Chapter 39
Who’s Behind The Blackroom?
Anonymous Blogger Turns Up the Heat on the Darlingtons
The Guardian headline
Grace
“The key’s in his tux,” I finished.
“Fuck,” Ethan swore, voicing exactly what I’d been thinking ever since I’d seen Mr. Asterdam lock his study. “What now?”
I shrugged. “No idea.”
He pressed his lips together thoughtfully and scanned the crowd for our host. I’d been keeping an eye out for him too, but he must have still been outside smoking a cigar with Mr. Eddington.
“We could ask Olivia or James for help.”
“No, we can’t do that.” I knew he trusted them both, but I was wary of letting them in on a plan that involved accusing their father of murder.
“Or stage an accident. One of us could knock into him and spill a drink over his jacket, then he’d have to take it off.”
“That would attract too much attention,” I replied.
Besides, it was still doubtful we’d manage to get the key off him unnoticed.
We’d need to get hold of his jacket before one of his domestic staff took it, which was too risky.
We only had one chance, because as soon as Mr. Asterdam grew suspicious, it would be over.
The theft would have to happen quickly and discreetly.
I was frantically racking my brain for a way to pull it off when my gaze landed on Henry, who was still sitting at the bar.
An idea came to me—one that wasn’t entirely without its risks, but far more promising than Ethan’s suggestions.
“I’ve got an idea. Wait here!”
I left Ethan and walked across the room to our table, where only Kate and Olivia were sitting.
Both women looked up when they saw me approaching. I concealed my agitation behind a smile. “Kate, could I borrow you for a minute? I need your help.”
“Would you excuse me?” Kate asked Olivia.
“Sure. You two can stay here. I’ll go check on Henry.” She got up and headed to the bar.
I took her seat, and my smile disappeared. I didn’t need to hide anything from Kate. When she noticed, she grew serious too. “What’s going on? Is everything OK?”
“Yes and no,” I replied nervously, because my whole plan—if it could even be called that—now depended on Kate. “I’m going to ask you for a favour, but you have to promise not to ask any questions.”
She didn’t hesitate, which said a lot about the kind of friend she was. “Promise.”
“I really need to get into Mr. Asterdam’s study, but it’s locked. He’s got the key on him, in the right pocket of his jacket. I thought you might be able to help me get it.”
Kate blinked. “You want me to steal the key?”
“Yes.”
“What . . .”
“No questions,” I reprimanded.
She raised her hands. “OK, no questions. For now. But if I do this for you, I want answers later.”
“Fine,” I said. If Kate succeeded, and Ethan and I found the evidence we were hoping for in the study, the whole world would soon know what was going on, and my investigation would no longer be a secret.
Kate sighed. “Give me half an hour.”
I hugged her. “Thanks, you’re the best!”
She patted my shoulder with a disapproving grumble, but I saw a small mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She was no longer living on the streets or thieving to get by, but the idea of stealing from these rich snobs still seemed to appeal to her.
I left Kate to her mission and headed back over to Ethan.
I saw he had been joined by his friends and was considering retreating when James spotted me.
We hadn’t been formally introduced yet, but I recognised him from the photo Ethan had sent from Cambridge, and we had crossed paths a couple of times in Ethan’s flat while I’d been cleaning there.
I stepped up to the group. “Hey.”
All eyes turned to me. The other two men had to be Nate and Charles. I guessed the one with the short brown hair was Nate and the one with the auburn hair was Charles—Mr. Eddington’s son, though the two of them didn’t look much alike.
“Well, look who we’ve got here. If it isn’t the reason for Ethan’s absence these last few weeks,” James said with a grin that made it clear he was only teasing. He held out his hand. “I’m James.”
“Grace.”
“And I’m Nate,” the man with the brown hair introduced himself.
So I’d been right. In my opinion, he was the most attractive of the group besides Ethan, even if he was a different kind of good-looking.
Nate was less perfect, slightly rough around the edges, but there was something about him that I was sure a lot of women liked.
He took my hand and brought it to his lips, earning him a dark look from Ethan. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I replied.
Charles hadn’t said anything yet, and even when our eyes met, he stayed silent.
He looked displeased. He clearly belonged to the likes of Ethan’s mum—someone who considered people like me beneath them.
But I didn’t let that put me off. I took the initiative and held out my hand.
“Then you must be Charles, Mr. Eddington’s son, right? ”
He hesitated before shaking my hand. “Yeah, that’s me.”
He didn’t bother with niceties. From what I knew, he and Ethan weren’t particularly close.
Charles wasn’t his real friend, like Nate and James were, just a guy he partied with sometimes.
And now that Ethan had left that part of his life behind, their relationship was crumbling, which didn’t seem like much of a loss to me.
“What were you talking about?” I asked. No one answered. “I see. So you were talking about me.”
“Not exactly,” James said. “Just about how much we missed Ethan at our bachelor table earlier. It’s just not the same without him.” He slung an arm around Ethan’s shoulders, which looked a little odd, since he was quite a bit shorter.
“He’ll be back at your table next time. This is my first and last event of this kind.
It’s not for me.” It had been fun getting glammed up with Kate, and Ethan being there made everything better, but I’d felt like an alien ever since stepping foot in the Asterdam villa.
Everyone around me, except for Kate, took this kind of luxury for granted.
It was normal for them to eat with four different forks and three different knives, and have a cloth napkin on their laps.
Sometimes, when I ate alone in my room and didn’t have a napkin, I wiped my mouth on the collar of my shirt.
If I said that out loud here, it would probably cause a scandalous murmur to ripple through the crowd, and I’d be chased from the hall with sceptres and golden canes.
“Don’t worry, these events aren’t for anyone under forty,” Nate said, taking a sip of his martini. He studied me over the rim of his glass. “You work at The Darlington, right?”
Something told me he already knew the answer, but I nodded anyway. “Yes. I’m a maid there.”
“Do you like the job?” asked James, sounding genuinely interested.
“Yes, actually. It’s maybe not the most glamorous job in the world, and I definitely won’t get rich from it, but it’s decently paid and the work is varied. Exciting things are always happening in a hotel like The Darlington. You can’t imagine some of the stuff I’ve seen the guests do.”
“I think that sounds pretty cool,” Nate said, adding, “Well, it wouldn’t be for me, but it’s nice you’ve found something you enjoy. I still don’t know what I’m going to do after uni.”
“What are you studying?” I asked, feeling Ethan place his hand on the small of my back. The touch immediately sent a pleasant flutter through my chest.
“Computer science,” Nate replied. “My dad owns Econify Solutions, which programs software for business clients. Not exactly glamorous either, but lucrative. I still don’t know if I want to join the company, though. Programming is fun, but my position there wouldn’t have anything to do with that.”
I looked at James. “What about you? I know you study at Cambridge, but Ethan hasn’t said what.”
“Oh, really? Then he obviously doesn’t talk about me enough,” James said, giving Ethan a playful shove. “I’m studying economics, but I’m just as lost as Nate. I’ll be doing an internship at Asterdam Fashion this summer.”
That caught Ethan’s attention. “You’re doing the internship?”
James shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t really care about all that fashion stuff, but I’m sure I’ll survive a few weeks. And maybe my dad will finally realise he picked the wrong kid to take over the company.” At the last words, James glanced towards the bar, where Olivia was still sitting with Henry.
I looked at Charles in a silent invitation for him to join the conversation.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he pressed his lips into a thin line, as if I wasn’t worth wasting words on. It was fine by me. I’d only shown interest to be polite.
Nate, James, and I chatted until they’d finished their drinks. When they asked if we wanted to join them at the bar, Ethan and I declined. Nate wished us a good evening, and James asked me to save a dance for him later.
“I like your friends. Nate and James, anyway,” I said to Ethan once they were gone. His hand was still on my back.
“I like them too, especially James. Don’t get me wrong, Nate’s really nice, but he spends too much time with Charles for my liking, and he’s hardly the best influence.”
“I don’t think Charles likes me.” He’d only exchanged a couple of sentences with me during the whole conversation, and only when prompted. It was pretty rude, especially considering how much these people valued proper etiquette. It was fair to assume they would have some grasp of basic manners.
Ethan snorted. “Don’t take it personally. He likes to surround himself with sycophants and dislikes anyone who doesn’t worship him. That’s why he can’t stand me.”
Before I could reply, we were interrupted by Kate striding towards us with a wide grin. It could only mean one thing. The adrenaline, which had briefly vanished while I was talking to Ethan’s friends, came rushing back with full force. “Have you got the key?”
Kate shot Ethan a sceptical glance, but quickly realised she could speak openly in front of him. “Sure. I’ve still got the touch.” She held out her closed hand to me. I took it, and she slid the key discreetly into my fingers.
“You stole the key from Claude,” Ethan said, surprised. I hadn’t been able to tell him my plan in front of his friends. He looked impressed by my scheming and Kate’s skill.
“Don’t say that so loud,” she admonished him, looking around, but no one was paying attention.
She turned back to me. “I have no idea what you’re looking for in Asterdam’s study, but when you’re done, lock up and leave the key in the door.
That way, he’ll think he forgot to take it.
It’ll look the least suspicious, because there’s no way I’ll get that thing back into his pocket. ”
“Will do,” I said, clutching the key tightly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And next time we’re alone, I want an explanation.”
I promised Kate I’d fill her in later, and then she was gone, leaving Ethan and me alone—with the key to Mr. Asterdam’s study in my hand. Now we just had to find evidence that would prove beyond doubt that he was responsible for Amy’s death.