Murder at the Mayfair Hotel (Cleopatra Fox Mysteries #1)- C.J. Archer Page 0,68
the factory floor as punishment.”
“But he was a child!”
“He was tall for his age, and none of the other workers dared go against their employer. Harry had no one to turn to for advice. When you’re a child with no family, no adult friends, then you’re very much alone.” He shifted in his chair, the story making him as uncomfortable as it made me. “The conditions were hard for a boy, the hours long. He endured it for several months until one day he was beaten by the factory owner for something as trifling as dropping a box of buttons.”
“My God,” I murmured.
“Harry ran away. He didn’t return to the orphanage. He thought they’d send him back to the factory. Years later, he discovered that he would have been taken in there again if he’d only told them what happened, but as a thirteen-year-old, he assumed the adult world was against him.”
“So where did he go?”
“He lived on the streets with other children. They were quite wild, but they liked their freedom, so he told me. Unfortunately, they had to steal to survive. He was caught by my brother and arrested.”
“He only served three months.”
“You are well informed,” he said with a hint of irony. “It was his first offense, and his age was taken into consideration. My brother also put in a good word for him. He saw something in Harry immediately. He was quick-witted and intelligent, but generous and kind-hearted too.” Mr. Hobart smiled to himself. “He’d stolen a ribbon to give to a girl he liked and a basket of apples which he handed out to the younger children.”
If he’d told me the story to make me understand Mr. Armitage better, it worked. But it also made me feel so much worse.
“My brother and his wife had no children of their own, so perhaps that explains why he took an interest in Harry’s welfare. He and his wife visited Harry in prison every day and asked him to live with them when he got out. He moved out of their home only when he was given a position here and moved in with the other hotel staff at the residence hall.”
“He calls the detective inspector his father and you his uncle.”
“We’re his family.”
I blinked back tears. “It’s good to have family.”
His gaze softened. “It is.”
“You jeopardized your own position here by hiring him.”
“Family must take care of one another. Harry needed work or he would have gone mad. He wanted to join the police force and follow in my brother’s footsteps. He would have made a good policeman, but unfortunately they don’t accept felons, even reformed ones.”
My fingers ached and I realized I’d been gripping the chair arm too tightly. I released it. “You must be very busy,” I said, rising. “I just wanted to tell you how very glad I am that you’re back.”
He smiled. “So am I. I don’t know what you said to Sir Ronald but it worked.”
“Why do you think it was me?”
“Because you have the right amount of courage and persistence.”
“Actually, I’m a terrible coward. I didn’t want to face you and Mr. Armitage after you were dismissed.”
“But you did it anyway. Thank you.”
Perhaps it was his forgiveness that bolstered my confidence, or his thanks, but I had a sudden thought that I couldn’t shake. I wanted to see Mr. Armitage. I needed to see him. “Can you tell me where I can find your nephew now?”
He sat back and did not answer for some time. I thought he would tell me it was a terrible idea, but instead, he drew a piece of paper towards him and scribbled down an address. “I should warn you, he’s still very angry with you.”
“All the more reason to apologize to him again.”
“He won’t be kind. In fact, I expect him to say things he wouldn’t usually say to a lady—or to anyone.”
“It can’t be worse than the things he’s already said.”
He handed me the piece of paper. “You really are quite courageous, Miss Fox.”
“No, Mr. Hobart. I just don’t like living with guilt.”
Chapter 10
The address Mr. Hobart had given me belonged to a semi-detached house in Ealing, a short walk from the station. It would have been a more pleasant walk if not for the incessant rain and my anxiety at seeing Mr. Armitage again. That anxiety grew worse when I saw the family sized house. Mr. Armitage must have moved back in with his parents.