Charlotte House Affair 01 - My Particular Friend

Stilton wants to goad Mr—excuse me, what is the gentleman’s actual name?’
    ‘Let me think … Clarence Potterwhistle. No, that’s not right. Potterthwaite. That’s it.’
    ‘Then Miss Stilton wants to use your proposal to goad Mr Potterthwaite into asking your Aunt Hermione for the living.’
    ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head, Miss House. Potty’s terrified of the old maternal relative. Fact is, everyone’s frightened of her. She pulls off the
grande dame
act as to the manor born. And the truth is you don’t have to go very far back to catch the distinct aroma of salted cod from the family fortune.’
    ‘How interesting that these two women should have hatched such similar schemes.’
    ‘Happens all the time, actually.’
    ‘And how does your aunt view your engagement?’
    ‘She approves wholeheartedly. She’s been trying to unite Worcester and Stilton for ages.’
    ‘A heady mixture indeed, and now, I have to ask, why do you come to me?’
    ‘You were correct, I do know your brother … sorry, ’bout to say … asked me not to call him that … your brother Michael. He said you could help me avert the calamity.’
    ‘You have a nickname for him as well? Your lips are sealed? Never mind, what is the calamity?’
    ‘Aunt Hermione has removed to Bath and I’ve come to join her at Deerfield Park. She has also invited Miss Stilton’s family. And I just got word before I left that Sir Walter and family will be joining the party as well. The whole lot of them in Bath cheek by jowl and for once I don’t have my man to tell me what to do.’ #
    ‘I see the difficulty. There will be unpleasantness when it is discovered that you … wait, how does the absence of your valet affect the matter?’
    Her question stopped his litany of woes and he fixed on his face a worshipful expression before continuing. ‘It will probably sound odd to you, but I depend on him for these situations.’
    ‘These situations? You often find yourself accidentally engaged to two women?’
    ‘No, no, of course not; two is unusual.’
    ‘You amaze me, Mr Worcester. Perhaps you should tell us why you don’t have the services of your valet.’
    ‘Owing to a disagreement over purple waistcoats, I’m afraid. We can’t see eye to eye on the matter and regrettably I had to let him go. Can’t be dictated to by one’s valet after all.’
    We all noticed that Mr Worcester looked very sad and Mrs Fitzhugh laid her arm on his.
    ‘Extraordinary,’ Charlotte said. ‘And your man would advise you what to do whenever you found yourself accidentally engaged?’
    ‘Yes, he has a great mind, you see. No problem is in- something.’
    ‘Insurmountable?’
    ‘That’s it. I feel rather lost without him.’
    ‘And what is this worthy’s name?’
    ‘Oh, Cheevers. So you see, Miss House, I have no one to tell me what to do and your brother suggested you might act as my guide.’
    Charlotte laughed. ‘I would be happy to be your Cheevers, Mr Worcester.’

A Plan of Action
    ‘You amaze me more and more, Charlotte,’ I said after our guest had left.
    ‘And why is that my dear?’ she asked with her pleasantly condescending smile, rather than the withering one she uses on dowager countesses.
    ‘I was certain you would tell Robert to send Mr Worcester packing.’
    ‘I too am intrigued,’ Mrs Fitzhugh added.
    ‘It is a lark, I admit, but I thought it might be pleasant to address ourselves to a problem of little import.’
    I sniffed and said, ‘It is a matter of great import to Mr Worcester. In the matter of Miss Stilton, he might face a breach of promise.’ #
    ‘I misspoke then—a matter of little complexity. After all, I should be able to match the talents of Mr Worcester’s valet. I think I want to know a little more about our client and the other actors. Jane, will you join me?’
    We left Mrs Fitzhugh in the study to finish her correspondence and entered the library. Charlotte turned to the shelves to find the volume she needed.
    ‘Jane, find my London commonplace books to see what there is of Mr Worcester—start two years previous—and I shall see what I can find of Sir Walter in Debrett’s.’ #
    Luckily more of Charlotte’s library had arrived to supplement her travelling books and I found the London books for ‘W’ and leafed through until I found the time period. Rather than interrupt Charlotte with each discovery pertaining to Mr Worcester, I added them to the journal I now kept relating to our