Just at that moment a young lady approached her, asking, “May I be of help?”
Cecily gave her a quick smile. “I was just looking at these gold stamps.” She picked up a sheet of them and studied it. “Angels, I believe.”
“Yes, m’m. They’re for sticking on the flap of Christmas card envelopes.”
“Indeed.” Cecily put the stamps back in the box. “Do you sell many of them?”
“Oh, yes, m’m.” The assistant beamed. “That’s the second box we put out today. Would you like some?”
“Perhaps later. Thank you.”
The assistant melted away, just as Cecily spied Samuel hurrying toward her, followed by a young woman with bright red hair piled high and held in place with a black ribbon.
Her black frock was trimmed with lace and hung loosely on her slender frame, suggesting she had recently lost quite a bit of weight. She seemed nervous, and her curtsey was a trifle wobbly when she paused in front of Cecily. “You asked to speak with me, m’m?”
“Yes, dear, I did.” Cecily glanced around the crowded shop. “Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”
Gracie looked frightened. “I don’t know, m’m. I’m not supposed to leave the counter.” She sent a worried glance over her shoulder. “I should be getting back there.”
Cecily reached out to pick up a large spinning top. “Perhaps if I buy this, we could retire to a quiet corner to discuss the price?”
Gracie hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. “Over here, then, Mrs. Baxter.”
She led the way to a corner of the shop that was partially hidden by a large display of dolls. Standing back in the shadows, Gracie poked a stray strand of hair underneath the ribbon. “Your footman said you wanted to talk about my Jimmy,” she said, tears beginning to fill her eyes. “I don’t like talking about it, him just being killed and all. What is it you want to know?”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Cecily said quietly. “Actually I wanted to talk to you about Basil Baker. I talked to him a short while ago. He said he and Jimmy exchanged blows, and you were the cause.”
Gracie gulped, struggling to control her voice. “Yes, they did. Basil kept pestering me to go back to him, and Jimmy told him to get out of town. He said he’d beat Basil up if he didn’t leave and Basil said he wasn’t going to leave and the next morning Jimmy waited for him to come home and jumped on him. They had a terrible fight, and Basil got the worst of it. Jimmy had a bit of a temper when he was crossed.”
“So they were bitter enemies.”
“I suppose so.” She started, as if she’d just thought of something. “You don’t think Basil threw that rock at Jimmy?” She shook her head so violently a couple of pins flew out and pinged against the doll stand. “Basil might have hated Jimmy, but I know him. He wouldn’t have done something like that. He could fight if he had to, but he’d never attack someone like that.”
Cecily inspected the spinning top in her hand. “Who knows what people are capable of when under the influence of a terrible rage.” She paused, then added quietly, “That’s a nasty bruise on your cheek. It must be painful.”
Gracie’s hand flew to her face. “It’s healing up nicely now, thank you.”
Cecily nodded. “Very well.” She held up the top. “How much is this?”
“One and fourpence, m’m.”
“I’ll take it, as well as that doll in the red velvet gown.”
“Yes, m’m.” Grace’s smile was full of relief as she reached for the doll and carried it over to the counter.
Cecily followed more slowly, her thoughts on everything she’d heard that day. Basil certainly had a motive to want to hurt Jimmy, yet both Jimmy’s mother and fiancee had assured her that Basil wasn’t capable of such a violent act.
Could both of them have known him that well yet still be wrong about him? It was possible, and she didn’t know Basil well enough herself to rule him out. For one thing, he’d lied about who had come off the worst in the fight. Of course, that could well have been pride talking, Cecily decided.
Also, there seemed to be no reason why Basil would want to kill Thomas Willow. In fact, until she knew what connection there was between Thomas and Jimmy Taylor, there didn’t seem to be any way to solve the puzzle. Small wonder Sam Northcott had asked for her help. This case was certainly intriguing. She would have to do a lot more digging if she was going to solve the puzzle in time to welcome her guests for Christmas.
“Did you hear about Jimmy Taylor?” Pansy leaned over a table to place a white candle into a brass candelabrum.
Across the dining room, Gertie paused in the act of bundling up a white tablecloth. “What about him?”
“I heard someone threw a rock at him and killed him.”
“Go on! Who told you that?”
“Samuel. He heard it from madam.”
Gertie shook her head. “I can’t believe it. He weren’t much older than you. Does Chubby know?”
“Yeah. She was there when Samuel told me. She was really upset. She liked Jimmy.”
Gertie dumped the tablecloth into a wicker basket and shoved it with her foot over to the next table. “I don’t know why. He was a miserable bugger, though I shouldn’t be talking ill of the dead.”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
“So who threw the rock?”
“I dunno.” Pansy moved to the next table. “Nobody knows. It’s all a big mystery.”
“Yeah, well, we get a lot of mysteries around here, don’t we.” Deciding it was time to change the morbid subject, Gertie added, “Guess who’s coming here for Christmas.”
Pansy twisted around, a candelabrum in one hand and three white candles in the other. “You found out who the important guests are going to be?”
“What important guests?”
Pansy looked disappointed. “Mrs. Chubb says as how some really important guests are coming for Christmas, but she won’t tell anyone who they are. She says it has to be a big secret, so no one’s supposed to know.”
“Well, nobody told me nothing about no important guests.” Gertie dropped yet another tablecloth into a laundry basket. “Anyhow, I don’t think anyone would call Doris important. Though I suppose she
Pansy uttered a little cry of dismay. “Doris is coming? Daisy’s twin sister?
Gertie grinned. “Who else?” Pansy turned away, but not before Gertie saw the fear on her friend’s face. “You’re not worried about Samuel, are you?”
Pansy shrugged. “Course not.”
“Good.” Gertie dragged another cloth off the table.
“It’s just, well, you know how Samuel felt about Doris. He moved all the way to London to be near her.”
“And came all the way back when things didn’t work out the way he wanted.”
“I know, but…”
Gertie bundled up the tablecloth and threw it at her. “Don’t be bleeding daft. Samuel loves you now. He’s told you so, hasn’t he?”
There was a long pause before Pansy answered with a note of defiance. “He hasn’t actually said the words, but I know he does love me. He’s always telling me I’m his girl, and he likes being with me.”
“Well, then.” Gertie picked the tablecloth up off the floor and tossed it into the basket. “Stop worrying about Doris. Besides, Nigel is coming with her and they’re bringing their daughter, Essie. So you’ve got no need to get in a bother about Samuel taking notice of her.”
“I s’pose not.” Pansy fitted the candles into the candlestick and stood back to inspect her work. “I just wish she’d picked somewhere else to spend Christmas.”
“Well, what I’d like to know is who the important guests are that Chubby told you about.” Gertie heaved up the basket and balanced it on her hip. “I’ll have to get on to her about it. She’ll let something slip sooner or later, you mark my words.”
Pansy looked intrigued. “They must be really important if she won’t tell us. Must be a really, really big, dark secret.”
