by Jen Turano
Thankfully, Mrs. Davenport did not seem to be suffering from a loss of words as she discontinued her argument with Miss Henrietta and spun around, her attention immediately settling on Edwina.
“Goodness, Edwina, how delightful to see you, although I’m sure I have no idea how it came to be that you and the ever-troublesome Huxley sisters are at Grace Church at this particular moment in time.”
“Miss Henrietta and Miss Mabel plucked me right off the sidewalk in front of Rutherford & Company as I was leaving that fine store after doing a bit of shopping for our Newport trip.” Edwina shook her head. “They then proceeded to tell me the most outlandish tale, one that centered around the rumor that Gertrude was seen being escorted off to jail.” She scratched her nose. “I have yet to understand all the particulars of that story, but as we were tooling past Grace Church, I spotted Rupert tied to the back of a hansom cab, so on a hunch, we decided to stop and investigate why Harrison was visiting a church our family doesn’t belong to, and . . . well, here we are.”
“Who, pray tell, is Rupert?” Mrs. Davenport asked.
“Harrison’s horse,” Edwina returned as she sent a frown Harrison’s way. “I should mention that Rupert was giving the hansom cab driver a difficult time and might have been trying to relieve the man of his arm, although—” she held up her hand when Harrison took a step toward the door—“no need to worry about that now. I gave the driver an apple from my reticule, and that settled Rupert right down.”
“I forgot all about poor Rupert,” Harrison said.
Edwina smiled. “I’m not surprised considering the unlikely events you’ve apparently experienced today. But . . . getting back to that introduction I requested . . . ?” She directed her smile to Agent McParland, who immediately returned that smile, one that held entirely too much warmth in it, at least in Harrison’s humble opinion.
“On my word, Edwina,” Mrs. Davenport began, stepping right up to Edwina and taking her by the arm. “This gentleman is not what I had in mind for you when I agreed to sponsor you within society. And he’s not a friend of your brother, but a member of the Pinkerton detectives.”
Edwina’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, I’ve always longed to meet a Pinkerton man.”
“No, you haven’t,” Mrs. Davenport argued. “Pinkerton agents, as everyone knows, are overly suspicious sorts. And they’re notorious for accusing completely innocent ladies of illegal activities, even when those ladies, such as myself and Gertrude, have absolutely no idea how such nasty accusations came to be leveled at our good names.”
Edwina wrinkled her nose. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Mrs. Davenport.”
“Agent McParland seems to be unusually keen on seeing me and darling Gertrude arrested for crimes perpetuated at the Manhattan Beach Hotel.”
“I didn’t realize you were paying attention to all that,” Agent McParland said, reaching into his pocket and extracting his notebook. “But since you evidently heard far more than I thought you did, tell me this . . . what do you know about the theft of various pieces of jewelry from the Manhattan Beach Hotel, specifically, one tiara worn by a woman who clearly recalls you being overly interested in it before it went missing?”
Mrs. Davenport drew herself up, but before she could voice what was certainly going to be her displeasure with Agent McParland, Edwina untwined her arm from Mrs. Davenport, stepped around Harrison, and moved to stand in front of Agent McParland.
“Do not tell me that you truly believe Mrs. Davenport, along with Gertrude from the sound of it, tried to make off with a tiara the night we attended an engagement celebration at the Manhattan Beach Hotel.”
Agent McParland, even though he was obviously still a little dazed by Edwina’s beautiful face, managed to finally give a nod before he cleared his throat. “Mrs. Davenport and Miss Cadwalader were identified as persons of interest by the lady now missing her prized tiara.”
Edwina waved that aside. “That’s ridiculous. I was with Mrs. Davenport almost the entire evening, and I assure you, sir, I would have noticed if she’d snatched a tiara straight off some lady’s head.”
Agent McParland cleared his throat again. “I never said Mrs. Davenport snatched the tiara from this lady’s head. It went missing later that night from the lady’s room.”
“Which proves Mrs. Davenport isn’t the culprit since, again, she was with me for most of the night,” Edwina argued. “We had much to discuss between us, so there was not time for her to slip away undetected to perpetuate one theft, let alone numerous thefts from numerous victims.”
Agent McParland consulted his notepad, frowned, then raised his head. “Can you provide an alibi for Miss Cadwalader as well?”
“Miss Cadwalader spent a good majority of her night in the company of Mr. Harrison Sinclair,” Miss Henrietta said, stepping forward. “And when she wasn’t on Mr. Sinclair’s arm, she was graciously keeping me and my sister company.” She let out a sniff. “Young ladies who choose to spend their time with members of the more elderly set are not the type of ladies to pull off swindles.”
“Miss Cadwalader admitted she frequently returns items Mrs. Davenport helps herself to,” Agent McParland argued.
Miss Henrietta sent Gertrude a fond smile. “Because she’s obviously been trying to please Mrs. Davenport, a woman I’ve come to believe is somewhat of a mother figure for Gertrude. The good Lord knows Gertrude’s true mother did not fulfill her responsibilities of caring for Gertrude as a child, and that right there explains much about why Gertrude is so very loyal to a woman who took advantage of that loyalty, although . . .” Miss Henrietta turned a knowing look on Mrs. Davenport. “Do know that my sister and I are fully aware you’ve been misbehaving over the years. You clearly do not believe you’re worthy of any affection a person may want to give you. That, my dear Mrs. Davenport, is exactly why you’ve done everything in your power to push Gertrude away, even attaching a birdcage to her behind that you clearly should have known was not meant to be used as a bustle in the first place.”
Mrs. Davenport raised a hand to her throat. “On my word but you do seem overly familiar with personal information pertaining to delicate matters. Forgive me, but am I mistaken in believing you and your sister spent the last several decades as little more than hermits?”
Miss Henrietta gave an airy wave of her hand. “It’s always been a misconception, in my opinion, that hermits are believed to be oblivious to matters in the world outside their habitats. My sister and I, while unwilling to mingle with people who snubbed us most assiduously throughout the years, were perfectly willing to perfect our proficiency in observation by turning that proficiency toward the very society set that neglected us.”
“You spent decades spying on all of us?” Mrs. Davenport demanded.
“Quite, but before you begin to take me to task, ask yourself this—am I right about why you behaved so outlandishly toward Gertrude? And, if I am, you might consider thanking me for bringing that to light, which will then allow you to adjust your behavior from this point forward. You are not alone, my dear Mrs. Davenport, nor will you ever be alone since Mabel and I have decided to invite you into our lives.”
Mrs. Davenport lifted her chin. “While I have no intention of accepting that invitation, Henrietta, it might not even be an option at this point since that Pinkerton man—” she tossed a glare Agent McParland’s way—“seems determined to arrest someone today. Because I certainly will not allow him to arrest Gertrude, I’m offering up myself to soothe his quest for justice.” She thrust out her hands, exposing her wrists. “You may now feel free to cart me off to jail, Agent McParland. I have certainly helped myself to possessions that did not belong to me over the years, and while those possessions were returned to their rightful owners, I still took them. However, I will not allow you to charge me for the crimes committed at the Manhattan Beach Hotel. I did not help myself to a single trinket there, although I will admit I did find that tiara almost irresistible.”
“But you didn’
t take it,” Gertrude argued.
“Of course I didn’t,” Mrs. Davenport said before she smiled ever so slightly. “Since I’d already stashed my reticule in that drawer on board the Cornelia, I had nowhere to stow a tiara.”
“This is not the time for your odd sense of humor,” Gertrude said before she looked Agent McParland’s way. “It would appear as if your case is crumbling around you, Agent McParland, no matter that Mrs. Davenport has offered herself up as some type of sacrifice. As was stated before, Edwina can provide Mrs. Davenport with a credible alibi, and Miss Henrietta has offered to do the same for me. With that said, I can’t help but wonder if you’ve now concluded we are not the prime suspects you imagined us to be, and are now willing to turn your investigation in a different direction.”
For a long moment, Agent McParland simply considered Gertrude, until he stuffed his small notepad back into his jacket and nodded. “I’m not an unreasonable man, Miss Cadwalader, and admit that the evidence I have against you is not as strong as I originally thought. For now, I will allow you and Mrs. Davenport to maintain your freedom, but do not plan on leaving the country any time soon.” He turned and was suddenly smiling at Edwina again. “Your alibi has been most helpful to me, but I will still need to get a more detailed accounting of the events of the night in question, if that would be acceptable to you, Miss . . . ?”
“She’s Miss Edwina Sinclair, my sister,” Harrison said, drawing himself up to his full height. “And I don’t believe there’s any need for you to get a more detailed accounting than you’ve already received, nor is there any need for you to smile quite that way at my baby sister.”
Edwina, being the annoying baby sister she obviously was, wrinkled her nose at him. “Stop embarrassing me,” she mumbled before she began batting her lashes at Agent McParland in a way Harrison had never seen before.
“Where did she learn how to do that?” he asked to no one in particular.
“Agent McParland at your service, Miss Sinclair, but do feel free to call me Samuel,” Agent McParland said before he took Edwina’s hand, raised it to his lips, and placed a kiss on her fingers that had Harrison’s hands clenching into fists.
“And here I was so hoping to add Edwina to the top of our list of ladies to take in hand,” Miss Henrietta suddenly said with a sad shake of her head. “But I’ve seen that look before, which means our assistance won’t be needed in her case.”
“It’s a shame,” Miss Mabel agreed, speaking up for the first time. “But we still have Gertrude, and do not forget Miss Temperance Flowerdew.”
Miss Henrietta and Miss Mabel turned their attention to Temperance, who was even now trying to edge ever so discreetly backward down the aisle, her escape effectively thwarted by the notice now directed her way.
“There’s really no need for you to take me in hand,” Temperance began. “Not that I don’t appreciate the interest, Miss Henrietta and Miss Mabel. But since I’m soon going to have to secure employment, along with finding a room to let, I’m afraid I won’t have time to be taken in hand, no matter how delightful that idea sounds.”
Miss Henrietta and Miss Mabel exchanged looks before Miss Henrietta turned her gaze back to Temperance. “Mabel and I have known it was only a matter of time until your reprehensible relations kicked you out into the street. That is exactly why we decided to add you to our take-in-hand list. However . . .” She leaned closer to her sister, they began whispering furiously, then Miss Henrietta lifted her chin and smiled.
Because Harrison wasn’t used to seeing Miss Henrietta smile all that often, he found the smile to be somewhat frightening, and when Miss Mabel began to smile and nod Temperance’s way as well, he couldn’t say he was surprised when Temperance began edging backward once again.
“You’ll be pleased to learn that Mabel and I have already come up with the perfect plan as to what to do with you, Miss Flowerdew.”
Temperance’s backward momentum increased. “While that does sound most exciting, you’ll have to tell me about it later. I really must be getting back home—lots of packing to do and all.”
Miss Henrietta’s smile widened. “Indeed, because you’ll need to move immediately, especially to take up your new position at Miss Snook’s School for the Education of the Feminine Mind. That position, you’ll be simply delighted to learn, comes with room and board on the school’s new premises, otherwise known as Mabel’s and my former home.”
Temperance’s edging came to an immediate stop. “Why do you believe Miss Snook would be interested in bringing me on as a teacher? It’s not as if I have any experience in a classroom.”
“You may not have any experience teaching,” Miss Mabel said, stepping forward, “but Henrietta and I are well aware that you were studying painting in Paris with some of the renowned painters of the day at the time of your parents’ deaths. We also remember, although that memory just sprang back to mind, that you possess quite the talent with musical instruments, having performed in Boston when you were only a child, and stunning the audience with your ability to play not only the piano, but any string instrument you were handed.”
“And because of those talents,” Miss Henrietta added, “and because Miss Snook recently remarked that she wants to expand the classes offered at her school to include the arts, well, I would have to imagine this is one of those curious instances when God has aligned everything just so in order to bring about His will.”
“But how do you know about my artistic nature?” Temperance asked.
Miss Henrietta smiled rather smugly. “I wasn’t exaggerating our abilities to observe and collect information, dear. We’ve even been known to reach out via letters to people in all different parts of the world.”
“Goodness,” Temperance whispered, earning another smile and a nod from Miss Henrietta in the process.
“Indeed, but to dispel any doubts you may have as to whether you should accept this position at Miss Snook’s school, who, by the way, is a most charming lady, let us turn to the expert in all matters of God and His unusual ways.” She gestured to Reverend Perry, who’d moved closer toward the altar and hadn’t entered this recent conversation, but seemed to be content with simply observing the scene unfolding in front of him.
Smiling, Reverend Perry stepped forward and cleared his throat. “How unusual to have such rapt attention directed my way from everyone in the congregation at the same time,” he began. “Attention I’m hoping I’ll see again the next time I’m delivering a sermon, especially since it does seem as if a good majority of the sermons I’ve delivered have not been listened to over the years.” He nodded to Mrs. Davenport and then Gertrude.
“However, having said that, allow me to elaborate on Miss Henrietta’s excellent point. Over the years, I’ve seen God arrange lives in the most curious of ways, and I do believe all of us have witnessed God’s will and grace today.” He gestured to Temperance. “You are obviously in need of employment and a new place to live, and a solution has been presented to you most unexpectedly. But not only will you be benefiting from this, Miss Snook’s students will be given an opportunity to experience the arts, something most of her students would never dream they’d be given the opportunity to do.”
He turned to Gertrude. “You, my dear, have obviously been trying to make amends for what happened to your mother—a situation you’ve never been open to discussing with me before, but I do know the circumstances surrounding your mother’s death. What I believe you’ve been given today is a way to understand that God never held you accountable for her death, because it was her choice to leave you. I’ve come to think you’ve been trying to make amends for something over the years, but know that God forgives you.”
“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Gertrude argued.
Reverend Perry inclined his head. “Then allow me to point out something to you. When Mrs. Davenport asked for your forgiveness, you didn’t hesitate to give it to her, did you?”
“Of course I didn’t. I care about her.”
<
br /> “And you believe God doesn’t care about you, one of His children?”
Gertrude blinked. “I suppose I didn’t consider it in quite that light.”
“Well, now you can,” Reverend Perry said before he turned to Mrs. Davenport. “And we know God drew you here today because you needed to release the hurt and fear you hold of being abandoned, which will now allow you to move forward and seize your life, hopefully in a more productive and less illegal way.” He then turned to Miss Henrietta and Miss Mabel. “As for the two of you, I may be reaching with this last bit, but I imagine God wants to encourage you to use that keen proficiency with observation to help others, such as you just helped Temperance.”
“You could work with the Pinkerton and other agencies of the law,” Edwina piped in as she smiled at Agent McParland. “Wouldn’t the Huxley sisters be a wonderful source for you and your fellow agents?”
Harrison felt a tic begin throbbing on his forehead when he realized that Agent McParland had completely missed the question Edwina posed, probably because he’d returned to gazing at her with eyes that were once again decidedly unfocused.
“Beg pardon?” Agent McParland finally asked, which had Edwina smiling far too brightly back at him before she took hold of the man’s arm and steered him to an empty pew where they both sat down and began chatting as if they’d been fast friends forever.
“And here I was so longing to bring her out,” Mrs. Davenport said.
“No need to fret, dear,” Miss Henrietta said. “We still have Gertrude.”
As all eyes, except for those of Edwina and Agent McParland, turned to Gertrude, Harrison stepped forward, wanting to distract everyone from a topic that was clearly embarrassing Gertrude, whose cheeks were now looking overly heated. Before he could draw everyone’s attention, though, Mrs. Davenport began tsking in a way that turned all eyes her way.
“We don’t still have Gertrude because—” she lifted her chin—“using my keen proficiency with observation, I’ve observed that matters are progressing nicely between her and Harrison, which means she has no need of being taken in hand.”
