15/11/2001
Dear Annie,
Poor timing.
I’ve been called out of town to contend with a family emergency. Don’t worry! Everything is jolly good. For now.
Only as I leave this derelict hamlet do I realize that I want to finish the story. All along I thought I’d tell you only as much as you had the time and tolerance for, and perhaps not even that.
But you should know how things concluded, what happened to Win and to Pru and whether Mrs. Spencer ever revealed herself as the duchess. Of course, titled folks aside, Pru is the true hero of the story, of Win’s biography even, though she’s not mentioned in it once.
Because I cannot enchant you with my winning personality face-to-face I’ve enclosed a set of recordings. These tapes, and the accompanying recorder, are provided gratis. You will not have to commit larceny in order to hear them.
Likewise, your bill has been settled at the clock shop. Ah, you’d not told me about those purloined tapes, had you? A little birdie snitched on you. He said a mysterious American girl arrived in his shop with a stash of someone else’s recordings. The list of suspects was short.
When you put those recordings together with what is in the envelope you now hold, you’ll have a clearer picture of The Missing Duchess. And by that I mean the story behind the story. A book is nothing without the backstory, the through-line holding it all together. I don’t know the full tale myself of course. I’m just one person, one viewpoint, an old bachelor at that. But I’ve shared with you what I can.
Finally, Miss Annie, I will answer one of your more nagging questions. The writer does still live in Paris, on the Île Saint-Louis, at the address you discovered. Do with that information what you please.
Until I met you, I hadn’t realized what was here. Thank you for showing me, however inadvertently, the narrative’s scope. Thank you for researching and for nosing your way into the lives of Win, Pru, and the duchess. And thank you for asking an old bugger some tough questions. I hope I’ve been of some use to you as well.
Good-bye, for now. Please come see me on your next scholarly expedition.
Cheers and all good things,
Gus