The Deeds of the Disturber - Elizabeth Peters [125]
They were not to be got rid of so easily, but I quelled their questions and pleas with a firm hand. ‘Neither of you is in a position to demand that I betray Miss Minton’s confidence. Were either of you married or affianced to her, I might admit such a claim, but you are not, and therefore I decline to answer. I promise I will send round to you (both of you) the moment I confirm my theory. The sooner you leave, the sooner I can begin to investigate.’
I got them out the door, at any rate, and I did not wait to see whether they went any farther. I turned to Ramses, who had followed me into the hall.
‘I have a feeling you share my suspicions, Ramses.’
‘Mine are not suspicions, Mama,’ said Ramses. ‘I am certain –’
‘I see. I don’t know whether to commend you for finally learning to hold your tongue, or punish you for not telling me at once.’
‘I only learned of it yesterday,’ Ramses explained. ‘She has been careful to keep out of the way; and the change in her appearance –’
‘And the fact that people pay so little attention to the servants. Except your father . . . But he is strangely obtuse about such things, you recall how long Miss Debenham deceived him.’
Gargery, who had been listening in bewildered silence, began, ‘May I ask, madam –’
‘It will all be explained at the proper time, Gargery. Please return to the drawing room and tell the children to go to their rooms. I expect Violet has eaten every scrap of food on the tea table by now.’
(And indeed, as it proved, she had.)
I found the housemaid in my room mending the fire. She rose to her feet with a murmured apology when I entered; face averted, she picked up the coal bucket and edged towards the door.
‘The jig is up, Miss Minton,’ I said. ‘Drop that bucket instantly and turn around.’
The bucket tipped, spilling coals onto the carpet. ‘Never mind that,’ I said, as she knelt to retrieve them. ‘Of all the contemptible, shameless tricks ever perpetrated on me by a member of the press (and I include Kevin O’Connell, who is no slouch at shamelessness), this is the worst. You never put my advertisement in the newspaper, did you?’
Slowly Miss Minton rose to her feet. In her black frock, ruffled apron, and neat cap, she made a pretty little maidservant, but I wondered how I could have been so dense, even with the attempts she had made to alter her features. It was more a change of expression – downcast eyes, drooping lips, and lowered chin – than of feature, and it made me realize how cruelly wide is the chasm between the social classes in our society.
After a moment her head came up and her shoulders straightened. She tried to look ashamed, but there was a wicked sparkle in her black eyes and a defiant set to her chin. ‘I’m glad you found me out,’ she said. ‘You have no idea how frustrating it has been! Once in, I could not get out. Your housekeeper, you will be glad to hear, watches over the female servants like a motherly hawk.’
‘Impertinent girl!’ I exclaimed. ‘What! Not one word of apology or regret?’
‘I do apologize. I cannot honestly say I regret what I did – except that I was unable to make good use of my opportunities. I had not a moment to myself; instead of writing the stories and seeing them appear under my name, I was forced to get the information out by whatever means I could, and let someone else take the credit.’
‘I see. So it was not a coincidence, then, that the police raided the opium den while the professor and I were there, and that the press had been notified in advance.’
‘That was my greatest success,’ said the shameless female proudly. ‘We were about to sit down to supper, in the servants’ hall, when Gargery came rushing in, so excited by your talk of opium dens that he couldn’t keep the news to himself. I pretended to have a headache and asked permission to step outside for a breath of air. I hoped, of course, to find someone who would