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BOTH MISS GREENSBODY and Police Constable Meeks appeared more irritated than mystified.
“It is highly unusual to make up seeing a dead body.” Miss Greensbody sniffed.
Archibald barked, and Cora hushed him.
Miss Greensbody shot an accusatory look at Archibald. “We’ve never had a dog here before.”
Cora fought the urge to scoop Archibald into her arms. “The landlady told me pets were allowed.”
“Pets, perhaps. Personally, I have a cat. Far more civilized. But then, I am British.” She gave a cool, tight smile, as if to indicate she was far too polite to mention Cora was American and obviously bereft of civilization.
Archibald barked again, no doubt sensing the rising tension, and Miss Greensbody gave a triumphant smile. “Princess Petunia would never do that.”
Cora hushed Archibald, and he gave her an exasperated look. Archibald seemed to have heroic tendencies, and unfortunately, he’d decided Cora’s new neighbor was the enemy. No doubt he could smell cat hairs on her.
The constable cleared his throat. “Goodbye, ladies.”
“But you haven’t found the body!” Veronica exclaimed.
“He can’t find a body that doesn’t exist.” Miss Greensbody smirked.
“Your neighbor is right,” the constable said, almost reluctantly.
“But there was one,” Cora said.
The constable’s eyes softened. “Perhaps it was some vagrant who’d decided to take a nap there. The window is open after all. He was probably embarrassed at being discovered and pretended to be dead. And then once you left, he did a runner. It’s a good thing he’s not here.”
Cora nodded. She wanted to believe the constable. She wanted the young man she’d seen to be alive.
“A vagrant wouldn’t be wearing a suit,” Veronica said.
“All the more reason for him to be embarrassed,” Miss Greensbody said. “Now, be sure to keep that window closed. We don’t want any more people sneaking in. I’ll be sure to write to Mrs. Addington to express my deep irritation about this matter. A profound waste of time.”
“You have a busy schedule?” Veronica asked.
“Indeed.I am the lead curator at the Persian Antiquities Exhibit at the Museum of Ancient Antiquities on Great Russell Street. It is a most important role. Persians rather mastered civilization centuries ago. In fact, I should be going. I have an important business meeting at the museum and I must feed Princess Petunia.” Miss Greensbody marched from the room.
“I’ll best be going too,” the constable said. “There’ll be paperwork for me to fill out.”
Cora watched as the constable exited the room, then moved her attention to the bed. “I’m going to go buy some new bedding. And perhaps a new mattress.”
“New bedding?” Veronica grimaced. “You’re staying with me.”
“You don’t have an apartment yet.”
“Only a matter of time, honey. And the Ritz is quite suitable in the meantime.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll manage.”
“We can go to your landlady and demand your money back,” Veronica said.
“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Cora said. “I did sign an awful lot of papers. And since neither the constable nor our neighbor seemed convinced the body didn’t belong solely to our imagination, I doubt she’ll be more accepting.”
“Oh.” Veronica blinked. “How very frustrating. Do you think it’s possible we did imagine it? Not the body of course, but whether he was actually dead? Perhaps he had just chosen the wrong spot for a nap. The English do despise being rude. Perhaps you’ll even see him wandering about later.”
“Perhaps,” Cora said doubtfully. “It wouldn’t hurt to learn about the neighbors.”
“Splendid,” Veronica said.
“Let’s take a walk, Archibald,” Cora said, grateful for the company as she made her way down the stairs.
She’d lied to Veronica.
She didn’t feel the least bit brave about living in this place.
But she didn’t want to go rushing to live in Veronica’s hotel. Veronica had helped her sufficiently in England. This was Cora’s chance to be independent and form her own life. She wasn’t going to run away now.
She lifted her chin and strode down the stairs. When she turned onto the next landing, she nearly collided with someone ascending the stairs.
Uncertainty barreled through her, and Archibald barked at the new presence, but when she gazed at the person before her, she only saw a woman about her own age with dark hair, curlier than Cora’s own. Tension eased from her shoulders.
“Are you the new girl?” the woman asked.
“New girl?”
“Lionel said there’d be another girl moving in across from me. I’m so glad. The boys below are dears, but I’m quite convinced male eardrums must be entirely different from female eardrums. They insist on playing such noisy music, and I’d rather not have to listen to Miss Greensbody argue about it with them.”
Cora smiled. There was something about this new woman that was pleasant. “I’m Cora.”
“And I’m Bess.” She returned Cora’s smile. “Welcome to Bloomsbury.”
“Thank you,” Cora said, and some of that excitement she’d once felt about the prospect of moving here managed to fill her again.
“Is it your first time living in London?” Bess asked.
Cora nodded. “Yes.”
The door opened, and Rollo poked his head out. “Hello, Bess. I thought I heard you. How are you?”
“I’ll be living opposite an American,” Bess exclaimed. “Have you met her? This is exciting.”
“She’s a film star,” Rollo said, and Bess widened her eyes.
“Is that so?” Bess asked Cora.
Cora smiled. She probably wouldn’t have trusted Rollo either.
“A rather melodramatic one,” Lionel grumbled, stepping into the landing.
“Who lives in the other apartments?” Cora asked.
“Let’s see,” Bess said. “Both of us have the top floor. Lionel and Rollo have flat three, below me, and Miss Greensbody lives in flat four.”
“And the bottom apartments?”
“They used to be the kitchen,” Lionel said. “No one is living there.”
“We’re going out to the pub. Care to join us?” There was an odd hopeful tone in Rollo’s voice.
“No, thank you,” Bess said primly.
“I see.” Rollo’s shoulders slumped down slightly. “Next time.”
“Perhaps,” Bess replied, not meeting his eyes.
“I didn’t know we were going to the pub,” Lionel said.
“I just thought of it.”
“My head aches.” Lionel raked a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think I drank so much yesterday.”
“You’re getting old,” Rollo said with a grin, and Lionel scowled and punched him playfully on the shoulder.
Bess and Cora watched them go down the stairs. Finally, Cora turned to Bess. “Who was the previous tenant? Was it a young man by any chance?”
Bess gave her a strange look. “A young lady. Not that I would mind if there were young men here. Rollo and Lionel are pleasant, but not exactly husband-worthy. One doesn’t come across many eligible men at the perfume counter of Harrods either behind or in front of the counters.” Bess leaned closer to her. “The men who do show up are buying perfume for another woman.”
“Oh.”
Bess’s eyes sparkled, and she grinned. “I think we’re going to be friends.”
“I’d like that,” Cora said, and her chest felt somewhat lighter than before.
Perhaps the constable was correct.
Perhaps she’d only imagined that the person on her bed was dead.
Perhaps imagining dead bodies was only a regrettable side effect from her time on the South Downs and in the Yorkshire Dales, when people had truly been murdered.
Murder could not be so common.
Bess, Lionel and Rollo seemed delightfully normal, and though Miss Greensbody was eccentric, there were no doubt equally dedicated and eccentric curators.
“Would you consider this a safe neighborhood?” Cora asked carefully.
“Very,” Bess said. “Father would never have stood for it if I’d moved elsewhere. But it’s fine, you’ll see. There are some nice parties with all the people in university, and the museums are nice.”
“You like art.”
“I like everything beautiful,” Bess announced.
Archibald barked as if in agreement, and Cora and Bess giggled.
Cora said goodbye to her new neighbor and stepped outside.