“What have ye found?” Brodie asked.
It glittered in my hand, something the servants had apparently overlooked.
“Red lip-coloring, a fondness for Turkish cigarettes, and,” I held aloft the piece of jewelry. “A gold chain with a pendant.”
It seemed that the woman in question had expensive tastes. The pendant held a large stone. I handed it to Brodie.
“It does appear to be real gold,” he announced as he examined it. “Perhaps a gift from one of the gentlemen.”
“A special friend to one of the gentlemen? Or possibly payment for a night of companionship?”
“Aye, perhaps.”
The mistress of His Highness? Or did it belong to someone else? I added the question to the growing list.
“It could be useful,” he commented, and tucked the necklace into the envelope along with that cigarette.
We spent the next couple of hours retracing our steps to make certain we hadn’t missed anything in the conservatory.
Mr. Flannery had returned to inquire if we wanted to see any other rooms during our visit.
Brodie inquired about Sir Collingwood’s private rooms for his stay that weekend.
“Of course, sir.”
The door in that one wall that I had made note of when we first arrived opened onto a hallway into the main palace, with another door directly across.
“And this room?” Brodie inquired.
“That is a bathing chamber, sir.” Mr. Flannery replied.
A bathing chamber on the main floor, just outside the gaming room.
How very interesting, I thought.
“Would you care to see it, sir?”
Brodie nodded.
“Perhaps yourself and not the lady,” Mr. Flannery suggested.
I stepped past him, opened the door and entered the room.
It was elaborately decorated and included a chaise, a clawfoot tub, and a curious attached fixture mounted overhead at the end of a pipe.
Where a man, or woman, or possibly both might refresh themselves afterward? Or perhaps there was some other intended use…?
Two towels lay on the floor where they had obviously been discarded. It did appear two persons had been the last occupants. I glanced over at Brodie. He frowned as he made notice of it as well.
“I must remind the housemaids to clean the rooms once you have concluded your inspection,” Mr. Flannery commented with that same stoic expression.
Brodie looked over at me. “Make yer notes and then we’ll continue on.”
Notes were one thing, however, I did wonder how to describe the overhead fixture.
When making inquiries in a case where a crime has been committed, I had discovered over almost two years, there were often gruesome discoveries. Then, there were the ‘private habits’ of those we encountered.
In addition to the well-known rumors about His Highness’s habits, it did seem as if his guests had indulged in some additional ‘recreation’ during their stay last weekend.
