The Broken Daylily

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: The Cook family

She was different.

Thomas had been in his study all day, like he used to do. He had expected his wife to knock on his door and start speaking with him, but she had not. She had not even played the piano to make her presence known.

Twas not the first time he realized she had pulled back. For the last month or more, she had returned to the Madilyn she had been in Lindenberg. The woman who would hide herself and avoid Thomas.

Was it something he had done? Or said? Was she angry with him? Or was it a strange mood she had because she was pregnant?

He did not believe any of those suggestions. Things had been going well between them. She would like it when he would wait for her to return from her morning walk, and then she would accompany him in his study. On some days, when he did not feel like working, he would not even enter his study and just talk with her in the sitting room or ask her to play the piano in the music room.

But it seemed like lately, she was avoiding exactly those rooms. Was she avoiding him?

He had been afraid to ask her why she did that, for she might not do it on purpose. Or mayhap she did, and since she had not told Thomas, she did not feel like sharing it. And he was alright with that, for everyone needed moments on their own. But he feared everything would go back to the way it was before – to the sad and lonely life they led.

He would make certain they ate at the same time. And when he would talk to her, she would answer shortly. But he noticed how her eyes always avoided his.

He mentally shook his head and hoped it would go over soon. He stood up from behind his desk, took his coat and hat, and set out to the library. He had read the file about Everton and the Cook family, but he wanted to read it again. He did not want to miss anything, certainly now that he knew his brother was involved.

He had always feared the man his brother might turn into, but if he was working for Colston, he was even more fearsome than Thomas could have ever imagined. He wondered how much Arthur knew of what Colston was doing. Could the man merely have been tricked? Was it possible he believed he was doing something good? Or was he aware of all and proud of his disruption?

The carriage stopped in front of the library. He got out, entered the building and went straight to the corner of the library where he had found the Everton file. He found it quite easily, then settled on a chair and read through the papers again.

He ignored the part he had already read – where it is explained how they were murdered – and focused on the people themselves. Mayhap there was another secret to reveal.

The family consisted of lord Kenneth Cook and his wife lady Hazel. They had four children, Edmund, Jasper, Elizabeth and Lawrence, the oldest was at the age of nine, the youngest only a few months. Both parents had no living relatives anymore, and also the children were too young to have a wife or husband.

The family had no known enemies, though Thomas did not doubt that everyone has someone who does not like them. Yet if they had no known outspoken haters, he did not think they were killed by that person. It only confirmed his suspicion that Arthur was the killer.

Inside the file, Thomas found handwritten notes of people who had known the Cook family. They were friends of the family and they wanted to bring one last tribute.

Dear Cooks,

I have not known you for long, but you were a bright light in my life. Upon the passing of my wife, you were always there to comfort me and make me feel important. With or without children, you were always happy and optimistic, and very loud. But twas a kind of loud everyone loved.