The Fourth Mistress

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"I hope you don't mind if I talk to your family members and the servants about this, do you, Mr. Reed?" questioned Mr. Burton, taking the files that he had given to show Graham and Louise.

"No," replied Graham, and he stood up from his seat. "I will tell the butler to arrange the room so that you can question everyone there."

"Of course, thank you for your cooperation," Mr. Burton appreciated Graham's polite gesture, "I know times like these are hard but I hope you don't mind it because I am only doing my job. I believe even you are curious about what happened."

Graham moved to the back and pulled the call bell for the butler to arrive in the study room. "Gather the servants and the other members in the family to come to the drawing room. Mr. Burton, Gilbert will escort you back to the drawing room," and both the butler as well as the officer left.

"Are you sure the man in the picture was the same one whom you saw that day?" Graham made sure.

"I am confident about it. It looked as if they were arguing about something," replied Louise. "Why would someone kill him? Especially like this." Burying someone alive was an inhumane act, and the man must have struggled to breathe before succumbing to his death, she thought in her mind. "It looks like they wanted to torture him."

"Whoever it was, is probably still out there and my aunt is hiding something," murmured Graham, a sigh escaping from his lips.

"Did your father tell you anything about knowing this person?" asked Louise, and Graham shook his head. He had asked his father about this in the morning.

The family members were assembled outside the drawing-room where Mr. Burton was inside, questioning one person at a time. "What is going on, Graham?" questioned Lady Viola, who hadn't been called inside the room by Mr. Burton yet. "I thought the officer finished questioning us."

"They found a new lead, someone who was possibly working for Uncle Ernest. Mr. Burton is here to see if anyone knows anything about it," answered Graham, and the woman's expression turned grim.

Once the officer finished questioning everyone, he said to Graham, "I will let you know if we find something again," and he left Reed's manor.

After having dinner, everyone left to go to their room. While Graham and Louise went to speak to Lady Agatha, who was in her room. She looked more upset since Mr. Burton had questioned her.

"This is utter rubbish. I have lost my husband and the officer has the nerve to come and ask me questions, when I have already told him everything that I know," said Lady Agatha while holding a handkerchief in her hand.

"But is it possible that Uncle Ernest was doing some sort of business that he didn't tell you?" asked Graham. His aunt was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Graham and Louise stood in front of her.

"Your uncle used to tell me everything. Even the smallest things and if he was doing something else, I would have definitely known about it. He was never good at keeping secrets to himself," explained Lady Agatha, and she sniffed into her handkerchief. "The officer thinks I have something to do with the death of that stranger. Do I look like I have the time to kill people?!"

Lady Agatha refused to accept that her husband knew Elias, but Louise had seen them talking with her own eyes.

"And what made him think we had anything to do with this particular man who is dead?" asked Lady Agatha, and she turned to look at Louise, "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Louise didn't have anything to do with it, Aunt Agatha," Graham defended Louise.

"Of course, it was her because no one else knew about the letter," Lady Agatha blamed Louise. "You are always nosey trying to meddle into things."

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"That's a little too much, Aunt Agatha. I would like you to be mindful while speaking to my wife," stated Graham.

It was hard to deny it, but Louise had only been curious so that she was aware of her surroundings. Lady Agatha stared at Louise with a hard gaze. Louise said in a polite tone, "I didn't tell Mr. Burton about the letters that Mr. Ernest had been receiving, Lady Agatha. If I told him, he would have spent more time here to get the letters from you."

Pursing her lips, Lady Agatha responded, "I don't know who that man is. I am tired and would like to be left alone." Saying this, she turned her head to look at the wall.

"We understand, Auntie. Please have good sleep," responded Graham.

"Have a goodnight, Lady Agatha," Louise bowed her head and stepped out of the room with Graham.

They had only taken a few steps when they met Lady Viola on their way, and she had an unimpressed look on her face.

"Your aunt is in a delicate state, Graham. She lost her husband and she doesn't have children of her own. I would like to say that you don't bother her too much with unnecessary questions. I don't know about others," she paused before continuing, "But I can expect this much from you, can't I?"

"Mother," Graham stopped his mother, his eyes seriously staring at Lady Viola so that she wouldn't say something that would upset Louise.

The woman offered a slight smile to both of them before making her way to Lady Agatha's room. Graham placed his hand on Louise' back, and they left this side of the manor to go to their room.

Once they reached their room and Graham closed the door, he said, "Aunt Agatha is not willing to accept the fact that uncle was associated with this man."

"Maybe she doesn't have any idea about it," replied Louise.

Graham, who had been calm until today, looked concerned since Mr. Burton had arrived at the manor. "Mr. Burton mentioned a street. I am thinking of checking there, maybe we will find something."

Louise agreed by nodding her head. It seemed like Mr. Burton had his suspicion on the people in Reed's manor with the way things were turning out.

"I cannot help but wonder who could have buried the man in such a drastic way and why?" Louise let her thoughts out to Graham. "He must have done something to result in such a death."

What kind of business did Ernest Wensley have with Elias Latton? Louise asked herself, everyone in the manor seemed to deny knowing Elias.

So Elias sent letters to Mr. Wensley, telling him to make the complete payment. But maybe the payment wasn't made. It was possible that to keep the matter hush, Mr. Wensley or someone else had killed Elias Latton.

"You don't have to solve all of them tonight itself, Louise," said Graham, and he walked to where she was, "I apologize for my mother's words."

Louise smiled, "I am fine, Graham. I am not delicate and I am more level headed. At least most of the time," she added in the end.

"That doesn't mean you don't have any feelings and aren't hurt," replied Graham to her. It was only after a few hours did he realize that his honest words might have hurt Louise. "I apologize if my words came out wrong earlier today."

Louise looked into Graham's eyes, "I am not used to hearing you apologize this much and I mean it when I say I am okay." She wasn't lying when she said she understood his feelings. "I should go and take a bath now else it is going to be late to sleep with me being slow."

She couldn't use her right hand that well because it was still wrapped in a bandage, and she was making sure not to get it wet.

Louise got up, starting to walk towards the closet and picking up the nightgown when she heard Graham ask her, "Would you like me to help you with it?"

The first time Graham spoke those words, Louise questioned if she had imagined it.

She turned around, meeting his steady gaze on her with his expression holding seriousness. And the next few seconds, silence mostly filled the room, along with the fireplace crackling with burning logs that kept most parts of the room bright and warm.

"You must be having trouble washing your back without being able to reach," said Graham, being a gentleman while making sure his words didn't mean anything more than that so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable with it. "If you would like of course."

Almost a month was going to pass since their marriage, and Louise and Graham had not shared any physical intimacy except for some of the words.

She gave him a nod before responding with words, "Okay."

"Okay," Graham accepted her words. "Once you are ready, you can call me," he offered.

Even though Louise wanted to keep a composed face, the heat had already rushed through her neck to come and settle on her cheeks. Thankfully since it was night, the room held a low light and hid the redness that lightly tinted her pale skin.

She tied her hair up in a messy bun so that it wouldn't get wet, while some pieces of her hair turned loose. She walked towards the wooden divider and walked to the other side; she slowly started to pull out her clothes for them to pool at her feet. It wasn't as if he wasn't there in the same room or she wasn't there when they were changing clothes or half-naked. After all, they were a married couple sharing the room.

The wooden divider of the room had designs, designs where the wood had been carved in a way to let a person see through the other side of the room. She saw Graham, who had removed his vest.

Louise drew the bath in the bathtub, and she slowly immersed her feet in the water that was of moderate temperature. As she sat down, she couldn't help but feel her emotions slowly starting to come alive. She wondered if Graham had noticed her struggle with her hand, which was why he was offering her his help.

"I am in," Louise let him know, her heart beating loud and fast in her ribcage, and she felt it was going to burst any moment.

At the same time, she had brought her knees close to her chest, half of her body was immersed in the water.

She saw Graham coming towards where she sat, his bare feet padding on the room floor before he came to stand behind her. Until now, she had never been like this with anyone, which was why she had turned quiet.

"Is your hand still hurting?" asked Graham, pulling the small stool that was kept in the corner.

"Just when there's a pressure on it," answered Louise, and she concentrated on the surface of the water that wavered because of her gentle movements.

"I will ask the physician to come and take a look at it. He will tell you if it is healing properly," Louise heard Graham speak to her, and she saw his hand pick up the mug. He dipped his hand into the water and said, "The water is cold."

Louise's words came out breathy. "I am used to taking baths with this temperature, you don't have to worry." She turned around, looking at him over her shoulder and offering him a smile. But her smile didn't stay for long because the nervousness caught up to her, and she turned back to look at the other end of the tub.

She said, "The nail pierced through my hand. It has been only a day since it happened. It is normal to feel the pain. It will heal in a week."

Graham filled the mug with water and then poured it on her back, "You should be more careful. Gilbert has properly hammered the nail so it shouldn't cause any issue in the future. He's also organized the things in the cellar to make sure no other nail is lying around."

Louise nodded her head, "That's good to know. This way Molly won't be getting hurt either if she goes there to hide while playing hide and seek."

When Graham placed his hand on her back, her toes curled, and her hands tightened around her knees. His hand movements were gentle as they rubbed her back, and Louise couldn't help but want to sigh when he used both his hands to rub her shoulders.

"I was supposed to give you the medicine that my aunt gave me," said Louise in a whisper, remembering he had a headache this morning.

"It is gone now," replied Graham, as his fingers gently brushed her. He used the soap all over her back, where she wouldn't be able to reach.

"You have good hands, Graham," hummed Louise because they were warmer than the water, and she heard a chuckle escape from Graham's lips.

"Thank you, Louise. I am glad you find them that way," replied Graham with a smile.

Graham had wanted to ask her yesterday, but Louise always seemed like she wanted to do things by herself. But today, he decided to act like a proper husband. He believed marriage wasn't something that could be worked by only one person, but both of them.

In the past, he had not given enough time to Lisa even though he loved her. He was busy with work, not knowing what was happening in the manor, which she had hidden in her heart not to trouble him. He didn't want Louise to go through the same things, and if something or someone was trying to hurt Louise, he wouldn't let that happen.

He noticed how small her back frame looked, which he had always seen covered in clothes.

"Let me know if it feels too much," said Graham as he continued to rub her shoulders that had turned stiff. "I have told Gilbert to check the dates for the theater."

"Oh," said Louise, wondering if he told the butler about it before the time of dinner. "Do you like the theater plays, Graham?"

"Not much. The voices can sometimes get a little too loud to my liking," he replied to her question, and Louise smiled at his words.

"We don't have to go there if you don't like it," said Louise.

"That's fine. I am more than happy to agree for my wife's sake," stated Graham before letting go of her shoulders. He picked up the mug again before pouring water on her skin.

"I didn't know that," she murmured under her breath with a smile and then said, "I grew up in the presence of Uncle Hugo and Aunt Merlin, they have always had this unspoken understanding between them and I guess it set a very high expectation in my mind. I have seen some other couples but they don't have the same understanding, and some like to pretend."

"Is that the actual reason why you didn't marry?" asked Graham, and his hands moved towards her arms. Louise felt her heart skip a beat.

"It might be one of the reasons," replied Louise, and she saw Graham let go of the top of her arms. He got up from the stool and moved to the bathtub side so that he wasn't sitting behind her anymore. Louise only had to turn her head to the side to meet his gaze. His olive-green eyes that were pale looked more vibrant now as they stared at her.

With her hugging her knees, her bosom was mostly covered.

Louise seemed like she wasn't done speaking, so Graham asked, "What changed?"

You whispered Louise's mind.

Her eyes lowered, and then she said, "I felt you were different compared to most of the men whom I have met. Most of them either taunt me for what I am doing or have this mocking eyes, wondering why I work for Mr. Winkle. But you, your eyes are plain."

Louise didn't know if it was because of the pain he had gone through that had turned him aloof and cold towards people. But slowly, he was turning warmer and attentive to her like now. She noticed his shirt's sleeves had been folded until his forearms so that it wouldn't get wet.

"Does the blankness bother you?" asked Graham, and Louise shook her head.

"No. It is good to have someone, where I can see my reflection," replied Louise, looking right at him. "Thank you for helping me today."

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else," said Graham and Louise nodded her head. She saw him get up from where he had been sitting on his heels and walked away from there.

After finishing the rest of the bathing by herself, Louise dried her body and wore her nightgown before stepping near the bed. She remembered the note that Chloe had given her, which she was yet to read.

Chloe had specifically advised her not to trust anyone in the manor. Did that also include Graham? But Louise believed that Graham had nothing to do with the bad happenings, and he was instead the victim of bad luck.

Later, when Louise got into the bed, she slipped into the covers while lying closer to Graham, their hands laid next to each other with lesser distance than before.