Edith nodded and Mrs Cuff noticed that shewas upset.
‘You’d better come in, then. Come tomy room for some privacy.’
Mrs Cuff stood to one side and allowedEdith into the busy kitchen. It was strange, the room sounded and smeltexactly the same as three months ago. Servants were coming and goingaccording to the orders being barked at them by the rotund French chef, as avariety of interesting-smelling foods boiled on the hot stove behind him. One of the maids, Joan Leigh, cast a curious eye in her direction, but the restwere too absorbed in their own work to notice her. Mrs Cuff closed thedoor and led Edith through the kitchen, down the corridor to her room. Taking out her large bunch of keys, Mrs Cuff unlocked the door and indicatedfor Edith to enter.
‘We’ve had a letter from Mary. Itsays she’s in Scotland,’ Edith began. ‘But…I don’t know. It doesn’tfeel right to me.’
‘What’s she doing in Scotland?’
Edith thought it would be much simpler ifMrs Cuff actually read the letter, so she handed it over. ‘Have a read.’
‘Are you sure? It’s private.’
‘Go ahead.’
A short silence hung in the room as MrsCuff read the letter. She looked up. Edith could see that she feltthe letter to be justified, given what Mary had done. ‘I know it must beimpossible for you to accept that your sister—your twin sister—is so very faraway and has expressed her feelings like this, but at least you know that she’ssafe and well.’
‘It doesn’t feel right,’ Edith said,although she was unable to express exactly why it felt that way.
‘Do you not think she wrote it, then?’
‘Yes, it’s definitely her handwriting,’Edith began. Finally, she felt able to articulate something of her uncertainty. ‘It’s just not her words or her turn of phrase. Not to mention that shewouldn’t just run away like that after being caught wearing someone else’sclothes. It doesn’t add up.’
Mrs Cuff seemed a little taken aback atEdith’s nonchalance towards Mary’s misdemeanour. ‘I think Lady Rothbornefelt her transgression to be quite a serious matter. Then there was thedishonesty about it.’
‘What do you mean?’
Mrs Cuff shifted uncomfortably in herseat. ‘Having been caught, your sister refused to admit that her actionswere of her own doing.’
Edith’s inquisitive face implored Mrs Cuffto continue.
‘She insisted that Lady Rothborne hadencouraged her to try on outfits that she could wear at her wedding to Edward.’
Edith could tell from her face that MrsCuff found even the retelling of the story to be so fanciful as to not justifythe breath taken to say it. ‘But…’
‘I know, it’s absurd. From readingthis,’ she said, holding up the letter, ‘I would say it was the guilt over herinsincerity that prompted her shame.’
Edith was dumbstruck. Ever since shecould remember, Mary had always been prone to impulsive, often fancifuloutbursts. Trying on Lady Rothborne’s clothes was entirely thekind of silly thing Mary would do on a whim. But to lie about it afterwardswith such a bizarre tale struck Edith as very out of character. ‘Didanyone check with Lady Rothborne?’ Edith ventured, knowing full well that shewas risking stepping into dangerous territory.
Mrs Cuff took a moment to navigate thepotential storm diplomatically. ‘A full investigation was undertaken andeverybody concerned given a fair hearing. As part of that, yes, LadyRothborne was consulted.’
There was nothing more for Edith to say onthe matter. She now needed to inform Edward about the letter. ‘MayI speak with my cousin, Edward, please?’
Mrs Cuff nodded. ‘If you would liketo wait here, I shall fetch him to you,’ she said, making her way out of theroom. As she reached the door, she turned back towards Edith. ‘I amsorry, Miss Mercer. I was quite fond of your sister.’
Edith smiled politely and watched as MrsCuff disappeared from the room. As she sat in the stillness of thehousekeeper’s room, she replayed what she had just been told about Mary’sactions. Coupled with the letter, Edith’s discomfort grew. Then anidea came into her mind that she was unable to shake. What if a clueto Mary’s disappearance was in this very room? She was sure that theDay Book, signed off religiously each and every Sunday by the housekeeper andbutler, would be stored in this room. Don’t be so silly, Edith! Butthe idea persisted and her heart began to race. As if being controlled bysomebody else, Edith stood up and walked over to the door. Gently, shepulled it open and stuck her head into the corridor. Silent andempty. The sound of footsteps on the stone floor would give her plenty ofnotice of anyone approaching. It was now or never. Edith took abreath and rushed over to a large bureau and opened the doors. It wasfilled with paperwork, ledgers and files. Exactly the right kind ofplace. Her fingers clumsily began picking through the shelving. Sheknew the Day Book would be quite a large official-looking document, so sheignored individual loose papers or published books.
‘Here it is!’ Edith whispered, her handsresting on a soft velvet ledger. She quickly flicked to the lastcompleted week and read the entry for Wednesday. Lady Philadelphia andsome of the female staff returned prematurely from the hunting trip toScotland. Lady Philadelphia suffering from morning sickness. Discovered one of the housemaids, Mary Mercer, in Lady Philadelphia’s bedroom,wearing her finest ball gown and some of the most precious Mansfieldjewellery. Servant immediately dismissed. Replacement currentlybeing sought. Lady Philadelphia much improved upon return toBlackfriars. Mrs Cuff.
So that was the official Blackfriarsadmission which would consign Mary’s misconduct to history. With a heavyheart, Edith set the book back in place, closed the bureau and pushed shut theroom door. Returning to her seat, Edith began to worry about how Edwardwould react to the news. She simply decided to show him the letter andsee his response. Would he too feel as she had, that something wasn’t quiteright about the situation?
Moments later, the door opened and Edwardapprehensively walked in. He was dressed in his neat livery, his hair wastidy but his face was worn and wearied. Mary’s disappearance had hit himhard.
‘Mrs Cuff said you’d heard from her?’ hesaid, even before Mrs Cuff had shut the door behind him.
‘A
