Emma Vaughan had been moping in her room for hours, praying fervently for the safety of her cousin and reliving the horror of realising that she had simply vanished. When her father introduced her to the detectives, she was at first alarmed, thinking that their arrival meant that a heinous crime had been committed. It took Colbeck some time to calm her down and to offer a measure of reassurance. At the Master’s suggestion, they adjourned to the drawing room with his daughter. Emma was uneasy at being left alone with them and she found Leeming’s features disquieting. Colbeck’s charm and sensitivity slowly won her over.
‘You’re very fond of your cousin, are you not?’ he asked.
‘I love Imogen. She’s my best friend.’
‘How often do you see her?’
‘It was not nearly enough,’ she replied. ‘Imogen only came here twice a year but I stayed at Burnhope Manor three or four times.’
‘Which place did you prefer?’
‘Oh, it was much nicer when she came here. We could talk properly.’
‘Couldn’t you do that at her house?’
‘Not really, Inspector,’ she said. ‘Lady Burnhope always seemed to be there. I love my aunt, naturally, but I did get the feeling of being watched all the time. Imogen was forever apologising for it.’
‘Did she resent being under her mother’s watchful eye?’
‘Yes, she did.’
‘I can see why she looked forward to coming here where she had a little more freedom. Tell me,’ Colbeck went on, ‘about the arrival of the train from Worcester. You and your mother were waiting on the station, weren’t you?’
‘That’s right. I was so excited when it came in and so heartbroken when Imogen wasn’t on it. I was certain that she must have caught the train.’
‘Who got off it?’
‘Lots of people — every single carriage had been occupied.’
‘Mrs Vaughan mentioned a soldier,’ recalled Leeming.
‘Yes, I saw him as well. He had a bandage over one eye. Before I could take a proper look at him, I was bumped into by a little boy who leapt out of a carriage. Mother chided him for being so careless. But I do remember the soldier on the train,’ she said, ‘and the one who greeted him on the station.’
‘You’ve met Mr Tunnadine, I take it,’ said Colbeck.
‘We’ve seen him a couple of times.’
‘And was he in company with your cousin?’
‘Yes,’ said Emma with a smile. ‘They made such a handsome pair. Clive Tunnadine was entranced by Imogen and she was enchanted by him. She told me that he swept her off her feet.’
‘She was happy with the match, then?’
‘Who wouldn’t be happy with a man like that? He’s very wealthy and comes from a good family. My uncle says that he has a brilliant career in politics ahead of him. Imogen was taken completely by surprise when he proposed. He gave her the most gorgeous engagement ring,’ she said, enviously. ‘Imogen couldn’t stop smiling when she showed it off to me.’
The information made Colbeck look at Tunnadine afresh. He and Leeming had found the man both arrogant and somewhat rebarbative. Clearly, he had a different effect on young women. He encouraged Emma to say more about his relationship with her cousin then he turned his attention elsewhere.
‘You have a brother called George, I hear.’
‘George is my younger brother. The elder is Percy. They couldn’t be more unlike each other,’ she said with an affectionate smile. ‘George is an artist, living in London while Percy is a curate in Gloucestershire. Father loves poetry, you see. That’s how he came to choose their names.’
Leeming was dumbfounded but Colbeck was quick to understand.
‘Could Percy be named after a certain Percy Bysshe Shelley, by any chance?’
‘Yes, Inspector, he was.’
‘Shelley was an undergraduate at this college, wasn’t he? It’s odd that a curate like your brother should bear his name. My memory is that Shelley was sent down for writing a pamphlet called The Necessity of Atheism.’
‘You’re very well informed.’
‘I, too, admire his poetry, Miss Vaughan.’
‘Father speaks very highly of it. In fact, he believes that we should have some kind of memorial dedicated to him. Unfortunately, the fellows won’t hear of it. They think that Shelley brought discredit on the college.’
‘Who is your other brother named after?’ asked Leeming.
‘It is another favourite poet of my father’s — Lord Byron.’
‘Even I have heard of him.’
‘It sounds as if it might have been a more appropriate christening,’ said Colbeck. ‘Lord Byron was famed for his wildness and it seems that your younger brother is not without a reckless streak in his nature.’
She laughed. ‘George is a loveable madman.’
‘Mr Tunnadine believes that he is behind your cousin’s disappearance. He claims that your younger brother kidnapped her and spirited her away.’
‘That’s absurd!’ she cried.
‘George has been the family clown, by all accounts.’
‘I freely admit it, Inspector, but that doesn’t mean he’d do anything to hurt Imogen — or to upset us, for that matter.’
‘What if he wanted to upset Mr Tunnadine?’
‘It doesn’t sound as if he and your brother would see eye to eye,’ said Leeming. ‘How did they get on, Miss Vaughan?’
‘George only met Clive once,’ she replied, ‘and there was some friction between them, I must confess.’
‘Then your brother had a motive to strike back at Mr Tunnadine.’
‘He’d never do anything to spoil Imogen’s happiness.’
‘What about his own happiness?’ asked Colbeck. ‘We gather that your cousin was famed for her beauty. It can’t have gone unnoticed by your brother. Perhaps he was nursing hopes on his own behalf.’
‘You obviously don’t know my brother. George loved Imogen as a friend and as a cousin. It never went beyond that. The sort of young women to whom he was attracted were always …’ Emma left the words unspoken. ‘Let’s just say that they were of a wholly different character to Imogen. George likes to describe himself as a free spirit. He seeks female company of a like persuasion.’
‘Thank you for eliminating that theory once and for all, Miss Vaughan,’ said Colbeck. ‘When I first heard Mr Tunnadine voice it, I thought it lacked credibility. Your brother is exonerated. He has no reason at all to abduct his cousin. However,’ he added, looking at the sergeant, ‘it won’t do any harm for you to meet the gentleman, Victor. I’m sure that he’d like to be made aware of the predicament in which his cousin finds herself and — based on his knowledge of her — he may be able to offer a suggestion as to what might have happened to her.’
‘I’ll give you George’s address,’ volunteered Emma. ‘He ought to be told about this terrible situation. Underneath all that wildness, he’s a very caring person.’
‘Then he’ll want his cousin found.’
‘And so will Percy. He should be told as well. In fact, Percy should be the first to hear about Imogen’s disappearance.’
‘Why is that?’
‘Well,’ she explained, ‘it’s something of an open secret. Percy would never admit it, of course, but I’m his sister and I can read his mind. George will tease Imogen and laugh at her expense but Percy wouldn’t dream of doing that. In his own quiet way,’ she said, ‘my elder brother has been in love with her for years.’
CHAPTER SIX
Caleb Andrews was never satisfied. When he was working as an engine driver, he was always complaining about the long hours, the attendant dangers of hurtling around the country at speed and the inevitable grime he picked up in the course of a normal day. Now that he’d finally retired, he moaned about having nothing to do and nowhere to go. Eager to leave the London and North West Railway after a lifetime’s service, he was equally eager to be back on the footplate. Ideally, he’d have liked a halfway stage between work and retirement but the LNWR didn’t employ part-time drivers or cater for the individual demands of someone as capricious as Andrews. When he called on his daughter that evening, he brought his usual list of grievances. Madeleine gave him no chance to unpack his heart.