by Rhys Bowen
“Ah, Molly, you’re back. Do come on through. We’re having lentil salad in the conservatory.” Sid greeted me with an enigmatic smile. “A young lady has called upon you.”
We came out into the bright noontime light of the kitchen with its conservatory beyond. A lace cloth had been laid at the wicker table and Gus now sat in one of the wicker chairs. So did another woman with her back to me. At the sound of our voices, she rose to her feet and turned to face me.
It was Arabella Norton. I had never seen her dressed in such a somber manner before. Usually she was all pink and white and frills. Today she was wearing a lilac silk traveling costume, buttoned up to the throat. Her curls were piled up on her head and topped with a jaunty little purple hat with just a wisp of veil at the front and one of those V-tipped peacock feathers sprouting from it. Of course I’m sure the overall effect was delightful, as always, but I was too startled to take in much. In fact, I couldn’t have been much more surprised if Old Nick himself had come to visit.
“Miss Norton,” I stammered, “to what do I owe this honor?”
“You have delightful friends, Miss Murphy,” she said. “They have been entertaining me most engagingly. I am sorry to drop in on you without any notice, but it is a matter of some urgency and Mama and I leave for Europe in a week’s time.”
“You have news about Daniel?” I blurted out.
“Oh dear, no. I’m sorry,” she said. “So Daniel is still in jail? How terrible for him. I wish I could be of help, but I can’t. I’m afraid I’m here on quite another matter.”
“Pull up a chair, Molly. Join us for lunch and then you and Miss Norton can do your chatting in peace,” Gus said.
I had no wish to eat in the presence of Arabella Norton, but I could hardly refuse Gus’s invitation, and Arabella was halfway through her own meal. So I was forced to sit beside her at the little table and face a plate of brown lentils and lettuce leaves, which would not have seemed too appetizing at the best of times. For my stomach, having not eaten for several hours, this was definitely not the best of times. I ate bread and butter, which I knew I could tolerate, and worked at hiding the rest under a lettuce leaf again.
Fortunately Sid and Gus were amazing. The way they engaged in polite conversation made me realize that they moved in the same circles as someone like Arabella. They knew the right things to say and had sufficient connections in common that I got through the meal without having to do more than nod my head.
I refused their offer of Turkish coffee, however.
“I am sure Miss Norton has a thousand and one things to do if she’s leaving for Europe soon,” I said. “And I know it must have been a most pressing matter that brought her to visit me.”
Actually I was all but bursting with curiosity. If Daniel wasn’t involved, what on earth did Arabella want with me? I led her across to my house and seated her in the one armchair, while I put the kettle on for a cup of tea.
“I must apologize for bursting in on you like this, Miss Murphy,” she repeated. “How charming your friends are. So intellectual. So cultured. I felt like a philistine country bumpkin beside them. Still, they had the benefit of a Vassar education. Papa wouldn’t hear of my going to a women’s college. I’m afraid he’s of the old school and believes that women learn all they need to know in the kitchen and by observing their mothers.”
I had had enough of small talk. My curiosity was now positively bubbling over.
“I don’t wish to rush you, Miss Norton, but I can’t imagine that you have come to see me on purely a social call. If it’s not Daniel that brings you here, then in heaven’s name what is it?”
“It is a matter of some delicacy, Miss Murphy,” she said, lowering her voice even though we were alone in the house. “Daniel mentioned that you were a lady investigator. Is that really true?”
“Yes, I do run a small detective agency,” I said.
“Then I need your help, Miss Murphy. And before you tell me, quite rightly, that I do not deserve your consideration after the way I have treated you, I must tell you that I am not here on my own behalf but on that of my dearest friend.”
It raced through my mind that I’d have reacted in the same way if I’d found that my fiancé was courting another woman on the side, but I wasn’t going to share that thought with Arabella when I’d just had something like an apology. “I have no time to take on another commission at the moment, Miss Norton,” I said. “My entire days are taken up with trying to prove Daniel’s innocence. I won’t rest until that is accomplished.”
“He is lucky that you show him such loyalty and devotion after treating us both so shabbily,” she said.
“He has nobody else, Miss Norton. And whatever my feelings are toward him, I couldn’t leave him to die in that terrible place.”
“I feel exactly the same way about my friend, Miss Murphy. It is because my feelings for her are so strong and because nobody else is prepared to do anything that I feel I have to step in on her behalf. Won’t you just hear me out and then decide if there’s any way that you can help?”
“Very well,” I said. “Tell me what is concerning you.”
“Her name is Letitia,” Miss Norton said. “Letitia Blackwell. She and I grew up together. Her family has a country home only half a mile from us. We played together as children, and then we became engaged to be married about the same time, too. We were going to be bridesmaids at each other’s weddings.” She turned her face away from me with her lips pressed together for a second, and for the first time I realized that perhaps she wasn’t entirely glad to be rid of Daniel.
“Then three weeks ago something extraordinary happened. She disappeared, leaving a note to say that she had met a penniless young man and they had run away to California together to seek their fortune.”
“And what concerns you, Miss Norton? That the young man is penniless? That he is unsuitable? I’m afraid even our dearest friends surprise us with their choices when it comes to matters of the heart.”
She shook her head so violently that I was afraid the little hat would come flying off. “No, it’s not that at all. If I really believed that Letitia had fallen madly in love, I’d wish her every happiness.”
The kettle whistled on the stove, and I went across to make the tea. “You can’t expect me to go to California and find her,” I said. “I’m afraid that would be too big an undertaking for a small agency like mine, even if I weren’t fully occupied with trying to prove Daniel’s innocence.”
“That’s just the point, Miss Murphy. I don’t believe she’s gone to California at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that none of it makes sense. I know Letitia better than anybody. She’s a timid little thing, highly strung, nervous, very dependent. Always wants to please everybody. And she adores her fiancé. She worships the ground he walks on. She wouldn’t suddenly run off with another man without telling anybody. It’s just not in her makeup.”
I suspected that Arabella was miffed that her supposed best friend had not shared her plans with her. “She probably feared that her friends would stop her if she confided in them,” I said tactfully.
“I’m sure she would have told me,” Arabella said. “Or at least given me a hint. I was with her several times in the days before she vanished. She was terrible at keeping secrets, and she wore her heart on her sleeve. She would have been bubbling over with happiness and excitement if she were planning such a momentous escape. But as I said, she was timid by nature. I don’t think she would have had the nerve to do such a thing.”
I placed a teacup beside her. “So where do you think she’s really gone?”
“I have no idea. I fear something bad has happened to her.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because of Evangeline,” she said. “When we were children we received similar dolls for Christmas one year. Mine was Emily, hers was Evangeline. I loved Emily dearly, but not nearly as much as she loved Evangeline. Evangeline was her constant
companion. Even today she keeps that doll on her pillow and sleeps with it beside her at night. I used to tease her about it. ‘When you and Carter are married, you’ll have to make her sleep in her own bed,’ I told her. But she said Carter would just have to get used to dear Evangeline. When I went up to her room after she had run away, Miss Murphy, the doll was still on her pillow.”
“Maybe the young man with whom she escaped insisted that they travel light. Maybe she’ll send for her doll when they are settled.”
She shook her head again. “There are other puzzling elements. The clothes she took. The clothes she didn’t take. I realize she might have packed in a hurry and only been allowed to take one small bag with her, but why take a cocktail dress and leave the matching slip? Why leave her sturdy country shoes when she’ll be doing so much walking? And why leave a drawer full of undergarments? Surely she’d need those. And her jewelry roll, hidden among the undergarments, was still there. What woman leaves without her jewelry? There were so many little incongruities in the clothing she took and left that made me think that she might not have packed her bag herself.”
“If someone else packed it for her, what would be the reason?”
She leaned forward again and her voice was scarcely more than a whisper. “I wondered if she may have been kidnapped or lured away by an unscrupulous man.”
“Again, for what reason?”
“Maybe to get his hands on her fortune? Maybe she has met an untimely end. I just don’t know. All I have is this uneasy feeling in my stomach. I can’t explain it. Perhaps you think I am talking nonsense; everyone else seems to.”
“Oh no, Miss Norton. We Irish are firm believers in the power of the sixth sense,” I said. “It has stood me in good stead several times in my life.”
“Has it?”
“Oh yes. Each time I have sensed imminent danger, it has proved to be real. So tell me the exact circumstances under which Letitia disappeared.” I realized as I said it that I should not allow her to go on like this. I had no time for another case, and if I did, the last person I should want to work for was Arabella Norton. But the fact that she had come to me, of all people, for help told me how worried she was. And she had almost apologized. And I knew what it felt like to be worried sick about someone close to me.
“As I said, it was about three weeks ago now. She was supposed to be coming to the city to spend the day with her intended. He was to meet her at the station. She was driven into town to catch the train to the city, but she never arrived. Carter waited and waited for several trains after the one on which she was expected, then telephoned the house to see why she hadn’t come as planned. Her parents were away visiting friends for a couple of days, so there were only servants in residence. Finally Carter came up to White Plains to look for her. That’s when they found the note on her pillow to say that she had fallen in love with a penniless young man and run away to California with him.”
“What happened then?”
“Carter was distraught. Her parents were summoned home. They didn’t want the local police called in. They wanted to spare Carter’s feelings and their own embarrassment. Letitia’s mother was sure that her daughter would contact them in a few days. She was sure Letitia would realize she had made a horrible mistake and beg to come home. But she hasn’t. That’s what convinced me that something is very wrong. I’m sure she would have written to one of us, her family or me. She was always such a dutiful daughter and wouldn’t want to cause her parents grief. Or Carter, either. Even if she had decided not to marry him, she would have been sensitive to his feelings. She would have written to him explaining her actions, I’m sure of it.”
“You say he’s distraught?”
“Absolutely. Young men make more of an effort than us women to conceal their feelings, but he is walking around in a daze. He even threatened to go to California and challenge the other man to a duel. Carter is normally the most subdued and well mannered of men, so you can see how upset he is. And with good reason. He adored Letitia as much as she adored him.”
“So what has been done to find her so far?”
“Discreet inquiries were made at the station and at stations along the route, hoping that somebody might have seen her leave the train before it reached the city. But nobody seemed to remember seeing her.”
“So it’s possible she never boarded the train in the first place.”
“Quite possible, although the chauffeur says that he dropped her at the entrance to the station early that morning. The man at the booking office thinks he remembers her, but he says the young woman was wearing a veil so he never saw her face.”
“That sounds as if she didn’t want to be recognized,” I said.
“I agree.”
“Then the most logical assumption was that she really was planning to run away and didn’t want to be seen.”
“I suppose so. But I still can’t believe it. It’s all most distressing, Miss Murphy. We don’t know which way to turn.”
“I understand that feeling well,” I said. “It’s exactly how I feel about Daniel’s case.”
“Oh dear, yes. Poor Daniel,” she said simply. “Can you not ask his fellow officers to help you? They all adore him.”
“Used to adore him. Now they’ve all turned against him. Someone has spread a rumor that he has betrayed them.”
“Then someone is enjoying this,” she said, looking up at me suddenly. “You should find out whether anybody has tried to visit him in prison or asked after him.”
This was such an insight that I stared at her. “You should be the detective, not I, Miss Norton.”
She shrugged and gave me her charming smile. “It’s only human nature, isn’t it? If I ever played a trick on my little brother, or got him into trouble, I had to make sure I was there to witness his punishment. That was half of the fun. You see, I was not a very nice child, I’m afraid.”
“I don’t think we’re ever nice to little brothers,” I agreed. “I had to raise my own three brothers after our mother died. It wasn’t an easy task.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t,” she agreed.
For a while I said nothing, savoring the moment. Who would ever have thought that Arabella Norton and I would be sitting companionably in complete agreement. Wonders would never cease!
I decided to make the most of the present climate. “I’m most grateful to you, Miss Norton. And if I might take your suggestion one step further and ask you what might be an impertinent question…”
She nodded gravely. “I will answer it if I can.”
“The only person who has shown obvious joy at Daniel’s imprisonment is Mr. Partridge, the commissioner of police. Do you happen to know him?”
“Mr. John Partridge? My father knows him slightly. He’s not one of our close acquaintances, but I have met him. An odious man, I’d say. I didn’t like the way he pressed my hand when he shook it. Too familiar by far. Do you think he could have orchestrated Daniel’s imprisonment?”
“The thought has crossed my mind more than once.”
“But what reason would he have?”
“I wondered—it occurred to me,” I began hesitantly—“that he might be doing your family a favor.”
“A favor? My family?”
“Teaching Daniel a lesson for betraying you.”
“What a horrid thought,” she said, her face flushing.
“I apologize. I don’t know your family, and I have no wish to insult them.”
“To tell you the truth, Miss Murphy, my family was relieved I had broken my engagement. So if Mr. Partridge schemed to have Daniel arrested, it was for reasons of his own.”
“Then I can see I’ll have to delve into Mr. Partridge’s background,” I said, “but I thank you, Miss Norton. At least you’ve given me something to work on and renewed hope that I can save Daniel from that terrible place.”
“Is it really so terrible for him?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Surely he’s not treated like a common criminal?”
/> “Very definitely like a common criminal, and among common criminals, too. And of course they all know him and rejoice in his plight. One of them took a swing at him that resulted in an ugly bruise on his cheek. I’m worried that next time it might be a knife.”
“Oh, poor Daniel,” she said again. “I was angry with him for the way he behaved, and to tell you the truth, my first reaction when you told me the news was secret joy that he was being punished at last. But I truly don’t wish him ill. I do hope you can set him free swiftly, Miss Murphy.”
To my horror I felt a tear trickling down my cheek. Of all the things that were currently happening to my body, this was the most embarrassing so far. I wiped it away and hoped she hadn’t noticed.
“He and I were quite wrong for each other, you know,” she said, taking a delicate sip from her teacup. “He wasn’t my social equal, however much his parents wanted him to be. And it was never a love match. I was a silly girl of seventeen, and Letitia had just become engaged to be married. I couldn’t let her outscore me, so I set my cap at Daniel. He was one step more desirable, you see. He was very good-looking, and we made such an attractive couple. But I don’t think I’d ever have been happy with him. He was wedded to his profession first. It took all his time and energy. And those times we were together—well, he was somewhat of a cold fish. There was never what you might call passion between us. I hope it’s different for you.”
I felt the blush flooding my cheeks. “I can’t say I’ve ever found him a cold fish,” I said truthfully.
“Do you think you will eventually marry him?”
“I can’t even allow myself to think about the future, Miss Norton. The present is so terrifying and overwhelming. All of my energy is directed toward helping him, and I thank you for the wise insight and new hope you have given me.”
“I just wish you could give me a similar insight for poor Letitia.”
“I wish I could, too. What exactly did you want me to do for you?”
“Find out the truth, I suppose,” she said. “Find out where she really went.”
“I suggest her parents hire a private investigator in California.”
