“There wasn’t any to speak of.”
He gave his cackling laugh.
“That’s just why. Throw one bone in amongst half a dozen dogs and see what happens! As you say, it wasn’t a very big bone, and by rights-mark this-by rights it had to be divided among the whole eight children. But my father didn’t claim his share. I don’t say it was handsome of him-I’m just stating facts. He left his mother’s belongings to be divided up among the other seven.”
“Wills are so tiresome,” said Lady Marian in her delicious voice. “Freddy’s father left a simply dreadful one.”
Geoffrey Taverner moved impatiently.
“Just what was there to divide?”
“Nothing to write home about. There was a cottage with a bit of land to it, a few pieces of jewelry, and five hundred pounds in consols. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts, they each got a hundred pounds. Mary and Joanna got a brooch and a bracelet or so apiece, and Joanna got the cottage. She was just going to marry your grandfather”-he addressed John Higgins-“and when they’d all fought themselves to a standstill and Thomas Higgins had put down another twenty pounds, they took a fiver each out of it and let her have the cottage. Mary didn’t come into it, because she was married to Lord Rathlea and safe away on the other side of the Irish Channel. Well, after that there wasn’t much love lost. Matthew did well out of his money. He bought a couple of old cottages and doubled his capital on them. House-coping-that was his job.” He glanced maliciously at Geoffrey and Mildred. “No need to be offended-my father was in the same line. Mark-respectability was his middle name-country solicitor’s clerk to the end of his days. Whilst Mary was an ornament to the Peerage, and Luke-well, the less said about Luke the better.”
“Why can’t you let him alone?” said Al Miller. His dark skin did not seem to be susceptible to a flush. Anger turned him sallow. He rolled the brightly coloured handkerchief between sweating palms.
Jacob laughed.
“All right, all right-least said soonest mended. Joanna lived and died in her cottage in a state of rural felicity. John went up in the world-made a ladder of his brains and climbed. And Acts worked up from rags and bones, figuratively speaking-” he bowed to Jane-“to quite a nice little antique shop in Ledborough. And there we are.”
Geoffrey Taverner said,
“Very clear and succinct, but I don’t know that it gets us anywhere. I think we should all like to know why we have been brought here.”
“Naturally. Now I hope-I really do hope you haven’t all been buoyed up with the idea of hearing something to your advantage.”
Marian Thorpe-Ennington sighed in a dramatic manner.
“But of course we have, my dear man. I said to Freddy at once, ‘Things simply can’t go on being as foul as they’ve been ever since we got married. I mean, if there’s a silver-lining, it’s simply bound to show up some time, isn’t it? And why shouldn’t it be now?’ I said that at once. But he’s so gloomy about the whole thing, the poor sweet, and no wonder, having to go to these dreadful creditors’ meetings. That’s why he couldn’t be here this afternoon. And he simply hated my coming alone, because he always thinks I’ll do something stupid. But, as I told him, ‘There will probably be hordes of us there, and probably some of them will be quite bright people, so it won’t depend on me.’ ” She sighed again, even more deeply. “You don’t really mean to say there isn’t going to be anything at all?” Her voice went down into really tragic depths.
Jacob said, “Well, well-” And then, “I’m afraid you may all be rather disappointed. I have asked you here for three reasons. I thought the family quarrel had gone on long enough. I haven’t made any ties, and I thought it would be interesting to get to know my kith and kin. For which purpose I want to invite you all to pay me a visit at the old family inn.”
John Higgins’ blue eyes turned on him.
“ ’;Twas sold when great-grandfather died, the old Catherine-Wheel.”
Jacob said, “Ah, but it wasn’t. My father never sold it, though I daresay it was put about that he had-I don’t say he didn’t put it about himself. He gave a lease, and the lease ran out last year, so it’s back on my hands, with the Castells running it. Mrs. Castell being your father’s sister-Joanna’s daughter, born Annie Higgins.”
John Higgins said slowly,
“I knew my Aunt Annie was there. It’s ten years since I saw her.”
“And you not a mile away in the cottage Joanna got for her share of her mother’s property?”
“Yes, I’m in the old cottage.”
“Married, or single?”
A slow smile gave charm to the impassive face.
“There’s something you didn’t know? Seemed you knew everything. I’m single, and I do for myself. And I haven’t seen my Aunt Annie for ten years, though she’s living but a mile away.”
Jacob nodded.
“Very interesting. United family, aren’t we?”
John Higgins shut his mouth firmly. He sat with a big hand on either knee, quiet and unembarrassed. Jacob said,
“The inn is the Catherine-Wheel on the old Ledlington coast road. Nearest station Cliff Halt-a mile and a half. I’m inviting you all to come and stay with me at this next week-end. Some of you may not find it easy to get away-you may have to engage extra help-you may find it difficult to get leave of absence- you may be put to inconvenience or expense. You will therefore each receive the sum of one hundred pounds as, let us say, some recognition that your grandfathers and grandmothers were shabbily treated under old Jeremiah’s will, and that in inviting you for this visit I don’t want to put you to any further inconvenience.” He stopped rather abruptly, crossed his right leg over his left, leaned sideways with his hand on the leather-covered table top, and watched them.
Geoffrey Taverner had a slight frown. Mildred’s scarf had slipped, she pulled at it with small ineffectual jerks. Florence Duke’s rather heavy features had taken on a look of severity oddly at variance with their previous expression of tolerant good nature. Al Miller had an eager, startled air. John Higgins sat as he had done all through, large, fair, placid, self-contained. Jane had her eyes very wide open and her lips parted. Her hands held one another tightly in her lap. Jeremy looked angry. The only one to speak was Marian Thorpe-Ennington. She said,
“My dear man-how marvellous!”
“You’ll come then?”
“But of course. You do mean Freddy as well, don’t you? He won’t like it if you don’t, and the poor sweet is so upset already.”
Jacob nodded curtly.
“He can come.” He turned to Geoffrey Taverner. “You can get away? Your sister said you were in the Civil Service.”
Geoffrey looked annoyed.
“My sister was inaccurate-she very often is. I resigned some time ago-I am now in private employ. I could manage the weekend you mentioned.”
“And you, Mildred?”
He smiled maliciously at the nervous start which sent her handbag to the floor and once more exposed its contents.
Jacob took in the whole assembly with a dancing gleam of malice and proceeded.
“Since we are all cousins, I propose that we should address one another without handles. Plain Christian names will be sufficient until intimacy warrants some affectionate contraction. But I am afraid I startled Mildred. I apologize. I was merely about to enquire whether she could get away for the week-end.”
Miss Taverner clasped and reclasped the errant bag. A piece of the handkerchief stuck out. It was the one she had intended to put into the wash before she came out. “Oh dear, oh dear-” She sought for words in very much the same way as she had fumbled for the overflow from her bag.
“Oh, yes-oh dear-I’m so sorry-the catch should be seen to, but there never seems to be time. My partner, Miss Millington, will take charge, and we always shut on Saturday afternoons. I’m sure it’s very kind.” Her lips continued to move as they repeated soundlessly, “Oh dear-a hundred pounds-oh dear, oh dear, oh dear-”