Charlotte House Affair 01 - My Particular Friend

man.
    ‘No, I believe you do. Do you keep them in this table?’
    He smiled weakly. ‘Yes, if you would be so kind.’
    Charlotte opened the drawer of a table next to the bed and produced the glasses, which he donned.
    ‘I am sorry at my little deception, Beryl.’
    ‘But why did you think it necessary, George?’
    His pause at answering allowed Mrs Fitzhugh to say, ‘Men are as vain as women, my dear.’
    For some reason, perhaps simply the strain of the past days, this remark caused Miss Streetham, and then her mother, to laugh with abandon, which also caused Mr Haversham to smile. We left the room shortly thereafter, leaving mother, daughter and future son to enjoy their happiness in private.
    In the drawing-room, Mr Dundas prepared to leave us.
    ‘Thank you again, Charlotte, and my dear Margaret and my newest friend Miss Woodsen.’
    ‘Please sir, it would be an honour were you to call me Jane,’ I offered, surprised and yet not that this man had so inspired such a want of intimacy.
    ‘Careful, Jane, for you shall soon be calling him Uncle Charles,’ Charlotte said.
    ‘That is a certainty,’ Mr Edward Haversham confirmed. ‘Come sir, I will leave with you that we might allow this household some rest.’
    ‘If you could remain behind a moment, Mr Haversham, I should be grateful,’ Charlotte said.
    Mr Dundas raised a questioning eyebrow that Charlotte answered with a nod. I could not fathom Charlotte’s desire to speak with Mr Haversham and I could not understand how Mr Dundas could be any the wiser, but he seemed satisfied to leave matters with her. He bid us good night again and left.
    ‘Please, Mr Haversham, will you sit with us?’ Charlotte said as a command. Most people encountering Charlotte’s imperious tone for the first time would have instantly complied, but he smiled warily before he casually took a seat.
    ‘You have questions for me?’ he asked with an insolence that recalled my earlier suspicions of him.
    ‘Yes, I would appreciate knowing for how long you have been in love with Miss Streetham.’
    I gasped at this and looked to Mrs Fitzhugh, but she simply nodded her head. ‘Well it was rather obvious, Jane,’ she said.
    ‘I remember you now,’ Mr Haversham said, ‘but I don’t think we’ve ever met. Uncle Charles had told me of a little girl that he said was a wicked reasoner. Very well, I own up to it. I have loved her since the moment I met her.’
    ‘You have gone to lengths to hide it from her.’
    ‘I would not have her know for the world. She is for George as should be plain for anyone to see,’ he said emphatically.
    ‘Have no fear; we will keep this knowledge to ourselves. But in return, I want to know how you stole the map.’
    It was now Mrs Fitzhugh’s turn to gasp.
    ‘Oh really, I thought you had done your best to clear my name?’
    ‘There is no use in denying it. Perhaps it would be easier if you merely confirm my belief that you stole the map by the simple expedient of wadding it up and putting it in the wastebasket and letting the boy Kenneth throw it out with the trash.’
    He opened his mouth as if to again object and then thought better of it. Finally he said, ‘I suppose there is no use in denying it. You are correct in your belief.’
    ‘But we found the map and Mr Haversham, that is Mr George Haversham, confirmed the map remained in his office after this man had left,’ I objected.
    ‘Yes, the copy remained in his office, but the original escaped in the trash,’ Charlotte said, as if the concept were a simple matter.
    ‘Copy? What copy?’
    Charlotte ignored my question and instead addressed Mr Haversham: ‘How did you become aware of the copy?’
    But Mr Haversham refused to say anything in response. Rather than confront him again, Charlotte addressed my question.
    ‘There had to be a copy, Jane. It is a fact that information about the map had circulated and yet we found the map in the strongbox.
Quod erat demonstrandum.
And I sincerely doubt that Mr Edward Haversham could create a copy of such a large and detailed map in the time allotted, so I must surmise your brother created the map. I found marks on the table below the map and many of the tools needed to create a duplicate.’ #
    ‘Damn you then, yes he created that copy and yes he confessed it to me!’ Mr Haversham said loudly.
    ‘Please, lower your voice or your brother’s one instance of dishonesty will be discovered,’ Charlotte commanded.
    ‘You will not speak of