Page 25 of Murder at the Dinner Party
Peter poured himself another cup from the teapot warming on the portable stove and joined our little circle. “Harmony told us about the butler. It’s good of you to investigate, Miss Fox. Not everyone would bother for a servant.”
“Those who work in them fancy houses are hard done by,” Frank said with a shake of his head. “They’re not treated with the same amount of respect by their employers as the Bainbridges treat us.”
Goliath scoffed. “Two weeks ago you were about to go on strike in sympathy with Cobbit over the future of the mews staff. You did nothing but complain about Sir Ronald, then.”
Frank sniffed. “That was a one-off. And anyway, Sir Ronald capitulated to our demands. Few employers would.”
“I wouldn’t tell my uncle to his face that he capitulated,” I said. “He remembers it differently.”
Frank opened his mouth to continue, but Peter got in first. “Tell us about the case, Miss Fox. Harmony says the victim may not have been murdered, after all.”
“I’m not sure yet. One particular poison, hyoscine, causes death in a manner consistent with witness reports of Mr. Hardy’s death. But just how he may have ingested it, I don’t know. The housekeeper thought it was in his seltzer salts, but I had them tested and they were harmless. However, there has been an interesting development that could link Mr. Hardy’s death to another, much older, murder investigation.” I told them about the Whitchurches’ maid, and the subsequent disappearance of the prime suspect, the eldest son and heir.
“So the younger son inherited instead?” Goliath asked. “Lucky devil.”
“Hardly,” Peter said. “He lost his brother.”
“But gained a title and all the benefits that go with it.”
Arthur certainly had gained from Rupert’s disappearance. I wondered if he was the only one. “I have an inkling that looking into the maid’s murder will help solve what happened to Mr. Hardy. It’s just an inkling, mind.”
No one seemed to think it unusual that I wanted to continue based on so little evidence of a crime having been committed. They knew me well enough to know I needed to do something productive with my time.
“Will you call on the Whitchurches?” Victor asked. “It’s unlikely they’ll offer assistance.”
I removed the list from my bag. “D.I. Hobart was able to get his hands on this list of witnesses. I’ll try to interview each of them again.”
“Our Mr. Hobart’s brother?” Frank asked. “You speak to him?”
“Harry put me in touch with his father.”
“Armitage? I’ve seen you with him outside.” He shook his head. “Sir Ronald won’t like it if he finds out you two still spend time together.”
Harmony narrowed her gaze at him. “Which he won’t.”
Frank put his hands in the air. “Not from me. I don’t mind the fellow.” That was an improvement. Being a Bainbridge man, Frank had taken against Harry after my uncle dismissed him, even though he didn’t know the reason for it. It seemed Harry’s involvement in brokering peace between my uncle and the mews staff hadn’t gone unnoticed or unappreciated by Frank.
“Uncle Ronald doesn’t mind if Harry and I see one another,” I said. “He says we can investigate together.”
“Then you’d better not see Armitage between investigations,” Frank said. “You don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”
“By anyone, do you mean only my uncle?”
“No, I mean everyone, including Armitage himself.”
“Frank,” I said on a sigh. “Harry and I are just friends.”
He merely grunted. Goliath and Peter exchanged glances, while Harmony studied her fingernails.
Victor got to his feet and collected the empty cups. “I have to start my shift soon.”
I finished my tea and passed him the cup. “Before you go, I need to ask you to do something.” I lowered my voice further so that the staff who were not part of our group couldn’t hear. “I need to find the link between Mr. Hardy and the Whitchurches. If he did know them at the time of Charlotte’s murder, then I’ll have a clear path forward.”
“You think Hardy is the key to finding Charlotte’s murderer after all these years, and the Whitchurches killed him to keep him quiet?”
“Blimey,” Goliath muttered. “Is that what you think, Miss Fox?”
“It’s one theory,” I said. “But I’m not sure it holds water. Why would they worry that Hardy would go to the police now, when he’s had years to do it?” I shook my head, trying to shake loose more theories, but they wouldn’t come. “Whether that is the link or not, I have to know for sure. I need to see Hardy’s references and find out where he worked before becoming butler for the Campbells. On reflection, I think it’s extremely unlikely he listed the Whitchurches as his former employers when he applied for the position. Lady Campbell would have asked her friend, Lady Whitchurch, about him if he had, however we’ve learned that Lady Whitchurch was surprised to see him serving them dinner.”
