Murder at the Mayfair Hotel (Cleopatra Fox Mysteries #1)- C.J. Archer Page 0,56

and they talk, and I doubt you want your secret exposed to your family by one of the staff.”

It galled that he was accusing me of secret liaisons when I’d just caught him rummaging through another man’s coat. Not to mention the secret of his arrest. I suspected my uncle would care more about that than my supposed illicit love affair.

“I think I’ve heard enough,” I said through clenched teeth. “Good day, Mr. Armitage.”

I went to walk off but he grabbed my elbow. He relaxed his grip instantly and I pulled free, but I rounded on him and gave him what I hoped was a glare of defiance.

He glared right back, not in the least concerned that I was the niece of his employer. “How could you do something so foolish?” he went on. The charming façade had slipped away altogether, revealing someone more formidable and earnest beneath. “If he was worthy, he would court you properly. Is there something wrong with him? Is he beneath the Bainbridges?”

I barked a harsh laugh. “Good lord, this has gone too far. Let me make myself clear, Mr. Armitage. I do not have a secret lover. I went out for reasons which I don’t have to divulge to you or anyone else. If my uncle discovers it, so be it. I will deal with the consequences.”

The glare vanished, but his frown remained. “Are you in trouble?”

“I don’t even know what sort of trouble you could be referring to that would require me to leave in the middle of the night. The truth is quite dull, I’m afraid. I couldn’t sleep and I was feeling a little melancholy. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I was gone less than thirty minutes. Satisfied?”

A muscle in his jaw bunched. “It was just some friendly advice, Miss Fox. London is dangerous at night. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“Please don’t concern yourself on my account,” I bit off.

He drew in a deep breath and looked to the ceiling, no doubt searching it for some patience. I was well aware how trying the conversation must be from his point of view, but I couldn’t tell him anything that would ease his mind, and I did not like to be patronized.

I turned and walked off, but the heat of his glare on my back remained with me as I passed into the foyer. I hadn’t forgotten that Mr. Hobart wanted to speak to me, but I was in no mood for his lecture. It could wait.

Goliath must have already spoken to the other porters and the staff manning each of the desks because they no longer looked at me like I’d committed a sin. They greeted me as they had done since my arrival, with a friendly “good morning” and a nod or smile.

It occurred to me, as I headed into the vestibule behind the foyer, that Mr. Armitage could have been trying to distract me from what he’d been doing in Mr. Chapman’s office. If so, the deflection hadn’t worked. While I couldn’t think of a reason why the murderer of Mrs. Warrick needed to search the pockets of one of the other staff, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a connection. I just hadn’t found it yet. But find it I must. The police, headed by Mr. Armitage’s own father, wouldn’t arrest him without solid proof.

As I hoped, I found Mr. Chapman in the dining room, addressing the waiters. I waited until he dismissed them and they dispersed around the dining room to set the tables for luncheon.

“Is there something I can do for you, Miss Fox?” He peered down his nose at me, as if I were one of his waiters who’d been found somewhere he ought not to be. It would seem he’d also heard the gossip about by nocturnal adventure, but had not yet been told whatever reason Goliath had made up to explain it.

“I wanted to talk to you about Mr. Armitage.”

His superior demeanor shattered with his surprise. “What about him?”

I didn’t want to be specific, but I did want answers. I needed to tell him something that would get him confiding in me. I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I’ve seen him acting suspiciously.”

“In what way?” he asked, voice also lowered.

“I’d rather not say at this point. It might be nothing, and I don’t want to get him into trouble. But I do want to talk to someone who knows him. Someone from the