Page 74 of The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
Miss Viola sat up quite violently. “No. No, you didn’t, you utter ——” The language with which she described Ms. Haas was milder than some she had used earlier, but still not appropriate for print.
“I’m terribly sorry. It must have slipped my mind.” Ms. Haas took Miss Viola by the chin and looked her dead in the eyes. “Now, listen very carefully because I need you to remember this exactly. I know who the blackmailer is and why they are doing what they are doing. You are to come to the Lake of Stars at midnight tomorrow, the last day of the seventh month, third year, Twenty-first Council.”
Miss Viola pulled her head away sharply. “I know what day it is, Shaharazad. I’m not that drunk.”
“Even so. Now, I will see you there. Tomorrow, at midnight exactly.”
“Why tomorrow?” snapped Miss Viola. “Why not, for example, now?”
“Two reasons, my dear. Firstly, because although the board is set, the pieces are not entirely in place. And, secondly, have you even met me? Does telling you now plainly and clearly seem remotely like the sort of thing I would do?”
With that, Ms. Haas departed, narrowly avoiding the wine bottle that Miss Viola hurled after her as she left.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
The Lake of Stars
The next day,I returned home from work to find Ms. Haas soberly attired in a floor-length black skirt, embroidered tastefully with golden geometric designs in the Khelish style, a gentleman’s white shirt, a black jacket, and a waistcoat accented with a gold watch chain.
“You are just in time, Wyndham,” she remarked.
I had thought I would be early, for although I had worked late, I had not expected that we would be leaving for Little Carcosa before eleven. “Just in time for what?”
“I have invited Miss Beck to visit with us before we leave. It seems only right that she should be present at the denouement of this little drama.”
“You will,” I suggested firmly, “be nice to her?”
“What an unfair insinuation. I have never been anything but civil to the odious little shopkeeper.”
“I think your definition of civility may be somewhat at odds with that commonly employed by others.”
“Remind me, Captain. When did I last care what the rest of the world thinks?” She pulled out her pocket watch and checked it. “Do run along. You should have just long enough before the lady arrives to get changed into your least dreary outfit. I have left some cufflinks on your dresser that I fully expect you to ignore.”
I did, indeed, ignore the cufflinks, which I found extravagant. But I did my best to attire myself in a manner at once modest and respectful of our guest’s sensibilities and status. When I returned to the sitting room, I found Miss Beck had already arrived and was sitting in my usual chair, eyeing Ms. Haas somewhat warily.
“You better have a dashed good reason for dragging me across the city at this time of night.” She did not say “dashed.”
Ms. Haas was in the process of lighting her pipe. “I do nothing without good reason. I have summoned you here because I believe you have a vested interest in the case of Eirene’s mysterious blackmailer.”
“Actually, Ms. Haas, this case is exactly the sort of thing I don’t want to be involved in.”
“Oh, really?” My companion raised an eyebrow in a manner that Miss Beck could not have helped but find infuriating. “I thought it was just the lying you objected to.”
“I definitely object to you interfering with my relationship behind my back.”
“It seems to me you’re not certainwhatyou want. On the basis of this conversation alone, you appear to wish for Eirene to shield you from the reality of her lifestyle while also being entirely open with you about it, and for me to exclude you from my investigations into this affair while also keeping you fully informed about my interactions with the woman who, from what I can tell, you at once do and do not still consider to be your fiancée.”
Miss Beck rose abruptly. “Let’s be very clear, Ms. Haas. I profoundly dislike you. I know you saved my life, but you’re still a condescending, reckless, arrogant witch. Now tell me something that profits me or I’m leaving.”
“You know, I think in the right circumstances you could be rather fun.” Ms. Haas’s eyes gleamed. “If you ever feel like cheating on Eirene, give me a call.”
“I’ll give you a punch up the bracket if you don’t stop fannying around and get to the point.”
“You see. Fun. But since it seems to so preoccupy you, the point is this. Eirene will be meeting with her blackmailer at midnight tonight at the Lake of Stars in Little Carcosa. If you want to come with us, you may. If you don’t, well, I think that answers some wider questions about your ability to sustain a relationship with a woman like Eirene.”
Miss Beck sat back down and was silent for some minutes. To my surprise, Ms. Haas showed considerable forbearance during the interlude and resisted all further temptation to bait the lady, preferring instead to pace the floor and smoke the remainder of her packet of Valentino’s Good Rough Shag.
Eventually, Miss Beck came to her decision. “Right,” she said. “Let’s go.”
