Page 83 of Murder on Harley Street
“How is Aunt Lilian?” I asked Uncle Ronald.
“I haven’t seen her since this morning, at which point she was still asleep. Perhaps you can look in on her, Cleopatra. She likes your company.”
“Of course. Floyd, have you managed to get any money out of Lombardi yet?”
“He’ll be presented with a final bill when he checks out. Are you still worried he’ll try to get away with not paying?”
“I am, particularly if he reads the morning newspapers before he sneaks off.”
“Why?”
If I told them about Dr. Iverson’s plans, I’d have to admit that I knew about them because I’d helped Harry on the case the doctor hired him to solve. Although I wasn’t forbidden from working with Harry, my uncle wouldn’t like it.
Well, so be it. I told them. Before Uncle Ronald could scold me for working on an unladylike investigation with a man he didn’t approve of as a friend for me, I finished by once again advising Floyd to ensure Mr. Lombardi paid his account this evening. “He informed me he will be leaving very early in the morning. I don’t think he meant to, most likely because he doesn’t intend to pay if he can get away with it.”
Uncle Ronald turned his glowering expression from me onto the doors leading to the ballroom, while Floyd muttered a few words under his breath.
I shifted the package from the toy shop from one arm to the other and was about to head off, when Uncle Ronald stopped me. I braced myself for the lecture.
It never came.
“We’re going to have a lunch tomorrow as a family. Your aunt needs a little cheering up. It’ll just be the five of us. That way it won’t be overwhelming for her, and she can leave early if she needs to.”
“Tomorrow lunch? I can’t. I have a prior engagement.”
“Cancel it.”
“Can’t we change it to another day?”
“No. Sunday is the quietest day for all of us.”
“Could it be for dinner instead of lunch?”
“I have plans for dinner at my club.” He looked down his pudgy nose at me. “You will be there, Cleopatra. Nothing’s more important than family.”
I suspected he remembered it was Harry’s birthday tomorrow and guessed that I planned to celebrate it with him. My uncle wasn’t giving me a lecture because he knew I would probably throw his prejudice back at him. His tactic of blocking me from celebrating Harry’s birthday was a way to avoid an unpleasant confrontation yet still achieve his aim of keeping me from seeing Harry.
I was still thinking how I wanted to respond when Uncle Ronald entered the ballroom, Floyd on his heels. Mr. Lombardi’s bombastic voice as he addressed the attendees carried clearly through the open door before it closed behind my uncle and cousin.
I walked back into the foyer, the gift suddenly feeling heavy. But it was my conscience that weighed me down. Who should I choose to disappoint? My family or Harry?
Chapter17
Imade sure I was in the foyer at dawn the following morning to see Mr. Lombardi leave. I wasn’t the only one. My entire family had the same idea. Although I suspected Floyd hadn’t yet been to bed, my aunt and uncle exited the lift along with Flossy. While Aunt Lilian was pale and thin, she didn’t look tired. Perhaps she was enthused by the prospect of having Mr. Lombardi out of our lives.
“Did Lombardi pay?” I asked my uncle.
“He did.” Uncle Ronald rocked back on his heels, a smug smile in place. “Floyd had a word as he handed over the bill of account, and Lombardi agreed to pay immediately.”
Floyd’s smile matched his father’s.
“What did you say to him?” I asked.
“I simply have a naturally persuasive manner,” Floyd said.
Uncle Ronald went to fetch the early editions of the newspapers from the night porter. I waited until he, my aunt and Flossy were out of earshot before stepping closer to Floyd.
“You blackmailed Lombardi, didn’t you?”
