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Violet shook her head tightly. “No, I do not.”
“Do you think it is Abraham Seaton?”
“No, I, I… She wouldn’t feel guilty about kissing Bram. He’s wanted to kiss her since he was a teenager. In fact, I suspected they already had. They went through bouts of being fond of each other, and then she would pull away, or he would go away to university. No, I think it must be someone else.”
“And you have no idea who? None at all?”
“The only man she spoke about was Mr. Frye. She mentioned how much she disdained him and feared for Calliope because of him. The only other man I believe she saw regularly, at least in the past few months, was Mr. Kerrigan, who she spoke of fondly, but not in that way. She mentioned him as a sort of mentor, a benefactor.”
Electra flipped through the previous entries and stopped when she saw Calliope’s name.
Calliope gives him whatever he wants. She feels she must and swears she does not mind, but does she truly feel for him in that way? Does she find any real pleasure in his affections?
There was no indication whether the “him” referred to was a man at the museum or one she knew outside of their workplace.
“Other than Seaton, did you know of any other gentleman pursuing Iris?”
“No, I did not.”
Electra continued to flip back through the journal’s older pages but noted no names, except for Violet’s, Mr. Delacourt’s, and Mr. Kerrigan’s. And one entry about Mr. Seaton.
Bram was quite vexed that I was angry with him, but we made up over tea and biscuits. He holds my hand as if I’m a treasure he does not wish to break. I am never angry with him for long and could never be.
“She seemed quite fond of Mr. Seaton.” Electra tilted the book so that Violet could read the entry.
“Indeed, she was.”
Electra turned back to the final entry. “All the rest of the pages are blank, and yet this mention of the kiss is dated almost two weeks before her disappearance.”
“Yes.”
“Did she seem different during those weeks?”
Violet stared out at the glittering lake. “Perhaps. She had been different for days because of Miss Collier’s disappearance and then word of her death appeared in the papers, so I ascribed any changes to worry and then grief. She was more withdrawn. Before that, we used to talk and talk. When she came home from the museum, she would be full of things to discuss. Mostly about Miss Collier, who she adored. She said Miss Collier had many admirers, but Iris never discussed anyone who’d shown her any particular attention.”
“And did she talk about Abraham Seaton?”
Violet seemed surprised by Electra’s mention of him again, which struck Electra as odd, since it was obvious the young man had shown Iris interest for years.
“She mentioned Bram at times. I think they might have seen each other more than I knew.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, as you note in her journal, she mentioned taking tea with him, and she never did that at home. It would have got Father’s hopes up.”
“Your father favors him as a suitor for Iris.” Electra recalled the image she’d seen in her mind of Mr. Seaton stepping in front of Iris as Roger Delacourt shouted. Had he been insisting that Iris accept him as a suitor?
“Father likes him immensely. Always has.”
“Was Mr. Seaton ever angry at Iris for rejecting his interest?”
Violet scoffed as if Electra had said something unthinkable. “No, you must understand that he adores her. He would marry her tomorrow if she agreed.”
Electra wondered what limits there might be to that adoration. “If he learned of this secret admirer of Iris’s, then would he be angry?”
Violet’s eyes widened, as if she had truly never considered the possibility. “Abraham would not hurt Iris, Miss Poole. If anything, he would protect her from any harm.”
Electra couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Seaton’s view of helping Iris might be to remove her from another man, whose interest was shameful enough for Iris to feel guilty about their encounters.
