Murder at the Mayfair Hotel (Cleopatra Fox Mysteries #1)- C.J. Archer Page 0,67
all. That style could be the basis for something more elaborate if I just add a few curls.”
“I don’t think I’ll be going.”
“There’s time to change your mind.”
“It’s tomorrow.”
She merely smiled. “So now that the hotel is returning to normal, will you continue with the investigation today?”
“I’ve lost my appetite for it.”
“Lost your appetite for finding the truth? Miss Fox, I’m surprised to hear you say it.”
If she knew where my truth-seeking had got me, she’d encourage me to stop. “It’s impossible to continue without knowing how the poison was delivered and as far as I’m aware, the police haven’t shared the results of their tests with anyone. I don’t know whether it was in the toothpaste, cream or tonic, or none of them. Besides, I’m sure Detective Inspector Hobart will solve it.”
Now that his son wasn’t a suspect, I had no reason to believe he wouldn’t.
She sighed. “I suppose. But I’ll continue to keep an eye out for suspicious activity.”
I left her to clean my suite while I went downstairs to post Mr. Armitage’s file to the boys’ home, but changed my mind before I reached the post desk. A hotel mark would make it obvious that someone from here had stolen it. I would slip it under the orphanage’s door myself.
I spotted Mr. Chapman and Mrs. Kettering leaving the manager’s corridor, their steps purposeful and brisk. It was likely they’d just come from a meeting with Mr. Hobart. I drew in a deep breath and went in search of him. We would see one another around the hotel so I might as well speak to him now and get it over with.
He did not look surprised to see me, nor did he look anything like the troubled, vulnerable man I’d last seen in this same office. The hotel manager was once again the master of his emotions with a calm manner that pervaded everything he did, from the sweep of his hand to indicate the chair opposite his desk, to the sympathetic smile he bestowed on me.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Better now that you’re back.” I tightened my grip on the chair arm. “I want to say again how sorry I am for causing so much trouble.”
“It wasn’t your intention.”
“But it happened, and I can’t forgive myself.”
“Please, don’t blame yourself. The fact is, I hired Harry knowing his past and knowing Sir Ronald wouldn’t allow him to work here if he was aware. It was bound to come out eventually. The truth always does.”
“But it wasn’t my place to tell him.”
“Why not? You’re his family. Your loyalty should always be with family.”
“I hardly know them. I’m not even sure I like them, yet.”
He sat forward a little. “Family is family. You can’t change that. Now stop blaming yourself. A young woman shouldn’t be burdened by guilt over something that isn’t of her making.”
“I wish you wouldn’t be so forgiving since Mr. Armitage is not back yet.”
“There is no ‘yet’, Miss Fox. He won’t be coming back.”
“Perhaps my uncle will give in,” I said, desperately hoping it to be true. “He changed his mind about you.”
He shook his head. “He reversed his decision about me because it was in the best interests of the hotel, but it would have been difficult for him. He’s very proud.”
“And it would be doubly hard for him to swallow that pride a second time?”
He merely smiled, always the diplomat. “Harry wouldn’t return anyway. He is just as proud.” He clasped his hands on the desk and regarded me levelly. “I want you to know a little of Harry’s past. It will explain why he was arrested.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything. His past is none of my affair, and I’m sure he had good reasons for stealing.”
“Even so, I want to tell you what I told Sir Ronald. But I would appreciate it if it didn’t go any further.”
“It won’t,” I said on a breath, eager to hear more, despite what I’d just told him.
“You know that Harry found himself in a boys’ home after his parents died?”
I nodded.
“After a year there, he was sent to be apprenticed to a bookkeeper at a button factory. The bookkeeper was not kind to him and would tell the factory owner that Harry made mistakes. He made things up to put Harry in a bad light. I suspect he was jealous of Harry’s quick mind, but it’s impossible to know why he was so cruel. The upshot is, the owner sent Harry to work on