I showed him the photograph. “Returning this. I borrowed it as part of the investigation. May I come in and talk to you? There has been an arrest.”
He released a shuddery breath and closed his eyes. “My God. That is wonderful news. Wonderful news, indeed. Thank you, Miss Fox.” He grasped my hand and shook it ferociously. “Thank you for persisting, even after our little disagreement.” He drew me inside and shut thedoor. “I hope you can forgive me for that. I was in a bit of a state that day, and I took it out on you.”
I blinked back my surprise. This man confounded me at every turn. Just when I’d made up my mind not to like him, I found that I wanted to forgive him. He’d been dealt a blow recently, and it was understandable that his gentlemanly manners slipped from time to time. We’re all prone to outbursts on occasion.
We sat in Pearl’s parlor, surrounded by images of her at every turn. It was impossible not to feel a connection with her here, among her things, even though I’d never met her. Yet I felt as though I’d come to know her, in a way. She was a flawed person, certainly, and not someone whose decisions I liked, particularly when it came to Millie, but she was aware of her flaws and tried to do as little harm to those around her as possible. Perhaps Millie was better off with Mr. Larsen than she would have been with parents who didn’t want her. He adored her.
Lord Rumford listened to my account of how I’d solved the case and of Mrs. Larsen’s arrest. He went a little pale when he learned that Pearl’s own sister had killed her.
“And all for money, you say,” he murmured. “Dear lord, if only I’d known what would transpire, I’d have given Pearl the money immediately. To think, I could have averted all this.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Mrs. Larsen was a little mad, I think. If this hadn’t set her off, it would have been something else. She was jealous of Pearl, and angry at her, too. As she saw it, Pearl breezed through life, whereas she felt she had nothing but burdens and troubles.” I shook my head sadly. “If you ask me, she had far more than Pearl. She had a lovely little girl to call her own and a supportive husband who was on her side until the end. If only she could see that her life was as full as Pearl’s, only different.”
Lord Rumford picked up a photograph of himself and Pearl, staring at the camera. He blinked back tears as he stroked his thumb over Pearl’s image. “She was so lively and so lovely. She didn’t deserve to have her life ended that way.” He released a shuddery breath. “Now she will be foreveryoung, forever beautiful. Forever in my heart.” He kissed the photograph then returned it to the table.
I sat there, wondering how to broach the subject of payment. People of his ilk didn’t like discussing money, but people like me couldn’t afford not to mention it. “I am sorry to bring this up, my lord, but there’s the matter of my fee. I know we didn’t settle on a sum before this began, and that is entirely my fault, but I’ve had expenses, you see.”
“Of course, of course.” He pulled out a leather wallet from his inside jacket pocket and fished out some bank notes. “Will this be enough?”
I smiled, thanked him, and tucked the money into my purse. I gave him the flat key in exchange. “Thank you for trusting me with this investigation.” I rose and he stood too. I put out my hand and he shook it.
“Thankyou, Miss Fox. You have been a revelation.” He followed me to the door, but I could see something else was on his mind. Finally, he got to the point. “Where can I find Pearl’s brother-in-law?”
After dividinga third of Lord Rumford’s payment among Harmony, Victor, Goliath, Frank and Peter over a cup of tea in the staff parlor, I headed out to the office of Armitage and Associates. I walked in on Mr. Armitage with his feet on the desk, crossed at the ankles, a newspaper in hand. One of Luigi’s coffee cups sat empty on the desk.
Mr. Armitage lowered his feet and put down the paper. “You no longer feel the need to knock?”
“I think we’ve gone beyond knocking.” I sat on the guest chair. “I’m practically a member of staff.”
“No, you’re not.”
I opened my purse and passed him a bank note.
He frowned. “What’s this?”
“A third of Lord Rumford’s fee.”
He pushed the money back. “Keep it.”
I slid the note forward again. “You’re entitled to it for all the help you gave me.”
He picked up the note and rounded the desk.He opened my purse and thrust the note inside before handing me the purse. “If you try to give it to me again, I’ll be insulted. I helped you because I wanted to, not because I expected compensation.” Before I could protest, he continued. “So Rumford came through?”
“He did. He’s not such a bad sort. He loved Pearl very much, although I’m not sure she deserved it. They were both selfish, in their way, and inconsiderate of others. She of Millie and Mr. Culpepper, and he of his wife.”
“I feel sorry for her.”
“Don’t worry about Lady Rumford.” I smiled slyly. “She seems to have found a way to comfort herself.”
“Oh?”
“I hear he’s quite handsome, and young.”
Mr. Armitage laughed softly, not at all shocked. As assistant manager at the Mayfair, I wondered if he’d witnessed similar arrangements between wealthy women and young men. I’m sure those were conducted discreetly, unlike the events of the previous night.
“Your old position has become vacant again,” I told him. “Mr. Hirst was dismissed for endangering the reputation of the hotel.” At his frown, I added, “He had an arrangement with the procurer of whores that allowed the girls to come and go in the night, with a percentage of their fee going to Mr. Hirst and James.”
He sat on the edge of the desk and huffed a humorless laugh. “That explains why he was eager to leave his previous employment.”
