The Killing at Kaldaire House

by Kate Parker

  None of those who came to give Lady Kaldaire their sympathies appeared likely to have broken into this house in the middle of the night and opened a safe. Few of them stayed for any length of time.

  Shortly after six o’clock, Lord and Lady Eddington entered, and I knew she was one person who’d say something as soon as she saw me.

  I tried to stay out of her line of sight, but as soon as she gazed around the room, she spotted me. “Emily, what are you doing here? Not looking for trade, I hope.”

  The crowded room grew quiet.

  I walked over to her, trying my best to copy the manner and attitude of the grande dames I designed for. “It’s so nice to see you, Lady Eddington.”

  Meanwhile, my mind was churning. What probable excuse could I give for being here dressed as a guest?

  “I asked her to come,” Lady Kaldaire said from behind me.

  I nearly sighed in relief.

  “I’ve never heard of a milliner being invited to a home to receive condolence calls before.” Lady Eddington pitched her voice to be heard in the corners of the room.

  “She needs to see how this room functions with a large number of people moving about in it before she can make any suggestions on how to improve it in my new house.”

  What?

  Lady Eddington moved her gaze from Lady Kaldaire to me. “You’re a decorator now as well as a milliner?”

  Before I could make a coherent sound, Lady Kaldaire said, “I like her style, Julia. And her designs would certainly be a breath of fresh air after some of the interiors I’ve seen recently.” She kept a pleasant expression on her face as she spoke, but Lady Eddington looked skeptical.

  It was all I could do not to look surprised. I knew Lady Kaldaire had a rich imagination, but I had no idea what she had planned. Whatever it was, I suspected it would take up too much of my time or be risky. Or both.

  It didn’t matter whether I wanted to be involved. The price Lady Kaldaire charged for keeping my secret was rising. I felt trapped.

  More people entered the parlor. The two ladies and Lord Eddington continued their conversation on neutral topics, and I backed away to avoid Lady Eddington’s glare.

  “Lady Kaldaire must trust your taste implicitly. She’s always relied on her own sense of style in the past,” a man said behind me.

  I turned and forced a smile. “She finds I have a different approach.” I was good at sketching and at mixing and matching colors, since a lady needed a hat for every outfit and my business required me to be both tasteful and original. But an interior designer? I hoped this would be an excuse Lady Kaldaire would quickly drop.

  The man standing in front of me was good-looking, with a lean face and a sharp nose that went with his angled cheekbones and thin lips. He had a full head of black and silver hair. Despite being obviously past fifty, he had a trim body that looked elegant in his black and white evening clothes. I guessed he was a fencer from the thin scar on his cheek. He stood before me with the military bearing of someone accustomed to being in charge. “Ah, the joys of youth. The creative spark has not been extinguished yet.”

  “Then our hostess must be young, because she is very creative.” Just listen to the wild tales she told people.

  I watched his pale blue eyes as I spoke. They were a lovely shade. They made a chilly accent shade in an otherwise overheated room. But right now, the expression in them frightened me. They looked as if he were choosing a spot in the woods to bury my body.

  “You’re obviously fond of Lady Kaldaire.” His voice was an attractive baritone, but the coolness in his tone was almost as fearsome as his expression.

  “I admire her very much. She’s a very perceptive woman.”

  “She would have to be to think to use a milliner as a decorator.”

  So he’d heard Lady Eddington’s announcement. I hadn’t noticed him before she entered, and I thought I’d have noticed this man. “The two skills are not dissimilar. Both require a sense of color and balance. Of proportion and texture.”

  Good heavens. I was becoming as glib as Lady Kaldaire.

  “The senses of an artist.”

  “An artist? Thank you, but I think that is more flattery than my talents deserve.” I didn’t really, but modesty was a woman’s most valuable asset, particularly when dealing with rich and powerful men.

  His smile was sardonic. “I didn’t think you’d be so bourgeois as to downplay your talents. Your hat alone speaks highly of your skills.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me for speaking the truth.” Making no effort to converse with our hostess, he continued to stand behind me, making me face away from the center of the room.

  “Then I will take it as a genuine compliment, Mr.—?”

  “Emily,” Lady Kaldaire said from behind me.

  I swung around and said, “Yes, my lady?”

  Her face was rigid with disapproval. “I doubt you’ve been introduced to this gentleman. Miss Gates, may I present Prince Maximilian of Hanover?”

  Chapter Six

  Prince Maximilian. The man supposedly most likely to want the letter that had been in the safe in Lord Kaldaire’s study.

  I paused a moment to gather my wits and let my heartbeat steady. Then I held Lady Kaldaire’s gaze for a second and gave the smallest nod. Turning to him, I said as I curtsied, “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Highness.”

  “And I yours, Miss Gates.” He then turned his attention to Lady Kaldaire and I was able to step back, listening in without being part of the conversation.

  The next man to walk into the room immediately caught my attention. He appeared to expect fanfare with his arrival. He posed like a statue a few feet inside the parlor, drawing my eyes to his beefy face and egg-shaped body. From his thinning hair to his fleshy lips, he looked like Lord Kaldaire come back to life.

  Lady Kaldaire came forward. “Laurence, I’m so very glad to see you at this sad time.”

  “It’s Lord Kaldaire now. I came ahead, but Cecily won’t be arriving until midday tomorrow at the earliest. I’ll take my brother’s room, shall I?”

  “Of course. Let me see to it.” Her head held high as she ignored the snub from her husband’s brother, Lady Kaldaire walked past him to speak in a low voice to the butler. Then she returned to receiving condolences while the new Lord Kaldaire spoke in an overly loud voice to others present.

  He was even worse than his brother. I wanted to tell him to lower his voice in a house in mourning.

  I was so busy watching the new Lord Kaldaire that I didn’t notice Lady Eddington sidling up to me until she said, “You may have fooled Lady Kaldaire, but you haven’t fooled me. You’ll do anything to get ahead, won’t you?”

  Fortunately, she kept her voice lowered. I faced her and said, “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Have you used this death to steal some of her jewelry?”

  “Of course not. She doesn’t owe me any money,” I said with a wide smile.

  “Don’t be cheeky. I’ll find out your secrets.” With a huff, she walked away, leaving me more shaken than I wanted to admit. If she found out about my father’s family, she wouldn’t keep quiet like Lady Kaldaire. She frightened me.

  I spent another three-quarters of an hour being pleasantly vague or acting like part of the wallpaper while I listened for a clue to fall from someone’s lips. Slowly, the room emptied as the guests departed. Prince Maximilian was one of the last. On his way out, he stopped and gave me a militarily precise bow.

  Surprised, I gave him a deep curtsy.

  Finally, only the two titled Kaldaires and I remained. “And who are you?” the new Lord Kaldaire snapped.

  “Miss Gates has been assisting me. Now we have some business to see to, and I’m sure you’re tired from your travels, Laurence. Dinner will be served at eight.” Lady Kaldaire’s tone left a layer of frost over the room.

  Even a newly christened lord knew a dismissal when he heard one. He gave his brother’s wife a s
mall bow and stomped out of the room without acknowledging me. “Have someone pick up my bags from Claridge’s Hotel,” he tossed over his shoulder.

  Once the door closed behind him, Lady Kaldaire raised her eyebrows. “That was the new Lord Kaldaire. Much worse than the old one, I’m afraid. And his wife! Don’t expect to be paid for any hats you design for her.”

  “Thanks for the warning.” I needed to avoid aristocratic customers who didn’t pay their bills. One or two deadbeats could mean the difference between sending or failing to send Matthew to a very expensive school.

  “Let’s go to the morning room.”

  I knew her checkbook was there. I also knew Lady Kaldaire felt most at home in that room, where she wouldn’t be overheard by servants or newly minted lords. We took the hallway to the back of the house.

  Once I shut the door, she went over to her desk and gave me pound notes for the two new hats. As she handed them to me, she said, “Laurence has forced my hand. He’ll waste no time in throwing me out of here—”

  “He can’t do that.” Lady Kaldaire had been decent to me when faced with police questions concerning the attack on her husband. I was ready to do battle on her behalf.

  “Oh, my dear, he can. This is his inheritance. This property is entailed, along with the estate up north where he and his family were living, waiting for Laurence’s chance to snatch the title and take over.”

  I felt guilty taking her money. “Surely he’ll make some provision for you. Or your husband did.”

  She smiled. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be glad to get out of this mausoleum. And the stocks, bonds, and deeds to the other properties are all in my name, not Horace’s. Laurence will discover his title is an empty boast.”

  I was both relieved and surprised. “You’ll be all right.”

  “Absolutely. And since I’ll have to decorate a new home in Mayfair, we’ll put it around that you’re doing the decorating. It will give you reason to meet with me and to investigate Prince Maximilian.”

  I was shocked that her idea, mentioned as an excuse for my presence to Lady Eddington, wasn’t discarded as quickly as a soggy hat. “Me? A decorator?”

  “Just do a few sketches of the interior, decorated and furnished however you imagine. I’ll hire someone else to do the actual work.”

  “But—”

  I wasn’t quick enough. “Emily, I’ve seen your sketches. They’re wonderful. And you have an amazing eye for color. That’s one of the things that makes your hats so special. Each one is the perfect shade for the outfit it’s worn with.”

  “But that doesn’t—” I was going to say, have anything to do with sketching. That’s a matter of matching ribbon to fabric to dyes. Lady Kaldaire had some strange ideas about what milliners could accomplish.

  She didn’t let me finish. “Don’t argue with me, Emily. I need a reason for you to come to my new house. A reason for you to drop in to see me at odd hours.” Then she gave me a hard gaze. “Can you think of a better excuse for you to spend time with me while we investigate what happened to the letter and who killed my husband? And you may not realize it, but Julia Eddington is curious about why we’re spending time together. And no one likes to spread gossip more than Julia. I’m trying to protect your secret.”

  “Thank you.” She was the only aristocrat I knew who’d try to prevent her social equals from learning a milliner’s guilty secret. Being obligated to do some sketches of Lady Kaldaire’s new home was not too high a price to pay.

  And until the new widow found another outlet for her energies, I was stuck helping her. “All right. But how will we investigate a great-grandson of King George III?” I wasn’t convinced I wanted to focus my attention on him. Maybe I just wasn’t sure it was safe to investigate him. The look in his eyes had been frightening.

  She gave me a conspiratorial smile. “I own the house next door to Prince Maximilian. And it’s currently vacant.”

  “Good grief.” Lady Kaldaire was full of surprises. All of them aimed at getting us both into trouble.

  She continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “They share a communal back garden with some other houses. Using my house as a base, you’ll be able to enter and search his house.”

  “Next door? Is that wise?”

  “I wanted to make our task as simple as possible.”

  She made it sound so easy. I knew better. “This will require a great deal of planning and surveillance. There are the schedules of the servants to consider.”

  “Oh, Emily, you’re so good at everything. You’ll figure it out.”

  I took a calming breath and attempted to reason with her. “Lady Kaldaire, I know you want the answers to your husband’s death as quickly as possible, but this will take time. And patience.”

  “Of course. I’m a very patient woman.”

  From her tone of voice, I knew she wasn’t joking. “You want me to draw possible interiors of your new home while I find out if Prince Maximilian was responsible for your husband’s death and retrieve that ridiculous letter about Queen Victoria from him, but I have a business to run. I have customers to wait on, hats to design and their construction to oversee, supplies to buy, billing and accounts to work on—”

  She waved a hand at me. “I take your point. I’m willing to help with the investigation. And you’ll only need to do a few sketches to make the story plausible.”

  Giving me an amused smile, she continued, “Did you think your family of highwaymen are the only ones who tell stories? This is an excuse for you to be in my company. The sooner we find the letter, and Horace’s killer, the sooner you’ll be able to get back to your business.”

  That was as good as I could hope for from Lady Kaldaire that evening. “There is something you can do to help. Find out from Inspector Russell what they’ve learned about your husband’s murder. Perhaps they found a clue that means nothing to them, but that you can link to the prince. Or someone else.”

  “I’ll go down to Scotland Yard tomorrow and ask him.”

  Oh, dear. That would make Inspector Russell suspicious of her. “I think you have to wait until he comes to you. Aristocrats don’t go to the police. They expect the police, like servants, to come to them.”

  “Nonsense. That might take ages. I don’t have a bell pull to summon him. By the time he calls on me, we’ll have solved this murder.”

  “Lady Kaldaire—”

  “All those years I was married to Horace, I had to behave like a respectable matron. A wife. Well, I’m now a widow. I will immediately be thought of as elderly, expected to wear shawls, and use a cane. I can be as batty as I want, and no one will think anything of it.”

  Leave it to Lady Kaldaire to use the newest slang. I tried to hide my smile, but it didn’t quite work. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “I didn’t want Horace to die. That was mean-spirited of someone. But we must make the best we can of the situation.” She looked around. “This is the only room in the entire house that I’ll miss.”

  “Do you want the new house to look like this room?” I took in the yellow walls and white lace curtains, white mantel and baseboards, yellow and pink and blue upholstery. “Bright and sunny?”

  “Exactly. Now, did anyone here today seem suspicious?”

  “Is the new Lord Kaldaire always like that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, no. Most of your callers couldn’t have broken in or bested Lord Kaldaire in a struggle. Did he have any enemies?”

  “He must have, mustn’t he?” The lady gave me a dry look.

  “Besides me, did he owe anyone money?”

  “I’ve discovered he hadn’t paid any of our tradesmen in months. I don’t know what he was doing with the money I gave him for the household bills.”

  “You gave him?” I was getting a surprising view of the Kaldaire marriage.

  “Of course. I told you. He had the title and this house. I had the money. And the common sense.”

  I nodded. It sounded unusual,
but it fit what I’d seen of Lady Kaldaire. I gave up any more dissent to her plan as futile. At least until either we solved the mystery or I found a way to wiggle out.

  “Who did Lord Kaldaire owe money to? Who owed him money? And what was he doing with the money you were giving him to pay me?”

  “How can we find out who he owed money to?” Lady Kaldaire tapped her lips with a fingernail.

  “Go through his private papers.”

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I could have kicked myself. My curiosity was getting me in deeper. Following clues in letters and bills was a sort of puzzle, a game I’d played with my grandfather when I still had parents. I’d done well with deciphering correspondence under my grandfather’s guidance. But I needed to learn to guard my tongue around Lady Kaldaire.

  She didn’t notice my change in mood. “Laurence will probably go through them soon.”

  I’d made the suggestion. I couldn’t take it back now, much as I’d like to. Perhaps I could stop what I saw coming. “Would he have thrown anything out?”

  “No. That would be foolish. He doesn’t know what’s important and what’s not.” She smiled like the cat that had cornered a mouse. “At least not yet. Will you be available for an evening in the near future?”

  I thought of all the work I had to do. Why had I opened my mouth? “Why?”

  “If he and Cecily go to the opera, we’ll have the evening to go through the papers. Cecily is very fond of opera.”

  “Won’t one of the servants tell them?”

  “And what will Laurence do? We’ll have found what we need and have it hidden away by the time they return.”

  It might be the fastest way to solve this mystery. Which would be the quickest way to get my life back. And that would be heavenly. “Do you have someone to send to my shop with a message when you know they’ll be gone?”

  “Yes. Someone who won’t go telling tales to the new Lord Kaldaire.” She looked very satisfied.

  She and my grandfather would make a dangerous team.

  “Here is the address to my new house, so we can begin planning our investigation there when we’re ready.” Lady Kaldaire handed me a piece of paper. “Prince Maximilian’s is the residence to the right as you look at it from the street. You can look for weaknesses in his defense at the same time.”