Charlotte House Affair 01 - My Particular Friend

the box.
    ‘Yes, Miss House. He was inside, sitting in one of these chairs, when I came into the outer office. He tried to appear nonchalant but I am certain he was … I am certain he was up to no good.’
    ‘Then the door was not locked?’ Charlotte asked, standing and then turning to Mr Clarke for elucidation.
    But Miss Streetham replied, ‘No, for George had returned that morning and had been in the office earlier and then left for an errand.’
    Mr Clarke coughed and said, ‘I am afraid he had not yet learnt the habit of locking these doors whenever he stept out.’
    ‘Do you think it possible Mr Edward had taken the map with him when he left the office?’
    ‘The maps in question are rather large, Miss House,’ Mr Clarke said, ‘similar to these you see here.’ He waved his hand at the large maps in the office, some that were at least six by six feet and printed on heavy paper.
    Charlotte moved closer to inspect the maps and the table below.
    ‘Maps? More than one?’ she asked him.
    ‘At least three are relevant to the new route.’
    She peered more closely at the table and asked, ‘Do you create the maps here?’
    ‘Oh no, we use the maps and refer to them and may make notations, but they are created by the canal company.’
    ‘I see. And was the boy here?’ She asked this of Miss Streetham.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘But he allowed Mr Edward to sit in this office,’ Charlotte said, leaving the wisdom of that decision apparent.
    ‘Kenneth is a simple boy, Miss House,’ Mr Clarke said. ‘If the office had been locked …’ He did not continue, not wishing, I think, to accuse Mr Haversham of neglect before Miss Streetham.
    ‘I should like to talk to the boy,’ Charlotte said.
    This did not sit well with Mr Clarke. ‘I said he is a simple boy. It is not necessary to berate him for …’
    ‘I do not wish to berate him for anything. Miss Streetham, you have a friendship with the boy? Would you ask him to come here?’
    She seemed doubtful, but she left the room and returned with the boy, about twelve years of age I guessed, although his simple face made him appear even younger. He walked with a limp caused by his twisted foot.
    ‘Kenneth!’ Charlotte said with a bright smile on her face. ‘Please young man, sit yourself down.’ She directed the boy to the seat Miss Streetham had vacated. ‘You can be of considerable help to me by answering a few questions. Can you do that?’
    The boy nodded, a smile on his face from Charlotte’s kind manner.
    ‘Yes, miss.’
    ‘Good lad. Now do you remember the day that Mr Haversham …’
    ‘Mr George,’ Miss Streetham interjected.
    ‘Yes, the day Mr George returned early from travelling. Miss Streetham was here and found Mr Edward waiting in the office.’
    The boy’s expression made it clear he did not remember.
    ‘Mr George gave you a penny when he returned, do you remember that?’
    This was information of which I was unaware, obviously divulged to Charlotte from her private conversation with Miss Streetham. The boy now remembered the day in question. He nodded enthusiastically.
    ‘Good,’ Charlotte said. ‘Now you remember Mr Edward visiting the office that day? You let him inside and he went into the office to wait for his brother?’
    ‘Yes, he said it was all right.’
    ‘Of course it was, Kenneth. You did the right thing.’
    ‘Mr Edward is very kind, like Mr George.’
    Charlotte looked to Miss Streetham, who answered the unspoken question, ‘Edward is … he does have an easy manner with children.’
    Charlotte turned her attention back to the boy. ‘Now Kenneth, do you remember if Mr Edward did anything while waiting in the office? Did he just sit in a chair and wait?’
    The boy shook his head no, which excited our attention.
    ‘What was he doing in the office, boy?’ Mr Clarke asked.
    The boy shrank back from him and Charlotte turned to look at us with a scowl. We shrank back from her and she then turned back to the boy with I am sure her most pleasing smile. Charlotte too had an easy manner with children. I saw her relax back into her chair and the boy’s attitude also relaxed.
    ‘Oh, Kenneth, how stupid of me; I asked you two things at once. Why don’t you tell me what Mr Edward did.’
    ‘Don’t know. I wasn’t here.’
    Guessing our reactions, Charlotte quickly lifted a finger to forestall any outbursts of surprise from us.
    ‘Oh, I guess I am wrong. I thought you had let Mr Edward in?’
    ‘Yes’m,’ he said,