He got up early the following morning and readied himself for the day with a new sense of purpose.
“Come breakfast with me,” he told Murry.He invited the rest of the staff to join him as well – anything to fill the dining room with chatter and to keep him from focusing on the one vacant chair that made his heart hurt.
Somehow, he got through three slices of toast, some bacon and eggs, plus two cups of coffee, all while learning that Sarah – one of the upstairs maids – had a near-blind father.
“Take him to the clinic on Bedford.”Adrian told her.“Maybe they’re able to help.I’ll pay the bill.”
Sarah gaped at him then blinked in rapid succession.“I couldn’t possibly, Mr.Croft.It’s too great an imposition.”
“And yet I insist.”Adrian turned to Murry.“I’ll trust you to offer assistance while I deal with other matters?”
“Of course,” Murry promised.
Sarah proceeded to thank Adrian profusely while he finished off the last of his coffee.Ensuring the happiness of his employees was vital to securing their loyalty.So he paid them all exceedingly well, just as his father had done before him, and offered occasional perks, like sending Cook to Ipswich for her niece’s wedding and making sure Sarah’s father received the best medical treatment available.
He downed the last of his coffee, then collected his hat and gloves and set off by carriage.
Today he’d begin his hunt.
Puddles from last night’s heavier rainfall littered the ground, creating an overall sense of wetness despite the sun’s effort to force its way through between scattered clouds.Comfortably seated against the plush squabs, Adrian flipped the button he’d found between his fingers.
The markings on the back of it told him where to begin his search.Just to be sure, he’d checked the buttons on one of his own jackets for a similar imprint, and had found that they were exactly the same.
T.G.E.
The Gentlemen’s Emporium.
He arrived there soon enough and entered the exclusive shop.
“Mr.Jenkins,” he said, addressing the elderly gentleman who worked there.“I find myself in need of a new set of clothes and am hoping you might assist me.”
“Of course, Mr.Croft.Your business is always welcome.”
They proceeded to look at a series of cuts from various fabrics.Adrian made sure to pick a few especially pricy items, like a waistcoat fashioned from ice blue silk, embroidered in silver thread and adorned with mother of pearl buttons.It cost twice as much as the velvet jacket he also selected.
“On a different note,” he told Mr.Jenkins as soon as the purchase had been concluded, “I’d like you to look at this button for me.Couldn’t help but notice that it’s a different design from the ones you’re currently using.”
He handed the round gold fastening over and watched while Mr.Jenkins proceeded to study it.
“This was used two years ago.An issue arose with the manufacturer.We found that the quality no longer met with our standards, so we started ordering from a different supplier.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to see your purchase records from that particular year.”
Mr.Jenkins’s eyebrows rose.He set the button on the counter and gave Adrian a wary look.“That would be a breach of trust between us and our clients.I’m afraid I’ll have to deny your request.”
Adrian understood him, but that didn’t make him less determined.He leaned forward and did his best to try and look pleasant.“I wonder if you follow the news, Mr.Jenkins.”
“Yes…I…forgive me.I must confess I was shocked to hear of your sister.”
Adrian gritted his teeth.So the old man knew, yet he’d not said a word when Adrian entered the shop.He took a deep breath, tried not to think of the velvet-clad coffin under the ground.
Allowing anger and pain to guide him would only make it harder to think.
“I found that button when I visited the site where she was killed.As you can imagine, I’d like to know whom it belongs to.”
“While I sympathize with you, I cannot help you in this.The shop’s exclusivity is due in part to the full discretion we offer our clients.This will easily suffer if it becomes known that we’re sharing purchase records with anyone who stops by to ask.”
Adrian stared at Mr.Jenkins, watching steadily as he adjusted his spectacles.He’d hoped to avoid resorting to his father’s methods during this visit, but if he was going to meet with results, he’d clearly have to apply more pressure.
