A Regency Story... Part 2

As the fur flew and tall, gangly legs intermingled with short, stubby ones, Wexley attempted to differentiate his own dog from the distasteful canine. In a moment of sheer will and determination, Miss Endicott disentangled her companion from George in what can only be termed brute strength. With a look of admiration and awe, his glance slid from his wretched pointer to the other dog and then to the efficient companion, as she reprimanded him leaning down and looking sternly into his eyes and pronouncing, “No, No!” then pulling herself up and keeping eye contact with Hastings, she murmured something under her breath that was mostly indiscernible with the exception of one very decipherable word ~ superior.
“I did not catch that Miss Endicott. Were you just referring to that portly, unfortunate swine as superior?”
“Of course not My Lord, I would never insult the master of the house or his creature,” was her tart response. Wexley could not help but feel that he was being both grandly insulted and laughed at as she pulled on the lead with a snort of her own. Yes, she most certainly was laughing at him. He watched as companion and companion led one another back to the direction they had been heading before his interruption. Who was leading whom, he could not say.
Coughing to catch her attention, Thomas pointed out that if they wanted to get to the garden, she would have to head the other direction and pointed behind him in the opposite direction.
“How does one get to the outdoors Lord Wexley?” she asked with exasperation. “Your home is a veritable maze.”
He pointed out that there was another corridor she had passed a few paces back that she could take to doors leading to the hothouse, and then to the private garden from there.
“Thank you my Lord,” with a small nod, Miss Endicott once again led a somewhat reluctant Hastings away. He watched as the mongrel took several glances back toward George, tongue lolled to the side of its mouth, before turning the corner. Wexley looked down at his unfortunate dog, as he began to back into the cozy and safe confines of his office. Dear Lord, George was cowering, actually cowering. What in heaven had just happened that had his regal pointer retreating and had he thoroughly vexed?
As he was attempting to sort out the absurdity of such an impertinent duo, he heard the voices of the magistrate, just arrived from London and that of his butler, Brackett.
“…doing in the East Wing Brackett?” Wexley caught the last part of the query as the two moved toward him and Brackett made eye contact with him.
Without taking his eye from Wexley, Brackett answered with a very even, “as she always has Mr. Mardling, tending to the needs of Master George.”
As Mardling took note of Wexley for the first time with a nod, he continued to scratch in his notepad and inquired, “and Master George is somehow related to Lord Wexly?” this done while making eye contact with Wexley as they stopped before him.
Before Brackett could make a reply, Thomas jumped in and rejoined, “Yes Mr. Mardling, George is a very integral part of this family, but unfortunately we are not linked by blood. George is my dog.”
Surprise was quickly concealed with indifference as the magistrate further scratches to his pad. “So the evening before the slaying of Miss Davies, she was last seen tending to the needs of George the dog?” this last more of a statement than a question.
“Mr. Mardling, please understand that we are not assuming that Miss Davies was murdered with deviousness in mind, but made an unfortunate slip,” Wexley responded.
“My Lord, I have been in your home for less than a day and based on the evidence I collected thus far, there is doubt in my mind that your housemaid was indeed murdered,” Mr. Mardling flatly responded.
Somewhat miffed, Wexly demanded, “what evidence would that be sir?”
“point A, (holding up one finger) she was found in your pond, a place she avoided at all times due to irrational fear of water, point B (finger number 2) she was further found dressed in full livery, and point C (third finger raised) the report given by all witnesses thus far points to her untimely , and involuntary death.”
Wexly knew this to be the case but sighed inwardly as the facts were laid out before him in rational detail. Damn!
To be continued…