[MaC] A pause in the music - Back in the lounge

[Mel Mason]

>>>"Don't mind him old boy."  James said to Anton, not even deigning to give 
>>>Fitzroy a look.  James sighed, smashed a fist into his palm and mused 
>>>aloud.  "Everyone in the building was invited to the party, weren't 
>>>they?" he said. "Every last one, social hermit or not."
>>>"It's one of us." James deduced, unhappily.
>>
>>>"No! No, it can't be!" Nicola protested. "There had
>>>to..." her voice trailed off. "Oh... you're right.
>>>Nobody could get into Mortmain Mansions and we were
>>>all here at the party." She looked around the room at
>>>the few stragglers that had been either too uneasy or
>>>too respectful to traipse through and gawk at Nola's
>>>body. "But... who?" She shivered in spite of her warm jacket.
>>
>>         Pamela's lips thinned. She had come to the same conclusion, but 
>> need Mr. Drake frighten everyone with it? No point suggesting that 
>> perhaps someone *had* broken in, given that all the flats were empty 
>> tonight; that would not precisely reassure.
>>
>>         The thing to do was to remain calm and matter-of-fact. Pamela 
>> patted Nicola's hand one more time and turned toward Lucinda. "Mrs. 
>> Skeffington-Nottle? Your husband was asking for you; perhaps you would 
>> come with me? Oh, and Mr. Hodges, we could do with whatever aprons -- or 
>> table-linen, even -- you could find for us. Anything at all; it needn't 
>> be new or even clean." Properly she ought to have asked Mr. Fitzroy, as 
>> the flat they were in was his, but hundreds of years of breeding firmly 
>> informed her that she simply could not speak to that common, vulgar, 
>> *nasty* little man.
>
> Vangie cleared her throat. "I think perhaps our hostess should be told 
> what is happening." Diffidently she added, "...and she was asking for her 
> purse earlier, I can take care of that at the same time."

(OOC - if you want to follow Hodges downstairs, you'll hear and see Esme)