Chapter 2

It was surprising how much of the snow from Mother Nature’s onslaught didn’t stick around.  By the time Monday night arrived, we could see large patches of green glistening grass that had been beaten down, but was, once again, reaching for sunlight. 

As she’d expected, Nora came down with a whopper of a cold.  The five days grace that I gave her to be ready to go to dinner was all that she needed to aggressively treat it with vitamins, herbs, and chicken soup.  She managed to kick it out of her system enough that she could attend the dinner without ruining the experience for  herself and our host - or even me- by showing up with a runny nose, watery eyes, and a cough. 

I swear that the woman had a natural remedy for everything.

“Are you sure that you’re up to this?” I asked as we rang the doorbell.  “I know that you claim Agatha set you straight, but we  have no idea what awaits us.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she teased.

“It’s not like you’ve been a tower of strength in situations that involved the unknown,” I replied.

She jutted her chin forward.  “I beg to differ.  Let’s not forget who held vigil in that big house all by herself while she waited for people to come in and out of that little mirror.”

“True, but you also got spooked by Tillman’s astral projecting into our house and refused to go on the third floor when you were checking out the place while waiting for me to return,” I said in a calm and steady voice.  “I’m just saying that it’s not the same in the field as in the office.  Things look different on paper.  Not as scary.  Not as dangerous.”

Her eyes grew wide with concern. “Do you think this job could be dangerous?”

Before I could answer, a tall, slender, fairly attractive gray haired man with memorable dark eyes opened the door.  “Good evening ladies.  It’s good of you to come.  Mr.  Havershaft will be down in a moment.  May I take your coats?”

The snow may have dissipated, but the cold still plagued us.  The heat of the house’s interior was a welcomed sensation.  I eagerly shed my jacket and handed it to the man that I assumed was the house attendant.  Nora did the same.

Out of courtesy, we’d brought along house slippers.  I caught a glimpse of his smile of approval as we shed our boots and put them on. 

When he was sure that we were ready, he guided us into a large sitting room that resembled the one in my house.  While giving my surroundings an investigator’s assessment, I realized that much of the architecture was almost identical to that of my own home.  It made me fairly confident to think that they were created by the same architect.

After offering us both a cocktail, he politely excused himself and left the room.

Mr. Cecil Havershaft kept us waiting only a few minutes before gracing us with his presence.  I say gracing because that’s how it felt when he glided into the room in such a regal way that one might think that he was floating instead of walking.  His movements were smooth and easy as he took each of our hand and kissed it on the back like they’d done when I was back in time with Lance.  In fact, his antiquated behavior and mode of regal movement so reminded me of my time with Lance that my heart began to ache. 

I’d convinced myself that Lance was a lost cause and that I needed to move on.  It took considerable effort, but I’d managed to push him so far into the recesses of my mind that, when our host’s actions brought forth the memories, it was painful and traumatic; both emotionally and physically.

“Are you alright, Miss Sleuth?” he asked as he released my hand.

“I’m fine,” I stammered as I searched for a viable excuse for the noticeable shift in me.  “I think all of this splendor has surprised me a little more than expected,” I said. 

It was a weak excuse, but it was the best that I could come up with.

“Your house was built by the same builder, I am told,” he thoughtfully said.  “I should imagine that you would be accustomed to grandeur such as this.”

“We are,” Nora interjected as she gave me a worried look.  “Even so.  To experience it in someone else’s home is a real delight.  You have done a wonderful job decorating.”

He smiled with pride.  “Admittedly, I purchased the home furnished.  Collecting this many antiques in such impeccable condition would take years.  I did, however, add a few personal touches.”  He pointed to a painting depicting an old English hunt that hung over the fireplace.  “That, for instance, came with me.”

Nora sucked in air. “Is that an Edgar Degas?” 

His eyes danced with approval. “You know your art.”

She nodded.  “I’m not an expert, but I have an appreciation of excellence.”

“I have a fairly impressive collection of art scattered throughout the house.  Perhaps I can show you sometime,” he offered.

Her voice was breathless with excitement as she said, “I’d love it.”

A loud bang coming from the floors above caught our attention.

Cecil heaved a sigh.  “And, so it begins.” 

The man who greeted us at the door appeared in the archway that led to the great hall.  “Dinner is ready.”

“Ladies, please allow me to introduce my brother,  Archibald Havershaft,” Cecil said with politeness, grace, and dignity.  “Archibald, this is Miss Sleuth and Miss Oosterhout.”

His brother gave a warm, handsome smile and nodded his greeting to us.  “I had the privilege of answering the door.  Although, I was lax in introducing myself.  Please forgive my manners, but I was so struck by your beauty…”

Cecil cut his brother’s words off with a scowl, a raised brow, and an impatient tone.  “Really?  You answered the door?  Where was Henry?”

“He was busily fixing what smells like a scrumptious duckling,” he replied.  Clearly not vexed by his brother’s short tempered rudeness, he turned to me and said in a smooth tone that hinted of the same accent that Cecil had, “Please call me Archie.”

I took a moment to compare the two brothers.  They were both tall and regal in movement and appearance.  They both had silver grey hair that gently graced the top of their ears as it feathered on the sides of their heads.  Their complexions were ruddy and their faces clean shaven.  The most striking quality about them was their memorable dark eyes that rested just far enough on either side of their slender noses  and just the right distance from their masculine mouths to be declared to be in a perfect location.  Could they be twins?  Once again, I was reminded of Lance, whose brother looked like his twin even though he wasn’t. 

Since I needed to know for my own sake, I turned to Archie.  “Are you and your brother twins?” 

He shook his head.  “You would think so, would you not?  We are actually two years apart.  He is the eldest.” Then, with a teasing tone, he said, “Of course, you could tell that right away, I am sure.”

I liked his humor and easy manner.  It helped to curb the painful heartache that seeing a similar sibling situation to Lance’s caused me. 

In an effort to shake off the gloom that threatened to overtake me, I smiled and said in an easy manner.  “You just left the kitchen, didn’t you?”

He nodded.  “Is it that obvious?”

“The scent of roast duckling suits you,” I giggled.

He looked at me with surprise and, then, chuckled.  “You are a delight, Miss Sleuth.”

“Please, call me Esmerelda,” I said.

Offering me his elbow, he said, “Well, Esmerelda, shall we go bathe in the divine scent of roast duckling?”

I nodded and gave him a warm smile as I took his arm.  Looking over my shoulder, I saw that Nora and Cecil were following suit.

At the sound of another loud thud above our heads, I stopped walking and looked up. 

Archie heaved a sigh.  “I apologize for the noise, but it is why you are here, is it not?  I hope that you will be able to enjoy your dinner despite the irritating raucous overhead.  It took us a while to be able to ignore it and not let it spoil our evenings overly much.”

“Does this go on every night?” I asked.

“Oh, my dear, it is only just beginning,” Cecil informed me as he guided Nora past us.  “We should not let the food get cold.  This is Henry’s first dinner party since we took over the house. He has gone all out for it.  It would be rude to dally and spoil things.”

The two brothers guided us into an elaborate dining room that rivaled my own.  It felt almost surreal in the way that the table was set in the style that I’d enjoyed when I went back in time.  Although, it was something that Nora and I didn’t bother with, I appreciated a good table setting.  It was one of the things that I loved about being in the  past.  Dining, no matter what the meal, was always treated like a social occasion that offered a perfectly set table and required dress and etiquette.

“Your table is beautiful,” Nora said.  Her eyes reflected the awe that she felt as she gazed at the antique Johnson Brothers dinnerware,  Repoussé flatware, and the Waterford stemware that accompanied it.

“I see that you appreciate old things,” Cecil said with approval.

“I get it from Esmerelda, I think,” she said with a warm smile in my direction. “She’s got this uncanny connection to old things.  It’s as if they speak to her.”

“Really?” he said as he studied me a little more closely than I was comfortable with.  “You have an air about you, Miss Sleuth.  It speaks of times gone by.  Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Esmerelda,” I said as I scrambled to decide how to respond to his question.

“I beg your pardon?”  he said.

“Please, call me Esmerelda,” I said with the best friendly smile that I could muster.

Whether he picked up on my uncomfortableness with his brother’s question or he was bored with the topic, I couldn’t say, but Archie mercifully rescued me by bringing the conversation around to the house and grounds.

“I understand that you have fairly extensive grounds as well,” he said with humor.  “I believe that, if we combined the two estates, we would have enough land for a small town.”

I chuckled.  In a time when owning a sizable amount of land was a rarity, it seemed absurd that two neighbors would possess so much. “I believe you are right.”

He leaned forward with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “Do you feel a bit greedy?  Come on, you can tell me.”

I laughed at his teasing and shook my head.  “Not in the least, sir.  I feel lucky, but not greedy.”

“The estate was turned over to you, I believe,” Cecil said.  “A transfer of inheritance, was it not?”

I was instantly on the defense.  “You seem to know a good deal about my business.”

He gave a look of immediate concern.  As did his brother.

“I was not trying to pry.  Please, forgive me,” he said with a reddened face.  “When I was investigating the neighborhood, I came across the information. It is public, you know.”

I relaxed. “Yes, it is. Please excuse me for reacting like I did.  It’s an investigator’s curse, I’m afraid.”

As if on cue, a loud crash rang through the house.

“And so the night progresses,” Archie mused.

As their house man, Henry, served us with pride, our hosts continued to enjoy and dine on the delicious cuisine as if the calamity overhead wasn’t occurring.  Nora and I weren’t as graceful in our dealing with it.  More than once, she ducked at the sound of a loud bang or crash as if to avoid being struck by something.  I, on the other hand, simply became so annoyed that the lovely ambiance for such a fine meal was being spoiled that I thought I’d explode.

I waited until dinner was completed and we were sitting in the parlor with our coffee before bringing up the task of discovering what was causing the nightly disturbances.  Seeing that it was time to get down to business, Nora pulled out the necessary paperwork that she’d had the foresight to bring along.

“Normally, this would have been done in the office,” she explained as she handed the papers and a pen to Cecil.

“I understand.  I appreciate your making allowances for me,” he said as he signed his name in the designated places with the same grace that he did everything else with. “When will you begin the investigation?”

Nora took the signed papers and returned them to her briefcase before looking at me questioningly.  As did our new clients.

I had absolutely no idea where to begin on such a crazy case.  So, instead of saying that I’d start right away, I said, “I’ll need a few days to prepare.”