Chapter 18 Geraldine
Geraldine
Late May
Geraldine returned to her room after lunch, which had consisted of a raft of whipped egg whites floating in a small bowl of clear soup, accompanied by three radishes cut into admirably intricate roses.
She was certain the chef hoped the creativity of his offerings would distract from the complete inadequacy of the portions or the utter lack of nourishment the so-called meal provided.
It was more than the food that left her feeling cross.
She had gone out soon after the maid had brought in her breakfast tray with an idea of sketching one of the gardens she had seen on her wanderings.
But try as she might, she wasn’t able to even make an attempt at a drawing.
Discouraged, she’d set aside her charcoal and sketchbook and instead spent an hour in the treatment room having her face slathered in a noxious variety of ointments and creams. She was heartily ashamed of herself for wasting the best part of a fine day on such frivolous pursuits when she had nothing whatsoever ready for her upcoming show.
However, as she glanced in the mirror above her dressing table after returning to her room, she had to admit that her face looked rosy and the lines around her eyes and lips seemed far less noticeable than they’d been before she subjected herself to the specialist’s ministrations.
Even her mood had continued to improve. Perhaps this would be the day she managed to produce a sketch of something—anything—worthwhile.
She leaned forward on her bony elbows and pulled back the skin around her cheekbones, for a moment seeing the woman she had been twenty years earlier.
Feeling foolish, she dropped her palms to the surface of her dressing table and glanced down at the items still spread across its top.
One of the things she had been reasonably confident in when booking a reservation at the Maine Chance was the high level of service rendered by the staff.
But there, still scattered over the top of the dressing table, were the pieces of jewelry she had left out so carelessly the night before.
Truly, she should have taken care of them herself when she returned the prior evening after dinner and found the items were still out of place.
But the truth was, she had felt quite worn out from her long day.
Between the confrontation with Anselm’s family, all the fresh air from checking about the grounds, and the genteel din of the dining room, she had simply not felt up to anything beyond removing her makeup and tumbling into bed.
In fact, she had slept so deeply that it was only the sounds of other footsteps in the hallway and female voices chattering to one another that woke her from her deep sleep in time to be pulled into an upright position when her maid had entered carrying her breakfast tray.
As she looked down, something bothered her that she could not quite put her finger on—that was, until she thought about fingers.
One of her rings, a large pearl surrounded by rubies and set in white gold, had been among the many items she had tried on and then discarded the night before in her hasty preparations for dinner.
Geraldine pushed back the vanity stool and glanced about on either side of the dressing table.
It was the sort of thing that could easily have fallen from the table with a slightly exuberant flick of a maid’s feather duster.
Finding nothing, she bent down and lifted the ruffled skirt with its many fabric flounces wrapping around the base of the dressing table.
There was nothing to be spotted underneath either.
She clicked open the small brass lock on her white leather jewel case and searched it carefully.
Her heart sinking in her chest, she had to admit that the ring was nowhere to be seen.
And although she was in her seventies, she was certain her memory was not slipping in the least. No, there was no doubt about it—the ring had been moved.
The next ten minutes she spent searching the rest of the space, hoping that perhaps it could have been flung farther from its anticipated location than she would have expected.
But to no avail. She even went so far as to inspect every nook and cranny of the bathroom.
Cash was missing from a dresser drawer as well.
With a heavy heart, she considered what to do next.
If she had been in her own home, she certainly would have felt sure of how to proceed, but here, at the resort, things would be handled differently than in a private residence.
Besides, she liked Iris and had no desire to put her in a difficult position.
She also had no idea how many different employees might have been involved with the cleaning of her room.
As she was so new on the premises, she had no sense of the trustworthiness of any of their employees, besides Iris herself.
She knew she could simply lift the white Bakelite telephone receiver and ask for the housekeeper, but somehow she felt it was a matter best handled face-to-face.
Geraldine glanced in the mirror once more and touched up her lipstick.
Suddenly, her face no longer looked quite so fresh and well rested.
While Geraldine was not the sort to suffer fools gladly or hold back when she felt she was right, this was exactly the sort of unpleasantness she knew could alter someone’s life.
But if there was one thing she never could stand, it was a thief.
She made her way down the stairs swiftly.
Once she had made up her mind, there was no sense in putting things off.
After determining Iris’s whereabouts from the young woman stationed at the reception desk, she assured the girl that she would be happiest to track the housekeeper down in her private room.
Following the receptionist’s directions to an outbuilding discreetly tucked behind a large stand of lilacs not so very far from the main building, Geraldine stepped up onto the freshly painted porch and, without bothering to knock, twisted the shiny brass knob on the door.
The two-story building had likely once been a single-family home, but now it served the purpose of housing for many of the female staff at the resort.
She made her way along the creaking floorboards towards the very back of the hallway.
After raising her hand and rapping firmly on the closed door, she waited to be invited in before pressing it open and stepping inside.
Iris was seated with her back to the door, a ledger spread out on a desk in front of her.
A shaft of sunlight spilled through the large window and highlighted a few strands of silver hair woven through her neat braid.
When the housekeeper turned, her mouth opened slightly with surprise before she remembered herself and shot to her feet.
“Mrs. Putnam, what can I do for you?”
“I don’t believe in mincing words, Iris. I’m afraid that what you’re going to have to do for me is to relieve one of your staff members of duty.”
Iris’s sturdy hand clutched the base of her throat, and her mouth opened slightly once more.
“I don’t understand. Has someone offended you in some way?”
Geraldine shook her head. “It’s rather more serious than that.
I’m very sorry to have to bring this up with you, especially so early in your tenure as a housekeeper, but I’m afraid it cannot be helped.
In fact, it could be considered a blessing to root it out before there is any damage to either the resort’s reputation or even your own. ”
Iris’s face flushed deeply red, but she did not stammer. “That sounds very serious, indeed. What exactly is the problem?”
“A valuable pearl-and-ruby ring is missing from my room. I’ve made a tediously thorough search and distinctly remember trying it on last night before dinner. In addition, there is a crisp twenty-dollar bill missing from my dresser. I’m afraid you have a thief on your staff.”
All the color drained from Iris’s face like a wave pulling back from the shore.
“When did you first notice that the items were missing?” she asked.
Geraldine was pleased to note that Iris did not question her as to whether or not she was correct in her assessment that the item was actually missing. It galled her no end when people assumed that just because she was getting on a bit, her mind was not what it once was.
“It was just now, when I returned to my room. I was gone for most of the morning. To be fair, the last time I noticed the ring was just before I went down to dinner last night. I paid no attention to the items still scattered on top of my dressing table when I prepared to go out this morning. I placed the money in the drawer when I arrived yesterday afternoon. I haven’t had any need of a twenty-dollar bill since then. ”
“Are you saying that not only are you missing a piece of jewelry and money, but also that your dressing table was left littered with items since last evening before dinner?” Iris asked.
A note of suppressed outrage tinged Iris’s voice.
Geraldine made another mental note as to the younger woman’s capability as a housekeeper.
It spoke volumes that not only had she accepted a guest’s version of events without question, but that she also understood how inept it was for the dressing table not to have been tidied hours earlier.
“I’m afraid so. I would not have bothered you with something so trivial, at least not the first time it occurred, but the missing jewelry and cash is something I simply could not ignore.
I count Miss Arden as a very friendly acquaintance through our shared interest in the local garden clubs and charity events.
I would hate to see her business damaged by something so distasteful as employing staff known to be thieves. ”
Iris squared her shoulders. “I truly appreciate you coming to me directly with this. Please rest assured that it will be attended to immediately. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable while I am handling this matter?”
“Just see to it that whoever was in my room is dismissed from your service. I cannot abide a thief, nor—if you value your job and the reputation of this establishment—should you.” With that, Geraldine turned on her heel and left the room.