The Fourth Mistress - Chapter 32：Shards of glasses from the ceiling

AN: Add the book ‘Behind the glasses’ to get author updates on books.

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Louise felt a slight headache in her head as she tried to remember the case. She heard Graham asking the old man, “Since seventeen years?”

“Yes,” the old man nodded his head and then looked at both of them, “Whom did you come looking for?”

“It was Mrs. Saltonstall. Lady Marlow Saltonstall,” informed Graham and the man’s lips set further into a thin line.

“Lady Marlow and the rest of her family members have been dead for a very very long time now,” replied the old man. Before he would close the door, Louise asked,

“Did you know the Saltonstall family closely? I mean you used to be neighbours.” Though she had come across the case file in Mr. Winkle’s office, she remembered how some of the details about the incident were missing. As it was one of the mystery cases, it had picked up her interest in picking up as a case study. “Could you please tell us what you know about them?”

“I wouldn’t say we were close with the family, but my wife and Mrs. Saltonstall used to talk to each other, discussing household work. You know how women usually like to do that,” explained the old man. “They had quiet daughters. I still remember how they often used to come to knock on our door. To think all of them died, it is sad.”

“Why did they die?” Graham frowned, his eyes holding curiosity.

The man looked a little hesitant, as if he didn’t know if it was his place to tell. But then he said, “Adler Saltonstall, he was a suspicious man. He didn’t like his wife talking to anyone, or even looking in anyone’s ways. Though the woman didn’t reveal anything, I heard from my wife that she had repeatedly noticed bruises on the woman, when she went to visit when Mr. Saltonstall wasn’t present.”

“He used to hurt her,” murmured Louise under her breath, and the old man gave a nod.

“Then one day the poor woman killed herself. I don’t know if Mr. Saltonstall finally came to realize what he had done. After a few days of his wife’s death, he shot both his daughters and then himself. Of course, I was the one to find it because we heard the disturbance in the middle of the night and I went to check it,” he said to them. “There was too much blood and I immediately informed the authorities as quickly as I could.”

“That sounds awful. Killing your own family members,” commented Graham, and the old man agreed to it.

“It is. They were good children. God only knows why he decided to kill them, before taking his own life,” he shook his head in disappointment and exhaled the air through his lips.

“It was said that Mr. Saltonstall and one of his daughter’s bodies went missing. Do you know anything about it?” asked Louise.

“Is it? That’s strange, I never heard about it. I do remember their bodies being taken in the carriage by the local authorities to the local morgue, but I don’t know anything after that. You seem to be having a lot of questions, milady,” stated the old man, staring at Louise.

“We apologize for being intrusive,” Graham offered the man a bow. “We were looking for something, and we were given this address. Thank you for talking to us.”

Louise bowed her head, and the man gave a small bow before he closed the door, leaving her and Graham standing in front of the door. They stepped away from the house, and she stared at the barren land.

“Did you know about the family before?” asked Graham, and Lousie nodded her head.

“Mr. Winkle has many case files and two months ago I came across it. But a lot of information is missing from the report filed,” replied Louise as they started to head back towards their carriage. “Back at the shop I thought the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t recollect it that time. Why would a woman give a false address and name? Especially a person who has been dead for seventeen years.”

“The person probably didn’t want to reveal her true identity. There are some people, who like to stay anonymous, though this does seem strange,” commented Graham, and he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

“It must be someone who lives somewhere here. People don’t use random names. They always use the names of a person whom they are familiar with the background of the family,” said Louise, while wondering who actually had bought the wedding gown. “Maybe we can ask for Mr. Burton’s assistance.”

“I don’t know if the officer will agree to it right now. Considering how one of our family members was involved with a hired killer,” replied Graham.

“I am trying to remember the visitors that we have had until now. It would be best to ask my mother.”

“But she said she didn’t know about it,” not to mention, the woman looked quite upset, thought Louise.

As much as Lady Viola liked to run things in the manor by her terms, she didn’t seem to appear as a person who liked to play such games in the manor. Instead, she was more of a person who would like to stop such things. So how else did the gown turn up in the manor then? Was it the ghost who brought it?

When they reached Reed’s manor, in the night, during dinner, things had turned uncomfortable because of the discussion that had taken place in the morning. The air in the room had turned heavy. Her eyes first fell on Lady Viola, who looked as if she was busy concentrating on her food and at the head of the table sat Robert Reed. His demeanour looked calm and relaxed. She then looked at the couple at the table. Henry subtly shook his head when Alison looked his way.

Seeing this, Louise’s eyebrows furrowed, and she wondered what that was about.

She then looked at Lady Agatha, who ate like Lady Viola in silence. When they were done with the meal, Louise was stopped by Molly, who wanted to show the papercut design that she had taught the little one a few days ago.

“It looks beautiful, Molly. I don’t think I have ever tried cutting the paper this way before,” Louise praised and encouraged the little girl to expand her creativeness.

“I made a mistake, Auntie Louise,” said Molly. “But I continued to cut its sides,” she said, looking at the paper that she held in front of her.

She heard a slight creaking sound that reached her ears.

Moving her eyes away from the girl, she looked at her surroundings, wondering where the sound had come from. Hearing the sound again, her eyes moved to look at the ceiling, and she noticed the chandelier gently moving back and forth.

Straight below it stood the butler, Gilbert, who had stopped the maid Emily, telling her to fill all the jugs in the room with water.

The first thing Louise noticed was a screw falling from the chandelier.

“Step away from there!” shouted Louise, making her way there, but her words were late. By the time Gilbert and the maid noticed it, the chandelier had dropped from the ceiling. When it crashed on the ground, the crystals broke into pieces.

Louise raised her hands to cover herself when some broken shards of the glasses flew in the air, coming at her, and it left a cut on her forehead. She looked at the butler, who had jumped away in time while the maid had shrieked and her leg was stuck under the chandelier’s weight.

“Molly, go back to your room,” said Louise to the little girl so that she wouldn’t step on the pieces of glasses and get hurt.

By this time, the family members who were nearby came to see what had happened. Their eyes widened, and Graham walked forward and, with the help of the butler, got the chandelier off the maid’s leg.

“How did the chandelier’s screw loosen?” questioned Senior Mr. Reed, looking up at the ceiling where the chandelier was previously fixed.

“Who was cleaning it recently that they decided to move it around and turn it loose?” demanded Lady Viola, looking at the staff.

Seeing Louise’s forehead, Graham walked to her. He pulled out his handkerchief and placed it on her forehead. Asking in concern, “Are you alright?”

“I am okay,” replied Louise, a little breathless. She looked at Emily, “Someone help Emily to get back to her room.”

“Meg,” Lady Viola instructed the petite, blonde girl with freckles. The maid bowed her head, putting her hand around Emily’s waist, and they headed towards the servant’s rooms.

“Gilbert, tomorrow first thing in the morning check all the chandeliers,” ordered Graham.

Senior Mr. Reed, who continued to stare at the ceiling, finally looked down and said to the other servants, “Get this cleaned up. None of it has ever fallen down before. Good thing no one has been severely hurt.”

“We’ll be going to the room,” announced Graham, and both he and Louise walked to their room.

On reaching, Graham had made her sit and had gone to get the first aid box, “It is just a little scratch,” said Louise even though she could feel the burn on her skin.

Graham didn’t respond to it, and he pulled out the cotton and dabbed the medicine on it. Stepping in front of her, he replied, “It isn’t just a scratch. I thought you were with Molly, how did you end up getting near there?”

Graham lifted her chin with one hand to look at her forehead. With the other hand, he pressed the cotton on the cut on her forehead.

“I noticed the chandelier moving and wanted to alert the two of them. I didn’t know the glass pieces would bounce and come at me.” At that moment, Louise had only wanted to make sure the other two were alright. But in the end, Emily had got hurt, and the butler had received cuts on his hands.

Graham’s hand was cleaning the traces of blood, his eyes were on hers, and Louise stared back at him.

“I was worried something bad happened to you. Hearing the scream,” added Graham. Louise noticed his eyebrows had drawn to each other.

A faint smile came to settle on Louise’s lips at Graham’s concern, and she replied, “That wasn’t me. That was Emily. It must have scared her when she saw the chandelier falling down.”

“Hm,” Graham gave a nod. “I should have known. My wife is brave,” he said. Even though Louise did scream when she had placed her hand on the nail of the cellar door, she took in the compliment. “And as brave as you are, I cannot help but worry when you aren’t by my side. That I won’t be able to reach where you are. Even if it was only a few seconds.”

The cotton Graham had been holding dropped from his hand, and his fingers gently caressed from her forehead to the side of her face, coming to settle on her cheek.

Feeling his warm hand on the side of her face, Louise felt her heart flutter. Her body hummed at the little closeness. She replied, “I know you are always around and that gives me strength. Knowing you believe in what I say, and that you have truly stood beside me.”

“And I will continue to do so, Louise,” responded Graham, staring into her eyes.

He leaned in towards her while her neck was craned, looking up at him. Louise felt her heart shudder when his face moved closer, and the smile on her lips faltered. She could see her reflection in his eyes, and she saw him look at her lips.