Heirs of the Body (29 page)

“Blast!” She gingerly put the receiver to her ear, as Alec shepherded the others out. “Mother?”

“Daisy! What’s this I hear?”

“I don’t know, Mother, until you tell me.”

“I gather the ne’er-do-well husband of Violet’s unfortunate protégée has turned up like a bad penny.”

Unfortunate
in the sense of undesirable, not unlucky, Daisy felt sure. And she’d considered Martha her own protégée, not Violet’s. But where the dowager was concerned, the less said the better. “Samuel Dalrymple has arrived, yes.”

“The innkeeper.”

“The sailor, Mother.”

“Even worse. One may hope that now Violet will see the folly of becoming intimate with such impossible people.”

Time to change the subject. “How is Violet?”

“If you ever came to see us, you’d know.”

“I’ve been several times, Mother! Even though I’m rather busy helping Geraldine entertain her guests.”

“What does she expect with such an ill-assorted, ill-bred party? I assume your husband hasn’t yet worked out who is Edgar’s heir.”

“It’s not his responsibility.”

“What’s the use of having a policeman in the family if he can’t separate the pretenders from the real?”

“It’s Tommy Pearson’s job. The lawyer.”

“If Edgar had had the sense to stay with the lawyers who served the family for centuries, all this nonsense would have been finished with years ago.”

Daisy was unable to deny this assertion. “I daresay. How is Violet?”

“As well as can be expected. She was always delicate, not a hoyden like you. It’s a relief not to have that noisy boy of hers about the house. I suppose I must thank Geraldine for taking him off our hands. I have been considering…” She paused.

“Oh?” Daisy said cautiously.

“Of all the unsuitable candidates, the jeweller is clearly the least unsuitable, the most accustomed to dealing with people of our class. This Pearson person must hurry up and confirm that he—”

“Mother, I’m sorry to have to tell you…” Daisy hesitated. Would Alec be furious? But the news was undoubtedly spreading by now and she couldn’t let her mother continue in her misconception. “Cousin Raymond died today.”

“Well, really! How inconvenient! Very inconsiderate of him to put himself in contention if he was on the point of expiring.”

“Your time is about to expire, caller,” said the operator, apropos. “Do you want another three minutes?”

“Yes, of course,” snapped the dowager. “I am not yet in want of twopence to speak to my daughter. Where were we?”

“I’m sure Raymond didn’t expect to die. He would hardly have undertaken the long sea voyage from South Africa had he known.”

“People take cruises in the hope of a cure, Daisy. Surely even you are aware of that. Or possibly he wanted to consult a Harley Street medical expert in his condition. I daresay colonial doctors are all very well in their way, but they can hardly compare with the best specialists in the world. I take it Edgar will cancel his birthday party. The man was a relative, after all. Of sorts. And that reminds me, I’m told Alec’s little girl fell off a donkey at the fair.”

“Belinda’s just a bit bruised, Mother, but thank you for enquiring.”

“I wasn’t enquiring. I know she wasn’t badly hurt because I’ve seen her with that mongrel of hers and Derek and the black child, who I’m quite certain cannot possibly be a legitimate Dalrymple, playing at Red Indians in the park.”

“Red Indians!”

“Or some similar game. They appeared to be sneaking after the black child’s—”

“Ben. Benjamin. His guardian?”

“So I believe. He was introduced as Frank Crowley, if I remember correctly, at that appalling Sunday lunch party of Geraldine’s. I could have told them where the fellow was heading. The Wedge and Beetle, playing darts in the public bar.”

“Good heavens, Mother, did you see him there?”

An outraged silence was followed by the click of the dowager hanging up.

TWENTY-SEVEN

“I shouldn’t
have done it,” said Daisy, “but honestly … I plead provocation. I’ll get what-for next time I talk to her.”

“She always gives you what-for, love, with or without cause, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

They were in their bedroom preparing for dinner. Powdering her nose, Daisy said meditatively, “Darts. Could you kill someone with a dart, darling?”

“I doubt it. Theoretically it’s possible, I imagine, but barring an unknown and instantly deadly poison of Amazonian origin, unlikely. The point is too short and narrow to do much damage.”

“Trinidad is near the coast of South America.”

“If someone dies of an unknown and instantly deadly Amazonian poison, I shall arrest Frank at once.”

Daisy laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Mother considers frequenting the public bar to be an indictable offence for a guest at Fairacres. And she considers me criminally negligent for letting Bel run loose with the boys.”

“Red Indians sounds quite harmless.”

“Bows and arrows,” she said darkly. “They learnt to use them at the fair. Gervaise used to mess about with archery. His bow and arrows are bound to be in the attics or hidden away in a cupboard somewhere. If the kids ferreted them out, the murderer could get hold of them.”

“If there is a murderer. What did you think of Sam?”

“I like him. You don’t need to tell me that doesn’t mean anything. But I do find it difficult to see how he could be responsible for Raymond’s fall when he’d only just arrived in Worcester, even if he’d actually been in England for ages.”

“It would be a whopping coincidence,” Alec conceded. “The diamonds are still in the running for a motive in that affair.”

“If he was in England: Vincent’s fall, possible; Belinda’s fall, possible; Ben’s, no, but Martha could have done that. It would explain why the butterfly net was placed near the bottom of the stairs. She might conceivably obey Sam’s instructions up to a point. I can’t see her willing to harm anyone seriously.”

He shook his head. “I hoped talking to Sam would clarify matters, but I’m still completely in the dark.”

“If you ask me, he’s the heir. He wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble to get hold of his precious ‘papers’ if they proved he wasn’t. And it would take a lot to make Tommy excited.”

“We have only his word for both. I’m just hoping tomorrow will bring a flood of information about the lot of them. Are you ready to go down?”

Daisy contemplated her shingled curls and ran the hairbrush through them one last time. “Ready.”

Dinner was not a convivial occasion. Even Frank was subdued. With little conversation to distract them from eating, the meal was soon over. The sun had set, but it was still light outside. The ladies followed Geraldine to the drawing room, where the men joined them just a few minutes later. In the circumstances, Daisy wasn’t surprised that they chose not to sit on at the table, passing the port in masculine cameraderie.

Vincent and Laurette at once excused themselves and went to walk in the garden.

“Dammit,” Alec muttered. “I wanted to talk to Vincent.”

“Why don’t you follow them?” Daisy suggested.

“I don’t want to talk to Laurette.”

“If we both went for a stroll and happened to meet them, I could distract her.”

“That would leave Geraldine’s drawing room rather thin of company.”

“She’s far more interested in your finding out what’s going on than in your fascinating conversation.”

“Thanks for the compliment!”

“Geraldine, it’s such a glorious evening, you won’t mind if we go out,
as well
?” Daisy hoped her stress on the last two words would convey something of Alec’s purpose.

Before Geraldine had time to reply, Edgar, standing at the window looking out, cried, “Good lord, a Ghost Swift!”

Martha’s eyes and mouth opened wide in dismay. “A ghost?”

“A moth, my dear, I expect,” Geraldine soothed her. “Too late in the day for butterflies. Edgar’s rather keen on certain insects, Samuel.”

Edgar plunged out in pursuit of his prey, wielding a large handkerchief in lieu of his broken net.

“Do go and enjoy the weather while it’s nice, Daisy,” said Geraldine. “Who knows, it may pour with rain again tomorrow.”

Daisy and Alec went out. Edgar had already galloped off into the dusk and there was no sign of Vincent and Laurette.

“How did they disappear so fast?” Alec demanded crossly.

“They must have gone into the laburnum alley, I should think. Though it’s an odd place to choose when it’s getting dark. Do you want to follow them?”

“No, I want to be visible from the terrace in case the reports arrive from Worcester. Let’s walk down to the chestnut and watch for them to reappear.”

Reaching the chestnut, they stopped and turned. The sky above the house still held the colours of sunset, rose deepening to burnt orange, with a few high, fluffy, pale-pink clouds. The air was soft and still. Bats flitted after midges and moths, their swift, erratic flight reminiscent of a complicated country dance. Daisy hoped Edgar’s Ghost Swift hadn’t been snapped up.

“Look at the evening star, darling,” she said, tucking her arm through Alec’s. “I’ve never seen it brighter.”

But his attention was elsewhere, scanning the gardens with a glance at the house now and then.

Ernest came out on the terrace, a cardboard document case under his arm. Alec waved and started towards him, and he came to meet them.

“For you, sir,” he said in a conspiratorial tone, although no one was near to overhear. “A police officer on a motor bicycle brought it. Me and Mr. Lowecroft thought as it shouldn’t be left unattended on his lordship’s desk.”

“Thank you, Ernest, quite right. Is the officer waiting?”

“Yes, sir, in case you want to send any messages. Cook’s giving him a cuppa in the kitchen.”

“Tell him, would you, that I’ll just take a quick look and write a note for his superintendent.”

“Ernest, do you know what the children are up to?”

“They went down to the river, madam, to see if the water’s gone down enough for boating.”

“Oh no!” Daisy swung round to chase after the errant children. “It’s nearly dark. Alec, they—”

“Madam, they came in half an hour ago. I beg your pardon for alarming you. Mr. Lowecroft arranged for the garden boy to watch after ’em, me being busy serving dinner. They went up to the day nursery. Last seen playing card games under Mrs. Gilpin’s eye.”

“Whew! Don’t give me another shock like that, Ernest!”

“I’m sure I’m very sorry, madam. But you needn’t worry, we’ve got it covered. And I didn’t tell nobody but Mr. Lowecroft what you said to me. Not but what everyone but the kitchen maid can guess there’s fishy business going on.”

Daisy started after Alec towards the house. “What does everyone make of it?”

“Can’t make head nor tail of it, madam.” The footman kept pace half a step to her rear. “It just don’t seem to hang together somehow. They’re a rum lot, if you don’t mind me saying so. You can’t choose your relatives, like Mrs. Warden says.”

“That’ll do, Ernest. One of them is going to become Viscount Dalrymple someday, unless another aspirant turns up unexpectedly.”

“Yes, madam. I beg pardon if I spoke too free.”

“I won’t hold it against you. You’ve been very helpful and I’m much easier in my mind about the children.”

“Thank you, madam.”

“And please tell the staff that if anyone has any reasonable ideas to make sense of things, they should report to Mr. Fletcher.”

They had reached the terrace steps, and Alec was about to enter the sitting room. Daisy saw that Geraldine was alone, knitting, while from the wireless came the strains of what Daisy guessed was a Haydn symphony. She shouldn’t have assumed the others would stay to keep their hostess company. Alec could quite well have gone out by himself to fail to find Vincent and Laurette. She girded up her loins for another apology.

Before she reached the French doors, she was startled to hear Laurette’s voice raised in a screech: “
Au secours! Au secours!
’Elp! Vincent has been stabbed!
Mon dieu, qu’on nous aide!
”

Daisy peered into the near darkness. Laurette was wearing black as usual and Daisy couldn’t see her. Ernest started to run, so she followed him, and she heard Alec’s footsteps pounding across the paved terrace.

He easily caught up with and passed her. Though not wearing an evening dress, she was not dressed for running. She slowed down.

Vincent staggered out from the alley. Alec and Ernest went straight to him, so Daisy concentrated on Laurette.

She put her arm about the woman. “Alec and the footman are helping Vincent. Come inside and sit down. What happened?”

“Oh, I cannot talk about it! We came to the end of the
allée
—We walked slowly, you understand, talking. Near the river it is more light. Almost we walk back across the
pelouse
, the lawn, but the grass is damp, so we return to the
allée
, where is gravel. Not so bad for shoes.”

Daisy glanced down guiltily at her shoes, but it was too dark by now to see any damage. “The laburnum is impenetrable. So either someone came running after you, which you would have heard on the gravel, or you reached the gap halfway, where you can turn onto the lawn or take the footpath in the opposite direction.”

“Yes, yes, we come to the gap. We cross. Someone concealed himself there—
ça se voit
—this is obvious. We re-enter into the tunnel, into the darkness. The person throws himself upon my poor Vincent and thrusts a knife into his back!”

“Good heavens, how terrible! Is he badly hurt?” She looked back. Vincent was walking between Alec and Ernest, slowly but unsupported. “Not too badly, apparently. It looks as if he had a lucky escape.”

“He heard a sound and started to turn himself.”

“So the blow didn’t strike him squarely in the back. Gosh, he really was lucky.”

“Unless he bleeds slowly perhaps, unseen under the coat.”

“Alec and Ernest will get him inside where we can see. It’s no good fumbling in the dark.”

Geraldine looked up as they went through the French doors. She jumped up, dropping her knitting, as the men appeared on the threshold. “What
now
?” she asked, in a long-suffering voice. It must be very trying to have guests so prone to dramatic upsets.