‘Confusion? Ah, I see.’ Dr Grace pondered a moment. ‘That could explain what Kitty told me, with some relish, I might add, that Mary Drake was summoned to London to identify Leo’s body. She was sworn to secrecy because the police appeared reluctant to release his name to the public.’
‘The police were being cautious, but as it turns out, Leo is dead. Murdered. The Inspector in charge of the case feels if the villain became aware of the details, he would disappear and be almost impossible to catch.’
‘Then perhaps it’s as well I didn’t mention our concerns about Sylvia’s death to Kitty. She’s not the most discreet of persons.’ Dr Grace tore her gaze from Flora’s with a small sigh of relief. ‘Is Lord Trent still a suspect?’
‘Officially, yes, although more facts have come to light which made the situation complicated.’
‘Well,’ Dr Grace sighed, ‘I don’t pretend to understand what’s going on, but I hope everything is sorted out soon, for the young man’s sake.’
‘What was it you were about to tell me about Mrs Tilney?’ Flora reminded her, mildly impatient.
‘Oh yes, of course I was.’ Dr Grace set her capacious handbag on the floor at her feet. ‘Since hearing of Leo’s death, Kitty recalled an incident she had not included in her reply to your letter, but now feels she should have mentioned it.’
‘And yet she came to tell you specifically?’
‘I certainly got the impression she wanted to tell someone. A doctor’s office does tend to encourage confidences. I’ll recount her story and let you decide if it’s relevant or not.’ Dr Grace eased forward on her chair, creating a sense of intimacy. ‘It happened about four years ago, when Kitty took Sylvia to Bath to visit Kitty’s eldest daughter and her husband. Whilst there, they went on a tour of the Assembly Rooms, where something happened which Kitty said struck her as exceedingly odd. Those were her words, not mine.’
‘In what way odd, exactly?’
‘A rather grand lady arrived with her maid and a group of friends, all talking very loudly and attracting the attention of everyone present. You know the sort of thing. The grand lady greeted Sylvia in a loud, booming voice claiming to know her. Sylvia was mortified apparently, which at first Kitty put down to her being shy and this woman was rather overbearing. She claimed they had met in Bombay while their husbands served in the army there. She also asked Sylvia about her son, Leonard. She said he must have grown into a handsome young man by now if he was anything like his father.’
‘Did Mrs Tilney say how Sylvia reacted?’
‘That was the strange part. Sylvia denied knowing the lady at all. Quite rudely, I understand.’
‘Now that is interesting. Sylvia and her husband were estranged, but he is still alive and lives here in London. I met him the other day.’
‘Goodness, you do surprise me. Well, as I was saying, according to Kitty, Sylvia became very upset, almost hysterical, which was not uncommon for her. She insisted they return to Cheltenham the same afternoon.’
‘Did Mrs Tilney know who the grand lady was?’
‘Not at first, but she apparently made it her business to find out. The woman was disarmed at having upset Sylvia and sent her maid out to apologize. Kitty overheard her say that Lady Egerton is very sorry for having upset her.’ Dr Grace’s mouth curved into a coy smile. ‘I can see by the look on your face this means something to you.’
‘More confirms something I had already suspected,’ Flora mused. The pieces of a frustrating puzzle had begun to come together, though they still didn’t quite fit. ‘I don’t suppose Mrs Tilney remembered the maid’s name?’
‘Actually, I think she did. The woman introduced herself to Sylvia. Now what was it?’ She tapped her lower lip with a finger. ‘It began with an “A” … Anne, perhaps, or it might have been Agatha. No, sorry, it’s gone.’ She glanced up at the ormolu clock on the mantel as it chimed the quarter hour. ‘Goodness, is that the time? I must go or I shall be late for my meeting.’ Gathering her bag and gloves, she paused to adjust her hat in the mirror over the mantelpiece. ‘Since Mrs Garrett Anderson’s retirement, I’m the only female doctor at meetings these days. I like to shock them when brandy and cigars are distributed after dinner when I light my own.’
‘How I would love to witness that.’ Flora’s admiration for the good doctor increased tenfold. ‘I do appreciate your coming to see me, especially when you could have put this in a letter or even called me on the telephone.’
‘As I said, I was in town anyway so, a small detour proved to be no trouble.’ She slung her bag over one arm and made for the door.
‘Perhaps you’ll call again when you’re next in town. And hopefully not because I have a murder to deal with.’
‘I should love to. It will give me an opportunity to appreciate this beautiful house.’ She gave the room a sweeping glance before striding purposefully into the hall. ‘That’s quite all right, my man,’ she waved off Stokes who had arrived to show her out. ‘I’m quite capable of finding my way to the front door. However, if you wish to be of use, you might direct me to the best place where I might locate a hackney.’
Chapter 28
Flora perched on the edge of the forward-facing seat in the hackney that took her to Coptic Street, her bag gripped tightly on her lap into which she had placed a small revolver. Their previous case had culminated in her and Bunny being threatened by a murderous doctor whom he had disarmed, after which the gun had been forgotten. Flora discovered it at the bottom of a drawer in Bunny’s study and sought out a discreet gunsmith in Bond Street from whom she purchased ammunition. The proprietor had admired the compact Webley Bulldog, even showed her how to load and fire the weapon; a skill she hoped she would never need. She had debated endlessly whether or not to bring it along, but if whoever killed Leo was at the hotel, either alone or with the twin’s co-operation, she would be prepared.
‘Are you sure you won’t require me with you, madam?’ Sally had enquired the third time while helping Flora dress.
‘Not this time, Sally.’ She met her maid’s disappointed face in the cheval mirror. ‘The next time I visit Bond Street, I’ll be sure to take you with me.’
A note had arrived from William an hour before, asking to meet her at the hotel with the information she had asked for at the wedding.
‘That’s kind of you, madam. I should enjoy that.’ The maid’s reply was innocuous enough, but her frown persisted. Sally could be discreet when she chose, but Flora did not want to have to explain what William was doing at the hotel dressed as a Russian Bolshevik.
Before the hackney had rolled to a complete halt in Coptic Street, Flora eased forward on her seat and grasped the door handle, only to have it yanked out of her hand as the door was flung open.
Ed’s smiling face appeared at the window, sending her back in her seat.
‘Might I be of assistance, missus?’ he said in a mock East End accent, his free hand extended to help her down.
‘What are you doing here?’ she gasped. ‘How did you get here so quickly? I left you back at the house.’
‘Er, perhaps I shouldn’t go into that.’ He tugged his collar away from his neck.
‘You will tell me, or you can get into this cab and I’ll take you straight home.’
‘Oh, all right, but you mustn’t blame Timms.’
‘Timms? What do— Oh, no, you took Bunny’s motor car!’ Several scenarios occurred to her at once. None of them less than a disaster. ‘Ed, suppose you had crashed, or hit someone, or—’
‘I didn’t. I’m an excellent driver. Now stop panicking. The Berliet will be back in the mews in an hour or so. Bunny will never know.’
‘I cannot believe Timms simply let you take it.’ She waved him aside and climbed down onto the road, slamming the cab door behind her.
‘Er, he didn’t exactly let me, but I left him a note.’ At Flora’s horrified stare added, ‘Don’t panic, Flora. It’s quite safe. I parked it round the back of the hotel. Look, I’m here now
so let me come with you.’
‘I don’t even know what I’m looking for.’ She groaned, aware that making him take the motor car back to the house could be equally hazardous.
‘We could look together,’ Ed pleaded. ‘I’m good at talking to people.’
Flora huffed a breath, defeated. ‘Since you’re here, you can pay the driver.’
‘Um… that could be a problem. I gave my last shilling to the boy I asked to mind the motor car.’ He made a show of rummaging through his pockets, shrugging. ‘I don’t suppose—?’
Flora rolled her eyes, withdrew the appropriate coins from her bag and dropped them into his hand, pushing the revolver into the bottom with her other hand.
The man tipped his hat in acknowledgement, and with a cheery, ‘Walk on’ the horse pulled into traffic with a rumble of wheels.
Ed took her arm and guided her over a crossing cleared of manure and rubbish, dodging carts and horse-drawn buses that approached at speed from both directions. ‘If Maddox reaches the same conclusion you have, he might arrive to arrest this imposter chap. If so, he won’t be best pleased to see us.’
‘You’ve given this some thought then? You didn’t simply steal Bunny’s motor car on impulse?’ Flora summoned a smile for the benefit of the doorman who sprang forward to open The Dahlia Hotel’s double doors.
‘I borrowed it, which is entirely different. I’ve been thinking about Leonard’s alibi all night. Perhaps we could talk to that maid?’
‘What maid?’ Flora thought for a moment. ‘Oh, the one Maddox said gave Leonard an alibi? Good thinking, Ed, but we have to be very careful. The police don’t take kindly to having their witnesses harassed.’
‘I wasn’t going to harass her. Suppose she got the time wrong, or she could even have lied about seeing him that day?’
‘As long as you are careful. Making accusations won’t get you very far.’
The lobby was crowded, but there was no sign of William or any Russians. She hoped if he saw them first, her father was as good a diplomat as he claimed and would keep out of sight.
‘Ed, while we’re here,’ she whispered. ‘We need to be discreet, so promise to do what I say. If I tell you not to look at something, you obey me. Understood?’
‘If I’m already looking at something how can I unsee it?’ Ed handed his hat to a bell boy, along with one of the coins Flora had provided.
‘Never mind. Just do as I ask.’ Ed could be infuriating; even when he was in serious trouble he found time to answer back.
‘All right, but you aren’t making much sense.’ He halted inside the main door and stared round at the opulent entrance lobby. ‘This isn’t quite what I imagined. All this silver and black is most unusual. It’s exotic somehow, a bit like some Turkish bordello.’
‘What do you know about Turkish bordellos?’ She cast him one of the sideways looks she had perfected during her governess days, but he appeared not to have heard her, his attention caught by something.
‘I say, is that an ascending room over there? I wouldn’t mind taking a ride in it. What are the chances, Flora?’
‘We aren’t here to entertain ourselves. We came to find evidence which might clear you.’
‘I know that, but seeing as we’re here, it wouldn’t hurt to look around.’ He set off towards the gate, leaving her to follow.
She had only taken a few steps when she spotted William beneath the curve of the cantilevered staircase. His height and built tended to mark him out from the crowd, even without his unshaven chin and oversized coat that flapped round his ankles.
He had not yet seen her, his focus on the man whom she assumed to be one of his Russian associates. Not Mr Lenin this time, but a smaller man with sandy hair squashed beneath a soft canvas cap. He appeared to be doing most of the talking. William nodded at intervals but contributed little to the conversation.
‘I’ve got it!’ Ed exclaimed suddenly. ‘If Maddox turns up and demands to know what we’re doing here, we can say we’re going to the Trafalgar Exhibition.’
‘What exhibition?’ Flora grabbed his arm so he had no option but to halt with her.
‘The one at the British Museum to celebrate the centenary of the battle. I read it in the newspaper. I haven’t had much else to do these last few days but read.’
‘Perhaps your temporary incarceration has done you some good?’ Still holding tight to his arm, she eased him firmly round in a half-circle so his back was towards William and his companion.
William caught Flora’s eye over Ed’s shoulder, cocked his chin at a door to his left in a gesture so swift, he barely interrupted his conversation with his companion.
‘Um, Ed,’ Flora placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. ‘I could really do with a cup of coffee. Would you mind sorting out seats for us and ordering?’
‘Oh, er all right. What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to take advantage of their facilities.’
‘What sort of facilities?’
‘This hotel provides comfort rooms for ladies.’ It still surprised her how the innovation of ladies’ conveniences confused, and in some cases annoyed most men. Possibly because they resented the fact women could spend more time in the outside world as opposed to being confined at home.
‘Oh, yes of course.’ He broke off with a contrived cough. ‘I’ll see you back here in a few moments then. Or however long it takes to, uh—’
‘Ed, just go.’ She gave him a gentle push, her gaze on his back as he strolled past the end of the staircase. When she was confident he was unlikely to turn back, she hurried towards the door marked ‘Private’.
*
Flora entered a windowless hallway decorated in yellow paint and chocolate brown skirting. A row of gaslights hissed at head-height, casting an incipient gloom in marked contrast to the stark electric lighting proliferating in the public areas.
The hairs on her neck prickled as a figure stepped from the shadows. She gripped her bag tighter, comforted by the weight of the small revolver.
‘You got my note then?’ William loomed in front of her. As well as the long black coat, a misshapen black leather cap and a faded woollen scarf completed his ensemble, despite the mild weather.
She took a slow, calming breath and tried not to wrinkle her nose at the stale tobacco smell emanating from him. William never smoked, not even cigars after dinner. ‘The flowery place?’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’
‘Too obvious, eh?’ He scratched his chin. ‘I was trying to be obscure in case that nosy maid of yours read it.’
‘I doubt our boot boy could have failed to crack that code. What’s this information you have for me?’
‘We can’t talk here.’ He gave the hallway a swift but thorough glance. ‘This way.’
He guided her through a door marked ‘Function Room’, which held a square oak table surrounded on four sides by rows of chairs Flora assumed were used by the congress for their meetings, the air heavy with the smell of beeswax overlaid by the tang of old food, indicating the Russians ate in there.
‘What’s the idea of bringing Ed with you? Isn’t he supposed to be under house arrest?’ He pulled out a wheel-backed chair and gestured for her to sit.
‘I couldn’t stop him. He’s scared and angry, so he wants to be a part of clearing his name.’ A half-lie, but she wasn’t going to admit Ed had outwitted her.
‘I can appreciate what he’s going through, Flora, but I’m not simply passing the time here. This congress is important to our government. These men are incredibly suspicious. If they discover you’re my daughter, and he’s my nephew, I could be in trouble.’ Instead of taking a chair, he straddled a corner of the table, his arms folded across his chest.
‘Isn’t the fact he’s a murder suspect equally important?’
‘Yes, yes of course.’ He lifted the unflattering cap and scratched his head before replacing it. ‘How’s the investigation going?’
Watching him, Flora squirmed at the idea
of what the cap’s previous owner might have left behind. ‘I believe the twins employed someone to impersonate their brother, but when presented with the possibility of their real brother arriving at the hotel, they killed him. Ed was unfortunate in that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
‘Hmm, half-brother, eh?’ He stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘I think I’ve seen this chap strutting round the hotel. Everyone calls him Mr Leonard, then cast him evil looks behind his back. Have you an idea who he really is?’
‘Possibly, but I need to prove it before Maddox arrests the imposter or they’ll get away with it.’ Her confidence did a small dip but what her mother-in-law had said in her letter seemed perfectly logical at the time.
‘Why would the twins put a fake in their half-brother’s place? Wouldn’t disposing of him have been enough?’ William asked.
‘Bunny said the same thing. It puzzled me too, but Maddox said criminals weren’t the cleverest of people so perhaps their mistake will be what exposes them in the end?’
‘If Maddox knows about this imposter, why isn’t he here instead of you?’
‘I’m not sure Inspector Maddox trusts my theories. Anyway, I’m here because of your note.’ It was a lie but if he knew she had come to reveal the man masquerading as Leonard Hunter-Griggs as a killer he would send her home immediately.
‘Maddox is a good policeman, and can be insightful at times.’ William stroked the stubble on his chin with one hand before transferring it to her shoulder. ‘But you are better.’ He gave her shoulder a squeeze which sent warmth through her.
‘I don’t know about that, I—’
‘No, I mean it, and you were right about Thompson. I checked the delegate list and Leo Thompson was expected to attend the Congress as you suspected.’
‘He was a member of the Russian Labour Party?’
‘He wanted to be.’ William ran his hands up and down his thighs, both feet splayed. ‘For two weeks in March, Leo stayed at the King’s Cross lodgings of a woman called Apollinariya Yakubovna and her husband.’
The Bloomsbury Affair Page 25