Chapter 10
“The Mystery Guest”
After finishing his meal, Christopher sat at his desk and listened to Rufus’s report.
To Rufus Ollivander, Christopher Archibald Belmore was a peculiar man.
“Don’t use children in the factory. Increase the number of skilled workers.”
“Yes, sir.”
His master never revealed his thoughts. He never became angry at bad news, nor did he openly show joy at good news.
He immediately arrived at the correct decision in all matters, and Rufus trusted him completely.
“Sir, I visited the tavern where that girl worked. She didn’t work there long. On her first day, she ran off, and the owner went berserk. The problem is…”
Rufus trailed off, and Christopher pricked up his ears.
“Congressman Phil Gordon went to that tavern first. He kept confirming whether a girl from the convent had really worked there. It seems he even paid the owner.”
The Prime Minister was up for election and extremely wary of scandal. Phil Gordon was his political rival. His movements needed to be monitored.
“Righteous Phil Gordon is acting deceitfully.”
It was a predictable scenario that Gordon would try to collect blemishes on Belmore, whose engagement rumors with the Prime Minister’s daughter were widespread.
Gordon already knew that the convent had been threatened.
It seemed he had targeted the convent, brushing aside the mysterious death of a nun.
“What should we do with that orphan girl? Is it really okay to leave her be? Lord Gordon will try to bribe her.”
Rufus said this with a serious expression.
The fact that a girl from the convent appeared in the red-light district was already provocative.
And if the Belmore family were blamed as the cause of her corruption?
Even if it wasn’t true, the rumor would snowball.
“Leave her. I’ll make sure those shallow schemes don’t work. Call the manager.”
He looked at a letter lying on his desk as he spoke.
“You called, Lord Belmore?”
“The hotel received a better evaluation than expected.”
Christopher examined the Crystal Palace model while speaking to the manager. It was delicate and beautiful. The same building was being constructed in the suburbs.
“It’s all thanks to you, sir. The hotel’s reputation will rise even higher.”
Christopher glanced at the letter and the hotel evaluation on the desk. The manager continued in a deferential tone:
“The elderly lady in Room 307 was the mystery guest. None of the staff guessed correctly.”
“She was formerly the editor of Vernaculars. Had I seen her, I would have recognized her immediately.”
Christopher recalled the elderly lady who had come to see him, responding indifferently.
‘Christopher Archibald Belmore. Who would’ve thought you’d grow into such a fine young man.’
The plainly dressed elderly lady pronounced his name crisply as she greeted him.
‘Mrs. Abigail. I heard you retired, but I didn’t know you worked here.’
Mrs. Abigail waved her hand, signaling that formalities were unnecessary. Her resolute eyes shone.
‘You’re more curious about the hotel than my unnecessary personal updates, sir. Let me be frank. Naturally, the newly built hotel is clean. The food is excellent as well.’
Christopher bowed in response.
‘But what impressed me most was something else. The maid who brought ginger cookies to my room made me decide. I want to believe her thoughtful actions are the result of her upbringing, not mere individual talent.’
Abigail observed Christopher’s expression as she spoke. He silently touched the Crystal Palace model—smooth, transparent, and delicate.
‘The maid who delivered laundry. A girl as beautiful as I was in my youth. When I came in soaking wet from the rain, she noticed the ginger cookies I usually ate and brought them with warm milk. That kindness, even to someone in a cheap room, was enough for me.’
Miss Abigail also spoke about Elizabeth, who had been entrusted with a dress to wash late at night.
‘Inflexible people say it will be done the next day or complain about laundry getting mixed up. But this clever girl marked each garment with a clip.’
Miss Abigail spoke as if asking whether they knew this.
‘The evaluation is already done, and my mind is made up. We’ll adopt her method of handling work. Oh, she even took a muddy cane and cleaned it. Quite an exceptional maid, Christopher. Personally, I find her so kind and charming I almost envy her.’
“The lady Abigail spoke highly of Elizabeth.”
After Abigail left, Christopher carefully observed Lily at work in the hotel.
He noticed her smile, never shown to him before, and her diligent, quick movements.
She fluttered about like a small bird, moving gracefully with long legs.
She smiled at every guest she encountered. Even children visiting with their parents weren’t exceptions. Some guests left brief notes for her upon checkout.
Everyone called her ‘Lovely Elizabeth.’
“Who? Oh, that orphan girl? She was just a temporary hire since we were short-handed. We were going to let her go soon anyway—”
“She earned praise.”
“Huh?”
The manager’s jaw dropped. It was unexpected.
“Let her work officially. Stop laundry duties and keep her as a room maid. Education might be good for her too.”
With that level of skill, she would not harm the hotel. Neutralizing Phil Gordon’s potential schemes was an added bonus.
The manager quickly hid his embarrassment and agreed.
“Yes, yes. I’ve heard she works well.”
Christopher nodded as if encouraging him to continue.
“She has a good memory… notices guest preferences, and so on. She even created a time for the laundry staff to share guest interaction tips.”
“Really? Interesting.”
Christopher listened carefully to the manager’s account.
“Yes, thanks to that, mistakes have decreased. The head of laundry praised her as clever.”
The manager fumbled, recalling what Summer had told him. There had been many details, but he hadn’t remembered them all.
“Give her the bonus too.”
“Ah? Yes, sir.”
The manager asked twice to confirm Christopher’s decision.
It was a bold move. Normally, well-trained maids would line up for positions like this.
‘And she’s an orphan?’
He left with an expression of incomprehension toward his master.
Lily accepted the gold coin from the manager, unable to hide her stunned expression.
She had written down Room 301 as the mystery guest, but never expected to actually receive the money.
The manager spoke kindly for the first time, and Summer hugged her, spinning her around.
“The mystery guest praised me?”
Lily asked in disbelief. She had never held so much money before, and now she had even received recognition. Imagining that cold, aloof man giving praise was almost impossible.
“Everyone! This is our youngest! She hasn’t been here long!”
Summer’s boisterous boasting made Lily stop daydreaming. Applause broke out, though sporadically, as most still eyed her warily.
Amid the awkwardness, the chef laughed heartily and clapped.
“Come down to the kitchen. I’ll get you some treats as a congratulations.”
Then the applause grew louder. The manager waved his hand, seemingly annoyed.
“Elizabeth? Stop laundry work starting next week. Lord Belmore said to make you a room maid and officially hire you.”
“What? Then there won’t be enough hands for laundry!”
Summer jumped in for Lily, yelling. The manager ignored her, looking at Lily properly for the first time.
“Don’t argue. He said it himself.”
Summer stepped back at the mention of Lord Belmore’s direct order. Lily slowly nodded.
Summer’s envious gaze felt unfamiliar. Lily had never been the object of anyone’s admiration before.
She could hardly believe such fortune had come to someone who had only been a pitiful object of sympathy.
“Lily, what will you do with that money?”
Summer whispered softly. Lily had never planned what to do with such unexpected money. She touched the locket in her pocket and replied carefully:
“I’ll put it all in the bank.”
At her conservative answer, Summer sighed openly.
“Money is meant to be spent. Why not spend it on what you want?”
“Hmm… then I’d like to make beautiful clothes for the girls at the convent.”
Whenever Lily saw little ladies in fancy clothes passing through the hotel, she thought of those children.
“It’s not for you, is it? Those pretty clothes.”
“I can’t use ready-made ones. I’ll buy good fabric from the drapery shop.”
At Lily’s stubborn reply, Summer shook her head.
“You’re going to make the clothes yourself? You could still find decent ones on Petticoat Street.”
“Petticoat Street?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to wander there forever. If you’re going to live, you might as well see only beautiful things. I want to earn money and open a hat shop someday.”
Summer mimed wearing a wide-brimmed hat as she spoke.
“I’ll go to Paris, learn hat design, and open a shop. If I only stock the latest fashionable hats, I’ll get rich fast.”
Summer had already drifted into her daydreams, paying no attention to Lily.
Lily calculated train tickets to East Longfellow and the gifts she would bring.
With this money, she could even lay extravagant flowers at Sister Brigida’s grave. The weight of the gold florins made her pocket sag.
