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He was about to assist me up to the seat of our waiting carriage when Uncle Ronald loudly cleared his throat. When he got our attention, he jerked his head in Mr. Miller’s direction.
Floyd dutifully offered my hand to Mr. Miller. He seemed a little embarrassed to have been summoned so crudely, but he smiled through the awkwardness, nevertheless. He assisted me into the carriage, then helped Flossy, while Uncle Ronald offered his hand to Aunt Lilian.
“What an amiable fellow,” Uncle Ronald declared once we were seated and the carriage lurched forward. “He’s a great admirer of yours, Cleopatra. How many times did you dance together?”
“I lost count,” I said.
Uncle Ronald beamed. “What good fortune that he came tonight. I’m glad he asked me.”
I frowned. “Asked you what?”
“Whether you were going to attend. He received an invitation but wasn’t sure if he would go. Yesterday he asked me if you’d be there with your cousins, and I assured him you would.” He took Aunt Lilian’s hand in his big paw and patted it. “You made a good impression on him at dinner the other night, Cleopatra. Going by the way he attended to you tonight, I’d say he’s smitten. What do you think, Lilian?”
Aunt Lilian pressed her fingers to her temple. “My head is pounding. If you wouldn’t mind keeping your voice down.”
“Of course, dear, of course.” He patted her hand and beamed at me the rest of the way back to the hotel.
At breakfast,Harmony and I pored over the list Floyd had slipped under my door during the night. There were only six motor vehicles listed. A manageable number.
Harmony folded the paper and tucked it into her apron pocket. “I’ll send the others out to speak to the drivers.”
“Have them ask where the vehicle was on Saturday afternoon. I want to know if one of them collected Rosa Rivera from the Royal Albert Hall and drove her to the Elms.” I placed a piece of toast on my plate and picked up a knife and the pot of strawberry jam. “You took a risk going with Victor and Harry last night.”
“A minor risk and one I was willing to take. I merely kept watch outside the house and would whistle if Mrs. Rigg-Lyon or a servant came home. All was well and I wasn’t needed. Still, I felt better for being there.”
I understood the sentiment. I worried about Harry being caught, too. If he were discovered, it could be disastrous given his conviction for theft as a child. A judge wouldn’t give a light sentence for a second offence, even if they occurred years apart.
Harmony inspected the hard-boiled egg in the cup before scooping the middle out with a spoon. “Sorry for interrupting your evening. I was against it, but Harry insisted.”
I paused with the toast halfway to my mouth. “He did?”
“I thought we could work out the diary entries on our own, but he said we required someone who spoke French. I suggested we wait until morning, then return the diary tonight, but he insisted we do it all at once.”
“I suppose he wanted to get it over with.” I bit into the toast.
“That’s not why. He wanted to see you in your ball gown.”
I choked on the piece of toast.
“He also wanted to see Mr. Miller,” she went on. “It’s a pity they didn’t get to meet.”
“Harry couldn’t possibly know Mr. Miller would be there. I didn’t until I saw him.”
“He knew.” She sported a wicked smile as she poured herself more coffee from the pot. “I told him.”
“How didyouknow?”
“Lady Bainbridge’s maid told me when we walked back to the residence hall together after you’d all left the hotel. She overheard Sir Ronald tell Lady Bainbridge that Mr. Miller had asked him if you’d be attending the ball.”
“Are there no secrets in this hotel?”
“There are some benefits to being invisible.”
Treating servants as if they weren’t there was a mistake many people like my uncle made. It was a benefit in an investigation, but not so much for keeping family matters private.
“Harry is a little jealous of Mr. Miller,” she went on, that smile still in place. “Even more so after we left the ball, thanks to Mr. Bainbridge pointing out that the American chose to dance with you above all others.”
“Floyd still thinks Harry and I are interested in one another.”
