“What documents?”
“We haven’t time for games. Old Roscoe’s letters, the ones he wrote about people wanting to kill him. And the alleged proofs. You should know … ”
“Well …?”
In that moment a hundred possibilities were racing through my head.
“I’ve seen them,” I said, with sudden decision.
“And what was your opinion?”
“My opinion?” I echoed, momentarily at a loss. “What’s that to do with you? I shall give my opinion to the Earl and the Earl alone.”
“What can you lose by telling me? Do you believe the illness old Roscoe died of can be artificially induced?”
“It certainly can.”
“Can you prove it?”
“I can,” I replied, remaining in character.
“Then listen to this. And think about it carefully. What’s the most you can expect from the Pendragons? Only the fee you’ve earned. Why should you get anything more? If you’re smart, you’ll join us instead. I’ve no time to explain, they’ll be here any moment … We’ve got an incredible amount of money, you know. You wouldn’t even ask what we’d be prepared to pay. You must get in touch with Morvin. If you say the word, I’ll give you his address.”
At that moment there was a knock at the door. Osborne entered. His face was flushed, and he looked extremely ill at ease.
“Excuse me,” he said to Maloney, “but I’m obliged to ask you for a word in private. Perhaps you’d come with me to my room?”
“I’ve no secrets from the doctor. The doctor is my friend.”
“As you wish, Maloney. But what I have to say is not perhaps something you would want others to hear. I have a message for you from my uncle.”
“Well, well. At last the noble lord deigns to speak with me.”
“This is very difficult,” said Osborne, and sat down. Then he stood up again, and lit a cigarette. He was clearly at a loss where to begin.
“During my uncle’s absence,” he began at last, “there were more strange happenings in the house. His writing desk and bedroom cupboards were forced open. He tells me that while the burglar was pretty skilful, he did leave traces.”
“And he took money?”
“No, nothing was taken.”
“Then there’s no problem. So, where do I come into this?”
“The Earl asks me to inform you that the documents relating to the Roscoe business are not kept in the castle.”
Maloney leapt to his feet.
“Do you mean to say I …?”
Then he suddenly fell silent.
“I have something else to tell you, Maloney,” Osborne continued, with a new purposefulness. His awkwardness had vanished and a grim irony had taken its place. “The person concerned could only have got into the chamber through the window. The door was locked and permanently guarded. Now the Earl is fully aware of your talents as a rock climber … ”
“That’ll do!” Maloney yelled. “I’ve had quite enough of your insinuations. In five minutes I’ll be out of this house, and the Earl will have to answer for … ”
“And furthermore, the Earl asks me to return this to you. It seems you left it behind.”
He handed over a small, bow-shaped knife, of a type common in South India. I had seen it before, in Maloney’s possession.
“Damn!” he exclaimed. It was his last word. The next moment he had left the room.
We dashed out after him, first helping John Griffith to his feet in the corridor, Maloney having knocked him over in his haste.
The gate-keeper had seen him running towards the garage. We watched as a motorbike swerved wildly into the long avenue down the centre of the park.
“Bastard!” said Osborne. “Never again will I own such a brilliant bike.”
“What next?” I asked.
“Let him be. The Earl doesn’t intend taking any action against him.”
We stood there for a while gazing after him, somewhat nonplussed.
“Are you tired, Doctor?” asked Osborne. “If it’s not too much trouble, we might perhaps go up to the library. My uncle would very much like a word with you, in private.”
I hurried up to the library, full of expectation.
The Earl was seated behind his enormous desk. He rose as I entered. Standing over me he seemed even taller than he actually was. It was as if some principle of monumentality were being deliberately stressed: his presence seemed to fill the entire library, immense as it was. Even the rows of books appeared to gaze down from their carefully ordered shelves with a different air — no longer items in a museum but living things responding to the benign gaze of their master. Everything now seemed exactly where it should be, in its intended place in the overall scheme of things: the unusually long reading tables, the globes of the world, the ascetically-robed statues of venerable ancients stooping over the bookcases.
We sat for some time, in a companionable silence.
“So he’s gone,” he said at last. “As a matter of fact I’m rather pleased it’s turned out this way. Are you comfortable in that chair?”
I assured him I was, even though I was leaning forward, rather stiffly, watching every movement of his lips.
He stood up and rang a bell. Rogers brought in two finely-cut old glasses and a cobwebbed bottle on a tray.
“Try this port, Doctor. A unusual year,1851. As a born collector you’ll find it rather interesting. To our friendship.”
The port was of a quality to make you weep. The Earl meanwhile was toying hesitantly with a large key.
“No doubt you already have the full picture of what has happened. It’s your habit to order facts methodically, and you believe in causality. Nonetheless I believe I owe you an apology. I received you here the way the commander of a besieged castle would receive a good friend coming from the enemy camp.”
“A very appropriate simile, My Lord. I don’t see how you could have behaved otherwise. In your place I should have either thrown my visitors out, or left myself.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Absolutely.”
“Why?”
His method was worthy of royalty. He was aware of his own need to apologise, but he left the apologies to be made by the person to whom, in truth, he owed an explanation. But my respect for him was immense and I was happy to enter into the reversal of roles.
“They had twice tried to kill you before I arrived. You certainly had cause to think that one of your new guests might have come with bad intentions.”
“I did have my reasons for suspecting Maloney.”
“As for myself, I can see now that, thanks to his cunning, I arrived here fully equipped to arouse even greater suspicion that he did. I seemed to present the bomb on a silver salver.”
The Earl smiled.
“Well, as you’re so generously finding reasons to excuse my behaviour, I think I should do the same. Since I invited you, why should I have doubted you?”
“For a start, it must have been suspicious that I was Maloney’s friend.”
“May I just ask,” he interposed, “had you known him long?”
“No. I’d met him just a few days earlier, at the British Museum.”
“How’s that? You met him after I’d invited you here?”
“Yes. It’s obvious now that he attached himself to me in order to accompany me here, no doubt to divert suspicion onto me.”
“Have you any idea how he, or those who sent him, knew of your intended visit?”
“Absolutely none.”
“Then I fear there’s a spy at Llanvygan. There’s no other explanation. Who could it be? But please continue.”
“Maloney told Osborne, and no doubt Osborne passed it on to you, that I’d only gone to Lady Malmsbury-Croft’s to make your acquaintance and to get myself invited here. That is certainly not the truth. You must forgive me, but I am a foreigner, and until that day I had only a fleeting knowledge of Your Lordship’s existence.”