Dorothea Hall Mysteries

Exposure

Mr. Beckham huffed into his mustache. I got the impression he wasn't ready to speak with Mary about his family problems, but I was there for Maggie's benefit and she wanted to save her parents' marriage. I would assume Miss Patterson had no reason to want them separated. The issue had to be exposed. Her reaction would tell me something about her true feelings.

"He hasn't told me much about his family," Mary said. "I would like to know."

"I don't know what your mother told you about her relationship with your father, but it surely won't be a surprise to you that Mrs. Beckham did not approve of it."

Mary glanced at her father. "She was quite honest with me. She said they didn't love each other, but she wanted to have a child. She was happy that my father had no desire to leave his wife. She's always seen a husband as a burden. She told me I should never get married."

I was reluctantly impressed with Miss Patterson the elder's strength of will. It seemed she chose a married man so he wouldn't expect her to marry him. It was still a selfish way to go about things. Surely she could have found an unmarried man who was willing to do the deed with no strings attached, but perhaps she'd wanted a man of good character. The kind of single man who would have relations with an unmarried lady tended to be a cad.

"Mrs. Beckham was very distraught when she found out her husband had relations with another lady when she was pregnant. She has had trouble trusting him ever since. It seems she saw the two of you together and assumed the worst."

She covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm so sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have contacted you, Father."

Mr. Beckham glared at me. "Mary, none of this is your fault. My wife has her own problems. Maybe we shouldn't be married anymore."

It was Maggie's turn to glare. "Don't start this again, Pa. Ma loves you. She doesn't want to be auctioned off to some strange man. She's waiting for you to fight for her, to give her an explanation."

"Auction off. She asked for a wife auction?" Mary asked. "My mother would have been horrified. She didn't think she was going to do any harm. She thought married women all expected to be cheated on."

Maggie said, "It sounds like your mother had a warped view of marriage and love. I suppose she was from a noble family. I think most nobles do cheat on their wives, but lots of people of our class marry for love. Mother and Father did."

The look on Mr. Beckham's face implied this wasn't entirely true. I found it hard to believe a perfectly loving couple would face even this adversity with one of them wanting to be separated by a marriage auction. I didn't want to make him expose his marital issues further.

"I believe that if you come speak with Mrs. Beckham and tell her what you've told us, it could help save their marriage. Will you meet with her?" I asked.

"Of course, if you think it will help," she said.