Page 17 of Murder at Madame Chambon's
“I don’t believe so.No, Gracie simply wanted to send word to her friend Kitty—”
“Good lord, so that’s why Miss Tarot employed Kitty?The girl was recommended by her mother, Madame Chambon?”Hamish asked.
“No, Miss Tarot has no idea she’s… related to Madame.”Lily reddened.“To my shame, I didn’t fully explain to Miss Tarot the nature of Kitty’s previous employment, though at the time I had no idea of the relationship, though I’m only going by what Gracie insists is the truth.No, when Miss Tarot came to me seeking a lady’s maid, I recommended Kitty saying she’d worked for a woman who had many … girls … is how I put it.But Hamish, how was I to know that Miss Tarot was Madame’s daughter when Miss Tarot doesn’t even know it herself?”
“Surely she must know it?”
Lily shook her head.“Gracie swears she doesn’t, and that Kitty doesn’t, either.Miss Tarot thinks she’s the daughter of two eminently respectable parents… and certainly someone is funding her lavishly, though I have no idea who.Her gowns, alone, set her apart, and I’m led to believe her dowry is considerable.”
Hamish raked a hand through his hair.“Can you be sure Lord Dunstable is dead?”
“Gracie swears he is.She said she stumbled over his body when she went to put Madame’s post on her desk.Then she began to scream.She said he’d been stabbed in the neck and his eyes were wide open and she knew he was dead because she’s seen dead bodies before.”
“But is she quite certain that the body is that of Lord Dunstable?”Hamish seemed more rattled than Lily, as he went on, “The same Lord Dunstable who is, supposedly about to marry Miss Tarot, who you’re now telling me is Madame Chambon’s secret daughter?And now Lord Dunstable has wound up dead on the old brothel-keeper’s carpet?”Hamish came round from the desk and put his arm on Lily’s shoulders.“My dear, this is a terrible turn of affairs.”
“To be honest, everything is merely conjecture right now, however Gracie and Kitty have always been as thick as thieves so, of course, Gracie will tell Kitty, who may already know.”She shrugged, feeling confused and shocked.
“And it’s quite likely Lord Dunstable knew it, too, if he was thick as thieves with Madame Chambon,” said Hamish thoughtfully.“Though at what point he discovered this might have a bearing on matters.”Glancing through the window, he said thoughtfully, “Poor Miss Tarot.I imagine her name will be dragged through the muck as the police investigate the matter.”
Lily raised the brandy bottle in acknowledgement as she made for the door.“I must return to Gracie and hear what else she has to say.It’s all rather a shock and I don’t think I’ve digested it properly yet.”
Gracie was sitting on the sofa staring at the wall with a rather dazed look on her face, when Lily returned, brandishing the bottle and saying, “My poor girl, you must be in such shock since it was you who found Lord Dunstable.”
“It were, indeed, m’lady.I’d heard Madame and Lord Dunstable shoutin’ when I passed by Madame’s sitting room earlier on my way to attend to LuluBelle, who was seein’ her favorite gennelmun.”
Lily unstoppered the bottle and poured them both a measure before sending a guilty glance at the swaddled baby in its cradle beneath the desk.But baby Sebastian was sleeping soundly, so she returned her attention to Gracie.
“What could Lord Dunstable have been doing at Madame’s?How long has he been a regular, Gracie?”
Gracie thought a moment.“Not a regular, exactly.He came to see Celeste but then stopped after she were done in, God rest her soul.But then he’s been comin’ more regular-like this past year.Maybe more.”
“To see any of the girls, or just to see Madame?”
Gracie looked troubled.“I reckon he’s bin here more than usual in the past couple of weeks, especially to see Madame.I heard his voice sounding loud an’ so I stopped to listen.That’s when I heard Madame saying summat like, ‘You leave Evelina out of this.My daughter knows nothin’ and I intend to keep it that way.’” Gracie nibbled at her lip and ventured a look from beneath lowered lashes as Lily asked, “Is this why you think Miss Tarot is Madame Chambon’s daughter?Because of what you overheard?Perhaps it’s not the same Evelina.”
“I reckon it makes sense enough when I come to fink of uvver fings Madame has said.‘Sides, why would Lord Dunstable be at Madame’s talking about any other Evelina when he’s just got engaged to ...Evelina Tarot?Course, I will ask Kitty if she knows anyfink more.But I talked to her yesterday when she were pretty jolly about the fact she’d be accompanying Miss Tarot on her wedding tour.‘Cept that won’t be happening now.”
There was a short knock on the door and then Archie put his head in, before pushing forward saying, “’Scuse me, m’lady but I jest heard the news ‘bout Lord Dunstable as I were on my way to see me Gracie but now I found her here.”His expression softened, and he came forward saying, “An’ ow are you, dear girl?Reckon you got a right shock, trippin’ over a dead cove an’ all.One of the girls says Madame Chambon was wiv the police last night but they let her go after questioning.Madame knows the ‘ead of the department, see,” he added, looking up at Lily, his expression troubled.“He’s a regular client of hers.”
“Well, that might stand her in good stead.Have you been to Madame Chambon’s since this happened?”Lily asked.
“I went there to find Gracie, who I was told was here.I need to find out what yer husband wants me to do in the way of a photograph.Not that a gruesome murder is what his magazine wants to print, but I’ll take Gracie back to Madame Chambon’s anyway, so—”
“I doubt Lord Dunstable’s body is still lying in Madame’s sitting room,” said Lily, looking up at Gracie’s gasp.“Sorry Gracie.”Lily knew she’d seen too much in the way of violence and dead bodies while in the lunatic asylum in Belgium.She silently reminded herself to behave as was expected of Lord Lambton’s gently reared daughter.Tapping her fingers on the desk, she glanced between Archie and Grace.“When should Miss Tarot be told?That is the question.”
“Told what?That his lordship is dead?Or that she’s Madame Chambon’s daughter?”Gracie asked.
“What’s this, then?”Archie peered at them disbelievingly.“Miss Tarot, what’s bein’ chaperoned by Lady Perry, is Madame Chambon’s daughter?”
“Maybe it’s not true,” said Lily.“But Gracie overheard Lord Dunstable and Madame Chambon talking about someone called Evelina just before Dunstable was killed,” she added.“Evelina is not a common name, and it seems too much of a coincidence when combined with various other hints that Gracie says she’s heard.”She nibbled her fingernail.If this was indeed the case, and word got out, then Miss Tarot would find her first London season suddenly curtailed.In fact, her whole future would disappear in a puff of smoke, and through no fault of her own.
Reaching down to pick up the little bundle from the cradle, Lily rose.“I’m going to see Miss Tarot now,” she said decisively.“Before any word of this reaches her ears, though, I suspect I might be too late.However, it is early, still.”
“You, ma’am?”asked Archie.“Will yer husband like yer getting involved in somefing that’s none of your business?”
“He will see the advantages, Archie, and besides, I fear that it could become my business; so it’s better to steer matters in a way that might cause less harm in the future to Miss Tarot and your Kitty, don’t you think?”
“I’m comin’ too, then,” said Archie.
