Mr. Hobart suggested I use his office to speak to Lord Rumford. He then discreetly left us alone and promised we wouldn’t be disturbed. I sat in Mr. Hobart’s chair and regarded Lord Rumford across the desk. I think he knew from my face that I didn’t have good news.
“You’re giving up, aren’t you?” he asked.
“I’m afraid I have no choice. The people I need to speak to won’t talk to me.”
“And who are these people?”
I clasped my hands on the desk and sat forward. “Before I tell you that, I want you to know that I agree with your assessment of Pearl’s death. By all accounts, she was happy, so it’s unlikely she killed herself.”
“I hope you learned more than that, Miss Fox.”
I clasped my hands tighter and drew in a fortifying breath. “I learned that Pearl had a baby, four years ago this March.”
His lips parted. He hadn’t known.
“Mr. and Mrs. Larsen are raising the child as their own,” I went on. “Did Pearl ever mention that her niece might be her own daughter?”
“She never mentioned the niece at all, except once, in passing.”
“From what I can gather, Pearl didn’t want the child. However, it’s possible she changed her mind recently.”
He shook his head. “She would have mentioned it to me if that were the case.”
I doubted that, but didn’t say. “It’s possible she asked Lord Wrexham for money to support Millie.”
There was no surprise on his face at the mention of Pearl’s former benefactor. He’d already quickly calculated Millie’s age and realized who’d fathered her. “You forget that Pearl did ask me for money too.”
“AfterWrexham refused her. But I don’t think that’s why Pearl was killed. I think it has to do with a disease she either caught from Wrexham or gave to him.”
This time his expression left nothing to guesswork. Disgust was written all over it. “Pearl wasn’t diseased, Miss Fox, and your insinuation is abhorrent.”
“Lord Wrexham has syphilis—”
He shot to his feet. “I’ve heard enough. Wrexham’s medical situation is no business of mine. If he is ill, it’s not Pearl’s fault. She hasn’t been near him for years.”
“You can’t know—”
“Ican,” he ground out between gritted teeth. “Pearl wasn’t with anyone else when she was with me.”
“That’s not true. While I cannot be certain if she was with Wrexham, I do know she had another lover, one she’s had for years. He knew about you, and Wrexham.”
His mouth and jaw worked, as if he couldn’t decide what to say next. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind. Jealousy? Anger? Was he picturing Pearl taking her other lover to the flat he’d paid for?
Finally he found his voice. “She was not with Wrexham. Nor did she have any diseases. Believe me, Miss Fox, I would know. The thing about Wrexham is that he likes to show off his lovers. He’s not discreet. It’s a well-known fact in some circles that Wrexham’s most recent lover is a dancer. It’s also well-known that she disappeared from the stage some months ago, and speculation is that she is ill. If anyone gave Wrexham syphilis, it’s her.”
I capitulated on the point. I’d been given no reason to believe Pearl and Wrexham had resumed their relationship. She’d not been seen with him, except for that one time, after Christmas, and there were no letters from him among herthings. By all accounts, she was content with Lord Rumford and she’d be a fool to jeopardize that by taking up with Wrexham again. If they hadn’t been together lately, she could not have given him syphilis. Wrexham would have known that, which meant there was no reason for him to kill her.
There was still Lady Wrexham, however. She might not be aware her husband had caught the disease from another woman.
Lord Rumford strode to the door, but before opening it, turned back to me. The gaze he settled on me was as cold as ice. “Mr. Hobart recommended you, and against my better judgement, I hired you. I should have gone with my instinct and sent you on your way. I knew this would be too difficult for a woman. Female private detectives are better left to trapping philandering husbands than murderers.”
I watched him storm out of the office, biting on my tongue until it hurt. Despite the fact he kept a mistress, I had liked Lord Rumford. Well, perhaps that wasn’t quite true. It’s safer to say I didn’tdislikehim. Until now.
With a sigh, I left Mr. Hobart’s office and returned to the foyer where Peter was busy with new guests checking in. Goliath stood by, waiting for instructions on which room to take up a trolley full of luggage, and gave me a discreet nod as I passed. Mr. Hobart was in deep conversation with two guests, and didn’t notice me as I headed for the stairs.
“Miss Fox,” said Frank from behind me. “There’s a lad who wants to speak to you. He says he’s Peter’s brother.”
I followed him outside where he directed me to the boy standing a few feet away, a pack slung over his shoulder and a stool in one hand.
