. “I was right. They followed up the suggestions and last week found the woman in question. She’s admitted everything.”

  “She has? Well, that’s wonderful. How do you do it?”

  Eliza shrugged. “The newspapers report everything in such detail it’s easy to follow if you pay attention. If I think they’ve missed anything, or they hit a dead end, I write and tell them.”

  “Really?” Connie’s eyes were wide.

  “Really. They always write back and this isn’t the first time they’ve told me how helpful I’ve been. I’ve a folder somewhere where I keep all the letters, although goodness knows where it is now.” She turned full circle in the middle of the room but there was nothing but boxes. “Never mind, I must show this to Archie before I put it away. Not that he’ll think anything of it, he’s always telling me not to waste police time. It never occurs to him that I’m being helpful, even after everything I did for him in London.”

  “I’m sure he does.”

  Eliza flopped back onto the settee. “Well, he doesn’t show it.”

  “He’s letting you work with him in the surgery, isn’t he? He wouldn’t let you do that if he didn’t think you’d be a help.”

  “You’re right, but that’s different.” Eliza pouted. “It’s probably his way of stopping me helping the police … interfering he calls it. I didn’t spend all that time studying science at Bedford College to sit and do nothing. That’s why I love keeping up with the murder cases. It keeps my mind active. Not that Archie understands.”

  “What have I done now?” Archie strode into the room, closed the door behind him and took a seat next to his wife.

  “You never take me seriously … but at least the police do.” Eliza waved the letter at him. “Look, it’s from one of the inspectors in Oxford.” She held it out for him to read.

  Archie gave the letter a cursory glance. “I’m sure they’d work it out for themselves a lot quicker if they didn’t have to respond to everyone writing in with theories of their own.”

  “Can you see what I have to put up with?” Eliza said to Connie. “Despite the fact the letter says my information was particularly helpful, I never get an ounce of credit around here.”

  Connie said nothing as her eyes darted between husband and wife.

  “Now look what you’ve done,” Eliza said to her husband. “You’ve made Connie lose her tongue. You need to start being nice to me or she’ll go off you.”

  Archie laughed and took his wife’s hand. “I’m always nice to you, in fact, I’m the epitome of niceness. So nice in fact, I came to ask if you’d like me to show you the surgery and your dispensary.”

  Eliza smiled before studying Archie, her eyes narrowing. “Wait a moment, I’ll bet Iris hasn’t done any unpacking in there, has she? Is that why you want to show me?”

  “If you remember, you told her not to touch anything because you wanted to do it yourself.” He turned to Connie. “Sometimes I can’t win. I bet the old doctor didn’t let his wife help out, did he?”

  “No, bless him, he did it all himself. Before she died, his wife kept the surgery clean, but she couldn’t do anything with medicines. Not like Eliza, she’s so clever.”

  Eliza’s cheeks flushed. “Hasn’t there been a doctor here since he died?”

  “We’ve had locums for the last few months, but only two days a week. I imagine you’ll be busy once you open.”

  “Well, I’m not doing anything tonight,” Eliza said. “I’ve done more than enough for one day. We’ll set to first thing tomorrow morning and put a sign in the post office window to tell everyone we’re opening on Thursday.”

  Chapter Two

  The following morning, breakfast was a hurried affair, and as soon as they had finished their cups of tea, Eliza and Archie left the dining table and went straight to the surgery.

  “At least we won’t get wet on the way to work,” Archie said. “Whoever designed the building was very thoughtful linking the surgery to the house.”

  “It used to be two houses,” Eliza said, “but around the time I left for London the doctor in charge bought the house that’s now the surgery and joined the two t
ogether. I remember it caused quite a stir at the time. The surgery was only a small house, but it was one less for the villagers to live in. I can’t say I’m sorry, can you imagine living and working in the one house?”

  “I can’t imagine you living in half the house, although most people would manage perfectly well,” Archie said. “You’ll have to show me later where your old house is. Did your father like big houses even in those days?”

  Eliza’s thoughts drifted back to the memory of her childhood home. “It’s not as big as the one he has now, but I’ll admit it's probably the biggest house in the village.” She stood in the wood-panelled hallway of the surgery, surveying the doors leading off to the right. “I’m sure we’ll be fine though. After all, there’s only the two of us now.”

  “I’m sure Henry will visit his old ma and pa soon enough. His allowance won’t stretch until September.”

  Eliza smiled at the mention of her son. “The term finishes at the end of this week. Why he couldn’t come straight here, I don’t know.”

  “I’m sure London is much more exciting to an eighteen-year-old than an out-of-the-way village.”

  “He’s just had a whole term in Cambridge, he should want to come here for a rest.”

  “And I’m sure he will. As soon as we’ve moved in and there’s no chance he’ll be called upon to help us unpack.”