“‘They’ll all be coming’?” I asked. “The alderman’s family, you mean?”
“The whole lot of them.” Mrs. McCreedy gave us a look of complete vexation.
I looked enquiringly at Daniel. “I thought you said the cottages were not used at this time of year.”
“Nor are they normally,” Mrs. McCreedy answered for him. “Everything is usually shut up for the winter by now, but I gather Mr. Archie is taking part in some kind of boat race this weekend and the alderman has invited the whole family down. But it’s not mine to reason why. He gives the orders and I carry them out. And I’d best get moving if I’m to have everything ready by the time they get here.”
“Are there no other servants?” Daniel asked. “It’s a big establishment for only one woman to run.”
She nodded agreement. “Of course they bring their personal maids and valets, and the alderman always brings his personal chef. Very particular about his food, the alderman is.”
“I could come up and give you a hand if you like,” I suggested.
She looked horrified. “A friend of the alderman giving me a hand? That would never do. But you’ve married yourself a warm and generous young lady, sir.”
“Definitely.” Daniel smiled at me. “Always likes to keep herself busy, this one.” I took in his double meaning. We had debated for months about my abandoning my career when we married. I’d had to agree to give up my detective business—understanding, somewhat grudgingly, that it might compromise Daniel’s position in the New York Police Department. But I’d also made it quite clear that I was not prepared to sit idly and devote myself to housewifely pursuits.
“We do bring in local girls to help out with the cleaning when the family is here,” Mrs. McCreedy paused in the doorway. “Do you need me to arrange for one of them to do your cooking and cleaning while you’re here?”
“Oh, no. I’m sure we can manage,” I said. “I’m used to doing my own cooking.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything. And I’d make use of the solitude now if I were you because things are going to be pretty lively come Friday.”
With that she departed, leaving us alone.
Three
I waited until the door closed behind her, then I turned to glare at Daniel.
“Did you know that a whole lot of people were going to be here with us?” I asked.
Daniel shifted uncomfortably under my questioning stare. “No, I didn’t.”
“Then why exactly did this alderman invite us here at the same time as his family? Surely it wasn’t the best of times. And a man like that must have had a reason, other than the goodness of his heart.”
Daniel chuckled. “You’re too sharp for your own good. All right, I suppose there must have been a motive, other than the goodness of his heart.”
“I knew it!” I said angrily. “I knew there was something fishy about this. Important men don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts—not unless they want something. So what does this alderman want you to do for him? You’re not here to work on a case, are you?”
Daniel put his hands on my shoulders. “Calm down, firebrand. I’m not here to work. He wanted to speak to me about something—something that was troubling him, he said. He thought he might have got it wrong.”
“Got what wrong?”
“He didn’t say. He just said he valued my judgment and he’d like me to see for myself. That’s all I know.”
“So you’ve worked with him before? You know all about his affairs?”
Daniel smiled. “I doubt that anyone knows all about his affairs. If anyone could be said to have a finger in every pie, it would be Brian Hannan. He and his brother own a big construction company, as you probably know. They only take on important jobs now—bridges, tunnels, that kind of thing. You might have heard that they’re currently building the subway under the streets of New York. And you know that he’s also involved in politics—he’s been a big noise at Tammany Hall for years and recently got himself elected alderman. And now he’s after even bigger things, so we hear. I think he’s got his eye on a state senate seat, but he doesn’t want to give up his control of Tammany Hall, to make sure he has all those votes in his pocket.”
“Goodness,” I said. “A busy man indeed.”
“Maybe he’s finally bitten off more than he can chew,” Daniel said. “He’s handed over the day-to-day running of Hannan Construction to his brother. And to tell you the truth, we’ve had our eyes on Hannan Contruction for quite a while. They sail close to the wind, but we’ve never managed to nab them yet.”