Page 82 of Murder at the Debutante Ballby

“You mean a beautiful brunette who can afford you?”

He choked on the coffee. “Afford me?” His face reddened, but I wasn’t sure if he was blushing or simply recovering from the choke.

“The woman who just left here. I assume she’s a client.”

“Ah.” He turned the notepad around to show me the name and a time he’d written down. “Cassandra Morris works at Searcys. I met her the other day when I returned to their office to make inquiries about Jane Eyre. She’s the one who said she’d notify me when Jane Eyre came looking for more work. When Miss Eyre showed up at the office yesterday, Miss Morris told her to return today at eleven to discuss further employment opportunities. She came here to suggest I show up at the same time.”

“Just you?”

“I didn’t mention your name, but you can come along, if you like.”

I wondered if Miss Morris would be disappointed to see me.

Harry pulled his watch out of his waistcoat pocket. “It was a clever idea of Miss Morris’s.”

“Indeed.”

“This could be the breakthrough we need.”

“I hope so.”

He narrowed his gaze. “You’re annoyed I didn’t tell her about you.”

“Not at all.”

His gaze narrowed further. “I never mentioned you because it didn’t seem important to tell her about an associate who occasionally works for me on an unofficial basis.”

“I understand.” I rose, still smiling. “And I workwithyou, not for you.”

He smiled back. “That was a test. I see you haven’t let go of your desire to get your name on my door.”

I opened the door and studied the bold lettering: Armitage and Associates Private Detectives. “You sound like you’re coming around to it.”

“I’m not. I like my door the way it is. Besides, there’s no point adding your name when we only occasionally work together.”

It seemed more than an occasional arrangement lately, but I didn’t say so. I just kept smiling.

Miss Morris lether disappointment show in the tightening of the smile she bestowed upon Harry when we entered the Searcys office a few minutes before eleven. To her credit, she quickly recovered and greeted me warmly. She greeted Harry with even more warmth.

He pretended not to notice. “Miss Fox suggested we don’t tell Miss Eyre who we are until absolutely necessary. We don’t want to scare the maid away.”

Miss Morris hesitated then shook her head. “I prefer you to declare yourselves and your reason for wanting to speak to her. It’s not fair to trick her.”

“She has tricked you by giving a false name,” I pointed out.

“We don’t know yet if it’s false.”

“It must be. She gave you a false address.”

Miss Morris clasped her hands in front of her. She looked even more beautiful up close, with skin like porcelain and bright blue eyes that regarded me with a directness that I found a little unnerving. “There could be a valid reason for that.” She turned to Harry. “Perhaps you could pretend this is your first visit here to the office. That way I’m not implicated.”

“Of course,” Harry said.

She indicated the chairs. “Would you and your assistant like to take a seat while you wait?”

“Miss Fox is my associate, not assistant.”

Her eyes widened. “A lady private detective. How remarkable. But if it’s just the two of you, why isn’t this agency called Armitage and Fox?”