Murder by Mistake (3 page)

‘Hi!’ Diana rewound her tape, making more notes. She looked preoccupied, but not guilty. ‘Where have you been? Not that it matters, don’t bother to make excuses, I really don’t need to know. Out nursemaiding that stupid little girl that there’s been so much fuss about, I suppose. I wonder she dare show her face around here again. But there, you’re a sucker for punishment, aren’t you?’

‘Am I?’ The ring was on the third finger of Diana’s left hand. She’d got engaged again? Not to Dubious Denis, pray not to him! Diana and her estate agency partner Denis had been an item for some time, but Ellie had never liked or trusted him.

Diana looked up long enough from taking notes to observe that her mother was not looking her usual trim self. ‘You look like somebody’s dragged you under a bus.’ Distaste in her voice. ‘Someone tried to mug you?’ Diana had a hard, clear voice, which expressed her personality rather well.

‘A traffic accident. A man kindly pushed me out of the way. I’m all right but I need to rest, so if you don’t mind, perhaps we can talk tomorrow.’

Diana was eyeing the space between the wide uncarpeted stairs and the heavy Victorian front door. ‘I’m wondering where to have the photographs. If we have a really large stand of lilies here . . . that might be best. Or in the garden, if it’s fine?’

‘I don’t think I want to know what you’re talking about,’ said Ellie, beginning to climb the stairs, pulling herself up by the banisters.

‘I expect you’ve guessed. Denis has asked me to marry him, I’ve agreed and we’re doing the deed this Saturday because it’s the Bank Holiday weekend. Registry office, of course. The reception will be here.’

‘No,’ said Ellie, reaching the top of the stairs. ‘Out of the question.’ She stifled a laugh because she had a perfect excuse for refusing to do what Diana asked. ‘As it happens, I’m hosting another celebration here that day.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. What can possibly be more important than my wedding?’

‘Your second wedding, actually. You got rid of one perfectly good husband some years ago; remember? By the way, has Denis managed to shed his own wife and four children already?’

‘Yes, of course. I know it’s all a bit of a rush, but it’s a quiet time in the office, and we’ve tickets to fly to Barbados next day for a honeymoon, so that fixes the date.’

Ellie leaned on the newel post at the top of the stairs. She was looking forward to putting a spanner in Diana’s plans. ‘You should have consulted me before making your arrangements. I’m hosting a wedding party here that day for someone else. It’s been arranged for months.’

Diana took a step back. ‘You can’t be!’

Someone pressed the doorbell and didn’t let up. ‘You answer it,’ said Ellie. ‘I’m not coming down.’

Diana pocketed her tape measure and opened the door, only to have a huge bouquet of Madonna lilies thrust into her face. Someone said ‘Sign here,’ and disappeared, pulling the door to behind him.

Ellie leaned over the banister. ‘Who are they for?’

‘Dunno.’ Diana found an envelope with a card inside it. ‘All it says is, “You should have died.”’

Ellie shuddered. ‘Are they meant for Mia? That’s horrible.’

Diana shrugged. ‘I suppose so. She’s ruined so many people’s lives, it’s not surprising.’

‘They ruined hers first, and they’ve only got what’s coming to them. We mustn’t let Mia see them. Put them in the kitchen sink and I’ll think what to do with them later. Hide the card. We don’t need to show it to Mia.’

‘First we must get the details for the reception settled.’

‘No. First I go to the bathroom, get changed, and eat something. Then I must have a little nap.’

‘All right. I’ll come back at, say, six this evening. We can have it out then. But it’s too late to change anything, as the invitations went out last week.’ Diana left, slamming the front door behind her and leaving the flowers on the hall table. Ellie stared after her daughter. Had she really meant . . .? No, impossible.

Rose appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, carrying a tray laden with food for an invalid: soup and tiny sandwiches. ‘Good riddance. Where did those flowers come from?’

‘She’s coming back. The flowers are . . . I think they’ve been sent to us by mistake.’ Yes, that must be it. She hoped. ‘As for Diana, I’ll tell you later.’ Ellie was wearily conscious of all the battles she’d had with her only daughter over the years. Most of which Ellie had lost.

‘What does she want now?’ Rose climbed the stairs with the tray in her hands.

‘To hold her wedding reception here, on the same day as the one for Mia’s friend.’

‘Diana’s never stupid enough to marry that Denis, is she? Miss Quicke will have something to say about that.’ Rose preceded Ellie into the big master bedroom at the back of the house and put the tray down on a table near the middle window. ‘Tell her she can’t.’

‘She says the wedding invitations have all gone out.’ Ellie shed her bag, slipped out of her ruined shoes, and made for her bathroom.

‘Or so she says.’

Ellie grinned. ‘You’re right. She may well be bluffing.’

Ellie cleaned herself up and ate what she could, then slid under the duvet for a rest. The moment she closed her eyes, the picture of the carnage on the pavement leapt into her mind. She banished it. Turned over. Tried again. Heard the baby crying, hopelessly, hungrily. Saw those two wonderful women trying to staunch the child’s bleeding arm . . . Saw the big man curl up, hands over his head. No, no. Go away. I must try to rest.

A whisper of sound. Was that Mia, sobbing?

The house was quiet around her, except for a blackbird singing in a tree outside and the murmur of a car along the road on the other side of the house. She’d not let this get to her. Of course not.

Praise the Lord for looking after her. That was the first thing. The second was . . . I’m too tired to cope with Diana. Yet she knew she must.

Diana arrived at six o’clock on the dot as Ellie returned from dumping the lilies on the compost heap in the garden. Out of sight, out of mind. Probably.

Strictly speaking, of course, they were not lilies, but Zantedeschias. Only, who was going to remember that? They were Madonna or Arum lilies to most people, and that was how they’d remain.

Thomas had rung from the train on his way back and would be with them for supper. He’d sounded tired, but had said the conference had gone well and Ellie should congratulate him because he hadn’t lost his temper once. He’d been concerned that his paper was going to be rubbished by an old adversary of his, but in the end all had been well. Perhaps, said Thomas, his old mate was going down with a virus.

Ellie hadn’t told him about the accident, or that she’d asked Mia to stay on. Mia had originally been asked to stay for just the one night while she went to see her solicitor. That was the night that Thomas was away, so he wasn’t supposed to have been inconvenienced by her visit in any way.

Mia’s friend Ursula had promised to find somewhere else for her to stay tonight, and no doubt would do so. Only, the girl really wasn’t fit to be turned out like an orphan into the storm, was she? Not that she was an orphan, precisely, and it was midsummer and they hadn’t had any storms lately.

What was it that the solicitor had had to say to Mia, to make her look so shocked? Ellie told herself that curiosity killed the cat, but she was very fond of cats and after all there was plenty of room for Mia in this big house, wasn’t there?

Ellie told herself firmly to calm down and think clearly. It really would be best all round if Mia stayed on with them for a while. At least till after the wedding. Ellie was sure Thomas wouldn’t object, but she did have just the slightest of twinges in the conscience area because she hadn’t discussed the matter with him beforehand. True, the big house had been left to her by Miss Quicke before Thomas joined hands with her in matrimony, so in theory she had the right to invite whomsoever she liked to stay. Hadn’t she? But . . . Oh, well. She’d work it out in due course.

To deal with Diana, Ellie had changed – with many a wince – into a china blue jersey dress which didn’t press on her cuts and bruises. Diana had also changed, into something clingy and a trifle too skimpy for her thin figure. Mauve and black. In Victorian times that would have signified she was leaving off her widow’s weeds to wear garments of dark purple, working through lilac and shades of grey as she gradually returned to society. Not to white. Ellie couldn’t remember her daughter ever wearing white. It wouldn’t have suited her, anyway.

‘Where’s the problem child?’ asked Diana, running her finger across the mantelpiece to check for dust; not that there ever was any, since Ellie employed a firm to clean and do all the heavy jobs in the house. The cleaning firm was most efficiently run by Diana’s discarded first husband’s new wife – but we don’t mention that nowadays, do we?

‘Mia’s in the kitchen, helping Rose with supper. Now listen, Diana—’

‘No, you listen to me for once. This is my chance of happiness with Denis, and I’m not going to let you spoil it. We’ve been together now for long enough to know we can make a go of it as a couple, and we want to make it official in every way.’

‘I didn’t think estate agents were doing all that well in the present economic conditions. Do you really think it’s wise to—’

‘You don’t have to think. You just have to behave like a mother for once.’

That was a blow below the belt, wasn’t it? Ellie told herself not to lose her temper. She counted to five, slowly. ‘All right. You are both adults and can be presumed to know what you’re doing. You want to get married again. Can he afford another wife? What about his first wife and their children?’

‘She keeps their house and he gives her what he can spare. He’s renting a big house for us with six bedrooms, two en suite, plus two more bathrooms. We’ll let out rooms to students in term time and have all the children to stay with us in the holidays.’

‘What, all of them?’ Ellie sank down on to the big winged chair by the fireplace. ‘Are you including your own son? You know very well that Frank doesn’t get on with Denis’s children, and he’s perfectly content living with his father and stepmother. He likes the odd day with you, of course, but—’

‘Mother, don’t interfere. It’s nothing to do with you what arrangements I make for my son.’

‘You’re happy for me to look after Frank whenever you’re too busy to cope.’

‘Leave it out!’

Ellie left it. Let Diana’s first husband fight that battle.

‘Now –’ Diana seated herself opposite Ellie – ‘the wedding. We can’t change the date. So whatever arrangements you’ve made—’

‘Can’t be undone. It’s been fixed up for ages. The cleaning firm I use is going to help by clearing the reception rooms. Mia’s friend Ursula is getting married that morning and we’re having a buffet lunch for them here before they fly off to their new life together. Mia will be the only bridesmaid. It will be difficult for her as she doesn’t like being in crowds any more.’

‘Why can’t they have the reception somewhere else?’

‘Ursula’s mother doesn’t earn much. She’s long-time divorced and lives in a tiny flat on the Avenue. Her father is American. He’s flying in with his second family for the occasion and will stay in a hotel, but he can’t afford a big splash, either. The bridegroom’s family are all professional men, long on lineage and short on cash, but they’ve offered to pay half the cost. The couple want Thomas to marry them at a local church, and I offered this house for the reception afterwards. Ursula’s a girl in a million. She was the only one who believed something terrible had happened to Mia when she disappeared. If it hadn’t been for her, Mia would probably be dead by now. I wish them both well.’

‘But you don’t wish me well?’ Colour rose in Diana’s cheeks. ‘Don’t answer that. I know what you think of Denis. You’re quite wrong, of course. He’s the perfect mate for me.’

Ellie grimaced. Sexually, she had no doubt that Diana was right, but there were other things that should count in a marriage, weren’t there? Such as honesty, and integrity, and trustworthiness. She didn’t think Denis scored highly on any of those.

‘Well,’ said Diana, frowning, ‘I don’t see that there’s much of a problem. We’re booked into the registry office at two in the afternoon, so we can have our reception here at five. That will give you plenty of time to clear away from the luncheon party and prepare for a sit-down meal for fifty at six. Then there’ll be a disco in the evening, to which we’ve invited just over a hundred people.’

Ellie gaped. What? Impossible!

Diana stood, smoothing her dress down over her hips, pleased with herself. ‘I’ll let you have all the paperwork; I’ve got the top man on the job as Party Planner, and he’ll coordinate everything with you: the caterer, florist, photographer and wine merchant. No bridesmaids, but little Frank will be my ring bearer. I’ve had the sweetest little outfit made for him, and he’s going to wear it or I’ll know the reason why! All the bills will be sent to you, of course. And –’ as she left the room – ‘do please, find yourself a good outfit for the occasion. I’d like to think I can be proud of you for once.’

Ellie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She heard the front door open and voices in the hall. Thomas had returned. With an effort she got herself together, wondering how much and in what order she was going to have to explain things to him. She heard him exchange greetings with Diana, and then she heard the front door shut.

Slowly, she got to her feet. Diana had left the door to the hall open, and she could hear Thomas check the phone in the hall for messages.

Too late she realized she hadn’t erased the call for help she’d made at the hospital. She heard her own voice, high and clear, breaking the bad news.

She got to the door and spoke his name. He turned and saw her, his face reflecting anxiety and relief. He had dumped his overnight bag and briefcase, and was halfway out of his old jacket, but he almost fell over himself to get his arms round her and give her a big hug. His beard tickled her neck, as always. And, as always, she felt deep gratitude that this wonderful man had chosen to make her his wife. She could hear her own voice on the telephone, going on and on. Finally, the call ended.