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Bertram's Hotel, Mary Dove noted as she passed through the large swing doors, was exactly as her contact described it; 'a perfect capsule of the Edwardian era rife with tourists and old, gullible fools clinging to an age gone by'. Just the sort of crowd who would certainly not notice if the odd trinket were to go missing or, generally preferred, would be impressed by Mary's competent work that they would pay handsomely to uproot her from a position that was clearly beneath her. In doing so, they would open up their homes, leaving their belongings guarded by a most dutiful housekeeper with a keen eye.
Mary's sensible grey heels clicked against the polished floor tiles as she made her way to the receptionist's desk. An older woman with immaculate posture and a formal style of dress and countenance to rival Mary's, Miss Gorringe, if Mary had been forewarned correctly, looked up from her desk as Mary neared. "Welcome to Bertram's. How may I be of service?"
"My name is Mary Dove. I'm here to interview for the housekeeping position."
"Ah yes, Miss Dove." Miss Gorringe took a polite glance at a door in a far away corner of the room. "Though I'm afraid that Mr. Humfries just started an interview a few minutes ago. If you would like to find a seat somewhere, I can alert you when he is ready."
"Perfect. Thank you." Mary replied. Though most likely unbeknownst to the receptionist, Mary was practically guaranteed the position. Still, they had to go through the whole process to go above suspicion.
Mary walked away from the small groups of American tourists planning their next stop and elderly folk sitting in comfortable chairs speaking to old friends they had just reunited with after a decade. There was no gossip worth listening to just yet. She smoothed her navy skirt and sat down at a table where she was practically alone, save for a gentleman at the table across from her who was busy reading a newspaper. With only a bag that held paperwork with her bounty of references, there was not much else to entertain Mary other than what was in her direct view. One of the titles of an article in the man's newspaper caught her interest. Apparently there was a missing -
Mary was distracted from her snooping when a robust waiter brought the man with the paper his tray with tea, doughnuts, muffins, and all the other accompaniments. The man lowered and folded his newspaper so that he could properly thank the waiter. In an instant Mary regretted her choice of seating.
Inspector Neele took notice of her before she had a chance to look away. "Mary Dove."
Feigning nonchalance was one of the skills Mary had perfected over time. It was indispensable in her line of work. "My dear Inspector." She replied, undaunted. "I'm surprised that the C.I.D. has sent you so far from your usual hunting ground." As she spoke, Mary contemplated leaving and asking her contact to help her find another place to scout for wealthy rubes, she did not need this extra hassle from an unwanted acquaintance, if she could call the Inspector such a thing.
The Inspector placed his newspaper aside to give Mary his full attention. "They have not. I am here strictly for leisure purposes. I heard of this place when I was a child and figured why not see what the fuss is about." He paused and lifted a hand to the seat at the other end of his table. "No need to keep such a barrier between us. Come join me for some afternoon tea."
"I would rather not," Mary declined the offer, ignoring the delectable smell of the baked goods that tickled her nose in the most unwanted way.
"Nonsense." Neele turned and raised his voice to gain the attention of the waiter that was scuttling between tables, "Henry, another cup for my friend here."
The waiter acknowledged him with a nod and hurried to get another cup.
Neele turned back to Mary, clearly pleased with himself. "Oh dear, we don't wish for Henry's efforts to be in vain. Do we?"
Mary kept her countenance clear of any displeasure and sat up to join the Inspector at his table. As she took her seat, Henry placed a cup, saucer, and plate before her.
"Thank you, Henry." Neele called out to the waiter who was already making a beeline to the next table of guests.
Used to serving tea in her line of work, Mary went to grab the pot, but Neele raised a hand to stop her. "I invited you over, Miss Dove. Allow me." Mary felt no reason to refuse this offer and allowed Neele to pour an even amount of the golden-brown tea in both their cups. He then quickly motioned to the sugar bowl and creamer. "Cream, sugar, or both?" He asked.
Mary entertained the thought of whether the Inspector did so to assure that she did not tamper with his drink with a secret pill or tonic stashed away. "Some cream, if you would be so kind."
Neele poured cream into Mary's tea, set the creamer aside, then grabbed the tongs to drop two cubes of sugar into his tea.
Without giving time for the cream to mix with the tea or for the sugar to dissolve, Neele offered Mary something to eat. "Care for a muffin or doughnut? They're fresh."
Mary was ready to decline, tea would be enough before her 'interview', but the baked goods looked absolutely tantalizing up close. "Is that an authentic muffin? With butter on top?"
"Oh yes. I hear we are in for a treat."
"Fine, I'll take one of each," Mary relented, "if you would be so kind." Neele gently placed the baked goods on her plate.
Mary contemplated tucking a napkin into the collar of her grey blouse to protect it from a butter-laced crumb or an unfortunate spot of jam. She risked the stain, not wanting to look childish against the appearance of respectability she cultivated.
Mary delicately picked up the muffin and took an apprehensive bite. Taken by surprise from the pleasant chewy texture of the muffin accompanied by the rich, buttery taste that coated her tongue, a whimper of pleasure escaped her lips before she could raise a hand to stop it. The muffin was swiftly returned to the plate and Mary gave a cold look up to Neele, who was smiling as he chewed his doughnut.
"If you liked that, you will surely enjoy the doughnut. The jam is heavenly."
Mary picked up the doughnut and inspected the unassuming powdered treat. One small bite and she was in love with how the strawberry jam was so incredibly fresh and sweet. This time she held back her voice and returned the doughnut to the plate. "Yes, quite good." She said dully, using her napkin to clean her fingers of powdered sugar.
Neele's smile had grown. It was an irritating sight. "Inspector?"
"No need to hold back for my sake, Miss Dove. I'm happy to see your blue eyes finally sparkle with interest." He then leaned in and added, "it's charming."
Outwardly, Mary shook her head. Inwardly, she found herself not wholly disliking the compliment.
They both reached for their cups of tea. Neele took an elongated sip and narrowed his eyes when he brought the cup back to his saucer. "What exactly are you doing here, Miss Dove?"
"Inspector, I find it in poor taste when one cannot separate themselves from their work. Though I am sure this is one of your natural quirks." She paused to take a sip of her tea. "I am no longer employed at Yewtree Lodge and am in need of employment. This establishment needs another housekeeper and I believe I would be quite qualified for it."
Neele was clearly not buying her story. "Overqualified, I'd say."
"This old compliment again, Inspector?"
"Just an honest observation, like before. It's all part of the job."
"Are you truly here for leisure?" Mary questioned, her gaze slowly scanned from the reception desk then back to Neele. "What if I told the management that there was a member of the C.I.D. snooping around? What then?"
The comment did not seem to shake the inspector. "I would imagine that they would bring me more baked goods to keep my mouth shut. But I'm sure they have all sorts of policemen and members of the Yard, retired or on holiday, such as myself, that it would be of no concern. That is, unless there is something going on that they would like to hide."
"I would hope not. A reputable hotel such as Bertram's needs to keep up its appearance of old world charm and would surely avoid any trouble."
Neele hummed in what sounded like agreement just to placate what Mary had said. The two enjoyed a few moments of quiet to sip on their tea and glance over at the other guests.
"How long will you be staying, Inspector?" Mary broke the silence, hoping to catch Neele off guard.
"Hoping to run into me again, Miss Dove? I'm flattered."
Not giving him the satisfaction of a frown, Mary replied, "don't be. I just hope to avoid another chance encounter such as this if I can help it."
"Well, this is my first day here, I'll be here a few more. Then I shall be out of your hair." He then ran a hand over his chin. "Though I wonder if I should book my next holiday here just to make sure that you're staying out of trouble."
Mary opened her mouth to protest, however she was spoken over by Miss Gorringe, who had met her halfway, "Miss Dove, Mr. Humfries is ready to see you."
Mary stood up and smoothed out her skirt and blouse. "Thank you for the tea and sweets, Inspector."
"Good luck, Mary. Until we meet again." The Inspector took a hearty victory bite of his doughnut. A tiny spot of jam, raspberry by the color of it, landed where his mustache and cheek met.
Out of habit, Mary grabbed her napkin and rubbed it gently over his cheek. Now she had caught the Inspector unawares as he looked up at her with a stare that lingered along with her touch. Though they had been up close several times, Mary finally thought over the plain, but good looks of the Inspector. She always acknowledged that he was a respectable, well groomed man, however, she finally noticed how inviting and soft his eyes were. It winnowed her defenses as she allowed herself to entertain questions of a personal nature, such as what the Inspector's first name was and what he did when he went out for a night on the town.
"If you must, Neele." Mary discarded the napkin on the table and left Inspector Neele with those parting words. She left the table and followed Miss Gorringe across the hall to another room. It would be more trouble than it was worth, but she was rather looking forward to seeing the Inspector again. After all, it would not be bad to have someone such as the Inspector on her side if any of the other employees turned on her in an act of greed or malice.