Chapter 11

It is Getting Serious

Curtis was feeling much better. He knew he only had one or two more days until he would have to return to Eton. It was Wednesday. He would return to school on the weekend to catch up on his studies. Muriel and Rosa were in the music room. He could see Rosa playing when he walked into the room. Muriel was dancing around by herself. "Sister, you look ridiculous. What are you doing?"

"Rosa and I went to Margaret's yesterday. The dance master was there. He taught us two new dances. I was attempting to practice. I need a partner."

"Is that a hint or a request?" He smiled at his sister. He would do anything he could for her. Rosa, too. They enjoyed having a baby brother when they were younger. They had doted on him, yet made sure he learned to be the gentleman he has come to be. He supposed the least he could do for her was dance with her. "Come, we must take this slowly, if you want me to be of any assistance to your dancing expertise." He chuckled.

"Thank you for your help. It will be helpful to you, as well. You know ladies love to dance."

"It is what I have heard." He smiled at this sister.

"Rosa, could you slow the music down until he learns the steps?" Curtis stepped up to his sister and she showed him where to put his hands. "Thank you, Curtis. I will walk you through the steps first, then we can add the music."

It was a cold day. Staying inside was much more enjoyable when both Rosa and Muriel enjoyed Curtis's company. Learning the dances was a joy and time flew. By tea time, Curtis had the dances to memory and they had a grand time dancing around the music room .

"Lady Muriel, tea time. Amina and Lady McDonnell are in the drawing room." Mr. Sanders announced.

"That was delightful . Did you enjoy it as well?" Muriel had hoped Curtis had a good time; She would be able to talk him into it again if, in fact, he did.

"I did. I suppose I should be learning the dances. Entertainment is available to us on the weekends. Now, I can ask the prettiest girls to dance. So you see, you helped me much more than I helped you." He squeezed his sister's hand. "It really was fun." They walked toward the drawing room. "And you, Rosa. How could I forget how superb you play the pianoforte."

"And we even got to dance together as Muriel played. Sorry, I was not as good. I did try." Rosa gave Curtis a squeeze. "I think you did exceedingly well.

Come," he took her hand. "We shall refresh ourselves." Amina and Marie were talking about what time they should leave.

"Going somewhere?" Muriel asked. She was pleasantly surprised that her mother had made plans to go out. She was curious to know who had lured her out.

"Yes, I have been invited to Lord and Lady Maxwell's home. They are having a small gathering of friends and wanted me to come and asked Amina to come with me."

"Mother, do you think I could come along? I feel much better and I had a note from David. He returned home from Eton today because his father is in Town. I would be able to find out what I have missed as well." He looked at Marie for permission . He was anxious to get out of the house.

"I think it would be alright. Of course. You must put on something more presentable. We will leave here at six forty-five. The gathering is at seven."

Rosa and Muriel found themselves alone in the house so decided to move back to the music room to play the pianoforte, dance, sing, and laugh the night away. Rosa and Muriel took turns playing the piano. Cook was done in the kitchen and had retired for the night; Mr. Sanders was in the butler's room down the hall. As Mama and Amina were gone, Rosa and Muriel took advantage of their being gone to sing the songs Mama and Amina would not allow. First they sang, Taffy was a Welshman. Then, they decided to sing something silly. They started, A Hunting We Will Go, which has different stanzas. The second about a fish, third about a bear, and the fourth about a pig, which is the stanza they were on; playing the pianoforte, singing loudly, and laughing at the silly verses when they thought they heard some noise coming from the back of the house–toward the kitchen. Rosa stopped playing. They both froze.

There was banging as if something or someone had been knocked against the wall. There were words, "Get the hell out." There was more knocking, banging, then a loud growling. They ran into the hall to see Mr. Sanders physically fighting with some dirty-looking, heavy set man. The man had Mr. Sanders against the wall. He saw Muriel and Rosa run into the hall. Shocked. He hit Mr. Sanders twice more. Mr. Sanders made a grunting sound as the man jabbed him in the stomach, then again about the face. Then, he suddenly let go of Mr. Sanders and ran out the back; through the kitchen door.

"Dear God, Mr. Sanders. Are you alright?" Muriel was looking at him as Rosa ran into the kitchen. Mr. Sanders was bleeding from his lip and had a large hematoma over his left eye. "My God. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I hardly know. I was so taken by surprise. I simply reacted. I told him to get out. Then he lunged for me and luckily, you and Rosa came out." He felt his left eye and tried to wipe blood away from his lip with his kerchief he had pulled out of his pocket. He gave a bit of a ‘ha', "I would have hated to die to, A Hunting We Will Go." Both he and Muriel let out a small, nervous laugh.

Muriel held his hand to keep him steady. They were both shaking. "Shall we go into the drawing room so you can sit down?"

"Yes, I think that would be a very good idea." The three of them went into the drawing room.

Muriel eased Mr. Sanders down to the couch. He could hardly move under his own power.

Rosa returned with a wet cloth. "We need to get Dr. Haynie here." Rosa bent down toward Mr. Sanders. "Here, allow me clean you up, sir." She took his arm and could feel him shaking. Rosa began cleaning the blood off his face. "I went outside to see which way he went. He must have run quickly away from here because I did not see him."

Carl came running into the room. "What the hell happened, Lady Muriel? Mr. Sanders, are you alright? I heard the noise and by the time I got to the back door, this man was running out. I chased him until he reached the corner and jumped into a coach. I was unable to get a good look at the coach. It was too dark."

"Thank you for trying, Carl." Mr. Sanders' mouth was beginning to swell. "I was so startled, I must apologize; I did not get the best look at him."

"Carl, Jimmy is with Lady McDonnell, yes?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Can you take one of the horses and seek the Bow Street Runners?"

"Yes, my lady. I would go straight away, yet I'm worried to leave you alone." Muriel understood his rationale. What if the man came back? Why would someone want to break in to this house? There were too many questions, and her mind was in turmoil. "Carl, do we have a gun in this house?"

"My lady, I would be most concerned to leave you here with a gun. You have never held a gun in your life."

"Remind me to put that on my list of ‘things I need to learn'." Again, she let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm at a loss. I should go; only I can't leave you here alone. I'm sorry, my lady, I must stay to keep you safe. I will go retrieve the gun and we can wait until Lady McDonnell returns with Jimmy."

"I understand." Muriel looked at Mr. Sanders. Rosa was holding his hand which was so sweet. That was something Mr. Sanders would have never done under normal circumstances. At this moment, he seemed most comfortable with Rosa's hand in his. Muriel's heart was bounding so hard it felt like it was coming through her skin. "I think we could all do with a bit of brandy." She went into the dining room, picked up the brandy decanter, four snifters, placed them on a silver salver, and carried them into the drawing room. "Carl, would you do the honors and fill each snifter about half full, if you please." She thought she had better add. "One is for you, Carl." She was shaking too badly to pour.

"Yes, my lady, thank you." He poured the brandy and handed them out. "I will drink this down, then go fetch the gun."

"Yes, Carl, thank you. I was shaking too badly to be able to pour." She gave a weak smile to Carl.

"I understand, my lady. It is most unnerving to have someone break into the house and attack Mr. Sanders."

"How are you now, Mr. Sanders? Better?" Rosa asked as she squeezed his hand.

"To be completely honest, I'm beginning to feel sore– everywhere." He was looking down. "I'm so sorry. I should have been able to do more, my lady."

"Nonsense. I think the fact that you even tried is commendable." She had not been sitting down. She walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm most proud of you." She felt bad for him. He was a butler. He was not made of the fighting stuff. He was a gentleman. How could this have happened? ‘Twas a frightening thing, to have such a man break into the house. What did he want? Was he hungry? Was he coming in to steal the silver? What made him choose this house?

"If you approve, I would like to lay down." Mr. Sanders had yet to stand. He was waiting for Muriel's approval.

"Yes, yes, of course. Carl, could you help him, please." "Yes, my lady."

"I will lay down in the butler's room, if you should need me"

"Please go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Sanders." He held his head down and slightly shook it as Carl helped him up off the couch.

Rosa moved down the couch and patted the seat next to her. Muriel sat down and took another sip of her brandy. "We must get Dr. Haynie here. I fear Mr. Sanders may have more serious injuries. We saw him being hit by that big oaf." They sat a moment. "Why do you think that man was trying to come into the house?"

"I think the brandy is calming my nerves." She took another sip. "I have not a clue. There is nothing here, save the silver that would be worth anything." They both sat in silence.

Finally, Rosa gave Muriel a nudge. "And we were having such a grand time."

"Yes, we were."

Frank's man, Mike who had been one of the two men assigned to watch the McDonnell house. He left to find Frank and report that the man who had also been watching the house had broken in. He was unsure what transpired inside. It was more than disconcerting that the man could run out of the house so quickly, then be immediately picked up on the corner by a coach. Frank stood with a vacuous gaze. "What the hell is going on with this family? This is becoming more ominous than we could have ever first suspected when I first took this case."

"What would you have me do now?" Asked Mike. He had left the second man, George, with instructions that if the man did return, to stop him.

"I would think that someone would go to the Bow Street Runners office. Has anyone from the house done that?"

"No, sir. Lady McDonnell left with her friend, the older ebony woman in that house. The son left with them. The coachman did not return. The only men in the house were the butler and one footman. No one has left. I would think that the footman would not leave the ladies alone, which was a smart thing to do."

"Yes, well. I think that I will go to Bow Street and explain to John Fielding what I'm doing watching the McDonnell house. It is not to go any further than him. And I will go in as a representative of Bow Street with his approval." He walked in a circle, hands on his hips as if thinking for anything else that should be done. "I want you to go back and watch the house. I pray the bastard has not returned. Who is the second man? I'm sorry, Mike. It has slipped my mind."

"George, sir. I would not worry at all with George watching the house. Although he does know he is not to be seen, if he heard any screaming or yelling, he would not hesitate to go in. He could tear the door down. He is as strong as an ox, sir."

"Alright, you return and I will leave Mr. Trenchmouth and go over to Bow Street; then I guess I had better report to Lord Windham."

"Trenchmouth, sir? "

"Never mind."

"My lord, there is a Mr. Frank Stewart here to speak with you." Fred's butler, Mr. Brown was accustomed to people calling all hours of the day and night.

"Yes, send him in." Fred was enjoying one of his very few evening at home with a good book and a bottle of scotch he had purchased from John. Since Martin was gone, he finally broke down and bought a case. He stood as Frank walked into Fred's small drawing room. "Frank, you look like you could use a drink." He walked over to the side table where he had been sitting, picked up the bottle, handed Frank a glass, and gave him the bottle. "Help yourself."

"Ballocks, this case Lord Claymont handed me has gone from bad to bizarre." He shot down the drink and poured another. "You were there when I told Lord Claymont about the strange man following Lady Muriel?"

"Yes. Go ahead. Wait. Give me that bottle. I think I will need another myself." He poured. "I guess we should sit down."

"Yes, this whole thing has been too, too strange. The man that has been lurking about the McDonnell house finally acted. He broke into the house. I only now came from the Bow Street; I talked to John Fielding. He agreed for me to go in as one of the runners. The problem up to now is that no one has reported the crime to Bow Street yet. The Dowager McDonnell, the older black woman, and the son left with the coachman. When my man, Mike found me, they had yet to return. Mike reported that he thought the only men in the house were the butler and one footman."

"What the deuce is going on?" He poured another drink and waved the bottle to Frank, who gladly took it and filled his glass. "Martin would have to be gone. Well, the only thing you can do is wait until someone from the McDonnell house goes to Bow Street. Under the circumstances, I guess you are going back to Bow Street."

"Yes, straight away. I don't want to miss anyone from the McDonnell house. I wanted to let you know. There is much more going on than we ever first expected."

"What in the world could he have wanted? My God, and poor Mr. Sanders." Mother began to swoon.

"Mother, sit down. Amina, could you get Mother some brandy?"

"I think I need a bit of brandy myself." Amina went into the dining room.

"Here, Marie, drink this. When you think you can, we need to go upstairs. I think we both need to lie down." Amina winked at Muriel. The best thing for Mother to do would be to go to bed.

"What of the Bow Street gentleman? Should I not be...no, I think I need to lie down." She started out the door. "Come Amina. Will you sleep with me tonight?"

"Of course, I will. I will read to you in bed."

They went up the stairs. Muriel was relieved. "You and I must stay up until the gentleman from Bow Street arrives. Jimmy should be back with him directly." She sat back down next to Rosa.

"What shall we say? We know very little." She looked to Rosa for confirmation. "We will do our best. Correct?"

"Yes, we will. We did get a look at him. I'm not sure about any particulars. I do think together we could provide a fairly decent description."

"Then I want Jimmy to fetch Dr. Haynie straight away. I hope Mr. Sanders has no serious injuries." Muriel was worried about Mr. Sanders health. He was not a young man.

"Yes, indeed. I'm more than concerned. It is most unfortunate that we were unable to send anyone to fetch him earlier as no one was here. This is frightening. Honestly, Muriel, we hardly have enough men in this house to protect us."

"And I can't afford to hire another footman. This is unnerving, Rosa. I'm frightened."

They sat in silence again. It seemed they were both completely unnerved. They sat, sipping their brandy and waited until the man arrived, which was not very long. Carl had manned the doors, so when they heard the back door open, Carl called out. "It is alright, my lady. It is the man from Bow Street. Muriel straightened her skirt and put her brandy down on the low table.

The man came into the drawing room and bowed to Lady Muriel. "Good evening ladies. I apologize for the lateness of the evening. I understand there was a break-in." He seemed to suddenly be mesmerized. "I–I–"

"Are you alright, sir? Could I get you a brandy? Perhaps, you should sit down." She stood and left for the dining room.

Rosa was looked at him and spoke very flatly. "I know what your problem is. Fear not. I shan't tell her. This happens all the time. Strange that she has no idea. That is the beauty of the lady. Often too na?ve for her own good."

"Oh, pardon. I–I guess, I guess I understand. She does take one's breath away, does she not?"

"Yes, sir. Indeed she does. Now, when she comes back in, you might want to introduce yourself to her."

As Muriel came back into the room, she gave Frank such a caring smile. "Here, sir. I poured a bit more than usual. You looked as if you needed it, if you beg my pardon for being so bold."

"Not at all, Lady? Lady?"

"Lady Muriel. And this is my sister, Rosa." Muriel sat back down next to Rosa.

"Sister?"

"I was adopted – in infancy." Rosa swallowed a chuckle.

"Yes, well, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mr. Frank Stewart, with the Bow Street Runners. I'm here to take a report on the break-in that took place at approximately eight-thirty tonight."

"Yes, sir." Muriel responded. Was she to say more?

"Mr. Steward is fine."

"Yes, Mr. Stewart."

"Can you tell me where you were when the man broke in?"

"Rosa and I were in the music room. We were playing, A Hunting We Will Go. We were on the pig verse, were we not, Rosa?"

"That is correct. I think the pig verse is the funniest."

"We were dancing, playing the pianoforte, and laughing when we thought we heard a noise. A loud noise. Banging. We ran into the hall to see Mr. Sanders, that is our butler. And he was, at least he was trying to fight off this man. Of course, the man was younger, bigger, and scruffier. Is scruffier a word?"

"I believe so. Muriel, tell him what the man looked like." Rosa was urging her along.

"Rosa, we must have Jimmy fetch Dr. Haynie." Muriel put her finger to her lip. "Yes. He was taller than Mr. Sanders, with much more girth."

"You said that already, Muriel. I think the gentleman would like a more thorough description."

"Yes...hum...he was dirty. He had on trousers – old, I think they were supposed to be dark blue; they were faded and dirty. He had on a topcoat. It was "

Rosa interceded. "It was black. The right pocket was torn. We could not see the left side. I may be mistaken yet I thought he had a mole on that side of his face, close to his mouth." Rosa was always better with details.

"He never said anything. We heard him growl. Yes. He growled. When he saw us, he hit Mr. Sanders twice more, then went running out the back door. We have never had to worry about locking that door. Jimmy sleeps above the mews and Carl is usually always here at night." Muriel was wondering if she was giving him enough information.

"Is your Mr. – the butler's name is?"

"Mr. Sanders. He is the sweetest of men. Such a gentleman. He was not raised to be a fighter. He was raised to be a butler. Poor man. His clothes were disheveled. His lip was bleeding and he had a large bruise over his left eye. And he is such a dear." She wondered if there was anything else she could tell him. "I think that is all I can think of. What of you Rosa?"

"He had no gloves on. I noticed he had a ring on his right hand. That is what must have torn Mr. Sanders skin. And he had...I have no idea what the proper word is for it; the word I have heard is...whiskey nose?" She thought that was the slang version.

"Ah, yes." He turned his head to give a soft, quick laugh. "I would like to speak with the...Mr. Sanders and the footman."

"Mr. Sanders is abed. Would it be possible for you to come back on the morrow? I can fetch Carl and you may speak with him now." She stood and went out of the room.

"She is very...thoughtful." Frank had his eyes fixated on her as she left the room.

"Yes." Rosa said very sarcastically. "That is exactly what everyone says about her.. .thoughtful ."

Frank returned to Fred's townhouse the next morning and provided him with all the information he had been able to gather from everyone that was in the house at the time. "The young lady, Lady Muriel – wow. And she is most kind. She thought I needed a drink; went and fetched me a brandy. And sweet, yet funny the way she described what she and her sister, that is what she called the ebony lady, anyway, they were dancing and singing, A Hunting We Will Go. Did you know there are several verses to that song?"

"No, most unfortunately I did not." Fred was unsure what he was to do with that piece of information. "So you saw her up close. She is really beautiful?"

"Wow!"

"I thought so. And sweet and thoughtful."

"Yes, yes." Frank responded enthusiastically.

"She is not real. She must be some kind of mirage."

"No, and she is definitely real. And funny too, although I don't believe she is aware of it."

"So what did you get from the information they were able to impart?"

"Nothing we did not already know of the man. Except, the lady, Lady Muriel kept referring to her as ‘Rosa' included that he had a mole on the right side of his mouth and a ring on his right hand." He put his hand on his chin, trying to recall something. "Oh, and Rosa said the man had a, ‘whiskey nose'. Hilarious."

"I wonder where she picked up such a word. Odd, that." Fred gave a half chuckle. "So...did Mr. –what was his last name, the butler? Did he know anything?"

"I was unable to speak with him. Basically, the information imparted was little more than we knew already. Except for the whiskey nose. Our men have never been able to get close enough to see his face too clearly. He usually had a hat on. Evidently, he had no hat when he went into the house. I'm very curious as to why he wanted to get into that house. What could he have possibly wanted?" Frank was obviously perplexed.

"This is quite the mystery. I only hope it is solved soon before my friend completely loses his equilibrium. He has been off balance since the evening he saw her." Fred chortled.

"That is understandable. She is a beautiful young lady." Frank chuckled.

"Truly?"

"Yes, I told you. I could hardly speak when I saw her. She literally took my breath away. She thought I was not feeling well and got me a brandy. While she was gone, Rosa said it happens all the time; the funny thing is Lady Muriel has no idea she is what causes it." Shook his head. "Beautiful women must know that they are beautiful, surely."

"I have not a modicum on the subject, having never been one myself." Frank started walking toward the drawing room door.

"I must be off. Got to keep my eye on Trenchmouth."

"I dread giving this news to Martin. Thank you for coming by with the follow-up. And let me know if anything significant happens today or this evening. I will, most likely be at Temple of Venus. You know the address?"

"Oh, yes. Very nice. Terrific looking light skirts."

When Dr. Haynie arrived early in the morning, he had spent a good bit of time with Mr. Sanders, which had Muriel, Rosa, and Curtis completely shaken. When Dr. Haynie came out of the butler's room, his face looked grave. "What is it? Will he be alright? What can we do?" Muriel was holding Rosa's hand.

"I fear he may have internal injuries. I'm sure he has broken ribs. He must have thrown up blood sometime in the night which tells me there is an injury in there somewhere. I suggest that you should get him into one of the upstairs bedrooms. I think he needs to refrain from eating for at least twenty-four hours until we can get a better idea of those internal injuries." Muriel and Rosa began to cry. "Now, now, little ones. I know that you will take intense care of him. He is so lucky to have you." He hugged them both, then got them at arm's length. "He can have water. Little sips. Not too much. If he gets nauseated and casts up his accounts again, let me know immediately. You understand?"

Muriel was wiping her eyes. "You say he is lucky to have us. I think not; if he had not been in the house, he would never have been hurt." Rosa came to her and they held on to each other. "Thank you, doctor. You have been a true blessing to us this last week."

"This family is going to be fine. I know. Everything always works out in the end."

"Yes, sir; yet I wonder...when is the end?" Curtis asked. Dr. Haynie patted him on the back. "When it comes." He started out the door. "Remember, come immediately if he gets worse. Otherwise, I will be here later this evening."

"Wait, Doctor. Could I speak with you for a moment...privately?"

"Of course, little one. Come." They walked out of the drawing room and into the library.

"Dr. Haynie. I'm so very grateful for all that you have done for us this last week. It has been rather chaotic, to say the least. I have to tell you; we have no money to pay you. Not now, anyway. We are having a great deal of difficulty with the man that father appointed as the executor of the estate. I feel so distraught about having to tell you. I had to be honest with you. I have no idea when I may be able to pay you. Be assured that I will. Yet, I have no idea when." She wiped her eyes again. She was so ashamed to have to say something like that to someone she held so dear.

"You don't worry yourself. You hear me." He could see the tears in her lovely eyes. "You take care of Mr. Sanders. The money will come. You will see. Never worry about paying me, my sweet." He took her chin, making her look at him, and said again. "You never worry about me, my sweet." He hugged her. "I must be off. I will return this evening. I will expect tea and those delicious tea cakes."

"Yes, sir. Dr. Haynie."

She returned to the drawing room to see the two solemn faces looking back at her. "Well, the first thing we need to do is get an upstairs bedchamber prepared, then get Jimmy, and Carl," She looked to her brother, "and you to carry him upstairs." She was thinking of what needed to be done during the interim of time. "We will all have to pay attention to the door, without Mr. Sanders, we will all have to be responsible for the front door. Plus, we need to keep the doors locked. I have no idea how that is going to work with Jimmy, the kitchen help, and Carl going in and out the back. We will have to come up with something."

"Mama is going to be of no help whatsoever." Curtis sat down, put his head in his hands. Then he looked back up at Rosa and Muriel. "That does it."

"That does what?" What?" Muriel had a scowl on her face. "I shan't return to school." He looked in earnest.

"WHAT! Oh, no...no, no, no, no. You most certainly will go back to school. Papa would be mortified if you dropped out of Eton. Why do you think we have been cutting corners? So you can get a much needed education. NO! I won't hear of it."

"Please–"

"She is right, Curtis. This is what the entire family wants of you. Once you are out of Eton, you can take over, gladly. For now; you must go back." Rosa went and sat down next to him. "You understand. Tell me you understand."

"I understand...I suppose. I don't like it. I feel terrible about leaving you both with this mess." He sat for a moment. "Perhaps I will be able to come home more often on the weekends."

"So you will spend more money on transportation. No, Curtis."

"Well, Christmas break is right around the corner. I will be home then."

"Oh, God! Christmas." Muriel sat down. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she thought about how horrible it would be at Christmas time if this whole debacle Papa had created was not resolved.

"Most assuredly, it should be to rights way before Christmas." Rosa was being hopeful. For Muriel's sake.

"We have an upstairs maid and a laundress. Do you think we could do without one of them?" Muriel was groping for anyway to cut costs.

"Who will take care of everything that needs to be done upstairs. You know she also does much for the downstairs as well. And the laundress? Who will do the laundry? You? Me? I have not the least notion of what it involves. Muriel, we will be alright. Please, sit a moment and be calm." Rosa was a beacon of reason.

"At the very least, I need to get with Cook and find out what types of deliveries come through the front and which through the back. Can all business be conducted through the back entrance? I have no idea. I shan't disturb Mr. Sanders with these questions. It will only make him more anxious to get up. We can't afford to lose him. He is too important to this family."

"Yes, of course, Sister. We will make do. I have what is today? Thursday? I don't have to be back until Monday morning. We can get a lot settled between then and now." Curtis, sweet Curtis. Did he have to grow up? He stood and snapped his fingers. "I'm going to call on Charles Davis. If he has not seen Mr. Trenchard, I will insist that we go to his place of business today. I want answers."

"I think that is a very good idea." She looked at him. He feared she doubted him. "Curtis, I'm sincere. I do think is a very wise decision. Now, go put on your finery, get Jimmy, and go."

"Yes, Sister. Right now!"

As Curtis was running up the stairs, there was a knock on the door. "Well, I guess I am the butler today." Muriel smiled at Rosa with a tear-stained face and red nose.

She opened the door to see the man from Bow Street. What was his name? Stewart. "Mr. Stewart, please do come in." He stood in the foyer. "Please, come with me into the drawing room."

He obediently followed. He noticed she had been crying. Even with a tear-stained face, she was lovely. She sat down and he stood looking at her. "You came with more questions?" Rosa helped to prompt him.

"Oh, yes. I was wondering if I might be able to speak with your butler this morning."

"Please sit down, sir. I apologize, the butler, Mr. Sanders is unable to speak with you. I'm unsure when he might be able to as he has sustained more serious injuries than we realized. Our family physician, Dr. Haynie, do you know of him?"

"I have heard of him."

"I believe he has all the information that Mr. Sanders told him. We do not want to press him. If you would like to speak with Dr. Haynie, you certainly have my permission. I know Mr. Sanders would approve. Anything we can do to help find this vermin. Pardon my being so bold."

Frank smiled at her. She was funny and was not even aware of it. "No offense, I assure you." He stood. "I must be off." He was waiting to be excused. He realized there was currently no butler. "I should see myself out."

"Oh, no, no, Mr. Stewart. How absolutely abhorrent of me. I'm in such a state of...something, I forgot we have no butler. Well, we do have a butler, sadly, he is not well. Anyway. I need to give you Dr. Haynie's address."

"Oh, yes, that would be most helpful." He had forgotten himself.

"Dr. Haynie bought the house at auction from the estate of George Friederic Handel. He lived there until he died in 1759. Is that not interesting?" She looked at him. He simply stared. "Yes, I thought so too." She walked in front of him to open the door. "Oh, yes, Dr. Haynie's address is No. 4 Brook Street. He is such a kind man. Wonderful, really. He puts up with this crazy family." She stopped. "Not really crazy. Well, for the most part, not crazy."

He looked at her and gave a ‘hah' "You are from another world, are you not?"

"I don't think that I am. I have human parents. I still have one. She has not been herself since Papa died. That does not make her otherworldly, do you think?"

"It is hard to think around you."

"I apologize. I don't mean to be difficult. I will endeavor to do better, Mr. Stewart."

"No, you do fine." He walked past her. She said good-bye and closed the door. Frank stood on the front step and ran his hand down his face. "Did I have a conversation? I'm not sure. I do believe she is most definitely otherworldly." He laughed and moved on to his next destination.