Page 42 of Murder at Madame Chambon's
He was silent, waiting for her to go on.
“We will take you to Madame Chambon’s, because there you will learn the truth.”Lily spoke kindly, with the sympathy she thought he deserved, though he still seemed in shock.“But there are also several girls I want to speak to in relation to Lord Dunstable’s murder.I know the police have interviewed everyone there, however Miss Tarot’s maid, who used to work at Madame Chambon’s, tells me they haven’t asked all the right questions.”
“Kitty?”Lord Bellingham exclaimed.
“Yes, Kitty,” said Archie, returning with a muffler and cap to replace Lord Bellingham’s topper and cashmere scarf.“Kitty’s the bosom buddy of me sweetheart, Gracie, wot works at Madame Chambon’s.Gracie’ll find us somewhere discreet to wait so you won’t feel everyone’s having a squiz at yer, don’t you worry.We’ll just have a look see and ask a few questions.You’ll learn everything you need to know, m’lord.”
The twinge of amusement Lily felt to see Archie’s friendly attempts to put Lord Bellingham at ease was a welcome contrast to the sickly concern that had needled her until now.For at least Lord Bellingham seemed to have become more pliable and accepting.She’d feared he’d reject the truth outright.
“Shall we go?”she asked, leading the way, but saying over her shoulder, “I must warn you, Lord Bellingham, that I know more than a few people at Madame Chambon’s, both through my work finding alternative employment for some of the establishment’s fallen women, but also because Madame Chambon—” It was easier not to look him in the eye when she thought of the shame she knew Hamish would feel to hear her lay her past bare like this.“What I mean to say is that I lived—blamelessly and innocently—under Madame’s roof for a few months after I escaped from the insane asylum where my husband had had me incarcerated.I just needed to explain that because you will hear me speak with some familiarity with some of the girls.”
Dully, Lord Bellingham said, “So, you really do know Madame Chambon?And her daughter.”
“I never knew she had a daughter,” Lily replied as they hurried through the smog-ridden streets.“In fact, not until after Dunstable was murdered.Madame managed to keep it secret until she was heard arguing with Lord Dunstable over Evelina’s dowry which was when Gracie and Kitty—who had by now been working as Miss Tarot’s lady’s maid for a couple of weeks—put two and two together.”
“Wait!”Lord Bellingham halted and Lily turned to see he’d blanched whiter.“Dear God, are you suggesting—?”
Lily struggled to keep a smile in place as she beckoned to him.“I’m not suggesting anything, Lord Bellingham.However, I do think that at Madame Chambon’s, we should be prepared to find answers that will not be what we expect.”
Finally, they reached the large four square dwelling that drew London’s aristocracy and those with the funds to pay for one of Madame Chambon’s sought-after girls.
At this hour of the morning, the street outside the house was busy with foot traffic.Inside, of course, many of the girls would be sleeping off the excesses of the previous night.
“And now we’ll go through the secret back entrance,” Archie said.
Then Lily had to hurry to keep up, for she was unfamiliar with this entry to Madame’s and Archie was like a fox as he ducked into a nearby doorway, his footsteps in the darkness ahead the only reassurance that the going was clear.
When Lily, bringing up the rear, finally emerged into the drawing room of Madame Chambon’s, it was the smell that struck her most forcibly.A cloying mix of perfume and, at this time of morning, carbolic.No doubt Gracie would be hard at work cleaning up after the night before and, indeed, it was she whom they first encountered as she trudged by with a bucket of slops.
“Lordy!”she exclaimed when she registered the fact it was Lily dressed in rags with the two men.She cast an anguished look over her shoulder then whispered, “Madame’s lurking about somewhere.Did ye want to see her or not see her?”
“We’ll talk to her, Gracie, but I’d prefer to speak to a couple of the girls first.”
“Is it about … his dead lordship?”Gracie lowered her voice.“The police inspector has been closeted in the office every day talking to Madame Chambon and they looks grimmer each time.Haven’t got a clue who did it, I reckon.”She winked at Archie before sending a puzzled look at his companion.
“Gracie, we’ve brought Lord Bellingham,” said Lily, “though don’t reveal that to anyone, please.Now, have the police spoken toallthe girls and all the gentlemen who were here that night?”
“Course.But they ain’t goin’ to say anyfink though they does answer wot they’s asked.Like I said, I reckon the police inspector don’t know the right questions.”She stopped suddenly as a lovely titian haired young woman in an elegant silk dressing gown decorated with peacocks padded gracefully past them in bare feet.
“Sonia!”she hailed her.“You was drinking whisky with Lord Dunstable and Captain Blackheath in the drawin’ room before LuluBelle took over entertainin’.I’m talkin’ the night o’ the murder.You was the first to say the police are barking up the wrong tree and these people ’ave questions.”
Sonia stopped and when she put her head on one side with a slight frown, Gracie said quickly, “It’s orright.Don’t you recognize Lady Bradden?”
Sonia’s lovely face relaxed into a smile.“I’ve heard so much about you, Lady Bradden, and would be happy to offer up my suspicions.”Her voice was sweet and cultured and Lily wondered how long she’d been working at Madame Chambon’s.
Was Sonia just a clever mimic, or was she a girl like Celeste, who Lily suspected really was from more affluent circumstances?But then the sound of heavy, determined footsteps approaching from the gloomy interior had Gracie squeaking, “Follow me so’s I can rustle up LuluBelle to talk to yer since she was the last to see Lord Dunstable alive.You can talk to Madame after.”
Obediently Lily, Archie and Lord Bellingham followed the girl up the stairs and into an elegant bedroom decorated in the Rococo style, where Gracie left them with promises to return with LuluBelle.
After a disdainful look about him, Lord Bellingham went to the window and stared out into the street while Lily and Archie exchanged looks.
“Lord Bellingham, I promise you that we’ll speak to Madame shortly.But I do believe it’s important for you to first meet one of the girls who works here because I’ve come to believe that there might possibly be some connection between the truth of Evelina’s background and Lord Dunstable’s murder—”
“In what way?”Lord Dunstable swung round and Lily could see by the tightness of his mouth and the pain around his eyes that he was having difficulty coming to terms with the possibility of his new reality.
“I’m not sure, exactly.I want to see if LuluBelle can shed some light on it, so I would simply beg for your forbearance while I question her.”Lily glanced at Archie, who nodded, and she went on, “When I lived at Madame Chambon’s, I shared a room with a young woman called Celeste.You may recall the murder.It was rather a sensational case eighteen months ago, in which a Russian diplomat was convicted of killing one of the girls here.”She waved her arm to encompass the room.“Nothing was—is—known about Celeste other than that name, but I have a strong suspicion that Lord Dunstable returned to the house and began blackmailing Madame Chambon, because he recognized Celeste.Perhaps he knew her in another life.”She took a deep breath, then finished, “It has occurred to me that Lord Dunstablemayhave been killed because of what he knew about Celeste.”
Lord Bellingham looked unmoved.Bored, even; as if he were determined to disassociate himself from the situation.“What has that got to do with Miss Tarot?”
