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“Cold-hearted, more like,” I bit back, only partially teasing.
He didn’t seem upset by my judgement. “I’m not convinced she has a lover.”
“Why not?”
“If I’m cold-hearted then she’s made of ice, so my friends say.”
“There is one way to find out for certain.”
“How?” Harmony asked.
“We follow her.” I pointed to an entry for Wednesday, two days hence. “She is due to meet John S at R M Mont at 11 AM.”
Floyd pulled out his watch by its gold chain. “Come on, Cleo, it’s growing late. Your dance partner will want another dance before the evening ends.”
We left the others and returned upstairs to the ballroom. With the investigation on my mind, I wasn’t quite ready to resume dancing, however. Before we entered the ballroom, I caught Floyd’s arm.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about automobiles.”
That got his attention. Balls and dinners were rather dull affairs for most young gentlemen. They found automobiles far more interesting. “What about them?”
“How many people own one?”
He scoffed. “I don’t know everyone, Cleo. There must be hundreds in England.”
“I mean how many people have them stabled in London right now? Particularly ones that can travel faster than fifteen to twenty miles per hour.”
He folded his arms as he thought. “Most don’t bring them to the city. Too difficult to drive in traffic and find stabling for them, so they leave them at their country estates. I can think of only three who brought them to London for the season, one of which was Lord Dunmere. There are a few more who keep them permanently stabled here.” He frowned. “I think one of those is currently not working. Do you want me to make inquiries?”
“A list would be a big help. Thank you. And Floyd? Do stop pushing me towards Mr. Miller. I have no interest in him.”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “All right by me. I don’t really want you to move to America. I’ve grown used to you. Butyou’rebreaking the news to Father. Anyway, I only mentioned him to put off Armitage. I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
“Leave Harry out of this.”
He put up his hands in surrender then offered me his arm to escort me back into the ballroom. “Is Armitage’s girl pretty?”
“Miss Morris is a beauty, and very charming and sweet natured. She’s perfect, in fact.” It wasn’t a lie. Shewasperfect…just not perfect for Harry, something he’d said himself after he ended their relationship.
I wasn’t going to tell Floyd that part. Not yet. Not until both he and my uncle had given up trying to turn me into a proper lady who didn’t undertake detective work. Until then, Miss Morris would remain a part of our lives, in name only.
Aunt Lilian managed to last another hour before she was ready to leave. It was Uncle Ronald who informed Flossy and me when we came off the dance floor with our partners. The two gentlemen bowed to us before departing, then Flossy went in search of her next partner to inform him she couldn’t oblige him with their scheduled dance. My own card was quite free so I followed Uncle Ronald downstairs to the entrance hall where Aunt Lilian sat on a chair. With her eyes closed, she appeared to be asleep, but I suspected she was merely attempting to block out the light from the overhead chandelier.
Mr. Miller emerged from the shadows at the base of the stairs as we reached the bottom step. It was as if he’d been waiting for us.
My uncle didn’t seem surprised to see him there. “Ah, Miller. Just the man. Would you mind keeping Cleopatra company while I fetch the ladies’ stoles?” The hovering footman was perfectly capable of fetching our stoles from the cloakroom. It was his job, after all.
Mr. Miller smiled at me as Uncle Ronald walked off. “Did you enjoy your evening, Miss Fox?”
We exchanged a few minutes of pleasant if inane chatter before Floyd and Flossy arrived. My uncle took a few minutes more. He handed my velvet stole to Mr. Miller, who placed it around my shoulders. His thumb stroked the bare skin of my shoulder before he withdrew his hand.
It was an intimate gesture; one I would welcome from a gentleman I liked romantically. In Mr. Miller’s case, the gesture was not welcome.
A prickle of panic swept down my spine as I realized he could fit in our carriage if we all squeezed together, but Floyd suggested they go on to a private club next for a quiet drink with his friends. Mr. Miller politely agreed and warmly said goodbye to me.
As he escorted me out of the house and down the front steps to the pavement, Floyd bent to whisper in my ear. “You’re welcome. By the way, I discovered who currently has their automobile in London, and which ones of those can travel at fifteen or more miles per hour. I’ll slip a list under your door when I get home.”
“Thank you, Floyd.”
