Drawing Room

Play this audio right after unlocking LIB04, the last puzzle of the Library.

As you walk toward the Library door, a lilting voice stops you in your tracks.
- Psst! Detective!

You turn to find Theo Kipling, one of the younger footmen, awkwardly leaning his head through the Library door opening. Theo is barely in his twenties, with an over-eager expression and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
- You’re looking for the music box, right? Hah. Bad idea, if you ask me.
- Is that so?
- You bet! That thing’s bad news, detective. The whole Finch family knows it. Everyone in this house does. I wouldn’t dream of touching it, not for all the gold in London!
- Bad news?
- Oh yes! People die around that thing. Strange accidents, tragic ends, you name it! Ever heard of Miss Catherine Finch? Fell off a horse in the middle of the night. Boom—dead. Just like that. And what was she holding? The music box!

You struggle to find a suitable response; superstition is not your thing.
- Hm.
- Alright, alright, you’re clearly not convinced yet. But listen! Sir Richard’s own uncle and aunt? They want to bring a reporter to write a piece about the music box. They get into a big fight with Sir Richard’s mom, and before lunch they are both dead! Yeah. One from a heart attack, the other falling off the stairs.
- Oh my!
- See? Sounds awfully coincidental, doesn’t it? And that’s not even half of it. They say there are many more stories like that in the Finch family tree book. If you ask me, it all started back in 1765, four years after Sir Reginald established the estate.
- I see. Thank you, I’ll take a look.
- I’m telling you, detective, this thing is cursed! Just walk out of this case; you’ll thank me later.
- Well thank you for your concern, Mr. Kipling! I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any malevolent spirits!
- Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Theo wanders off, leaving you to locate the book he mentioned. You then exit the Library for good, making your way toward the Drawing Room. The space is elegant yet lived-in, with beautiful rosewood furniture and plush couches, their craftsmanship a testament to the estate’s enduring wealth. Everything is impeccably maintained, as if untouched by time. It’s easy to imagine aristocrats gathered here, sipping wine, their laughter filling the air as the evening stretched on.