Page 63 of Murder at Madame Chambon's
“In that case, I think I will go, myself,” said Lily.“Archie, will you come with me?”
With Hamish shakinghis head as he clearly believed his wife was overreacting, Lily made her way to Lord Bellingham’s townhouse where, to her consternation, she found him taking an early lunch while reading the newspaper.
Apologizing for the intrusion, Lily said, “I was hoping to find Miss Tarot here, Lord Bellingham.”
“Unless the pair of you’ve eloped, m’lord,” said Archie boldly.
“I intend to meet her this afternoon.”Coloring slightly, Bellingham stirred his tea.“I thought an elopement was a little extreme.But we are going to make arrangements to get married with as little fanfare as possible, and far away from London.”
“Very admirable, my lord,” said Lily, tempering her growing concern, “but it would appear Miss Tarot has gone missing.Her maid said she did not sleep in her bed last night.”
Lord Bellingham raised his eyebrows and then shifted forwards as he clearly tried to establish a reason for this.Lily could see he was trying to hide his alarm.“Perhaps she spent the night with Lady Victoria and her sister,” he said.“They drove her back from the funeral.She might have stayed for some reason.”But his frown deepened as Lily shook her head.
“Lady Perry has already visited the young ladies to ask if they know where Miss Tarot might be.They say they thought she went home with you since they saw her stepping into a carriage at the funeral.But no one has seen her since the funeral.”
“What?”Bellingham’s voice rose as, clearly rattled, he stepped out from behind the table, raking both hands through his hair.“Miss Tarot has been missing since yesterday afternoon and no one knows where she is?”
Lily nodded, glancing at Archie, who said, “My sweetheart’s friend, Kitty, wot’s maid to Miss Tarot, thought she might ‘ave eloped with you, m’lord.Letters pertaining to such a possibility were found in her room.”
Lily interrupted.“But my husband said he’d seen you at his club last night, so that’s why I’m here.To set my mind at rest.”She nibbled at her lower lip, adding, “But it’s not at rest.”
“No, because I clearly have not eloped with Miss Tarot, who is not where she should be and not with the only friends I believe she has in London.”Lord Bellingham looked wildly at Lily.“Where else could she be?At her mother’s house?”He shuddered as he obviously recalled where that was and Lily said, “I think it’s the next obvious place to check.”
Archie sent her a sidelong look.“I’ll go wiv yer, m’lord, as I don’t fink you want to be havin’ a cosy chat wiv madame on your own.”
“And I’ll go, too,” Lily said decisively.She looked down at her fashionable gown of cerise but before she could speak, Archie said, “I don’t reckon there’s time to change, wiv all due respect, Lady Bradden.But we’ll go the secret way.No one’ll see yer.And you can pull down yer veil once you’s inside the house.”
Fifteen minutes later, Lily and Lord Bellingham faced Madame Chambon across her desk while Archie waited outside the door in the corridor.
The shock on the face of the proprietor of Madame Chambon’s when she beheld his Lordship in her office would have amused Lily if the matter had not been so serious.Madame rarely allowed herself to appear at a disadvantage.And this was even before they relayed their fears.
“Evelina has gone missing?”she repeated, fiddling in agitation with the keys on her chatelain, her mulberry-stained lips puckered in her heavily powdered face.“Since when?Why has no one told me this before?Nothing is more important than Evelina!Yet you’ve been making trouble over Dunstable’s murder--”
“Madame, listen, please!”Lord Bellingham remonstrated.“I’ve only just been relayed Lady Bradden’s fears after she learned that Evelina hasn’t been seen since Lord Dunstable’s funeral yesterday.”
“I strictly forbade her from attending his funeral.What is the meaning of this?”
Lily’s fears were hardly assuaged by learning that Madame Chambon also had no idea where Evelina had gone.“ Lady Perry tells us that Evelina went with Lady Victoria and her sister to Lord Dunstable’s funeral, but that they did not bring her home.”
“So, my own daughter and Lady Perry have both defied me?”
“Please, Madame, that should be the least of your concerns.”Lily tried to speak calmly.“Your daughter is missing.Lady Perry visited her young friends this morning, and they surmised that Miss Tarot had eloped with Lord Bellingham because they saw her stepping into a carriage in the distance at Lord Dunstable’s funeral yesterday.”
Lord Bellingham spoke.“Furthermore, none of her clothes or belongings are missing, and she is with none of her friends.And she has left no note.It’s as if she’s disappeared into thin air.”He made a gesture of helplessness.“The only place I can image she has sought refuge is with her father.”
“Perhaps she discovered where he lived,” Lily interrupted.“When I last spoke to her, she said there’d been a difficulty with her dowry payment.”Lily watched Madame carefully, but the woman was very still; almost as if in shock.She hurried on.“Evelina thought it was the reason Lord Dunstable mentioned eloping rather than have the elaborate wedding he’d initially proposed.”
Then Archie thrust open the door saying, “I just bin havin’ a chat with Maisie and she reckons Miss Tarot has discovered where her father lives.Sorry Madame, but some things are more important than others and if you want to be assured your daughter ain’t in harm’s way, then perhaps you’d better let us know the identity of the man wot’s her father.Cos likely it was findin’ that information wot brought Dunstable to his last moment.If you knows what I mean.And I think you does.”
Madame passed a shaking hand across her brow.She came out from behind her desk, her dark green polonaise gown a contrast with her fiery red hair.Her powdered cheeks looked deathly white beneath two spots of high colour.With shaking hands, she encircled her throat as she whispered, “I was told I was never to contact Evelina’s father if I wanted --” she began, then stopped abruptly.
“If you wanted what?”Lily prompted.
“If I wanted to continue to be paid my … very generous … monthly allowance… plus Evelina’s.”
“Well, if Evelina is missing, there won’t be a monthly allowance for her and you can pocket the lot,” Archie said with false cheer.“I’m thinkin’ that maybe you had as good a reason as anyone for poor Miss Tarot to just go missin’ without trace.”
“How dare you?”spat Madame as she began to pace in front of the fireplace.Hissing in a breath between her lips, she began to mutter, first unintelligibly, before she said with more clarity, “Yes, it’s true that Lord Dunstable was blackmailing me,” she said.“He found evidence that Evelina’s father was a man of some means and that I’ve been paid handsomely for many years.I rely on that money to keep Evelina in the style to which a young lady of her … station should expect, Lord Bellingham.You can rest assured that my daughter is an innocent whose life experience encompasses only learning and the domestic arts.She has never been to this house.She would, in fact, be repulsed.I have gained the feeling that she is repulsed by me, too.But…you’re right.I will send a note to her father.”
