been revealed before he disappeared, yet in that time, she had managed to exact a financial commitment from him that, while it could not possibly atone for his crimes against Anne, would at least somehow benefit her.
And then Mr. Crawford had died.
In fact, Mr. Archer had most likely been the last person to see Henry Crawford alive. A disturbing thought entered Elizabeth’s mind, and she met Darcy’s gaze to see if he shared it.
Mr. Darcy would never have hazarded such a proposal, if he had not been well assured of his cousin’s corroboration.
“I may require your assistance,” Darcy said as soon as he and Colonel Fitzwilliam extricated themselves from Anne’s chamber. Or, more to the point, from Lady Catherine’s hearing.
His cousin asked no questions, only answered without hesitation, “Of course.”
Darcy glanced about the hall, then decided their conversation was best held elsewhere. Fortunately, they found the small parlor on the main floor unoccupied. Colonel Fitzwilliam regarded Darcy expectantly.
“I believe Henry Crawford has been murdered,” Darcy said.
Surprise flashed across Fitzwilliam’s countenance. “What raises your suspicion?”
“The lead ball in his brain.”
“That would indeed cause quite a head wound. I understand now why you imparted so few details to Anne. Pray continue.”
Darcy described the state in which Mr. Crawford had been found. When he finished, he added, “The coroner and Sir Thomas believe it to be a case of suicide.”
“And you doubt their judgment?”
“I doubt their objectivity. I also find curious several particulars regarding the pistol. It was found on Mr. Crawford’s left side, and this gun patch lay some distance away.” He produced the cloth circle and handed it to his cousin.
“Silk. And a fine one at that. His Majesty does not issue patches of this quality to my sharpshooters.”
“Nor does he provide firearms such as the one discovered. Among all the weapons you have personally encountered, I defy you to produce a finer example of craftsmanship.”
The colonel rubbed his thumb across one of the black rays. A streak of powder smeared onto his skin. “These lines are intriguing.”
“I thought so, as well. They suggest the presence of rifling, but the pistol is smoothbore.”
“That would seem to indicate that this patch did not come from the pistol you found.” Colonel Fitzwilliam frowned in thought. “Are you quite certain it is smoothbore?”
“I held it myself.”
“But did you look all the way down the barrel?”
“No.”
“Where is the weapon now? I would like to see it if I could.”
“Sir Thomas took it into his possession.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam consulted his pocketwatch. “The noon hour approaches — early yet for a social visit to Mansfield Park, but our purpose is business. We need to examine that pistol, preferably in strong sunlight. It might contain rifling farther down the barrel — French rifling, it is called, and aptly named, for it is a deceitful practice, but unfortunately one sometimes seen in private firearms. The rifling stops an inch or two from the muzzle, making the pistol appear to be smoothbore — and therefore in compliance with dueling protocol should the need arise — but concealing the improved accuracy of a rifled weapon. It is difficult to detect, and best observed in bright sunlight aimed down the bore.”
“If the pistol is so designed, that would account for the marks on the patch. Why, however, are they but three in number?”
“A weapon with hidden rifling is custom made. Its owner may have ordered fewer grooves cut into the bore, to make their presence still less noticeable if the barrel is inspected.”
They walked to Mansfield Park directly. Upon being ushered into Sir Thomas’s study, they found him in conference with Mr. Stover. The coroner sat in a chair opposite Sir Thomas’s desk, holding a small tin in his hands.
“Mr. Stover has completed his examination of Mr. Crawford’s remains,” Sir Thomas said. “He was just imparting his findings.”
“As I anticipated, I found the spent ball embedded in Mr. Crawford’s brain matter,” the coroner said. “It had carried the fired patch into the wound, verifying that the patch Mr. Darcy discovered did not come from the shot that killed Mr. Crawford.”
Darcy received the news with disappointment. He had been so certain that the patch and pistol must share a connection.
Mr. Stover opened the tin he held. “I was, however, surprised by the appearance of the patch.” He withdrew a gold circle of the same ornate silk as the one Darcy possessed. It was stained with substances Darcy did not care to contemplate too extensively, but it, too, bore a black “sun” with three evenly spaced rays.
“When I washed the excess matter off the patch, some of the powder came off as well,” said the coroner. “But you can see that the fouling pattern, as well as the pattern of the fabric itself, is identical to that of the other patch, indicating that both patches were shot from the same weapon. Yet the pistol found beside Mr. Crawford is a smoothbore.”
“Not necessarily,” Darcy said. “Colonel Fitzwilliam and I have been discussing the point, and we would like to examine the pistol more closely.”
“Outdoors, if we may,” the colonel added.
“Outdoors? Whatever for?” Sir Thomas asked.
“To obtain the best view down the barrel. I should also like to clean it beforehand.”
Sir Thomas regarded him skeptically, but rose. “Very well.” He opened a drawer of his desk and withdrew the pistol. “Let us proceed.”
He led them to an open expanse of grass on the south side of the mansion. Colonel Fitzwilliam accepted the pistol from him and stuffed a damp rag, procured by a servant, down the barrel. It emerged blackened by powder residue. The colonel then noted the angle of the sun. He turned so that the axis of the bore was pointed toward the sun and light could penetrate the barrel as deeply as possible. He rotated the weapon slowly, then nodded and handed it to Darcy.
“It is as I suspected.”
Darcy held the pistol to the light for himself. At first he saw only darkness. But as he slowly rotated the barrel, the light revealed three spirals deep within.
“This weapon indeed bears rifling.” Darcy returned the pistol to Sir Thomas. “If you peer down the shaft as we have done, you will note three grooves.”
Both Sir Thomas and the coroner examined the weapon. Afterward, Sir Thomas thanked Darcy for proving the coroner’s case for self-murder.
“How have I done so?” Darcy replied. That had hardly been his intent.
“Mr. Crawford’s shot obviously came from the pistol found beside him.”
“But what of the second patch?”
“What of it?”
“If Mr. Crawford took his own life, why is there evidence of two shots?”
“Perhaps he fired a test shot.”
“Unfortunately,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam, “the horrors of war sometimes prove too great for young men to
