While both mother and daughter were originally from England they had spent time in India, it is not clear why but India was still part of the British Empire at the time with Queen Victoria the Empress of India. It was not uncommon for people to visit it or work there.
After signing their names in the register they were shown to their rooms. The girl's mother was in room 342, a luxurious apartment with heavy curtains of plum-coloured velvet, rose-covered wallpaper, a high-backed sofa, an oval satinwood table and an ormulu clock.
Almost immediately, the older woman fell seriously ill. The hotel doctor examined her and asked her daughter some questions. He and the manager had what appeared to be a somewhat excited conversation in the corner of the room. The girl did not speak French but when the doctor slowly spelled out instructions she was able to understand. Her mother required a particular medicine available only at the doctor's surgery on the other side of Paris. As he couldn't leave his patient, the girl would have to go and retrieve it. He sent the girl in his own carriage. The streets were busy and it seemed to take a long time. At the surgery, she was forced to wait and by the time she arrived back at the hotel with the medicine, four hours had passed.
The girl rushed into the foyer and asked the manager "Comment va ma mére?" (How is my mother?) The man stared blankly at her and asked "To whom do you refer mademoiselle?" Taken aback, she stammered an explanation of her delay. He responded, "But Mademoiselle, I know nothing of your mother. You arrived here alone". Distraught, the girl protested: "But we registered here less than six hours ago. Look in the book." When the manager produced the register the girl's signature was there but above it, where her mother had signed, was the name of a stranger. The girl insisted they had both signed and that her mother had been in room 342 and she wished to be taken to her at once. The manager assured her the room was occupied by a French family but took her to the room for her to see for herself. The room was not decorated as she recalled and held nothing but the items of the family the manager said were staying there. Downstairs she questioned the doctor who denied knowledge of her or her mother.
The girl reported her predicament to the British Ambassador, but neither he, the police, or the papers believed her. Eventually, she returned to England alone and was lodged in an asylum.
Similar stories to this one have been seen in books and other publications throughout the years. Some have slightly different details, such as the girl going to the doctor's house instead of the surgery or the doctor and manager speaking English fluently. In some, the girl discovers the reason her mother has disappeared and why both the doctor and manager deny knowledge of her. The explanation put forward in nearly all versions is that the mother had contracted a plague in India. The doctor, recognising the symptoms, conspired with the manager to conceal the news so as not to derail the Great Exhibition. If someone in the city staying in the hotel was revealed as having the plague the whole event would have been cancelled and people would, if they could, flee the city for fear of contracting the illness. If this is the case, could the register have been changed and the room completely redecorated in four hours? What did the doctor and manager do with the woman's body?
As there is little detail in the story, such as names, there is little to go on in discovering whether or not this is a true story. Some people have claimed it is true but failed to come up with any evidence. People claiming it is nothing more than an urban legend have been reminded that some so-called 'urban legends' do turn out to either be true or based on real events, as legends often are. If it is a true story it is a truly tragic one and I cannot help but feel sorry for the poor girl. If it is an urban legend it has all the right elements, an unfamiliar place, an unexplainable disappearance, the fear of the unknown and being driven mad. Either way, it is a story that brings up many questions and mysteries that may never be uncovered.
