Page 90 of Murder at the Dinner Party
His mouth fell open and he stared at me until I snapped at him. “But you don’t have a telephone in here.” At my glare, he nodded quickly. “Right. My father’s office is closest. He has one.”
“Floyd!” I shouted. “Are you mad? Don’t let him know about this. He’ll ban me from investigating.”
Davey tried to push against Harmony and me, but between us, we managed to hold him against the wall. He gave up with a frustrated groan.
“May I make a suggestion, Mr. Bainbridge,” Harmony said. “Use the speaking tube to ask the kitchen to send up Victor and any other cooks they can spare. Once this man is secured, we can sneak him out without Sir Ronald seeing, then take him to Scotland Yard ourselves.”
Floyd wagged his finger at her. “There’s a reason you’re good at organizing things. You manage to keep a cool head when the rest of us don’t.”
“My head is quite cool,” I shot back. In truth, he was right. I certainly wasn’t as calm as Harmony. If Floyd left to use the telephone, as I suggested, we would have been more vulnerable.
He managed to get the urgency across without telling whoever was on the other end of the tube what was happening. The more we contained the gossip about this incident, the better. A few minutes later, Victor and two other burly cooks entered.
Harmony and I handed Davey over to them. She directed the cooks to take the service stairs to the kitchen, then out of the hotel the back way. “I’ll go first and keep an eye out.”
“I’ll send for a carriage to collect him in the lane,” I told her.
Harmony wagged a finger at Davey. “If you utter a sound, Victor will punch you in the mouth to keep you quiet. Is that understood?”
A forlorn, defeated Davey appealed to me. “Miss Fox, remember your promise to speak to the Yard. You tell ‘em I didn’t mean to kill him. You tell ‘em!”
“I’ll do my best.”
Part of me felt sorry for him, but I only indulged that thought for a brief moment. He was a murderer, despite his somewhat charming manner. I wouldn’t be offering any defense on his behalf. That was something he could bring up himself at his trial.
I clasped my cousin’s arm as I passed him. “I have to go to the Yard, too. Please tell Flossy that I can’t meet her for afternoon tea.” I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. “And do not, under any circumstances, tell your father about this incident.”
He dusted his hands as if he’d taken care of the entire situation himself. “You keep my secrets safe, and I’ll keep yours.”
It seemed a good deal to me, considering I was amassing quite a number of secrets lately.
CHAPTER18
Two days later, I finally got to enjoy afternoon tea with Flossy. Floyd hadn’t told her why I’d postponed, and she was none the wiser that a murderer had briefly held me captive in the suite next to hers. She was once again her cheerful self, having gotten over her heartache after the maharaja’s son’s rejection. We didn’t have an opportunity to discuss it alone as we sat with several of her friends, their mothers and Aunt Lilian at the table beside us.
As I popped the last macaron into my mouth, I felt as though I was being watched. I peered through the fronds of the potted palm next to me and saw Lady Whitchurch at another table with three other women. When she realized she’d been caught staring, she looked away.
I did not expect her to acknowledge me, so was surprised when she approached as we were both leaving. She made a small sign that she’d like to speak to me alone.
I drew away from the others. “Good afternoon, madam. I hope you enjoyed your afternoon tea.”
She offered me a small, if somewhat anxious, smile. “I didn’t know you came here.”
“I live here. My uncle owns the hotel.”
She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oh! You never mentioned it.”
“If you’re concerned about what I learned during the course of my investigation, then let me assure you that your secrets are safe with me. My family and their friends are none the wiser and will remain so.”
She lowered her hand to her stomach. “Thank you. Your discretion is appreciated.” She caught my arm as I began to move off. “There’s something else I want to thank you for. My mother-in-law is moving back to the country estate.”
“I thought the dowager needed to be in London, close to her doctor.”
“He told her that, but she’s stubborn and does as she pleases.” She gave me a wry look. “She’s dying, and she’d rather do that there, in the place she considers her home, surrounded by the things she loves.”
“But her family is here.”
“As I said, surrounded by the things she loves.”
