The Maid's Secret: A compelling historical murder mystery (A Penny Green Victorian Mystery Book 3) by Emily Organ

Author:Emily Organ [Organ, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-NINE

The following morning I was in the hallway with Mrs Craughton when the grandfather clock chimed nine.

“What is wrong with that clock?” exclaimed the housekeeper. “It’s supposed to have been stopped! I must ask Mr Perrin to look at it again.” She turned to me. “You do realise the front steps didn’t get scrubbed yesterday, Flo. Can you make time to do them today, please?”

“Yes, Mrs Craughton. I will return these notes to Inspector Trotter and then start work on them.”

“Good. Today will be busy. The Lombards are returning for further interviews with the police.” She eyed the papers in my hand and frowned. “What have the inspectors tasked you with, exactly?”

“Inspector Trotter’s notes need to be rewritten after he spilled coffee over his notebook.”

“Doesn’t he have someone else who can write them for him? You’re busy with your household duties.”

“It’s not a problem at all, Mrs Craughton. I worked on them last night once my chores had been completed.”

“You’re good enough at writing then, are you?”

“I am told that I write well.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and I realised I was holding my breath.

“And the inspector has permitted you to read all that he’s written?” she asked. “It was supposed to be private, or at least that’s what he told me.”

“I have promised that I will keep every confidence.”

“Found out anything interesting, has he?”

The housekeeper stepped forward, as if she hoped that I would show her some of the notes. I gripped the book and papers tightly in my hands.

“Surprisingly, no. Everyone’s statements match up quite well so far. And they fit with my own recollections of the evening. But someone was responsible, I suppose, so one or more of the interviewees must be lying.”

I fixed Mrs Craughton with my full gaze, assessing her reaction.

“Yes, I suppose someone must be.”

She stared back at me with her reptilian grey eyes, then looked away and ran her finger along the wainscoting, checking for dust. “It’s extremely clean in this part of the house. It’s no coincidence, I would think, that it’s right next to the library. The doors are rather thin, aren’t they?”

I didn’t like the stern look on Mrs Craughton’s face, and I feared she had guessed that I had been listening to the conversations in the library.

“I shall take these papers into the library and then get on with my chores.”

“Please do. In the meantime, I shall check with Mr Glenville that he’s happy for you to be helping the police in this manner. I would put a stop to it myself, but I know he’s keen that the investigation into his daughter’s death should progress as quickly as possible. He is desperate to find out who the culprit is.”

“We all are,” I added.

“Indeed.”

She gave me an odd look and turned away. I knocked on the library door and heard James’s voice telling me to enter.

“It’s why Betsy was dismissed, you know,” said Mrs Craughton, who had unexpectedly paused and turned to face me again.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“She was dismissed for listening at doors.

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