Page 14 of Murder at the Dinner Party
“What do you know of the Campbells, Mrs. Short? Your sister is inclined to protect her employers, but I believe you will give me an honest answer. Do they treat their staff well?”
She hesitated, then expelled a resigned sigh. “My sister won’t like me telling you this. She’ll assume it has no bearing on the case, but I think you ought to know everything. The Campbells have paid the staff their wages late on occasion. They’ve also let one of the maids go, as well as the coachman and groom, after they sold their horse and equipage.”
So they were poor by the standards of their class. The sumptuousness of the dining room had belied their reduced circumstances. “Mrs. Turner mentioned Sir Ian’s father lost the country estate some years ago.”
“It seems the money from its sale may have run out.”
It did indeed seem to be the case. “Thank you, Mrs. Short. If you think of anything else your sister may have told you that may be relevant, please inform me.”
“One more thing, Miss Fox.” She wouldn’t immediately meet my gaze, but when she finally did, she held it as directly as always. “If my sister can’t raise the funds to pay you, I would like to contribute something to your fee.”
The way she worded it should have been a warning. “What would you like to contribute?”
“I’ll allow Miss Cotton to continue to breakfast with you in your suite of a morning.”
I stared at her, my mouth ajar. Should I deny it? Say nothing? Call her a blackmailer?
She spoke again before I’d made my decision. “I know she breakfasts with you, and I’ve been considering whether to put an end to it. If the other maids find out, it might cause jealousy. They’ll think she gets special treatment from me because of her friendship with you. But I’ll allow her to continue until someone discovers you, at which point I must insist that you end the practice.”
I was still a little stunned, so only managed to say, “I see.”
“Miss Fox…” She sighed. “I hesitate to say this, because I don’t think you’ll understand, but, if I were you, I’d consider ending the breakfasts anyway. You may think you’re doing something nice for Miss Cotton, but all you’re really doing is giving her false hope. She believes she’s special because she has your ear, that you can help her rise above her station, but we both know she can’t be anything other than a maid at this point in time. Perhaps one day she will be housekeeper here, when I am gone, but that’s all a girl like her can hope for.”
It wasn’t often that my temper surfaced, but at that moment, it boiled up and spilled over. I couldn’t contain it any more than I could hold back a sneeze. “Harmony is my friend, it’s true, but it isn’t our friendship that will see her take on more responsibility here. It’s her intelligence, diligence and dedication. She acquitted herself superbly when she organized the opening of the restaurant. She doesn’t need my friendship to help her, because it’s clear to all who know her that she is extremely competent and capable. Indeed, she has asked menotto help her.” I strode for the door, only to stop before opening it. “And why shouldn’t she, or any of your maids, wish to take on a different role? What is wrong with aspiring to be something else?”
“Because very, very few women can ever fulfil their dreams, Miss Fox. You are privileged enough to be able to afford to dream. Girls like Miss Cotton and the rest of the maids cannot.”
“You don’t know my situation at all, Mrs. Short. Do not presume.” I stormed out of her office before I said something I’d later regret. Despite my anger, she was right about one thing: I might not be wealthy, like she seemed to think, but I had a privileged life compared to the maids. I had an education and all the advantages that came with being the niece of Sir Ronald Bainbridge. I never had to worry about paying rent or going hungry. If I wanted to climb the ladder of society, I only had to marry the right man, as unpalatable as that option was to me.
Maids and other service staff could rarely move up to the next rung of the ladder, however. There was only the same rung, or lower. I couldn’t name a single maid who’d risen beyond the position of housekeeper. While the senior position came with more responsibility and pay than a maid’s, it wasn’t what Harmony aspired to.
My temper had cooled a little by the time I came across Flossy emerging from the lift. She looked like she’d been crying. John, the lift operator, looked relieved that he no longer had to be enclosed in a small space alone with her. He must have been worried that she’d spill all of her woes out to him. Perhaps she already had.
“Flossy, what is it?” I caught her by the arms and tried to peer into her eyes, but she wouldn’t lift her chin. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Mother.” She fished a handkerchief from the inside of her sleeve. “She’s being beastly.”
“What did she say?”
“She called me silly for not liking that fellow she made me sit next to at dinner last night. Apparently, she thought he’d be a good match for me, but he was frightfully dull, not to mention he had a lazy eye that wandered about independent of the other one. When I told her my reasons for talking to you most of the night instead of him, she got very cross and said I’d never find a husband if I set such impossibly high standards. But Cleo, if I lower them, who knows what sort of man she’ll marry me off to.”
Three guests approached to take the lift, so I steered Flossy away. “Don’t take it to heart. Her illness is making her say things she doesn’t mean.”
Aunt Lilian had been taking a tonic containing cocaine for her nerves for some time. While it initially gave her renewed energy, when it wore off, she became lethargic and suffered debilitating headaches. She’d become addicted to it, needing more of it more often to give her the same benefits. We’d tried convincing her to stop taking it, but she refused, saying she needed it to get through the whirl of social engagements. Lately, her moods had changed again. Usually so kind and thoughtful, she now snapped at her loved ones and had become short with those around her.
“What’s even worse is that Father is also in a dreadful mood because Mother is,” Flossy went on. “I wouldn’t go near his office if I were you, Cleo.”
“I won’t, but I am going upstairs. Are you coming?”
She shook her head. “I need some fresh air.”
I took the stairs to the fourth floor rather than wait for the lift. I glanced at my uncle’s office door, then walked in the other direction, to my suite. I passed Floyd emerging from his rooms.
“There you are,” he said. “Come with me.” He signaled for me to follow him, then strode off.
I stayed put. “To where?”
“My father’s office.”
