Chapter 12: Who the F*#k is Florence?

In the grand tapestry of Montezuma’s Weekend at Mallon Hall, no thread is more puzzling – or more hotly debated – than the one labeled 'Nurse Florence.' By the eve of the will reading, nearly every guest has asked (in tones ranging from curious to scathing) 'Who the f*#k is Florence?'. She appears to be the picture of innocence: a cheerful caregiver with a ready smile and a Donegal lilt in her voice, gliding through the chaos with tea trays and tinctures. Yet behind that placid demeanour swirl mysteries and speculations enough to rival those of Rowan Mallon himself. Much as Rowan’s own life inspired a dozen contradictory legends, Nurse Florence has become a talking point of intrigue, gossip, and suspicion.

Mystery and Intrigue Surrounding Nurse Florence

Florence’s background is shrouded in mystery. She arrived at Mallon Hall with impeccable references, possibly from the Royal Household, yet no official record of her nursing credentials exists. This absence of verifiable history fuels speculation: is she a devoted nurse, a cunning imposter, or something else entirely?

Her presence at Rowan’s side in his final years, her access to his private quarters, and her composed demeanour have led to whispers of a romantic entanglement or a calculated bid for inheritance.

Perceptions of Florence

Davina McCallgirl sees Florence as a narrative goldmine, oscillating between portraying her as a saint or a schemer, depending on what sells.

Dolly Pardon, Rowan’s former flame, views Florence with jealousy and suspicion, though she too softens upon witnessing Florence’s sincerity.

The Mapfold family dismiss her as a mere servant until they realise she might be a threat to their inheritance.

Archie Mallon, the alleged grandson, finds in Florence a kindred spirit and potential ally.

Sister Mary Margarita, herself a woman with a hidden past, empathises with Florence and offers her spiritual support.

Narrative Techniques Building Florence’s Mystique

The author employs selective third-person narration, never revealing Florence’s inner thoughts, which maintains her enigmatic presence.

Dialogue and gossip serve as the primary tools for character exposition, allowing readers to piece together Florence’s identity through others’ perceptions.

Foreshadowing and structural suspense are used effectively, with the chapter ending just as the will is about to be read, leaving Florence’s true role unresolved.

Thematic Significance of Florence

Florence embodies the theme of appearance versus reality. Her serene exterior contrasts with the swirling doubts about her past.

She symbolises the outsider’s challenge to entrenched power structures, particularly in a patriarchal and class-conscious setting.

Her ambiguous identity mirrors Rowan Mallon’s own – both are figures whose true selves are obscured by myth and rumour.

Florence’s presence forces other characters to confront their own biases, making her a catalyst for character development and thematic exploration.

Conclusion

Nurse Florence stands as a linchpin in the narrative of Montezuma’s Weekend. Her quiet strength, mysterious past, and the varied perceptions she inspires make her one of the most compelling figures in the story.

Whether she is ultimately revealed as a saint, a schemer, or something in between, her role in the events leading up to the will reading ensures that she remains central to the unfolding drama.

But even as the guests at Mallon Hall debated Florence’s credentials, a darker theory began to circulate in hushed tones. Some whispered that her arrival was no accident at all. That she had not merely wandered into Rowan Mallon’s life, but had been placed there – deliberately – by forces with a vested interest in the outcome of his estate. The name that surfaced, always in veiled tones and never in writing, was the De Banks family.

The De Bankses were not a family in the traditional sense. They were a syndicate – a shadowy, intergenerational crime clan with roots in the smuggling ports of Marseille and the back alleys of Antwerp. Known for laundering antiquities and financing high-risk treasure hunts, the De Banks name had appeared in the margins of several of Rowan’s more questionable expeditions. A ledger found in a collapsed safehouse in Tangier listed ‘R. Mallon – 50k advance – Veracruz route’ alongside other names now crossed out in red ink. The implication was clear: Rowan had borrowed heavily from the wrong people.

Could Florence be their emissary? A honey trap sent not just to comfort an old man, but to extract secrets? Her timing was suspicious – arriving just as Rowan’s health began to fail, gaining his trust, and positioning herself as the sole custodian of his final days. If she was indeed a De Banks plant, her mission might have been twofold: ensure Rowan’s silence, and secure a claim to whatever remained of the treasure or its paper trail.

Others, too, were not above suspicion. Dolly Pardon, for all her rhinestone charm, had once been married to a man with known ties to the Corsican underworld. Davina McCallgirl’s early career as a ‘fixer’ in the Monte Carlo yacht scene had ended abruptly after a scandal involving a missing heiress and a forged will. Even Sister Mary Margarita, the reformed showgirl turned nun, had once been seen boarding a private jet with a known arms dealer – a detail she dismissed as ‘charity work’. And Sir Maverick Mapfold’s wartime record, long thought to be sterling, had recently come under scrutiny after a declassified file suggested he may have been involved in the looting of cultural artefacts during the North African campaign.

In this light, Florence’s presence at Mallon Hall took on a new hue. Was she the spider at the centre of the web, or merely another fly caught in it? Her silence, once seen as saintly, now seemed strategic. Her kindness, perhaps a mask. And as the will reading approached, more than one guest began to wonder: if Florence was indeed a honey trap, who was she working for – and what would she do once the gold was found?