12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Letters to Papa

F red woke early, which surprised him, as they had not arrived from Newmarket until late the night before. Fred would begin to separate Little Stevie girl’s letters after he broke his fast. The sun had begun to peek into the day. Fred never had a sibling and, of course, had no children, so Fred could only guess the child’s age based on her writing. The first letters coming from Little Stevie girl to Papa were rather simple – ‘Dear Papa, I miss you. I love you, Stevie.’

As she grew in age and education, her letters began to provide more information on her life which primarily related to the confines of her school. ‘Dear Papa, You will be surprised. I’m learning French. It is fun. If you speak French we can talk. I wish you would come to see me. Love you, Stevie.’ And the complexity of the letters progressed as she grew. At present, she appeared to Fred to be a thoughtful, well-educated, and interesting young lady. It pained Fred to read the letters; reading as Stevie grew from toddler to young child to older child to what Fred thought her to be presently – a young lady.

Fred felt his emotions in a tumult. All these emotions had bombarded him – vexed, exasperated, touched, pained, and more determined than ever to find this beautiful young lady. The letters were heart-rending. He wanted to do something to distract himself from the thoughts of this mysterious young lady.

John had always been the detail man in the group and excellent at extracting subtleties. Fred thought Jonathan might see something Fred might have missed. He would make sure John had a chance to read them. All Fred could get out of them was Little Stevie girl seemed to have been in one of those baby farms. Her letters indicated she enjoyed the school and they treated her well. Then she moved to a boarding school. Fred had a feeling she still resided there.

Her ‘Papa’ seemed to send her lovely gifts as she became older. A brooch, a hair clip, a hand mirror, and a comb. She thanked him so graciously. She would expound on the gifts with so much gratitude. She wished he had brought them to her himself, but she always made excuses for him – he was a busy man.

Fred had continued to sort the letters until he heard his stomach protesting for food. The ride to and from the horse farm tired him more than he realized. His morning breakfast had been light, as he had wanted to start on Little Stevie girl’s letters.

Fred sat down to send a few missives then decided to have his valet, Joshua, prepare his washroom for a bath to be followed by a nice lunch. “Give these missives to Billy and tell him to get them delivered. When Billy returned, Fred wanted him to saddle Mercury. Fred knew that Ben had to be tired as he cleaned the coach last night after they returned. He hoped Billy had groomed Mercury this morning. His horse had been in the stable without exercise for too long.

“Yes, my lord. Right away.” Joshua walked to the door and stopped. “Allow me to lay out your riding clothes. Anything in particular?”

“No, lay them out. I will dress myself.”

When the Lady Calls Again

Fredrick had decided to go by his coach-building business, Custom Coaches . The business bought and sold used coaches, and built small to medium-sized coaches, as well as custom coaches for high-end customers. The custom coaches carried the largest net profit. When he arrived, it made him happy to see a team working on two medium-sized coaches and a custom coach. He received monthly reports on the business, but he tried to stop by at least once a month. The shop being in Westminster, made it easy to visit.

After he spoke with the manager, Fredrick addressed any needs, new builds, or customer complaints. The business being six months out on new purchase starts made his employees and Fred happy to hear. It also happened to be the major complaint, but a complaint Fredrick would be glad to have any time. He left, happy to see the business doing so well.

Since he knew it had not yet opened for the day, Fred decided before returning to the townhouse, he would go to Venus . He wished to speak with Martha without interruption.

When he walked up to the front entrance of the club, he wondered if he should have gone to the back. It would have been beneficial to confirm whether the management had learned to keep that back door locked. He walked Mercury around to the back of the building, tied him to a hitching post, and walked to the door to see if it would open. It opened. Some people would not learn. He shook his head in frustration.

He walked to the front of the club. Ernie stood talking with the floaters when he spotted Fred.

“Do you people never learn? Fielding told Martha it would be wise to keep the back door locked.” Fred castigated the man.

“I know, you are correct. If we kept it locked, we would have to give all employees a key. And that could lead to further problems if you understand.” Ernie walked over and gave a slight bow to Fred. “Lord Fredrick, did you come to check on the back door?” He gave a slight guffaw.

“Actually, I came to see Martha. I came to give her some information. Is she here?” Fred looked around and failed to see her.

“She is always here. Upstairs. You know how to get there?”

“No, Ernie, I do not. Could you do the honors?” Fred gave him a smile and swept his arm to indicate for Ernie to lead the way.” Ernie led him to Martha’s door.

Ernie knocked on her door. “Come.” She called.

He poked his head in to announce. “Lord Fredrick is here and would like to briefly speak with you.” Ernie looked back at Fred and pointed his index finger to his lips. A silent request for quiet.

“Have him come in.” Fred entered the room to find two crystal chandeliers, gilded mirrors, plush rugs, and beautiful intricately carved rosewood furniture.

“This is probably the most exquisite office I have ever had the pleasure to be in. Most impressive, Martha.”

Martha rose from behind her desk, smoothing her skirt with her hands. “Please, Lord Fredrick, have a seat. What brings you here before hours? Mind you, I’m not complaining. You are easy on the eye, but I suspect you are not here for a dalliance, much to my chagrin.” She gave a little chuckle and sat down. “What can I do for you?”

“First, I wanted to tell you the items Glenda asked to be retrieved from her small flat have done nothing to find her daughter. Which is most unfortunate.”

“I’m sorry to hear it. I know you were hoping for a quick resolution to finding the girl.”

“Yes. Nothing ever seems that easy, does it?”

“I know nothing has ever been easy for me, but that is another story.” She had no interest in expounding on her statement. He had no particular interest in hearing it.

“I fail to remember – might you recall what day the woman came looking for Glenda?”

“Oh, gosh, Lord Fredrick…I’m not sure either. It may have been one or two days after poor Glenda’s demise. I think I know where this is going. The woman has not returned yet. I strongly suspect she will. What do you have in mind?”

“I want to give you some money. If or when she returns, give her the money for two weeks. Tell her Glenda has been working at another club you also own and has been staying here after the club closes. She couldn’t afford to rent a flat as well as pay her. Glenda said she would have the balance next Thursday. If she should ask any questions or asks to speak with Glenda, tell her Glenda will be informed. I will give you the money to pass on to her. Without us knowing if or when she will return, it would not be worth having Frank Stewart’s men watching the club. You send me a missive when she comes. I can only hope she takes the bait and returns the following Thursday.”

“I will certainly do my part. I’m disturbed by this horrendous crime. You only knew Glenda from her business here. Poor soul had such a different demeanor, behavior, and personality, otherwise. Quiet. Private. It is too bad she had so few people she spoke to; it would have made it much easier to find her daughter.” Martha sat; pensive. She truly seemed morose about Glenda’s death.

“I see your back door continues to be unlocked. Did you not learn from such a crime?” Fred raised a brow.

“Yes. I understand. I have been thinking about hiring someone to sit and monitor the door.”

“Martha, please stop thinking and act. I’m fairly certain that whoever murdered her, meant to kill her, and her alone although it might not be the case. We won’t know until the murderer is caught.” Fred stood and Martha stood with him. “Here, this is eight pounds. Glenda will owe more. Then you tell the woman about the following Thursday. She may know where Glenda lived. I better have my footmen go and empty her flat. I don’t want her to know about Glenda’s death.”

“I will do my part. I understand. Don’t worry. I’m a great actress. Remember, I was a prostitute before I bought this place. Yes, I’m a great actress.”

Fred turned up his nose. He thought it rather disgusting. “Don’t tell me that. You are destroying my illusions.” He walked to her office door. “One more thing. Glenda could not have walked to work from her flat. It would have taken her hours. Do you know if she might have worked a ‘deal’ with one of the jarveys that hung around Venus , to pick up passengers?”

“No, I don’t, but Ernie might know. Ask him before you leave. Anything else, my lord ?” She asked so suggestively. Oh God .

“Thank you, Martha. If I don’t hear from you after a few days, I will stop by again.”

“I will look forward to it.” She gave him a saucy glance. “Yes, I certainly will.”

Glenda’s Ride to Work

Fredrick found Ernie sitting at the exact table where Fred often found Lords Blackwood and Duff. “You are coming so often; I might hire you as a floater. You would be amazed at what you hear simply walking through a crowd.” Ernie had been eating but he stopped to wipe his mouth with his serviette before rising to greet Frederick. “What manner of business may I assist you with, my lord?”

“Ernie, please sit. I did not intend to disturb your meal. I have a quick question for you.”

“Lord Fredrick, yes, please sit down. I hope you won’t be insulted whilst I finish my meal.”

“Nonsense, Ernie. One quick question for you.”

“Alright, my lord. And I assume it would be related to the death of Glenda?”

“That is correct. I know from where she lived, she had to have another mode of transport rather than her two feet. Am I correct in that assumption?”

“Yes, my lord, you would be correct. She came in the same equipage daily, with the same jarvey.”

“Excellent. Would you happen to know who the jarvey is? Does he still come to Venus since Glenda’s death?”

“Yes, he does. I see him nightly, my lord. It never entered my mind perhaps he might be looking for her. We have been discreet about speaking of her death to anyone. There are only one or two of the girls aware. We have simply told people she left. Which is true.” Ernie’s face looked glum. “It is business, my lord. Glenda was a private person. When you don’t interact with people, it is not unusual for people to be unaware of your absence. Sadly.”

“I feel more pity for Glenda, the more I learn of her.” Fred cleared his throat. “Do you know the name of the jarvey? What his hackney looks like. What the jarvey looks like? I need to find him.” He felt compelled to explain. “She rode with the jarvey daily. Perhaps, she shared more of her life with him due to their familiarity.” Fred fixed on Ernie, waiting for an answer.

“His name is George. He’s a pleasant enough fellow. Pie face. Receding hair…brown with streaks of gray. Normal build. Short. Friendly. His hackney is old but clean. Black. Has curtains tied to the four posts. The top is flat. The customer’s and the coachman’s seats are red. He always has a knitted red blanket draped on the back of the customer’s seat. The coachman’s seat is in the front which is a bit unusual. I’m sure he could easily lead the horse from the customer’s seat, which is big enough for two people.”

“Damn, Ernie. You gave me a book on this fellow. This is excellent. I suppose you were more aware of him since he brought Glenda to and from work.” Fred reached out to shake his hand, exceedingly pleased to have such detailed information.

“It is what I do with all my customers and all the hackneys and jarveys that come to Venus . Would you like for me to describe your coach, coachman, or the usual occupants?”

“Damn, you are good. I suppose it is rather helpful to know in this business.” Fred surmised.

“In any business, my lord.” Ernie nodded. He had a good point.

“Thank you. I hope this will lead to something.” Fred clapped his hands. “I must be on my way. Mercury is tied up in the back. I’m sure he is ready to run.” Fred made an exit, patted Mercury, and rode toward Saint James with a renewed feeling of hope.