— from Partners in crime
A Pot of Tea is a short story written by Agatha Christie which was first published under the title "Publicity" in The Sketch in September 1924. It was the first of a series of stories for the Sketch under the banner "Tommy and Tuppence" which formed a loosely contiguous story collection. This story was subsequently compiled and split into two, forming the first two chapters of the collection Partners in Crime which came out in both the U.K. and the U.S. in 1929.
Prudence ("Tuppence") Beresford, who has been married to Tommy for six years, is bored with life, although not with her husband. She carelessly discusses what exciting things she would wish to happen to her, mainly adventures involving German spies or spying trips to Bolshevik Russia. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Carter who asks them to take over The International Detective Agency whose manager, Theodore Blunt, is now in prison.
Blunt and his agency is apparently being used as a "letter box" by international agents who do not know the real Blunt has been apprehended and might continue to send mail to the place. In his guise as "Mr. Blunt" Tommy is to look out for letters written on blue paper, with a Russian stamp on them from a supposed ham merchant anxious to trace his refugee wife. They will have a number 16 written under the stamp and they are also to be alert for any other references to said number. In the meantime, the agency is free to undertake any other cases which may come their way.
A few days later, the two have installed themselves in the office. Tommy's alias is Mr. Blunt while Tuppence is his confidential secretary, Miss Robinson. The porter from their flat, Albert (Mrs. Vandemeyer's lift boy from The Secret Adversary) is their office boy. After a week of divorce cases, which Tuppence finds distasteful, they receive a visit from Lawrence St. Vincent. He is the nephew of and heir to the Earl of Cheriton. He has fallen in love with a young girl called Janet who works in a hat shop in Brooks Street but she has disappeared from the shop and has not been seen at her lodgings. St. Vincent heard several mentions of the detective agency from Janet and now wants them to find her. In conversation with Tuppence, St. Vincent admits that he intends to ask Janet to marry him as soon as she is found.
The Beresfords take on the case which Tuppence solves with ease--because it is all a publicity stunt she has arranged. Janet is a friend of hers from her wartime nursing days who was working at the hatshop where Tuppence makes her purchases. She is being romanced by St. Vincent. Tuppence asked Janet to make the mentions of "Blunt" detective agency and then disappear. St. Vincent would ask them to take on the case (for which they get publicity) and they would "find" Janet, provoking St. Vincent into a proposal of marriage. Tuppence had earlier maneuvered the conversation with St. Vincent around to him saying he intends to ask her to marry him.
Adapted from Agathawiki fandom
A few days later, the two have installed themselves in the office. Tommy's alias is Mr. Blunt while Tuppence is his confidential secretary, Miss Robinson. The porter from their flat, Albert (Mrs. Vandemeyer's lift boy from The Secret Adversary) is their office boy. After a week of divorce cases, which Tuppence finds distasteful, they receive a visit from Lawrence St. Vincent. He is the nephew of and heir to the Earl of Cheriton. He has fallen in love with a young girl called Janet who works in a hat shop in Brooks Street but she has disappeared from the shop and has not been seen at her lodgings. St. Vincent heard several mentions of the detective agency from Janet and now wants them to find her. In conversation with Tuppence, St. Vincent admits that he intends to ask Janet to marry him as soon as she is found.
The Beresfords take on the case which Tuppence solves with ease--because it is all a publicity stunt she has arranged. Janet is a friend of hers from her wartime nursing days who was working at the hatshop where Tuppence makes her purchases. She is being romanced by St. Vincent. Tuppence asked Janet to make the mentions of "Blunt" detective agency and then disappear. St. Vincent would ask them to take on the case (for which they get publicity) and they would "find" Janet, provoking St. Vincent into a proposal of marriage. Tuppence had earlier maneuvered the conversation with St. Vincent around to him saying he intends to ask her to marry him.
Adapted from Agathawiki fandom
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