IS A BUTLER CLANDESTINE?

Amateur Sleuth And Covert Operative

When someone thinks of the Golden Era’s mystery stories, the first thing that comes to mind is “the butler did it”. I was watching the movie, and it popped in my head. What if the butler didn’t do it because he was the amateur sleuth?

Butlers see everything because no one pays attention to them; they are invisible to certain people. They are part of the servant community who talk to each other, but don’t talk to what is called ‘outsiders’. And a butler has contacts in town for everything he or his principal needs.

Building the idea

The first thing I asked was do people still have butlers today? A film producer? They have a lot of parties, and a butler is indispensable in that capacity. Where do people live who have butlers? I put it in a small town in Connecticut, because New York is overdone, but I wanted it near the city.

I went upstairs and told the hubbs about my idea and he ripped my brilliance to shreds. He said butlers must discreet and can’t talk about what they see to anyone, because they get fired. Well, that killed the idea of a butler helping the cops solve a murder. Back to the drawing board I went. I figured a way around the problem and am crossing my fingers it works.

I went up to Boonsboro Maryland, to see if I could plan the story out. I stayed at Nora Roberts’ (yes, that author) Bed & Breakfast, in the Thin Man Room. The B&B is highly recommend if you are in the area. Each guest room is designed after a different literary couple. Nick and Nora Charles, 1930s? It was the perfect room for me to brainstorm the idea I had in mind. It was like kismet.

By the end of day three I had my main characters fleshed out, the murder created and transplanted Boonsboro to Connecticut. Nora Roberts’ vision was the inspiration for the town setting in this book. 

What I learned about buttling

I took a short class on buttling (that is a word) and bought two books about buttling for research. It’s shocking how perfect a butler is expected to be.

• Anticipating every need.
• Packing clothing a certain way.
• The plates at the table need to be 1-inch from the edge, and each setting needs to look exactly like every other one.
• Butlers keep journals of every person who visits so the visit will be up to the guest’s liking, desires, and needs.
• Did you know a butler should always say the name first, and not good morning first? It shows a sign of respect.
• And there’s a certain phrase a butler says to tell his principal he is wrong, without saying he is wrong.

I highly recommend watching movies, television shows, anything with a formal servant staff, to see how they act.

I suggest a butler can be a covert operative.