Princess of the 19th Century Department Store - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Daisy could not directly explain how she knew so much about that policeman’s character setting. All she could say was that she was making a gamble.

“Yes. I think they will investigate, and that is what I’m betting on.”

Her eyes shifted. “That sergeant who came to our house to ask questions that day. Do you remember him?”

Mr. Nash suddenly recalled the policemen who had come to their home that day, especially the young one who had been so difficult to deal with.

“I remember now. That man became a sergeant at such a young age, and the policemen around him were all quite respectful toward him. Looks like he has some background.

“If he solves this case and gilds his résumé a little, a promotion to inspector would probably be a matter of course. People like that are all the same.”

Mr. Nash had spent so many years making his way through London and had dealt with the police before. He knew all the twists and turns inside.

For Scotland Yard to parachute in a sergeant like that to investigate this case was truly thought-provoking. Most likely, the higher-ups were already locked in a battle of their own.

But as for even the slightest mention of the sergeant himself, not a single newspaper had written a word, as if they had all agreed on it in advance.

Mr. Nash was certain that Lobit had no idea what kind of person was investigating the case.

Daisy gave him an approving look.

“I think that within a few days, the underground black markets in Whitechapel will be subjected to strict inspections.

“When that happens, pulling up one radish will bring up a clump of mud with it. We may as well now…”

“I suspect the transaction site for this batch of smuggled liquor is at… When the time comes, all we need to do is sit back and wait for him to take the bait.”

“And we don’t need to worry about being exposed. After all, no one uses their real name to trade on the black market.”

“Do you remember? Some time ago, the underground tavern across the street also sold this kind of liquor…”

She leaned in and murmured a few more sentences. Her voice rose and fell, and aside from Mr. Nash and Fred, no one heard exactly what she said.

When she finished, she calmly raised her head under Mr. Nash’s and Fred’s astonished gazes.

“Of course, doing this means we’ll inevitably have to spend some money.

“But I can be responsible for handling it and keep the costs under control as much as possible.”

After Daisy finished speaking, Mr. Nash and Fred both narrowed their eyes despite themselves and began turning it over in their minds.

If that policeman really did continue investigating, he would definitely trace backward along the route the mastermind used to dispose of the stolen goods.

With a major public incident pressing down on them, those supervisors would absolutely make an example of someone without mercy.

Mr. Nash also thought this was a highly feasible opportunity. It was rare for them to get a chance like this to use to their advantage.

If the police did not investigate, or if the fish did not take the bait, then at worst they would only lose a little money.

“Of course we should do it. We don’t run any risk of being arrested. Once the receipts are produced, we’ll naturally be clean.

“As for money, how can you earn any if you aren’t willing to part with some first?

“Now, all we need to bet on is whether Lobit is greedy enough.”

Mr. Nash said this.

Fred, standing at the side, sighed inwardly at how deep these waters truly were, but he did not forget to nod in agreement.

Seeing that her grandfather and father were both fairly bold and willing to take risks, Daisy shut her mouth in satisfaction.

The three of them, grandfather, father, and daughter, had been whispering outside. Mary, in the kitchen, had heard nothing. She only knew that the outside had suddenly gone quiet.

She lifted the curtain and ducked out, sweeping her gaze around. Seeing the three of them abruptly fall silent, she looked a little bewildered.

“What are you talking about? Dinner’s ready. And there are several cooked dishes for tomorrow’s sale too. Come and try them.”

Then she called up toward the stairs, “Penny! Dinner!”

Everyone tacitly kept their mouths shut, hiding it from Mary, who had never done anything bad in her life.

They changed the subject to tonight’s dinner, and everything was no different from usual.

At dusk, warm yellow light spilled from the kitchen. After the storeroom had been cleared out for use, there were no longer so many odds and ends cluttering the kitchen, and now everyone could sit much more comfortably.

When Mr. Nash and Fred first walked into the kitchen, they almost thought they had gone to the wrong place.

The table was still being used as a work surface. Once the food was finished, it was cleaned up and turned into the dining table.

Mary was in a good mood today. In a rare move, she had laid a linen cloth over the table and set out bright red checkered placemats for everyone with an exquisite touch, along with the new tableware they normally never used.

This could count as a fresh new beginning.

Daisy looked over the dishes on the table. There was chicken stewed with potato chunks, several home-style dishes, and a small basket of steaming hot bread in two flavors, sweet and savory.

The meat broth pudding that had already set in Mason jars had also been turned out onto plates. It looked crystal clear, with shredded meat and seasonings mixed inside.

A small porcelain dish held freshly simmered cinnamon apricot jam, and everything smelled marvelous.

Daisy thought the presentation was quite good. She had just sat down farther inside when a knock sounded at the front door.

Fred went out first to take a look. He rose, ducked through the curtain, and opened the front door outside.

It was completely dark beyond the door. Under the eaves stood his younger sister Reese, along with his niece Emma and nephew Pete.

They were carrying several bags of things, large and small, having come especially to visit Lisa.

“How did you have time to come over today?” Fred asked, somewhat surprised and very happy.

“Come in quickly and have dinner with us.”

Reese did not stand on ceremony with him and said, “All right.

“Emma has the day off today. Her father is still at work, and none of the tenants wanted the dinner I cooked.

“So I thought I might as well bring the two of them over to visit.”

The people in the kitchen heard the commotion and came out one after another.

Reese could only come once every half month, and each time she came, she brought lots of delicious food. Penny liked her best of all. She ran the fastest, darting out at once and hugging Reese’s leg as she acted spoiled.

Reese felt that Penny, this little monkey, had grown a bit taller again. From the pile of things in her hands, she took out a paper box and handed it to her, saying,

“I bought you macarons. Go on, eat them.”
Only then did Penny let go, clutching the paper bag as she and Pete went thumping into the kitchen.

Mary and Daisy came out, and Aunt Reese stepped forward to give them each a warm hug.

“What did you make today? It smells wonderful.”

“I stewed a chicken, and I tried making a lot of prepared foods too. I’m thinking of selling them in the shop later…”

“Ah, you’re finally willing to put your cooking skills to use. So are you still looking after other people’s children?”

“No, I’m not doing that anymore. My little side business hasn’t been doing very well lately, but now the grocery store is picking up…”

Reese was about the same age as Mary. When they were young, they had even worked in the same factory.

Mary had met Fred because Reese had introduced them, so the two of them were close. Once they started chatting, there was no stopping them.

At first, Daisy stood to one side with a polite smile, pulling up the basic information she knew about Aunt Reese’s family in her mind.

Aunt Reese’s family had four people and lived in Camden, north of King’s Cross Station.

Fifteen years ago, she had married Mr. Amber, a railway line worker, and had been living in Camden ever since.

Mr. Amber was a migrant worker from Scotland. He had started working for the railway company when he was twenty.

More than ten years had passed, and he had risen from a low-level employee to a team leader. His monthly wage was seven pounds, a figure that, for ordinary people, was already enough to support a family.

Because of that, Reese did not work full-time. Instead, she chose to be a sub-landlord.

Her family rented an entire house that was slightly more spacious than usual, but they only lived on the ground floor themselves.

The two upper floors and the attic were sublet to people who needed a temporary place to stay. Camden had a large transient population.

She also earned service fees by looking after her tenants’ daily needs while taking care of her two children, and her income was about the same as a full-time job.

Daisy thought Reese was an extremely hardworking and clever woman, with a certain head for business and a clear grasp of accounts.

Daisy shifted her gaze to the lively boy in a gray newsboy cap passing by her. His name was Pete Amber, and he was thirteen this year.

His older sister, Emma, was two years older than him. Emma Amber was only a few months younger than Daisy.

Emma also attended a Girls’ School near Camden, though this Girls’ School only taught several minor languages from continental Europe and offered no other courses.

As for employment, graduates could work as translation assistants for all sorts of private companies or public offices, or find work in places that frequently received foreign guests.

Emma wore a slightly worn green wool overcoat and a soft boater-style hat. She was very pretty, with hair that had a faint reddish tint, and she had an outgoing personality.

Daisy naturally went back into the kitchen with Emma to sort out the seating.

They added a few stools and put together several sets of tableware.

Pete was a little mischievous and refused to sit by the table. He was very interested in the drain outside the Nash family’s kitchen back door.

Children who never had to worry about food or clothing were all like this at his age.

Emma scolded him loudly on the spot, twisted his ear, and dragged him back inside.

Daisy watched with some alarm. It seemed this younger cousin of hers was also quite well-versed in the martial virtues.

Pete immediately wilted like an eggplant after frost and sat down obediently. Penny followed suit and became well-behaved too. Truly, every creature had its natural predator.

Mr. Nash and Fred went upstairs with Reese to see Lisa.

Mary returned to the kitchen and, in just a short while, made two more dishes. She also brought out a bottle of unsold gin from before and pinched up a few old wineglasses to pour it into.

Emma opened the paper boxes she had brought one by one. There were not only macarons, but also sponge cake covered in raspberry jam.

That sort of thing was not cheap. It cost several shillings per pound.

Daisy studied it carefully for a while. The sponge cake had even been dipped in a layer of syrup before the jam was brushed on. It was far too sweet.

“They can drink wine, so we’ll have tea. It’s a new floral tea, with rose and osmanthus flavors. Which would you like?”

Emma thought about it. She was not quite sure what the difference was, but she liked roses.

“Rose, then.”

Before long, everyone returned to the kitchen and sat down close together.

The table was full of delicious dishes, drinks, desserts, and main courses all piled together without any particular order.

Reese could sense that her maiden family seemed different from before. It was not only the surroundings inside the house, but also some other feeling she could not quite name.

She could not put it into words. Under Mary’s warm hospitality, she only kept accepting heaping portions of food onto her plate.

Reese first tried the savory meat jelly. She used an iron spoon to cut a piece from the crystal-clear amber cylinder and placed it on the tip of her tongue.

The congealed broth had not the slightest trace of gaminess. The spices and seasonings inside, along with the meat cooked down into fine shreds, melted away the moment she pressed them with her tongue.

“This tastes really good.”

Reese then picked up a piece of sweet bread, dipped it in jam, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed a couple of times. Her eyes instantly narrowed in satisfaction.

“Mm, this is delicious too. How did you make all of these?”

Mary briefly explained the ingredients and process, but Reese found it all rather confusing. She had never been good at cooking, though she often cooked meals to sell to her tenants, so she could estimate the costs from the recipe.

“I think these things will definitely sell well, and you can definitely keep making them for a long time.”

Reese said this to Mary with certainty.

Everyone at the table was busy serving themselves, and Daisy tried a little of everything too.

After dinner ended, Reese and her children reluctantly prepared to leave.

Mary used paper bags to pack two or three portions of each test dish she had made, filling a basket until it bulged, then insisted on pressing it into Reese’s hands.

Reese could not refuse, so she had no choice but to accept the food.

Fred took an umbrella and went out to find an acquaintance in the neighborhood who rented out horse-drawn carriages. He hired a carriage and saw Reese and her two children safely home.

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