Mr. Gervase Hastings, Deceased
Readers, The Teatime Tattler has unearthed serious questions about the recent passing of Mr. Gervase Hastings, cousin by marriage to Lady Enid MacShennan, widowed daughter-in-law to His Grace, the Duke of Cowal. The announcement was made two Mondays past, that Mr. Hastings passed away suddenly after an accident at the Duke’s Scottish seat MacShennan Ruith. No details were given in the announcement.
That in and of itself is unsurprising for a well connected yet impecunious gentleman such as Mr. Hastings. However disturbing rumors have arisen that the circumstances of Mr. Hastings’ passing might not be as simple as the lack of detail makes them appear.
First, and most peculiar, Hastings’ funeral service and burial occurred within a day of his death. This short amount of time is only noteworthy, if one accepts that in chilly Scotland a three day lying in repose is the norm. In addition, the interment occurred at night, a privilege usually reserved for noblemen of high degree and wealth (due to the cost of lights to guide the procession and extra fees due to the clergy).
Miss Esmeralda Crobbin
Next, we sent our reporter to the ducal seat, and she discovered not all in residence were content with the story of an accidental death caused, it was presumed, by intoxication. Upon arrival, our reporter learned the laundresses of MacShennan Ruith were occupied in removing bloodstains from a carpet, which formerly occupied space on the floor in the chambers of Miss E. Crobbin, a guest of the Duke. No one would confirm that the blood belonged to Mr. Hastings, or that he died in Miss Crobbin’s chambers. However, several servants related seeing Miss Crobbin in heated discussions with Mr. Hastings. One employee recalled a picnic attended by all the guests at which Miss Crobbin—perhaps unwisely, or perhaps with intent—went apart from the company and was followed within moments by Mr. Hastings. Even more disturbing, the guests and their hosts, save for the duke’s heir, Viscount Cairndow, departed the site before Miss Crobbin and Mr. Hastings returned. Miss Crobbin did eventually return late in the afternoon. The Viscount followed within an hour. Hastings was not seen until the next day and it is not known when he returned.
Last our reported learned that the evening on which Mr. Hasting’s purported accident occurred, the duke held
Viscount Cairndow
an impromptu dance for his guests. Hasting’s is reported to have been drinking copiously, but leaving the event early. Much attention was given at the event to the necklace worn by Miss Crobbin. The jewelry is a collection of emeralds and turquoises in an antique setting. This piece is well known to belong to the Duke of Cowal as his bride, and the bride of his brother, Countess Beresford, each wore the piece when their engagements were announced as well as several later occasions. Further, a disturbance occurred later in the evening, just before Miss Crobbin discovered Hasting’s body. Our reporter has not yet discovered the nature of the disturbance, or why Miss Crobbin might have been with Hastings alone just prior to his death.
Dear readers, given all of these odd incidents, one can only wonder what might truly have caused Mr. Hastings’ untimely passing. You can be certain that The Teatime Tattler will continue to investigate and keep you apprised of any developments.
About The Pirate Duchess: They meet during a brawl!
Esmeralda Crobbin first encounters Brandon Gilroy during a brawl. Once their opponents are vanquished, she admires the man’s skill with his fists, his intelligence, and a number of other attributes until she learns that he is a British Naval Officer. He would be eager to see her hang, if he knew she was the American privateer, Irish Red. Can sworn enemies become lovers? Find out. Get your copy of The Pirate Duchess today. Amazon Other Retailers
About Rue Allyn: Author of historical and contemporary romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. (She claims she was a precocious little brat who read at the age of two but could hear much earlier than that.) She studied literature for far too many years before discovering that writing stories was much more fun than writing about them. One of her greatest pleasures as an author is being able to read the story before anyone else. Rue is happily married to her sweetheart of many, many years. Insatiably curious, an avid reader and traveler, she loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real-life adventures. Crazy Cat stories are especially welcome. You may contact her at Rue@RueAllyn.com. She can’t wait to hear from you.
Lt. Gilroy: I have little time for pleasantries, Sir. Let us proceed with this nonsense. I must be on my way to Portsmouth within the hour.
Lt. Gilroy: It helped, but that coward Irish Red struck from hiding. She so surprised us that Hermione received three full broadsides before it even had a chance to return fire. By then we were taking on so much water that Hermione could not be maneuvered and we ran aground on a sandbar. To the credit of our gunners, they did their best to strike a blow at the Erie Mist. However, by the time our guns were able to fire, the Mist had put on all sail and was bearing down on us so quickly that all Hermione’s shots missed. We were boarded before a second round could be completely loaded.
Lt. Gilroy: Irish Red herself, gained the high ground on that deck before I could get there. We fought on the ladder. I had nearly obtained the deck when my sword stroke, ah, tore open her shirt. She could have skewered me, I was so surprised to learn her gender. She should have skewered me. But she lost her temper. I could see the fury in those sea green eyes of hers. She drew her pistol and fired, missing my head by a hair’s breadth. That infuriated her further and she threw the pistol at me, striking me in the head. Unbalanced, I fell to the main deck where I lost consciousness. The crew surrendered, before I regained my senses.
Tattler: It is unusual for ship’s captain to be a woman.
About The Pirate Duchess: They met during a brawl.
My durance vile in York for the social season has begun. It is not truly vile. I’m happy to help my family, but I do wish I could help in some way other than being on display like a prize pig at market. The one blessing amongst all the balls, musicales, routes and nonsensical frivolity is the York Antiquarian Society. Inexplicably (at least to me), the society has changed the dates of its annual conference from autumn to May just before the York races begin their last week, which as you know, coincides with the end of the York social season.
I was so surprised to see the man, that several moments passed before I decided what to do. I had in my reticule, a pistol, that Patience insisted I carry for safety since I was traveling with only Mrs. Crewe to guard me. I knew how to use the pistol, so I took it out of my reticule and pointed it at the man before I woke him by saying quite loudly. “Don’t move!”
I write on behalf of The Bluestocking Belles who are this day, March twelfth, celebrating seven years of writing and publishing collections of our novellas. We wish to thank you for your continued and unbiased support of our group and our publications. We know that not all of your readers love or even like our work or that we are seven gently bred women who have dared to follow the lead of Miss J.A. and successfully write, publish, and sell–to some small acclaim. Yet despite the expressed displeasure of some of your readers (none of whom have, as I understand it, dropped their subscriptions), you continue to report on our successes and failures–this last much to our embarrassment we acknowledge to be true–without any bias positive or negative whatsoever. What author, what person could ask for more from London’s most popular and highly regarded scandal sheet. It has been our pleasure to meet you in person once or twice. Your discretion and truthfulness in reporting are most sincerely appreciated.
Love Against the Odds