Gus thought he did, but was more interested in Miriam’s relationship with her mother. “Didn’t Miriam stand up to her mother at all? She seems quite a strong character, from what little I have seen of her.”
“Not strong enough!” The old man chuckled, looking up at Gus from under bushy eyebrows. “Mind you, she’s had her moments. Ask her about those, next time you go to tea.”
Gus was sure that he had never mentioned the tea party. Nothing secret in Barrington, that was clear. But he was very much a newcomer, and the difficulty would be in winkling out old scandals from the locals, Alfred and his like. By the time he and Will emerged into the clear, starry night, he felt pleasantly mellow and almost one of the boys.
Thirteen
THE PEARLY ROLLS cruised slowly up the long drive to the Hall, and came to a halt outside the front steps leading to an imposing baronial style front door. Deirdre adjusted her tight skirt-not too tight, she hoped-and walked carefully up the steps. She knew the old dragon would open it and give her a frosty reception, but Deirdre was ready for her.
“Good evening, Mrs. Bloxham, please come in. A lovely evening, isn’t it?”
Deirdre could not believe her ears. All she had heard and witnessed of Miss Beatty! And now this charming welcome. What was the woman up to? Deirdre was no fool, and was already on her guard.
“Come this way, please,” said Beattie, stepping out across the tiled hallway and into the large drawing room. The sun shone through the long windows, and every surface gleamed from regular polishing. She must remember to look at Theo’s shoes. Probably see your face in them. But where was he?
“Mr. Theo will be down in a few minutes, madam,” Beattie said. “Won’t you take a seat? I’ll tell him you are here.”
“Thank you,” Deirdre said, and perched on the edge of a flimsy gilt chair by the large marble fireplace. She looked at her watch, and saw that she was exactly on time. Theo must have changed. She remembered clearly from her youth that of all the lads around town, he was always punctual, if not early. Good manners, her grandmother had said approvingly.
After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Beattie appeared once more. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Bloxham,” she said sadly. “Mr. Theo sends his warmest regards, but regrets that he is not feeling up to coming downstairs this evening. He wants me to assure you that he will be in touch to arrange another date. He is really sorry.”
STARTING UP HER car, Deirdre rammed it into gear and stalled the engine. “Damn and blast!” she said. As she went more circumspectly forward, she glanced up at the window where she imagined Theo’s room would be. “Dear God, there he is!” She drove slowly away, sure that he had been waving, but not smiling. In fact, he had looked very angry indeed.
She did not want to go home to an empty house, and felt that she must talk to somebody about what had happened. She would call on Ivy, a perfectly natural friendly visit. Ivy, for all her faults, was a good listener, and though she tried hard to seem invincible, Deirdre was sure she was lonely, and would be glad to see her.
“Good evening, Mrs. Bloxham,” Miss Pinkney said, coming into the hall to greet her. At least this old spin was reasonably normal, Deirdre thought gratefully, and explained that Ivy was not expecting her but she would like to have a few words with her if that was all right.
“Of course,” Miss Pinkney said. “I’ll ring through and tell her you are on your way. Lovely evening, isn’t it?” she added, and Deirdre answered grimly that she supposed it was.
“Well,” said Ivy, “this is a surprise visit. Something urgent to report? Or were you feeling lonely?”
Deirdre sighed. “Yes to both of those,” she said. “Am I in the way? Would you like me to go?”
“Don’t be silly, Deirdre. I can see you’ve got something to say, so get on and say it. For goodness sake sit down. You make the place untidy.”
The old phrase calmed Deirdre, and she sat down thankfully. Starting with her extraordinary welcome at the Hall from Miss Beatty, she gave Ivy a detailed account of what had happened. “And I saw him at the window, fully dressed, and waving frantically as I left.”
“Why didn’t you go back? That Beatty woman couldn’t stop you going up to his room, could she?”
I wouldn’t put it past her to bar the way with a Kalashnikov,” Deirdre answered glumly. “No, I hadn’t time to think it all out, but I shall certainly go back and insist on seeing him another day. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Take Gus with you,” Ivy said. “He’d stand no nonsense from Miss Beatty. I reckon he can be pretty nasty when needed. Not that you’d know it from the way he has been so far. But mark my words, he can be a hard man when necessary.”
Deirdre stifled a giggle. Ivy claimed not to watch television. All rubbish, she insisted. But “a hard man”? Where else would she have picked up that?
“You’re right, Ivy,” she said. “I’ll ask him next Monday at our meeting. Probably best not to go back to the Hall straightaway. Miss Beatty will be expecting me to try again, but if I leave it for a few days she’ll have dropped her guard. Poor Theo,” she added. “He was a really nice man, you know. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Not on our list of suspects, then,” Ivy said caustically. “Don’t let your emotions get in the way of investigation, Deirdre. We’ve a long way to go yet.”
“Do you reckon? I sort of thought we might clear it all up in a couple of weeks.”
“Oh no, we’re up against a wily bird. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s my bath night and if I don’t have it early the water’s stone-cold. Luxury accommodation, you told me! I’d not have agreed to come here if I’d known the bathwater would be cold.”
Deirdre stood up and leaned over to kiss Ivy on her warm cheek. “You’re quite a comfort to me, you know, Ivy,” she said. “Good night, God bless.”
After she had gone, Ivy touched her cheek and smiled. Luxury accommodation, indeed!
AS IT GREW dark, Theo Roussel decided to ring the police. His door was locked and he had shouted himself hoarse. But what would Beattie say to that? He slumped down in the chair by his desk and tried to think clearly. She was a clever, devious woman, and would certainly have a good story ready to explain his imprisonment.
He closed his eyes for a few minutes, concentrating on the best course of action, and until he woke with a start did not realise he had fallen into a doze. How long he had been asleep, he did not know. He had been awoken by heavy footsteps and a knock at his door.
“Mr. Theo, please open the door,” Beattie shouted. “It is getting dark, and I am worried about you!”
Theo shook his head, as if his ears were deceiving him. He had been trying to open the door for hours, or rather, persuading her to open it. He walked across angrily and prepared to give her a very stern warning. Then he noticed the key. It was in the lock, his side of the door. He felt quite dizzy, and held on to the door handle.
“Mr. Theo, open up at once! Please don’t alarm me like this!”
He turned the key and opened the door, staring at her with pure hatred. “You locked me in, you wicked woman,” he said.
“Now, now,” she said. “You’ve been dreaming. Look, here’s the key, on your side of the door. You must have locked it without thinking, and then fallen asleep. Now, come along, let’s get you some supper and a nice hot cup of tea.”
“I don’t want your bloody tea!” Theo said. “Leave me alone. We’ll talk about this in the morning.” He shut the door in her face, and so did not see her retreating quietly down the passage, smiling.