by Lynda Wilcox
She made a mental note to ask the porter about the number of occupants of the Royal Suite, unless Tilly had already secured that information. Servants always heard more than they were supposed to. It never ceased to amaze Eleanor how indiscreet people could be in front of them, as if their staff were invisible, or deaf and dumb.
What’s more, servants could be induced to talk — unlike Tilly, whose loyalty was unquestionable and whose tight lips had saved Eleanor’s life on more than one occasion during the war — and would perhaps confide in one of their own class more so than to a member of the aristocracy. Another job for Tilly.
She was still planning how best to do this when the door burst open and slammed back against the wall.
Howard entered with a face like thunder. “We’re trapped here, Caro. That bloody useless solicitor won’t lift a finger to help. I nearly murdered him myself.”
Chapter 6
Howard Eisenbach was a tall attractive man — broad shouldered, slim hipped and with a devastating smile when he chose to use it. The fact that he employed it now did not escape Eleanor, and she pondered on the reason for it.
“I'm sorry. I didn't realise we had guests. I see my sister has already offered you tea.” He pointed at the trolley that no one had thought to have removed. “It’s awfully good of you to come, seeing as you only met my father the once.”
His voiced was laced with sarcasm, surprising Eleanor who had not expected it of him. She resisted the impulse to reply in like manner.
“Everything happened so fast on New Year’s Eve, and we were all extremely shocked at your father’s death, that I had no opportunity to offer my condolences or to say goodbye to you both. I also wanted to offer you whatever assistance you might need, as I have just been telling Carolyne.”
“Then you might tell that wretched police force of yours to release our father’s body and let us go home. They’re claiming that it’s murder, you know, and have confiscated our travel documents and passports.”
“Howard, calm down, dear.” Carolyne leaned forward. “There is little that Lady Eleanor can do in that area, and if Dad was murdered —”
“Then it’s you and me that the police will think guilty. Face it, Carolyne, we are the most likely suspects. It’s us they’ll grill and try to pin it on.”
“Nonsense.”
“Aw, come on, Sis. Don’t be such a dope. Who else at that party might want to kill Dad?”
“No one, but neither did we. Anyway, the solicitor—”
“Is a bumbling old fool. He spent most of his time mumbling about the due process of law, then said he has to wait for instructions from the New York office. At the moment only they know what’s in Dad’s will, and without that he claims he can’t do a thing. So, we’re stuck. Trapped in this god-forsaken country.” He slammed his fist on the mantelpiece before getting hold of his temper. “I'm sorry. This is getting to me. I’ll get Teddy to check on sailings. Excuse me.”
He crossed the room and opened a door behind Eleanor. A voice said, “Twelve o’clock on the sixth, Croydon Aerodrome. Yes, make sure you get it by then,” before the door closed again.
Carolyne turned to their guest who, feeling uncomfortable, was on the verge of getting to her feet. “I’m so sorry, Lady Eleanor, for my brother’s unseemly behaviour.”
“Not at all. Think nothing of it. You are bound to be on edge and wrought up at such a difficult time. I cannot fault your brother if he thinks that somehow we are to blame. Have the police interviewed you yet?”
“Yes,” Carolyne replied. “They spoke to both of us last night, and then came around here earlier today. They asked a lot of questions.”
“Damn fool questions, if you ask me,” Howard said, walking back in and taking a stance in front of the fireplace. “As if Dad had any enemies.” He looked disgusted. “Then they wanted to know if we got on all right with him. Of course we did.”
Did they? Carolyne had already admitted that there had been rows and her dry eyes paid ample testimony to the fact that she’d shed no tears for her father. Still, that hardly made them murderers, and poisoners to boot.
Eleanor could well see Howard attacking or shooting his father in a murderous rage at not getting his own way, but poison suggested a degree of careful planning, that neither of Eisenbach’s offspring appeared capable of.
Best not to jump to conclusions about people she barely knew. It would take a greater level of acquaintance with the Eisenbachs before she was in a position to judge and Eleanor wasn’t sure that she wanted that much exposure to the siblings.
“I suppose the police have to explore all avenues, Mr Eisenbach. Especially at the beginning. We are all in the dark as to who might have killed your father, and why. On the matter of your solicitor, could the American Embassy not offer you assistance?”
“Yes, that’s probably my next port of call. I shall demand to see the Ambassador — Dad was a big enough man in his own way that I think he’ll see me — and hope they can get this mess sorted out, pronto.”
Eleanor did not give much for his chances, but kept silent. Was he so brash and desperate to pursue his own goals that he did not recognise, or accept, the gravity of the situation? Well, maybe. He certainly appeared to carry a sense of entitlement that in Eleanor’s view was misplaced. No one was above the law.
The steel magnate’s fabulous wealth had imbued his offspring with a sense of privilege that she did not share. Her father might be a peer of the realm, but he believed that the only privilege his title and money gave him was that of helping those less well-off than himself. Besides, before her marriage to an English Lord, Eleanor’s mother had been a famous Russian ballet dancer, and she always claimed to be a Bolshevik at heart.
Faced with the prospect of questioning the mercurial Eisenbachs — shock and possibly grief having sent their moods and emotions haywire — Eleanor nearly gave up on her self-imposed task. She could leave the investigation in the police’s capable hands and have done with it. Only the thought that they might suspect herself, as well as Lady Ann, of committing murder kept her in her seat.
Eleanor did have one ace up her sleeve, however. Thanks to her earlier conversation with Carolyne, she had a way to reach Howard.
“Mr Eisenbach,” she began, “your sister tells me that you had hoped to buy a racing car. May I ask if it is still your intention? If so, I know someone who has one for sale.”
“You do?”
As Eleanor had hoped, the mention of his pet project was enough to grab the American’s attention and perk him up. He swivelled around to face her and leaned forward, his eagerness to know more written clear on his handsome face.
“Yes, Lord Ripley has a Bugatti Brescia that he’s looking to part with. I’ll be happy to take you to see him. I’d also be delighted to take you to Brooklands and let you tootle around the track if you’d like. It’s hardly the weather for motoring —”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Howard hastily interrupted. “The Monte Carlo rally takes place this month, so I guess motorists have to be a hardy breed. All you need is a warm coat, and I got that.” He grinned at her and got to his feet, crossing to a well-stocked drinks trolley in front of the window.
Lifting a decanter, he waved it in Eleanor’s direction. She murmured, “No, thank you,” and shook her head. On her refusal, he splashed a liberal amount into a crystal tumbler.
“That’s a real swell offer of yours, Lady Eleanor. I’m really keen to see some European cars while I’m here. Now that Dad is gone, and we seem to be stuck here for a while —”
“Oh, Howard! How could you? You make it sound as if we didn’t care for Dad, at all.”
“Look,” said Eleanor, getting to her feet. “I’d better be going. I’m sure you have a lot to discuss, and I’ve trespassed on your time, and your good nature, long enough.” She turned to the young man sipping whisky. “Shall I call and collect you tomorrow morning, Mr Eisenbach? Say about ten o’clock?”
“Uh uh.” Howard’s jaw ti
ghtened and he shook his dark head. “I have more business to conduct with that dry old stick of a solicitor. Better make it the day after, if that’s okay.”
“That will be fine. I look forward to it.”
Eleanor said her goodbyes and Carolyne levered herself off the chaise for long enough to show her out.
“Thank you again for coming, Lady Eleanor. I do appreciate your concern.”
Heels tapping on the marble stairs, Eleanor walked down to the spacious lobby heading for the tea rooms, looking for her maid. She halted in the doorway, giving the room a quick practised scan, wondering where Tilly had got to.
“A table for one, is it, ma’am?”
A smooth waiter, keen to usher her in and perhaps earn a good tip, appeared at Eleanor’s elbow so suddenly she almost jumped .
“No, that’s all right, thank you. I was looking for my maid. Ah! There she is.”
Tilly sat sideways on to the entrance and had her head lowered. She was busy writing in a little notebook and Eleanor hoped that her maid had learned more than herself. Her time with the Eisenbachs could hardly be described as informative.
“Hello, Tilly. Had a productive tea-time, I trust.”
Tilly stood up and bobbed a curtsey, then closed the notebook and grabbed her hat. “Indeed so, my lady.” She put a hand in her pocket and drew out coppers. “Your change.”
“Poof, keep it. If you’ve finished your tea, then let’s go home. I’m eager to compare notes.”
“Yes, thank you, my lady.” Tilly grinned and whispered, “The Ritz does wonderful hot buttered crumpets.”
Eleanor laughed. “They do wonderful everything. Come on, let’s go.”
They walked home as briskly as they had arrived for the air was still chill, the afternoon full of a lowering gloom.
Once indoors, Tilly saw to their hats and coats, refuelled the damped down fire from the scuttle, then fetched her notebook and took a seat at the fireside opposite her mistress.
“All right, Tilly, you go first. What have you got?”
Chapter 7
Tilly smiled at Lady Eleanor's question and dimples appeared in her rosy cheeks.
“I discovered quite a bit as it turns out,” she said. “I asked as much as I dared of one or two people, but not quite knowing what you were after, I only hope it’s of some use.”
“Don’t worry. Any and all information is useful at this stage in the game. So, who did you speak to?”
“Well, I had a stroke of luck, as you might say. First off, I spoke to the waitress. She’d had no dealings with the Eisenbachs, but she’d heard about the murder, and she was friends with one of the chambermaids what did their room. As the maid was about to go off duty, I persuaded the waitress to fetch her. I said I would buy her tea if she’d talk to me.”
“I trust I gave you enough money.”
“Yes, and there was change, remember.”
“Ah, yes.” Eleanor stretched her long legs out in front of the fire. “So, she did talk to you, then?”
Tilly looked at her notebooke. “Blimey, I should say so. I had trouble shutting her up.”
“Then I hope you were discreet. I’d hate to think I’d got her the sack for speaking out of turn. The Ritz may not be too keen on the idea of its staff discussing their guests.”
“I don’t think that’s likely, my lady. I was very careful.”
“I’m sure you were, Tilly dear.”
“Anyway. Ada, the chambermaid, said they were all very shocked and saddened by Mr Eisenbach’s death. It seems he was a good tipper, and very pleasant with it. They weren’t so fond of the rest of his party, mind you.”
Eleanor gave a quick nod, recalling the noise in the next door room when she was talking to Carolyne. “Yes, that’s something I need to know. How many people are there in that suite at the Ritz? Did Mr Eisenbach have servants with him?”
Tilly flicked through her notebook till she found the right page.
“Yes, he had three. A secretary, a valet for him and his son, and a lady’s maid for his daughter.” She looked up and across at Eleanor. “They aren’t in the suite though. As servants they are accommodated in cheaper rooms on a higher floor. The secretary and the valet are sharing, but the maid has her own single room.”
“Did this Ada know their names?”
“No, but I asked at reception.”
“And they told you?” Eleanors eyebrows rose.
The maid nodded. “I only needed the one. Ada knew the valet was called Golding and the maid was a French girl called Marie Leclerc, but she didn’t know the secretary’s name. I told the receptionist that I had a letter for Mr Eisenbach’s secretary that needed properly addressing, and she gave me the name without quibble.”
Eleanor clapped her hands in delight. “Tilly, you are priceless. And incorrigible.”
“Yeah, but I get results, though, don’t I?”
“You do indeed. So, who is the secretary for whom this imaginary letter was intended?”
“His name is Theodore Jensen, my lady.”
“Jensen, eh? Well done.” Eleanor steepled her fingers together over her lips. “I wonder why neither of the Eisenbach offspring made any mention of these people?”
“Oh, that’s obvious. With all due respect, my lady, you know as well as I do that my class is often invisible and unthought of.”
“Sadly true, but if I ever treat you like that, you have my permission to kick me.”
Tilly grinned. “If you say so, my lady.”
“Was there anything else that you uncovered?”
“Only that father and son Eisenbach seemed permanently at each other’s throats. Ada said they had words on the day they arrived, and again on New Year’s Eve.”
“Yes, I got that from Carolyne. She reported pretty much the same thing.”
Eleanor proceeded to recount her own interview with the occupants of the Ritz’s Regal Suite.
“It must be awful for them, losing their dad and so far from home.” Tilly’s commiserations were lost on Eleanor, who might have found more sympathy for the Eisenbachs if she’d seen any signs of real grief.
“Oh?” said Tilly, when her mistress explained this. “Do you suspect them, then?”
With a wrinkle of her nose, Eleanor considered the question.
“If I had a list of suspects, which I don’t, then Howard would be up there at the top. I’m not sure about Carolyne. I had to be careful with what I asked her, but I don’t think she ever gave me a single straight answer. Except about the arguments between her father and brother. She seemed very keen to bring that to my attention.”
“Then maybe she poisoned him, and is trying to blame Howard. They do say that poison is a woman’s weapon.”
“They do, but that’s only because men may be better at getting away with it.”
Tilly laughed. “So, what are you going to do now?”
“Make myself a pre-dinner cocktail and think about things.”
While her maid put a little more coal on the fire then set about making her mistress a meal, Eleanor downed a vodka martini and paced the floor.
She phoned her old friend Lord Ripley, to make sure his car was still for sale and, on hearing that it was, made an appointment for Howard and herself to view the car two days hence. Then she retook her seat by the fireplace.
After dinner, which she ate alone at a table in the living room, she was joined again by Tilly who brought along her sewing basket.
“There’s one thing that I haven’t told you,” Eleanor said. “I’m going out with Howard the day after tomorrow. I’m taking him to Tom Ripley’s place.”
“Is that wise, when Mr Eisenbach might be a murderer, my lady?”
“Well, you can come with me, we’ll be going in my car, and I’ll have my small pistol in my bag in case the American has designs on either my life or my virtue.”
Tilly selected a length of thread, before glancing across at her mistress. “Oh? Is that likely?”
“No, I w
ouldn’t think so, but he is devilishly handsome.” Eleanor laughed at her maid’s shocked face. “Come, Tilly, it’s unlike you to be prudish.”
“But he may be a murderer.”
“And he may not. The thing is, if neither Howard nor Carolyne killed their papa, who did? And why? Hmm.” Eleanor scratched at her forehead. “Carolyne said that they knew no one in London other than Lady Ann. Well, we can forget about her for the moment.”
Tilly raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“We need to find out more about the staff,” Eleanor went on. “How easy would it be to make their acquaintance, Tilly?”
“Not so easy with the men, but the maid shouldn’t present too much of a problem, assuming she gets time off.”
“How’s your French?”
“Passable, but if Mam’selle Leclerc is working for an American, then her English should be pretty good, I’d have thought.”
“True. Well, would you like to make a start tomorrow? I’ll leave it up to you how you go about it, but anything you can discover with regard to the Eisenbach family, whether personal and private, or connected to Henry’s business, will be useful.”
“Very good, my lady.”
“As for me, I shall take myself off to a pharmacy.”
Tilly looked up in alarm. “Are you ill, my lady?”
“No, I’m in cracking good health, thank goodness. However, my knowledge of poisons is sadly lacking —.”
“I should think so, indeed.” Tilly compressed her lips in outrage.
“— and I’m eager to know more. My guess as to the agent that killed poor Mr Eisenbach would be belladonna, or possible digitalin. So, I’m going to make a few, private, enquiries to the chemist.”
“Maybe that’s what you should do, my lady, as you’re so determined on finding out who committed this murder. You should set yourself up as a private enquiry agent.”
Eleanor laughed. “Nonsense, Tilly, dear. I’d be rubbish at it. I’ve hardly covered myself in glory talking to Carolyne and Howard Eisenbach, have I?”
