“I don’t know,” Lady Caldicott said. “Mrs. Preston-Lowe’s sighting is the only one I’ve heard.”
“Perhaps she was mistaken,” Aunt Lilian said. “Doesn’t she wear spectacles?”
“For reading, not for watching the opera.”
“Let’s leave such gossip alone in the presence of the young ladies,” Mrs. Mannering cut in.
“I don’t mind,”Flossy said.
Mrs. Mannering ignored her. “Mother, weren’t you going to ask Lady Bainbridge and her family to dine with you?”
A discussion about dinner plans followed, and a suitable date settled. Mrs. Mannering and her husband were invited, of course, and Sir Lawrence and Lady Caldicott’s two sons would be there. Lady Caldicott insisted all of us should attend too. I’d hoped to be left out, but it seemed I was firmly a part of the Bainbridge family for such events.
I couldn’t decide whether I would feign illness that day or not. I had a week in which to consider my options.
I met Harmony and Victor in the staff parlor after lunch. It was a busy time for the front-of-house staff, but the maids had all finished for the day, and Victor was taking a break between lunch and dinner.
I told them about the sighting of Lady Rumford at the opera. “If it’s true and she is in London, then she’s a suspect.”
“Most definitely,” Harmony said as she picked up her teacup.
Victor sat forward on the chair and rested his elbows on his knees. He cradled the teacup between his hands and looked up at me. “But did she care enough about the affair to kill?”
Harmony looked at him as if he were stupid. “What woman wouldn’t feel jealous that her husband keeps a mistress?”
“Some women wouldn’t. Humiliation, maybe, but not jealousy. Most toff marriages are for the sake of convenience, not love. She might like him to be occupied elsewhere, if you get my meaning.”
“I do but I don’t understand why any woman would give up on love,” Harmony said, matter-of-factly. “I’d never marry anyone unless I was in love with him and he in love with me.”
“Lucky fellow.”
Harmony narrowed her gaze at him, as if trying to determine if he was teasing her. Victor’s face was utterly serious, which didn’t necessarily mean he was being serious. Her look was lost on him, however, as he was staring straight ahead at the wall.
“Actually, you’re right, Victor,” I said. “According to LadyCaldicott, Lady Rumford was only upset about the expense of keeping a mistress, not the fact he had one.”
“Rightly so,” he said. “Rumford paid for Miss Westwood’s flat, but his wife stays at a hotel when she visits London.”
Harmony bristled. “And what’s wrong with the Mayfair? Why wouldn’t she prefer to stay here? There’s an army of staff at hand, an excellent dining room, and the location is superb.”
“You ought to write the advertising copy,” I said, smiling.
She sniffed. “The Mayfair doesn’t need to advertise.”
Victor glanced at the clock then drained his cup and rose. “Seems like you’ve got an extra suspect, Miss Fox. But how are you going to find Lady Rumford?”
“If she’s not staying here, there are few other places she’d be,” Harmony said.
Between them, they rattled off the names of four other suitable hotels where someone of Lady Rumford’s status would stay. I would have to visit them all individually and somehow find out if Lady Rumford had stayed there and if her visit coincided with Pearl’s death. When I told them I wasn’t looking forward to such a task, Harmony’s face lit up.
“Leave it with me,” she said, jumping to her feet. “I’ll put the boys to work on their afternoon off tomorrow.”
“The boys?” I asked.
“Peter, Goliath and Frank.”
“They get so little time off,” I said. “Don’t give them this extra task.”
“None of them have anything better to do. Well, Peter visits his parents, but Goliath and Frank are always looking for a distraction.” She was so enthused by her idea that she left ahead of Victor and me.
