Decked with Folly (30 page)

“I told you, I don’t know nothing about them.” Gloria burst into loud sobbing, and Sid rolled his eyes.

Raising the pan again, he took a step toward Cecily. “Tell me where they are or she gets it.”

Gloria cried harder.

“You’ve already killed one man,” Cecily said, backing away. “Isn’t that enough for a few diamonds?”

“I didn’t mean to kill him. I hit him too hard, that’s all.” Sid’s expression grew desperate. “I was angry. I trusted that bugger and he betrayed me. Nobody does that to Sid Barrett. Nobody.”

A movement in the doorway snatched Cecily’s attention. She saw Archie Parker take a step forward and Sid begin to turn. Before either one of them could react, a whirlwind of fury in the shape of her chief housemaid hurtled past the detective, straight at Sid.

Gertie’s hand was raised above her head and clutched in her fingers was a candlestick. With a howl of rage she brought it down on Sid’s head. His look of shock was almost comical, then his eyes rolled up in his head and he crumpled to the floor.

“That,” Gertie said, her voice high-pitched and shrill, “is for killing Ian, you rotten sod.”

“Good God, woman.” Archie bent over the fallen jewel thief. “You could have killed him.”

Gertie wasn’t listening. She’d caught sight of Samuel lying on the floor, his eyes open and a dazed look on his face. “Crikey, Samuel.” She dropped to the floor beside him. “What the bloody hell are you doing down there?”

“Resting.” Samuel gave her a weak grin. “You’ve got a wicked right arm, there, Gertie. Ever thought of joining a cricket team?”

“Go on with you.” She took hold of his hand and pulled him up to a sitting position. “I see you brought your whip with you. Why didn’t you use it?”

“Didn’t have time.”

“Well, he gave you a pretty good crack on the head. You’ve got a bloody bump the size of an egg.”

Samuel explored his head with his fingers and winced. “I didn’t see that coming.”

Archie picked up the cast iron frying pan from the floor. “This did almost as much damage as the candlestick.”

Gertie looked at Sid, who had started to groan. “Well, at least I didn’t kill him with it. More’s the pity.”

Cecily, who had moved over to Gloria the minute Sid hit the floor, had an arm around the trembling woman. “Did he hurt you?” she asked, her voice just a little shaky.

Gloria rubbed her arm. “A few bruises here and there but I’ll be all right. Not like poor old Ian.” She glared at Sid, who still lay on his back. “I can’t believe that bugger killed him.”

“And tried to put the blame on me,” Gertie added, looking as if she’d hit him again at the slightest provocation.

“I hope that isn’t the same candlestick that he used on Rossiter,” Archie said, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. He bent over and snapped one end on Sid’s wrist, then snapped the other end on his own arm.

“Nah. I grabbed this one off the hallstand on the way out.” Gertie helped Samuel to his feet. He looked a little pale and not too steady on his feet, but he managed a wobbly smile. “Think of everything, don’t you, luv.”

“I do me best.” Gertie looked anxiously at Cecily. “Mr. Parker insisted I come along with him, m’m. He didn’t know where the shop was and I had to tell him everything that was going on. I know Mrs. Chubb is going to be after me for leaving like that, but I didn’t have time to explain and—”

“It’s all right, Gertie.” Cecily dug in her pocket for her handkerchief and handed it to Gloria, who was still sniffling. “I’ll explain to Mrs. Chubb.”

“Thank you, m’m.” Gertie tilted her head at Archie. “Did you know this bloke is a detective, like Sherlock Holmes?”

“Yes, I did actually.” Cecily smiled at him. “Thank you for getting here so fast.”

“My pleasure, m’m.” He hauled Sid, who looked as if he would rather still be lying on the floor, to his feet. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll take this scoundrel into Wellercombe for charging. All right if I take the trap? The rest of you can go back in the carriage, right?”

“Oh, please.” Cecily waved her arm at the door. “I don’t want to see that man’s face again if I can help it.”

“Yes, well, you might have to say your piece at the trial.” Archie shoved the sullen-faced Sid toward the door. “I wouldn’t want him to slip through our fingers now that we got him for murder.”

“It’s not murder if I didn’t mean to kill him,” Sid protested.

“Well, we’ll see what the judge has to say about that.” The two of them disappeared down the stairs, with Sid arguing all the way down that he couldn’t be charged with murder.

Cecily hurried over to Samuel, who still seemed a little dazed. “Are you all right? Should we take you to see Dr. Prestwick?”

Samuel shook his head, then winced. “No, m’m. I’ll be fine. I just want to get everyone back home, that’s all.”

“I feel responsible, Samuel.” Cecily felt a little queasy at the sight of the bump on his head. “I ordered you to bust open the door. I really didn’t expect that dreadful man to hit you.”

“It’s all right, m’m. It was worth it to see him taken away in cuffs.”

“Yes, I have to agree, I felt relieved about that. Now we’d best hurry back to the Pennyfoot. We are dreadfully late for the midday meal, and I have a few things to take care of before getting ready for the carol singing this evening.”

Gertie made a little sound and Cecily turned to her. “Were you going to say something, Gertie?”

“No, m’m.” Gertie’s face looked a little strained, and no wonder, after everything that had happened. “I was just thinking about the carol singing, that’s all.”

“Ah, yes. I’m looking forward to it.” Cecily glanced at Gloria, who seemed to be recovering nicely. “I hope you will join us this evening.”

The young woman smiled. “I’d like that very much.”

“Good, then that’s settled.” Cecily headed for the door. “Come, let us leave this place.”

“Just one moment, m’m?”

Cecily paused, and looked back at Gloria. “Yes?”

“I have to get something first.” She moved over to the fireplace and lifted up the coal scuttle. After setting it aside, she pried up four of the tiles from the hearth, then reached inside.

Cecily wasn’t terribly surprised when Gloria held up a black velvet box.

Gertie, however, uttered a loud gasp. “The jewels! You swore on the Bible you didn’t have them!”

Gloria sniffed. “I wasn’t holding one at the time, though, was I.”

“That don’t make no difference.” Gertie looked at Cecily for help.

Cecily gave her a slight shake of her head. “What matters is that the jewels are safe. We must see that they get back to the rightful owners.”

“Do we have to?” Gloria clutched the box to her chest. “I was hoping to keep them. After all, I lost my husband because of these.”

Gertie snorted. “Where do you go where you can wear a blinking fortune in jewelry?”

“I wasn’t going to wear them.” Gloria smiled. “I was going to sell them. What I’d get for these would set me up for life.”

“What you’d get for those,” Cecily said dryly, “would be a few years in prison. That’s stolen property, young lady, and highly recognizable. It has to be returned.”

“Can I get a peek at them first?” Gertie held out her hand for the box. “I never saw real jewelry close up.”

Gloria looked as if she would refuse, but Cecily took the box from her unwilling hands and opened it.

Light from the gas lamp on the wall set the jewels ablaze. Even Cecily gasped at the sparkle of brilliant color dancing in her hands. “These are magnificent,” she said, her voice hushed with awe.

“Bloody hell.” Gertie leaned in for a closer look. “I could fancy meself with those around my neck.”

“I hate to intrude on the all the admiration,” Samuel said faintly from across the room. “But I have one monster of a headache, and if you want me to drive you home I think we’d better go now.”

“Oh, poor Samuel.” Instantly contrite, Cecily snapped the lid of the jewelry box shut. “Come, let us get back to the Pennyfoot where the poor dear boy can rest. We want everyone to enjoy the carol singing this evening.”

She smiled at Gertie, concerned to see the sour look on her housemaid’s face. It was obvious Gertie was upset about something. She would have to ask her about it later, but for now her first priority was to get Samuel back to the club and off his feet. Right now he looked as if he was having trouble staying upright.

Holding the precious jewels tightly in her grasp, she led the way downstairs and out into the fresh air.

By the time they arrived back at the Pennyfoot, Samuel was looking very much the worse for wear. Cecily ordered him to his room, with a promise to look in on him later. She then followed Gertie to the kitchen, where Michel was crashing saucepans around in a high fit of temper.

Mrs. Chubb’s face turned red at the sight of Gertie, but before she could open her mouth, Cecily hastily intervened.

“You must excuse Gertie,” she said, as the housemaid scuttled over to the sink to give the maids a hand. “She had to come to my rescue and was extremely brave in attacking a rather nasty villain. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it later, but right now I have urgent business elsewhere.”

Mrs. Chubb’s face wore a look of astonishment. “Very well, m’m. By the way, Mr. Baxter was in here looking for you. He seemed upset about something.”

“Oh, heavens.” Leaving Mrs. Chubb to stare after her, Cecily flew through the door and down the hallway.

Arriving at her suite a few minutes later, out of breath and apprehensive, she paused to compose herself before entering.

Baxter was in his usual chair, his face hidden behind a newspaper. Without bothering to lower it he said quietly, “So there you are.”

“I’m sorry, darling.” She hurried over to him, anxious to make amends. “I’m afraid time got away from me.”

“You know you missed the midday meal.”

Suddenly realizing she was starving, she uttered a sigh. “So I did. I’ll have Mrs. Chubb send up something a little later when things calm down in the kitchen.”

The newspaper rattled as he lowered it. “Where were you?”

“It’s a long story, my love.” She pulled off her scarf and hat and threw them on the sofa. Raising the jewel box, she added, “I found the jewels.”

He frowned. “What jewels?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention them to you?” Taking a seat, she began to tell him everything that had happened.

His face grew longer and more alarmed as she got to the part about breaking into the flat. Expecting a lecture from him, she was surprised when she finished her account of the afternoon’s activities without any comment from him at all.

His silence made her more nervous then any amount of shouting would have. She peered at him, fearing the worst. Had she finally overstepped the boundaries? Had he given up on her entirely, and no longer cared what happened to her?

She waited for what seemed an eternity, then whispered, “Are you very angry with me? I had to go after Sid, don’t you see? He’d killed Ian, and I was afraid he’d kill Gloria, too.”

Baxter sighed and passed a hand across his forehead. “I don’t think you realize how I feel when you disappear and I have no idea where you’ve gone. Given your penchant for attracting danger, I can only sit in fear for your safety, with no real assurance that I will ever see you again.”

“I’m sorry, I—”

She broke off with a gasp as he surged to his feet and pulled her into his arms. “What would I do without you, my dearest? I ask myself that every time you engage in these precarious escapades. When will you ever give up such treacherous ventures? When you finally meet your match and lose the game? Is that my destiny? To lose you to a clever and fiendish criminal?”

“No, my love, I pray not.” She clung to him, full of remorse. “I do not expose myself to such dangers without considering the risks, or making certain I have some protection. Samuel was with me this afternoon, and Mr. Parker not far behind.”

Baxter sighed and let her go. “Very well, I shall simply have to grow old before my time with the worry of it all.”

She smiled. “You will always be young to me, my love. Now finish reading your newspaper while I put these jewels in a safe place. Then I’ll order something to eat and we’ll have a nice rest. I’m looking forward to singing carols with you tonight, and I want to look my best. At least now I’ll be able to enjoy the evening knowing that Lady Roslyn and Mrs. Chubb have recovered their jewelry and once more justice has been served.”

“At a cost to my good looks,” Baxter muttered, getting in the last word as usual.

 

 

 

Gertie stood near the window of the library, with one eye on the street. Guests and staff alike had been invited to the ceremony, and the room was packed, with every chair taken and many people standing around the Christmas tree.

Madeline stood next to her husband, her bare toes peeking out from under the hem of her flowing cotton frock. Defying expectations that her attire would become more appropriate once she was the doctor’s wife, Madeline continued to dress as she pleased, still raising eyebrows everywhere she went with her bohemian style of fashion. Gertie admired that. No one told Madeline Pengrath Prestwick what to do.

She glanced across the room to where Phoebe Carter-Holmes Fortescue stood hissing at her husband. The colonel’s bushy white eyebrows shot up and down, and he kept tugging on his mustache, but otherwise appeared unaffected by his fussy little wife’s reprimands. Gertie shook her head. Poor bugger. Nothing he ever did would please that woman.

Sighing, she glanced out the huge bay window again, hoping to see Dan’s motorcar pull up outside.

The lamps were lit all along the Esplanade. The shops had closed, and nothing moved on the street. It all looked so peaceful outside, and she felt a sudden longing to be out there, hoping the cold wind from the ocean would blow away her melancholy.