For a moment Lena said nothing. She went on sucking vermouth through her straw. She appeared not to have heard. Then she said, ‘They wrote a book about it, didn’t they? They thought it was the husband who did it.’
‘Sir Jock Delves Broughton. That’s still open to debate,’ Payne said. ‘As so often happens with such cases. I find they never die down, not quite. Old Sandys told me about another one. Murder that took place twenty years ago – at the very house he bought! Pile of a place on the river. Outside Richmond.’ He paused, but there was no reaction from Lena. ‘Called – what was it, my love?’ He turned towards Antonia.
‘Twiston. We are thinking of paying it a visit, actually,’ Antonia said. ‘There’s always an – atmosphere – at places like that. And this place, it seems, is really special.’
They were looking at Lena, but she hadn’t stirred. She was staring down into her drink, her podgy hands clutching at the glass as though she feared somebody might snatch it away from her.
‘Twiston, that’s correct.’ Payne slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. ‘The old cerebellum’s not functioning properly. Jetlag. Forget my own name next. Never been good on planes. Murder happened at the time of the previous owners. Couple called Mortlock. It was a young girl who got killed. Terrible tragedy.’ He was gratified to see Lena look up slowly.
Antonia said in a low voice, ‘The funny thing is – now you wouldn’t believe this, but the place seems to be haunted!’ It was Hugh’s reference to Elsinore that had given her the idea.
‘What d’you mean – haunted?‘ Lena ran her tongue across her lips.
‘It’s the ghost of the little girl that got murdered. She appears in the garden.’ Major Payne took out his pipe. ‘Always from the direction of the river.’
‘What fucking nonsense is that?’ Lena spoke thickly. She was scowling. ‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ Suddenly all her amiability had evaporated.
‘Name of Sonya, I think? Sandys says he’s seen her, several times. Others have seen her too,’ Payne went on improvising. ‘A very tiny girl – flaxen hair – white dress with little bells at the waist -’
They heard Lena gasp. ‘Your friend Sandys is a liar!’ she cried and she brought her fist down. Her double chin quivered.
There was a moment’s silence, then Major Payne spluttered, ‘I assure you, dear lady, Sandys is a fellow of great integrity – not the least bit fanciful either!’
‘Sorry, but I can’t allow this. You’ve got it all wrong. In the first place, there was no murder.’ Lena was clearly making a monumental effort to appear calm. ‘You don’t know the story. A little girl did drown in the river, true, but that was an accident, not murder. That was an accident, a fucking accident. Sonya – the little girl – drowned. She fell into the river -’
‘Oh, you know about it?’ Antonia breathed. ‘You weren’t by any chance there when it happened?’
Lena considered the point and seemed to come to a decision. ‘As a matter of fact I was there. It was all most upsetting. I was staying at the house. I – um – I knew the girl’s parents. We were fellow guests. Actually, I was great friends with the mother.’
‘What was she like?’ Payne asked slyly. He put a match to his pipe.
‘Oh, wonderful woman. Big-hearted. Giving. She’d had a very hard life. She’d never known true love, not for long. Only one man had ever loved her – and one woman. They had both worshipped her.’ Lena dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her gown. ‘Oh, she was a sweet-tempered, sensitive creature. One of the very best. The same, alas, can’t be said about the father, but I mustn’t gossip. Hate gossip. What I mean is, I know perfectly well what I am talking about.’
‘Remarkable,’ Payne said.
‘Do tell us more!’ Antonia gushed.
‘There is nothing to tell. Why are people such ghouls? Sonya – I mean the little girl – fell into the river and drowned, that’s all there is to it. She was young for her age. Backward. Terribly difficult, taking care of a child like that. I couldn’t – I mean the mother couldn’t call her time her own! They found her doll floating on the river, but of the girl there was no sign. Her body was never recovered, see? It was an accident. So next time you see your friend Sandys, kindly inform him that he’s got the wrong end of the stick altogether. Tell him to be very careful. It’s actually a crime spreading malicious rumours. If he’s not careful, your friend Sandys may find himself in court.’
‘Dear lady!’ Major Payne protested. ‘I assure you -’
‘You too.’ Lena shook her forefinger at him. Her mountainous bosom rose and fell. She picked up her glass and, not bothering with the straw, downed the rest of the vermouth. ‘You too may land in real hot water if you go about telling people Sonya was killed. Murder indeed! Nonsense. Your friend Sandys needs to have his head examined if he’s seeing ghosts. Anyone who is seeing ghosts needs to have their head examined.’ She licked her lips. ‘It’s all wrong anyhow. Sonya couldn’t have been coming from the direction of the river for the simple reason that…’
‘Yes?’ Antonia leaned forward.
‘Nothing,’ Lena said. ‘Nothing at all. She couldn’t have, that’s all. There are no ghosts anyhow… I need a drinkie. Mamma needs a drinkie. Badly.’
She had started wheezing like an ancient concertina. Her face under the make-up had become suffused. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her mouth, fish-like, kept opening and shutting. All of a sudden she looked dangerously on the verge of collapse.
‘Are you all right?’ Antonia said. ‘Perhaps some water -’
‘No, not water. A proper drinkie. Mamma needs a brandy.’
‘Shall I pour you one?’ In the most casual manner imaginable, Major Payne walked round the bar and stood beside Lena. ‘Brandy, did you say?’
‘Yes. Brandy, my friend. That’s the best gut-rot there is. Armagnac, that’s lovely. Lovely smooth taste. Oh, Mamma’s so thirsty. Mamma loves it when someone else does the pouring… That’s how things used to be at my father’s house. We were served by hussars. Bowing and clicking their heels. Not a single crease in their uniforms. Such style, such poise. Everything as it should be. Ah, glorious days. Thank you, kind sir.’ She almost snatched the glass from Major Payne’s hand and started drinking. Her hand shook and some brandy got spilled. She made several gasping noises. She drank the whole of the brandy, to the last drop, as though it had been water. ‘More,’ she ordered imperiously. ‘More. Another brandy – quick! Mamma’s still unwell. Mamma needs her medicine.’
Payne picked up the bottle.
Antonia looked horrified. ‘Hugh, you mustn’t – it’d kill her,’ she whispered.
He shook his head and mouthed, It won’t.
‘I used to live at the Dorchester, you know, but I was downgraded,’ Lena said presently. Her glass, her second, was empty and she was holding it up. Payne obliged her. ‘Vivian’s so – so mean. After everything I did,’ she slurred. ‘I don’t like my room here at all, but I was told I’d been given enough. I was told I was greedy… Prosit… Mamma feels better now. Not good – Mamma will never feel good, not as long as she’s in this world, but Mamma feels better.’ She took a sip. ‘What were we talking about? Oh yes, that Twiston business. Well, it proved to be most unsettling, more than I ever imagined. Lawrence became quite impossible. Lawrence, you see, is the kind of man who would perpetrate evil for the betterment of evil,’ she said, sounding oddly like the headmaster of his old school, Payne thought.
Lena smacked her lips. ‘He kept blaming me. Said it had been my fault. If he knew what I had done – really done – ah, if he only knew! – he would have killed me. He’d have strangled me. Cut me into little pieces. I have no doubt about it.’