As the curtain rises on the latest installment of "Miss Scarlet & The Duke," Jeremiah Slade (played by Robert Wilfort) steps into the grandeur of Hotel St Marc in France, only to be met with apologies from the harassed hotel manager (Greg Haiste), who excuses the bustling atmosphere due to the hotel's heightened occupancy. Once ensconced in his room and the sands of slumber beginning to pull at his eyelids, Jeremiah is rudely awakened by Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips), who expertly affixes handcuffs to his wrist and the bedpost, addressing him by his alias, Charles Percival. She reveals his true identity as a notorious swindler who has bilked half of London, including her client, Lord Morgan, and announces her meticulous plans for his extradition. Jeremiah, defiant and denying all accusations, threatens to summon assistance and have her apprehended for her actions.
Post the dramatic introduction, Eliza proposes a truce, offering to relieve the gag restraint on Jeremiah's mouth if hepledges to maintain composure. With the gag removed and his spectacles perched firmly on his nose, Jeremiah launches into a diatribe about her gross injustice, contending that she has no authority to treat him thusly. Eliza counters, invoking the harrowing plight of his victims who lost their lifelong savings to his deceit. Jeremiah counters by asserting his profession as a lawyer, an assertion that Eliza brushes aside, mocking the scarcity of legal work in such a remote locale far from bustling metropolises. Jeremiah finds her refusal to entertain the possibility of her mistake as an affront to his dignity. Relenting slightly, Eliza agrees to elucidate her case, acknowledging the abundance of time on their hands.
Charles Percival, a name that has haunted Scotland Yard for a dozen years, is a chameleon of crime, renowned for his unpredictability; no two scams ever alike. Adopting various guises, each with a unique physicality and demeanor, he recently duped the masses as a bookmaker offering absurd odds on England's most prestigious horserace. Hundreds fell prey to his charade, only for him to vanish without a trace, leaving behind a perplexing lack of evidence. Eliza explains that the lone clue was a reservation at Hotel St Marc, meticulously arranged under the guise of Jeremiah Slade. Jeremiah protests his innocence, insisting that he is but a pawn in someone else's elaborate scheme to frame him for crimes he did not commit.
As Jeremiah's screams pierce the hotel's tranquility, the manager swiftly arrives to assess the commotion. Eliza, adopting the role of Jeremiah's wife with the hope of discreetly persuading the manager to depart, greets him and divulges the situation, unveiling Jeremiah's identity. The manager, suspicious, probes whether she is collaborating with another detective rumored to hail from Scotland Yard.
Just then, Patrick Nash (played by Felix Scott) enters the scene, aware of Eliza's quest to uncover a swindler. Eliza, feigning ignorance of her quarry's whereabouts, maintains her composure. However, a twist unfolds as Patrick reveals he has a man detained in his room, whom he believes to be Percival. The captive, introducing himself as Sebastian Baron (Joseph May), fervently denies any knowledge of Charles Percival.
Patrick envisions a grand reception awaiting his triumphant return with the real Charles, to which Eliza offers congratulations (congratulations) and promptly exits. Warning Sebastian of severe repercussions if he utters a sound, Patrick confronts Eliza, puzzled by her apparent lack of professional inquisitiveness. His suspicions ultimately settle on jealousy, much to Eliza's relief.
Elsewhere, Mr. Arun (Vikash Bhai) secures a table for four, joining Miss Kinsky, while Eliza approaches the manager once more, insisting that the other detective remains unaware of her own captive. He agrees to uphold their secret but insists she confines herself to her room, refraining from disturbing the other guests.
Returning to her chamber, Eliza discovers Patrick and Jeremiah already in residence. The trio embarks on a debate over who possesses the genuine Charles. Jeremiah reveals his identity to Patrick but remains tight-lipped about his mission. Patrick proposes resorting to physical persuasion to extract the truth, but Eliza staunchly opposes the idea, believing her approach is justified.
Handing Patrick the key, Eliza permits Jeremiah's release, prompting him to open up. He explains his visit stems from a client who married a local woman and now seeks to dissolve their union. Patrick recalls a past mishap where an innocent bystander was mistaken for Percival, adding a layer of complexity to their quest.
As they depart the room, Patrick insists that at some juncture, she must release him, vowing that he will head straight to the authorities. She counters, convinced that Patrick will instead need to liberate his own captivity. Sebastian interrupts, revealing that his father has recently deceased, leaving him as the heir to the vast estate. He expresses a desire to embark on a few months of travel before shouldering his new responsibilities. Eliza and Patrick find themselves at odds over Sebastian's sincerity, with Patrick disclosing their investigation into Charles' sham bookmaking enterprise, where they uncovered travel papers and banking information linked to Sebastian. Sebastian contends that someone is orchestrating a smear campaign against him.
Eliza signals to Patrick that they must converse in private. She harbors suspicions about the situation, but Patrick remains steadfast in his conviction, believing her doubts to be misplaced. Eliza ponders the identity of the perpetrator behind the fabricated trail, if indeed Patrick's assertions hold true. She finds it perplexing why Percival would direct her to the same hotel where he resides. Eliza entertains the possibilities that either one or both of them might be correct, or neither. She proposes interrogating the two men concurrently.
Confronted about the documents, Sebastian recounts his father's ruthless business practices, prompting Jeremiah to scoff at his narrative. The conversation escalates into a spat about attire and culpability, culminating in Patrick brandishing his firearm. The hotel manager interjects, informing Eliza of the police's arrival. Eliza confesses to Patrick that she summoned them, believing she had apprehended a fugitive. She attempts to rationalize with the police chief, apologizing for the mix-up and detailing the two suspects, suggesting they be detained pending further inquiries. The chief agrees to investigate the suspects while keeping them waiting.
Patrick and Eliza retreat for a drink while awaiting the outcome. Patrick expresses discomfort, noting the area's scarcity of crime and fearing the local law enforcement might seize this opportunity to gain notoriety. Eliza discovers Patrick's ulterior motive—he seeks recognition for capturing Percival, desiring the world's acknowledgment of his achievement.
Patrick eagerly desires her presence in his employ, yet he is acutely aware of her lingering distrust towards him. He believes he wields his cane as a tool to evoke guilt within her, convincing her that it was her actions that led to his being shot. Patrick insistently lays the blame at her feet. In an attempt to divert the conversation, Eliza inquiries whether neither of the two men present could possibly be Charles Percival. She reminisces about a game she and her father used to play, where they would guess three characteristics about a stranger. They then apply this game to Mr. Arun's potential order, with both correctly anticipating his choice. Subsequently, their thoughts turn to the police chief's tardiness, prompting them to search for him. They hear Slade's piercing scream and discover the chief lying motionless on the ground.
When Patrick rushes off for assistance, Eliza frantically searches for a pulse but finds none. Upon his return, Patrick informs her that the manager has already alerted the police station. Despite their efforts, they detect no signs of external injury on the chief. Sebastian inserts himself into the conversation, mentioning how he had poured water for both himself and the chief. Their discussion continued for some time until the chief's breathing became labored, and he collapsed. Sebastian, now anxious for medical attention, reveals that he too drank from the water, but Jeremiah contests this, accusing Sebastian of attempting to thwart his attempts to seek help. Jeremiah further alleges that Sebastian is there with the intent to eliminate him, revealing that he is in fact the man they seek.
In a private moment, Jeremiah confides in Eliza that he is in hiding as the noose tightens around him. Though he is unsure of Sebastian's true identity, he once witnessed him in his home wielding a gun. Jeremiah suspects Sebastian to be a hired assassin. Eliza responds by asserting that she has been contracted to escort him back to England, a task she fully intends to complete. Sebastian, desperate, implores Patrick to summon a doctor, claiming to be Charles Percival and branding Jeremiah as a hired killer. In a surprising maneuver, Sebastian disarms Patrick, catching him off guard and demanding the handcuff keys to free himself.
Sebastian introduces himself as Thomas K. Malone, hailing from the esteemed Malones of New Hampshire, boasting of his credentials as a detective employed by a prestigious agency in Boston. Thomas alleges that the man residing in the lower floor is Charles Percival, whom he intends to apprehend and escort back to America. Patrick, suspicious, inquiries if Thomas plans to eliminate them, as he had apparently done with a policeman. Thomas firmly denies any involvement in the cop's demise. Subsequently, Patrick and Eliza find themselves bound together, amidst Eliza's desperate attempts to liberate herself.
During their confinement, they devise strategies to thwart Thomas' mission of transporting Percival across the pond. Eliza learns that Thomas had unlawfully accessed her office, uncovering her leads. She questions his capacity for honesty, prompting Patrick to confess that his late brother, a former detective, had faced similar accusations. Patrick's brother, the brainchild behind their detective agency, was a paragon of virtue, often aiding those in dire need, such as a desperate Cork family who paid him upfront to locate their missing daughter, eventually found with a derelict drunkard near the docks. Tragically, his brother's reward was a fatal stab to the heart, leaving Patrick jaded and cynical about honesty's rewards. He believes that some people are destined to survive adversity, and hence, they should forge an alliance. Eliza, however, remains steadfast in her refusal to collaborate with Patrick, doubting every word that escapes his lips.
Patrick ultimately manages to untie himself using a tie pin, as Eliza had suggested earlier, revealing his true name to be Michael. Meanwhile, the motel manager informs Eliza of a theft – a horse and carriage have been stolen from the premises. When she seeks assistance in sending a telegram to Scotland Yard, he declines, leaving her to pen a letter to the Duke herself. Her English origin becomes a topic of conversation when Mr. Arun inquiries about it, reminiscing about their chance encounter on the ship, now realizing he might have misinterpreted their camaraderie. Upon learning that Eliza is less than enchanted with her stay, Arun expresses regret for ever setting foot in the place, revealing he's in the motel industry due to a recommendation from a lawyer associated with the owner, whom he now trusts with reservations.
The owner is eager to sell the hotel, his enthusiasm marred by whispers of a tumultuous past marriage to a local lass that ended on a sour note. Arun recounts his aborted appointment with the owner and an attorney named Jeremiah Slade. Their no-show prompted his departure, yet fate had other plans. Eliza halts Patrick's narration, reminding them that a solitary road winds from the hotel to civilization. Arun attempted his exit, only to be thwarted by the snow that rendered the path impenetrable. Eliza suspects Thomas and Percival are still within the hotel's confines. Upon inspecting the rooms, they discover Malone shackled to the bed frame, recounting his thwarted escape in a stolen coach and his subsequent knockout. They decline Malone's offer to collaborate.
Eliza underscores the importance of surprise to Patrick, tasking him to scrutinize room 18 before rendezvousing in the reception. Rejoining her, Eliza reveals that the policeman's dry coat betrays his presence within the hotel all along, defying the notion of him arriving through the snow. While perusing the guest list, Eliza's eyes are drawn to "Papillon," the Grand National's champion steed, now inscribed as the name checking into room 12. They resolve to delicately investigate this lead.
In room 12, Jeremiah is found imprisoned by Miss Kinsky, who confesses to poisoning the police chief. Patrick and Eliza storm in just as Kinsky prepares to coerce the hotel manager into ingesting poison. Eliza realizes their collusion and that Charles Percival is a chameleon of identities. Separating the parties, they uncover from the manager, alias Charles, that Miss Kinsky was compensated by a London-based Russian syndicate who lost heavily on the Grand National. She likely trailed him to room twelve, where he had concealed Samuel.
Though Charles Percival was his alias premiered, others collaborated alongside him, occasionally adopting his guise. Others were indeed involved, but lately, it was Samuel and Henri who shared the stage. Henri was tasked with portraying the hotel proprietor, as they prepared to sell the establishment to Mr. Arun. Meanwhile, the genuine owner drowned his sorrows in the local tavern, desolate after his wife's departure. They steadfastly declined Charles' bribe. As dawn broke, they approached the local constabulary. Patrick revealed that the Chief of Police intended to interrogate the detainees, now under his purview for investigation. Eliza harbored doubts about the timely receipt of their remuneration. Patrick proposed venturing into town for breakfast, now that the roads had cleared. In retrospect, he considered their collaborative efforts a fortunate turn of events.
