Murder in Black Tie

by Sara Rosett

  Aunt Caroline stood and announced, “We’ll be in the music room tonight. Don’t linger too long in here, gentlemen. Gwen will sing for us.”

  She led the ladies upstairs to the music room, where a mural of Venus and Mars filled the coved ceiling. The room contained a beautiful malachite table, a few silk-covered chairs, and a satinwood harpsichord. There was space for rows of gilt-edged chairs, if Aunt Caroline wanted to host a full-scale musical evening. A piano was positioned at the opposite end of the room near the fire, and we settled around it, coffee cups in hand.

  “Go ahead, dear,” Aunt Caroline said to Gwen. “Run through a few songs to warm up before the men arrive.”

  Gwen tilted her head so that only I could see her face and widened her eyes. Aunt Caroline was doing her best to showcase her daughter’s talents. I lifted my coffee in a salute of solidarity, acknowledging the pain of being the focus of matchmaking relatives. Gwen pushed back her shoulders and asked Deena, “I remember you played the piano on one of your visits. Would you like to accompany me?”

  Deena stubbed out her cigarette. “Of course.”

  “That would be wonderful, especially if you can cover up my mistakes.”

  It was thoughtful of Gwen to include Deena instead of keeping the limelight for herself. As Gwen and Deena shuffled through sheet music, Gigi came to sit beside me. “Do you sing or play?” I asked her.

  “Only if you want people to run screaming from the room. My talents lie in other areas,” she said with a suggestive flare of her eyebrows. “You?”

  “No, I have no musical talent whatsoever.”

  “Good, then we’ll have a chat.” She propped her elbow on the back of the sofa, curled her legs up on the cushion, and shifted to face me. “I must speak to you.”

  Gigi’s serious tone wasn’t like her at all. “About what?” I asked.

  She drew a breath, but then Sonia sat down in a chair near us. Gigi mouthed the word later, then she asked me in a light tone, “What are you wearing tomorrow evening?”

  “A dress Aunt Caroline picked out for me.”

  “From Paris? Lucky you!”

  Deena played the first notes of “It Was a Dream,” and Gwen launched into the song, which drew the men from their port like a siren calling to a ship at sea. Deena, her elongated faced somber with concentration as she played, stumbled over a few notes. But Gwen carried on, and Deena always recovered and found her place in the music.

  Captain Inglebrook propped himself up on the arm of the sofa beside Gigi, and they held a whispered conversation. Payne smoked on the far side of the room by the window that was cracked open, while Inspector Longly stood motionless at the back of the room by the table with the coffee.

  Sonia looked disapproving throughout the lighthearted verses, but Father, who’d sat down beside her, tapped his foot along with the music.

  Longly, who hadn’t moved an inch and had fixed his attention on Gwen throughout her songs, gave a little start when she finished and applause filled the room. He glanced around, caught my eye, and ducked his head. He sipped his coffee, made a face, and turned to refresh his cup.

  Gwen bowed to her audience, then waved a hand to Deena. “And now Deena will play Mozart’s ‘Sonata in C Major.’”

  Gwen dropped onto the cushion between me and Gigi. “Longly was transfixed,” I whispered.

  “What? No, he stayed as far away as he could without being impolite.”

  “He was so mesmerized with you that he let his coffee go cold—completely forgot to drink it.”

  Gwen tilted her head so she could see around me, then a deep blush suffused her cheeks. “He’s staring at me.”

  “I don’t think all hope is lost,” I murmured, then gave my attention to Deena, who’d changed the music and began to play the airy notes of Mozart in a workmanlike manner.

  Chapter Five

  I spent most of the morning being fitted for the new dress. It was indeed gorgeous with beautiful lines. The velvet bodice was loosely fitted in the current style, but it wasn’t boxy. It skimmed over my figure to a dropped waistline. The material looked almost black, but then the light caught it and brought out the deep purple tones. Because the skirt had quite a few tiny pleats, it took a long time for the seamstress to make her adjustments.

  When she finished, I went down for luncheon, which was laid out in a buffet so everyone could serve themselves. I passed Mr. Payne and Captain Inglebrook coming out of the dining room.

  “. . . still have several excellent maps, perhaps you’d like to take a look . . .”

  I was glad to avoid Payne’s sales pitch, and had a nice lunch with Aunt Caroline and Deena. When we’d finished eating, Aunt Caroline said, “Will you join us on the tour of the house, Olive?”

  Deena said, “No one else is coming—no other young people, I mean. It’s only that map man and Miss Miller. Gigi has no interest at all. Captain Inglebrook has disappeared, and Inspector Longly has gone for a walk.” Deena wore another monochromatic outfit. Her velour suit was dull rust, the most popular color this autumn, and her shoes were the same shade. I tried to imagine having enough money to have a pair of shoes that matched each outfit and failed. The extravagance of it! But Deena had come into a huge inheritance a few years ago. She could probably afford to change her shoes every hour if she wanted.

  “Of course I’ll join you.” I knew Parkview Hall well and could probably have given the tour myself, but when one is a houseguest, one always participates in suggested activities if one is invited.

  Payne was standing in the entry hall waiting for us, his hands in his pockets as he walked back and forth across the checkerboard marble floor.

  “Mr. Payne,” Aunt Caroline said, “so glad you could join us.”

  “Yes, certainly.” His gaze scanned our group, and I suspected he was considering whether he could gracefully make his excuses because he didn’t want to be the only gentleman, but he fell into step behind Aunt Caroline as she moved around the entry hall, pointing out details about the ceiling mural, the Roman busts, and the refurbishment of the staircase in the last decade.

  After we’d made a circuit around the room, Aunt Caroline said, “You’ve all seen the dining room, the sitting room, and the drawing room, so we’ll focus on some of the other areas of the house.” Her heels clicked across the marble to one of my favorite places at Parkview. “But first, the library. I know Mr. Payne”—Aunt Caroline dipped her head toward him—“is already familiar with this room.”

  He said, “It’s one of the finest libraries I’ve had the pleasure of browsing.”

  “How kind of you to say that. We do enjoy it. I’m sure you’re familiar with the maps my husband collects, but we also have some nice first editions he probably didn’t even mention.”

  Aunt Caroline pushed open the door, and I wasn’t surprised to see Father settled in a wingback chair near the fire with not one, but four books open on his lap and balanced on the arms of the chair. Sonia sat in the matching chair with a piece of needlework.

  Father began closing books so he could stand when we came into the room, but Aunt Caroline waved him back to his seat. “No need to get up. We’re simply passing through—a little tour of the house.”

  Aunt Caroline walked us through the library, pointing out various rare books. “The second baronet was a bookworm and oversaw the construction of the gallery,” she said as she gestured to the second story that ran around the entire room.

  Deena ran her hand along the rail of the circular staircase that twisted up to the gallery. “Oh, may I go up?”

  “Yes, of course,” Aunt Caroline said as Payne drifted over to Sonia and Father.

  “What a cozy domestic scene,” Payne said as he rocked on his heels, hands in his pockets.

  Father looked up from his books, “Hmm? I’m sorry, did you say something, Mr. Payne?”

  “Nothing of importance, dear,” Sonia said to Father, her needle flashing back and forth through the fabric.

  Payne moved back t
o join our group, a little smile on his face that looked . . . I searched for the right word . . . gleeful.

  Deena tugged at my sleeve. “Olive, we’re moving on.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.” I fell into step with her. We toured the billiard room, stopped briefly in the music room, then went on to the portrait gallery.

  Mr. Payne paused on the threshold and murmured, “Ah, this I remember. It was the activities room.”

  Aunt Caroline had her arm raised to a portrait of a man on horseback. She was about to launch into a story about the third baronet, but her arm dropped. “Mr. Payne, were you here during the war?”

  “I confess I was, Lady Caroline. Only for a short time in nineteen fourteen. I must say, staying at Parkview Hall was one of the few bright spots during those years.” He rotated, taking in the whole room. He nodded toward one of the long windows. “The dominos were over there. Further along the wall were the tables with jigsaw puzzles.” He rocked on his heels and nodded. “Yes, this was indeed a respite.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Aunt Caroline said. “We strove to have a peaceful atmosphere that encouraged healing.”

  “You achieved your goal in my case.” He tapped his left leg. “My broken leg healed up nicely. No problems with it at all.”

  “Excellent,” Aunt Caroline said. “Wonderful! It was always touch-and-go with broken legs.”

  Payne’s mobile face had shifted into a serious expression. “You have my sincerest gratitude for all you did at that time.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Payne, but I must say it was a cadre of people who made the hospital a success. Beyond the hardworking doctors and nurses, everyone for miles around pitched in and did their bit to help. You might want to revisit the library. We have a collection of photographs from that time. Gwen used her Brownie camera to document the changes to the house and to photograph the staff and patients. The photos are in albums on the bottom shelf of the bookcase nearest the circular staircase.”

  “Thank you, Lady Caroline. I’ll do that,” Payne said.

  We moved on and viewed some of the guest rooms that weren’t currently occupied. When we reached the mahogany room, Mr. Payne hesitated on the threshold, then slowly stepped inside the room. “Yes, this was where I stayed. I wondered if I’d recognize it. My bed was on the far side over there, and there was another here, near the door.” He walked to the window that looked out over the courtyard, then turned and came back. “It even smells the same. That earthy, herby scent takes me back.”

  “It’s the chrysanthemums. We always have them at this time of year in all the rooms,” Aunt Caroline said as she prepared to move on to the next room. Deena hadn’t come into the room and still lingered in the doorway. She stepped back hastily as Aunt Caroline came through. Aunt Caroline turned back. “You may stay longer if you like, Mr. Payne.”

  He gave a small start. “No. Sorry. Lost in thought.”

  Payne hung back from us during the rest of the tour. We could barely draw Miss Miller away from the china room and Parkview’s extensive collection of Wedgwood and other porcelain.

  We finished the tour in the conservatory with Aunt Caroline pointing out the rubber tree with its long buttressing roots as well as the banana tree and pineapple plants. Deena and I trailed along after Miss Miller, who stayed beside Aunt Caroline, asking questions about the plants, particularly about the rare orchids that had been brought back when a Victorian baronet sponsored a plant hunting expedition to the tropics.

  We returned to the fountain, where Payne waited. He’d been sitting in a wicker chair, smoking a cigarette. He threw it into the fountain and stood when we rejoined him.

  Deena said to Aunt Caroline, “May I bring Mr. Quigley in here? He would absolutely adore it.”

  Aunt Caroline blinked. “Mr. Quigley?”

  “My parrot.”

  “Ah, yes. Er—I suppose that would be fine. Just not in the mornings when Ross is tending to the plants or before dinner. That’s when Peter likes to stroll in here. It would give him a fright if a parrot landed on his shoulder.”

  “Mr. Quigley’s very well mannered,” Deena said. “He’d never do that.”

  “I’m sure he is,” Aunt Caroline said without a trace of conviction in her tone.

  Gigi sailed into the conservatory. “Good, I found you. We’re about to leave for the maze. Who wants to come?”

  Aunt Caroline glanced at the glass ceiling. Beads of moisture dotted the exterior of the glassing, blurring the view. “It’s terribly drizzly and cold.”

  “We’ll bundle up,” Gigi said. “Don’t worry about us.”

  “Then I’ll have a nice fire going for you in the drawing room along with hot drinks when you come back,” Aunt Caroline said.

  “Sounds lovely.” Gigi took my arm and Deena’s and walked us to the entry hall, where Brimble and several footmen were waiting with our coats. Payne made his excuses and peeled off from our group, heading for the library.

  Captain Inglebrook said to Gwen, “You look smashing in that velvet hat. Paris, I believe?”

  Gwen murmured her thanks while Inspector Longly stood a little to one side, his face somber, but he wore a coat and hat, so he was also going with us. Longly nodded to us while Inglebrook greeted each one of us in turn.

  Inglebrook was bundled up as well, but he’d added a white silk scarf to his overcoat, which only enhanced his resemblance to a film star. He spoke to everyone, but he lingered by Gigi. She linked her arm through his. “Shall we go?”

  We set out through the gardens, which were muted and rather plain at this time of year. The misty air, which was tinged with the aroma of wood smoke, felt good after the stuffiness of the rooms. We left the formal gardens and tramped through soggy leaves along the path that took us up over the hill and around the lake to the maze. I slowed, dropping back so I could fall into step beside Longly, who was bringing up the rear of the group. I said, “I thought you’d already been for a walk today.”

  “One can never have enough country walks,” he said as he watched Gwen, who was striding along a few steps ahead of us beside Gigi and Captain Inglebrook. I tried to maneuver the group so Gwen and Longly could walk beside each other. I’m sure Aunt Caroline could have performed the shuffling of people with ease, but I wasn’t able to achieve it before we reached the maze.

  Gigi eyed the eight-foot-tall shrubbery. “Excellent. It’s even taller than you, Captain Inglebrook, so you can’t cheat.”

  “You think I would cheat?” He pressed a hand to his chest, wrinkling the silk scarf.

  “Undoubtedly. Catch me if you can.” Gigi darted through the gap in the hedge that was the entrance. Inglebrook took off after her.

  Gwen said to the rest of us, “There’s a fountain in the middle. See you there. Good luck.”

  She shot a quick look from under her lashes at Longly, but he was adjusting his coat and missed it. Gwen ducked her head and entered the maze. I hung back, chatting with Deena, and was happy to see Longly follow only a few steps behind Gwen.

  Deena and I wandered about the maze for a while, but then we separated. She wanted to go left, and I knew the right-hand turn was the correct direction. As I worked my way to the center, I turned a corner and discovered Inglebrook had indeed caught Gigi. They were in a dead end of the maze, kissing. It wasn’t a quick peck on the lips either. Their arms were wrapped tightly around each other, and even though I walked on quietly, I didn’t need to worry about being stealthy. They were lost in their own world.

  I reached the fountain a few moments after Deena, who arrived first. She clapped her hands. “Is there a prize?”

  “Only bragging rights.”

  Deena’s lips puckered into a pout. “Oh well.”

  The rest of the group trailed in, Inglebrook with a smile on his face and Gigi adjusting her cloche. I was happy to see Longly and Gwen stroll in side by side. Their hands were tucked into their pockets, but their steps were perfectly synchronized. They continued to walk together all the way back to the hou
se, pausing only when Longly’s empty sleeve caught on a branch and pulled free of the pins that held it against his jacket. As I passed them, Gwen said, “Here, let me,” and folded the sleeve back into place. The look Longly gave her as she bent her head to refasten the pins made me think he wished they were in a secluded corner of the maze instead of out in the open. Since Gigi and Inglebrook were still paired up, I walked beside Deena, who gave me an exhaustive primer on parrots.

  We gathered in the drawing room for tea, and Deena and I took a seat by the fire near Miss Miller and Sonia. Payne rejoined us and sat across from us, sipping his tea.

  We told him about the maze, and Deena tilted up her chin. “I got to the fountain first.”

  “Congratulations,” Payne said, his tone dry. He put down his cup. “I think I’ll move. The heat from the fire is quite suffocating.”

  “We could change seats,” I offered, but he declined and moved across the room.

  Aunt Caroline sat down near us. “I’ve received a note from Jasper. He’s had trouble with his motor. He says he’ll do his best to arrive before dinner this evening. I do hope he makes it. I don’t want another dinner with thirteen.”

  “So unlucky,” Miss Miller agreed as the dressing gong sounded.

  When we walked out of the room, Payne was waiting in the hall. “A moment of your time, please, Miss Miller,” he said.

  It seemed an odd pairing. Payne had sought out the company of the younger women, like Gigi and Gwen, despite being nearly a decade older. I couldn’t remember any time that he’d singled out the older women like Miss Miller or Aunt Caroline. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He’d spoken to Sonia in the library today, but it still seemed odd that he’d want to speak to Miss Miller. I looked back at the pair a few times as I went down the hall to my room. After a moment, Payne stopped speaking, and Miss Miller gave a nod. I didn’t go into my room until Payne walked away.