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“Were you acquainted with her?” Gideon slid his gaze between the two.

Miss Faraday shook her head, but her cheeks had pinkened slightly.

“No,” his brother said. “Percy refused to tell me. He said he wished to protect her, and I took that to mean that she herself might be…otherwise committed. Married or perhaps engaged. Whatever her situation, Percival cared for her enough to risk upending his life to be dragged into a court case.”

“I imagine a breach-of-promise case would be even more dire for a barrister than a man like you or I.”

“Indeed, Inspector, which is why Percival was in talks with Roderick Beecham. He even asked if I would speak to the man.”

“And did you?”

Lance Pennington scoffed. “No. Roderick Beecham is a successful businessman and rich as Croesus. He would not take kindly to the beseeching of a playwright.”

“And he would not give you any details or the name of this lady he had chosen over Miss Beecham?”

Pennington glanced once at his niece and shook his head. “No, he refused to tell me. In many respects, we were not…confidantes.”

“Nor me,” Miss Faraday confirmed. “I even asked if I might meet her. If he cared for her so much, I thought we should host her for dinner.” She let out a sigh. “He refused. It was a secret he kept quite close to his vest.”

“Did your brother maintain a diary of clients or appointments?”

Lance Pennington looked at Gideon as if he’d treaded too far. “My brother had many clients, many associates and friends, Inspector Pierce. Should their names all be dragged into a murder investigation?”

“Understanding who he met and associated with, and where I might find the woman you refer to, would aid my investigation, Mr. Pennington.” The man’s resistance was not unexpected, but Gideon’s determination wouldn’t waver. “I will seek those answers regardless, but the diary would assist me.”

The gentleman drew in a sharp breath, then turned to Miss Faraday, offering her a slight nod.

“I will retrieve it for you,” the young lady said, then stood and excused herself from the room.

When she departed, Pennington immediately edged forward on the settee. “I don’t wish for Lucy to be called at the inquest. Can you prevent that?”

“There is nothing I can do to prevent it, Mr. Pennington. The coroner calls witnesses at his discretion. But since Miss Faraday was away from home at the time, I suspect she may not be called, unless the coroner wishes for her to attest to your brother’s demeanor in the morning.”

Pennington scrubbed a hand across his face. “I simply wish to protect her.”

Gideon understood the man’s distress because he felt much the same about Electra. He wanted to protect her, though he knew he could not prevent the coroner from calling her either.

Miss Faraday entered the room a moment later and offered Gideon a small black leather-bound book. “I believe that is what you’re looking for, Inspector.”

“Thank you.” Gideon placed the book and his own notebook in his coat pocket and got to his feet.

Pennington’s brother and niece stood too.

“I’ll return if I have further questions, or with news about the progress of the investigation.” Gideon shifted his gaze between the two. “The inquest will likely be held tomorrow, and you are both welcome to attend. If you’re to be summoned, I suspect that summons will come today via post or a visit from a constable.”

Lance Pennington shot him an inscrutable look, then tossed back his longish blond hair. He sensed something like relief in the way the young man let out a long breath. Relieved that the questions were over, perhaps. Yet it caused Gideon to suspect there were things the man knew about his brother’s entanglements that he was relieved to have kept concealed.

However, the clock was ticking steadily in his periphery, and Gideon was keenly aware that he’d prioritized a visit with the family for one with his prime suspect. He didn’t wish to put off a visit to Gordon Callister a minute longer.

“Good day to you.”

Pennington escorted him to the door. He offered no farewell except for six words. “Ask Callister about The Seven Stars.”

Gideon shot him a questioning look.

“Just ask him, Inspector.”

Chapter Six