‘Neither can I,’ said Sir Marcus.
‘But I’m the ideal person,’ argued Percy.
‘You heard the superintendent. You will not be involved.’
‘The exchange must be left in the hands of Inspector Colbeck,’ said Tallis. ‘He became Sir Marcus on the first occasion and will do so again.’
‘No, he will not,’ asserted Sir Marcus. ‘The kidnapper specified that I should reclaim my daughter and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Inspector Colbeck will not be required this time. I will take the responsibility myself.’
Tallis quailed at the prospect but his authority had been overridden.
Clive Tunnadine congratulated himself on making two wise decisions. He’d hired Alban Kee and he’d told nobody else about the ransom demand. There had been some difficulty in raising the money at such short notice but he’d browbeaten the bank manager and eventually got his way. The politician had declined Kee’s offer to act as a bodyguard, feeling that he could look after the money quite well on his own. He therefore dispatched the private detective to Crewe to get the lie of the land, intending to join him on the morrow. Tunnadine still felt vestigial guilt over the way that he’d assaulted Lucinda Graham. The flowers had acted as a balm and his apology had been accepted by her. Yet he knew it was not enough. Lucinda deserved to be wooed and cosseted. It would be the perfect way to take his mind off the tricky negotiations with the kidnapper that lay ahead.
Though she was pleased to see him, her wariness was evident. He called for a decanter of wine. When the servant had poured two glasses, Tunnadine and his mistress were left alone to drink, relax and enjoy each other’s company. The bruises on her arms had been covered by her dress but, in spite of the cosmetics, he could see the telltale marks on her face. The main thing was that he’d now been forgiven.
Lucinda was even beginning to tantalise him a little. The compact had been made. He would spend the night in her bed and drive away the hideous memories of his earlier visit. Lucinda needed to be indulged.
‘Did you mean what you said when you brought those flowers?’ she asked.
‘I’m a man of honour, Lucinda. Of course, I meant it.’ He sipped his wine. ‘What exactly was it that I said?’
‘To be honest, you didn’t exactly put it into words. You hinted.’
‘And what was the import of my hint?’
She waved an arm. ‘I could look to remain here for a while.’
‘You can stay for longer than that, Lucinda. You’ve earned this house. My visits may be less regular in future but you won’t be ignored, I guarantee. I think you know by now that I’m a man who enjoys the pleasures of life.’
‘It’s a joy to share them with you,’ she said, nestling against his shoulder. ‘You’ve taught me so much.’
‘And you, conversely, have been an excellent tutor to me.’
‘I am always at your command.’
‘That’s what I like to hear.’
They emptied their glasses, refilled them and got steadily more excited about the night of abandon that beckoned them. Tunnadine slipped an arm around her shoulders and took a first, lingering kiss. Lucinda stroked his thigh gently. When he put his glass aside, he stood up so that she could remove his frock coat for him. As she hung it carefully over a chair, she gave a teasing smile.
‘Are you going to be nice to me tonight?’ she asked.
‘I’m going to be extremely nice and extravagantly attentive.’
‘Make sure that you are, Clive.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because you’ve given me a power over you,’ she taunted. ‘When a man gets married, he puts a dangerous weapon into the hands of his mistress.’ She plucked at his cravat. ‘If you don’t behave exactly as I want you to, then I’ll turn blackmailer and threaten to tell your wife.’
It was a disastrous comment to make. Blind rage seized Tunnadine and he lashed out violently. His first punch knocked her against the wall where he continued to belabour her with both fists. Blood gushed from her nose. He knocked out her two front teeth with a fearsome blow. When she fell to the floor in agony, he kicked her in the stomach then grabbed his coat.
‘Get out of this house!’ he shouted. ‘If you dare to approach my wife, I swear that I’ll kill you with my bare hands.’
It was over.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Early departures were a feature of the Colbeck household and Madeleine had learnt to accept them. A criminal investigation had an irregular timetable. Detectives had to respond to the turn of events and fit any domestic arrangements around them. Because he’d had the pleasure of spending another night at home, Colbeck did not complain when he had to leave shortly after dawn. Madeleine helped him on with his coat, then inspected him. He was as immaculate as ever.
‘When you left Oxford all those years ago,’ she said, ‘I’ll wager that you never thought you’d return there one day to investigate a crime.’
‘That’s true, Madeleine. In my undergraduate days, my vision of the future centred on prosecuting dangerous felons in a court of law. Now, I simply catch them.’
‘Do you expect to catch this Captain Whiteside and his accomplice?’
‘I have every hope of doing so.’
‘He sounds like a worthy adversary.’
‘Having been a soldier,’ he said, ‘he knows about strategy. It was the same with one of those men we apprehended in Scotland earlier this year. His military experience taught him to plan carefully ahead.’
‘What will happen to the two ladies?’ she asked.
‘With luck, they’ll be returned safely to Burnhope Manor.’
‘It will be a fraught homecoming.’
‘Our task is to take some of the anguish out of it.’
‘The fact is that they ran away from the house and all that it represented. Imogen Burnhope’s parents will have been horrified to learn that. There could be some serious repercussions.’
‘Only if the parents are told the truth,’ he pointed out, ‘and I’ve done my best to disguise it from them. You’re right, Madeleine. The two of them will chafe at being held as hostages but they will also dread the reception they’ll get when they’re released. Rhoda Wills, I daresay, will expect to be summarily dismissed for her part in the escapade. I want to save her reputation and that of her mistress. The only way to do that is to deceive their parents.’
Madeleine smiled. ‘I didn’t know you were a master of deception, Robert.’
‘I have more than one string to my bow.’
‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘There are so many, I’ve lost count of them.’
Reaching for his hat, he was about to leave when a thought detained him.
‘I wish that I could take you with me, Madeleine,’ he said.
‘Wouldn’t I be a distraction?’
‘You’d be a godsend to Imogen Burnhope and her maid. For days now, they’ve been in the hands of two heartless men whom they must have suspected by now of misleading them. What sort of ill-treatment have they had to endure? What kind of despair are they feeling?’
‘It’s impossible to imagine,’ she said with a sigh of sympathy.
‘If indeed they are released, what they will see are three detectives and Sir Marcus Burnhope. What they really need at that moment, however, is not a quartet of men but an understanding woman who can console and reassure them.’ He stroked her cheek. ‘You’d fit that role perfectly.’
‘Thank you, Robert.’
‘It would make things much easier for them.’
‘What would Superintendent Tallis say?’
Colbeck laughed. ‘His cry of rage would echo across six counties.’
‘One day, he’ll have to accept the value of women in law enforcement.’
‘That day is centuries away,’ he said, bestowing a farewell kiss. ‘We’ve yet to convince our dear superintendent to accept the value of women.’