Pinch of Arsenic

Chapter 5

Two hearty knocks came at the door. Ansel jumped, startled, and dove behind the changing screen. Lavinia made sure he wasn't visible and cracked the door open.

"Aunt Emilia!" she addressed in surprise but then lowered her tone. She was supposed to be sick after all.

"May I come in, dear?"

Her mind screamed no. However, with no readily available excuses, Lavinia let her widowed aunt in.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little." Lavinia sniffled. "I think the tea is helping."

"That's great to hear. I'll be sure to send more up." Lady Emilia sat on a chair for what she actually came to say. "I heard Lord Rutherford called on you."

"He did."

The aunt clasped her hands together, "You must do your best to get better then! It's a god send that a man of this caliber has set his interest in you. I shall help you until he proposes!"

"Proposes!" Lavinia repeated with a small scowl. Not wanting to have such a conversation, she started coughing dramatically. Lady Emilia eventually left when Lavinia requested with a meek voice that she needed rest.

Ansel stood to lock the door with lots of questions about Lord Rutherford. They were all born out of curiosity, of course, not the green, little feeling he refused to recognize.

"So..." he began without having fully thought out what exactly he would ask.

"Yes?"

"Have you written Lord Rutherford a front and back love letter?" he teased with a small smile, and Lavinia couldn't help but throw a pillow at him.

"You are horrible, Mr. Linton." She crossed her arms but a cheeky grin grew on her face. "And no. I have not written him a love letter. Neither has he."

Ansel looked down at his hands, "Maybe he will soon."

Wrinkles formed as she scrunched her nose, "Ehrm. yes. Maybe."

Though she knew she had to marry, the thought of marrying Rutherford did not excite her. He was... respectable. Objectively, he was handsome, too. Sure. Lavinia hoped that the lord did not plan to propose anytime soon. She was mourning, after all.

Afterwards, they hatched out a concrete plan. Well, Ansel did.

All her family would leave in three days. Whoever the person with murderous tendencies was would most likely attack at night. Poison wasn't a problem; Ansel had his big stash of safe food.

"So we are setting a trap?" Lavinia confirmed.

"Mm-mhm." He wrote in his notebook. "Your door creaks, right?"

"Yes. That's why I woke up. I've been meaning to get it fixed."

He stood up and headed towards the doors. Hiding behind the door, he opened it and closed it. After the resounding screech, Ansel said, "That should be loud enough to wake both of us up."

Lavinia nodded.

"We can also loosen the floorboards."

"So that it creaks?" Lavinia asked.

"Yes."

Lavinia tapped her finger on the chair's armrest. "We can use the cutlery Eleanor brought for breakfast."

Ansel then grabbed the butter knife and headed back to the door. From there, he jammed the metal utensil into the small gaps between each board and pushed down until they loosened.