Cullen’s head popped up from behind the hedge.
‘I told you I wouldn’t miss from that distance,’ he shouted.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When they left the studio, the detectives felt that they’d been able to offer some hope and succour to Lucinda Graham. She was still in obvious pain but there had been a spectre of pleasure in her one visible eye when she was assured that her dreadful injuries would lead to the prosecution of her attacker. As Colbeck and Leeming clattered down the long staircase, the sergeant was still bemused.
‘How can an educated man like Mr Tunnadine do such a thing?’
‘I suspect he’ll claim that he was provoked,’ replied Colbeck. ‘It may be that he was, of course, but no amount of provocation justifies what he did to her. Miss Graham was no match for someone much bigger and stronger than her.’
‘I feel as if I want to give him a good hiding, sir.’
‘I feel the same, Victor, but it’s not our task to administer punishment. That must be left to those empowered to do so. All that we can do is to report what we’ve learnt then try to find Tunnadine.’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘The main thing is that she’s being well looked after now. Dolly will be a good nurse.’
‘George Vaughan deserves thanks as well. He’s the one who reported the assault.’ Leeming was puzzled. ‘Why couldn’t Sir Marcus believe the word of his own nephew?’
‘It was because he couldn’t admit to himself that he’d made such a disastrous error when he selected Tunnadine as his future son-in-law. He took him at face value.’
‘What will he do when he learns the truth?’
‘It will be interesting to find out when we put it to him.’
Leaving the house, they walked to a nearby cab rank and hired their transport. On the journey back to Scotland Yard, they turned their attention to the disappearance of Imogen Burnhope, Rhoda Wills and the two men holding them.
‘Will the ladies ever be released?’ asked Leeming.
‘I don’t know. Whiteside and his friend will not keep them long. They’ll become a hindrance. My guess is that they may not be the first victims to fall into their hands or, indeed, the last. Having gained so much money from this abduction,’ said Colbeck, ‘they might well look for a new target. There are, alas, many unworldly and unsuspecting young ladies in wealthy households in this country. Kidnap is a profitable trade.’
‘That’s only if they can keep one step ahead of us, sir.’
‘We’ll have to take longer strides, Victor.’
Arriving at their destination, they went straight to Tallis’s office to deliver their report. He was patently uneasy.
‘This could be awkward,’ he said, fingering his moustache.
‘I don’t see why it should be, sir,’ said Leeming. ‘The facts are clear. There’s no doubt that Mr Tunnadine beat her.’
‘Her injuries are consistent with the assault she described,’ added Colbeck.
‘All that may be true,’ said Tallis, uncertainly, ‘but Miss Graham, it seems, is a kept woman. She admitted quite openly that she was Mr Tunnadine’s mistress.’
‘What difference should that make, sir?’
‘You, of all people, shouldn’t need to ask me that, Colbeck. Courts of law take a very dim view of the allegations made by ladies of easy virtue and they’re probably right to do so. Such women know the dangers before they enter these entanglements. In the eyes of some judges — and I’m not saying that I agree with them — the word of someone like Miss Graham carries less weight than that of a Member of Parliament.’
‘There’s no law that sanctions brutality,’ said Colbeck.
‘He knocked her teeth out,’ said Leeming, pointing to his mouth. ‘How much more proof of a crime do you need?’
‘Don’t you dare to hector me, Sergeant,’ warned Tallis.
‘All that the young lady wants is justice, sir.’
‘Then let’s set the process in motion.’ He picked up a document from his desk and handed it to Colbeck. ‘This is a warrant for the arrest of Clive Tunnadine on a charge of wilful murder. I’ve gone above Sir Marcus’s head this time, so there’ll be no friendly magistrate who’ll simply wag a finger at the prisoner then set him free. Take the gentleman into custody.’
‘He’s no gentleman,’ said Leeming, spikily.
‘Do you have Mr Tunnadine’s address, sir?’ asked Colbeck.
‘Yes, I do,’ replied Tallis, ‘but the best place to find him is at his club in Pall Mall. He and Sir Marcus are often there together.’
‘Sir Marcus needs to be told the truth about his prospective son-in-law.’
‘Yes, he does — but don’t expect him to believe it.’
Thanks to the loving care offered by the Reverend Percy Vaughan, his aunt was able to shake off her fatigue, get dressed and come downstairs. Though she was still extremely anxious about the fate of her daughter, she was no longer prone to attacks of black dejection. Sitting in a high-backed chair in the drawing room, Paulina felt comforted by the presence of her sister and the two children. Cassandra could still carp and fizz when roused but Emma was a soothing guest and her brother even more so. Paulina was flabbergasted when yet another member of the Vaughan family arrived at Burnside Manor. Dominic Vaughan walked into the room to be greeted with contrasting reactions.
‘Father!’ cried Emma, leaping up to embrace him. ‘It’s so lovely to see you!’
‘You’re a welcome sight,’ said her brother, equally pleased.
‘Why do you have to butt in, Dominic?’ asked his wife, almost peevishly. ‘We were managing quite well without you.’
‘Don’t be so inhospitable,’ chided Paulina, accepting a kiss from her brother-in-law. ‘We’re delighted to see you, Dominic.’
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘I felt that my place was here.’
‘You couldn’t be more welcome.’
‘That depends on what he does,’ muttered Cassandra.
Emma heard the comment. ‘Mother — that’s unkind!’
‘As you see, Father,’ said his elder son, ‘Aunt Paulina has made a recovery of sorts. She hated being left upstairs and cut off from the latest news. Not that there’s been a great deal of that, however, I fear. Superintendent Tallis from Scotland Yard stayed here overnight, then went off early with Uncle Marcus. We haven’t seen either of them since.’
‘What happened to Inspector Colbeck and the sergeant?’ wondered Vaughan.
‘They travelled separately from London. All four of them were due to meet at Oxford but we don’t really know why.’
‘Oh dear!’ said Vaughan with a laugh. ‘We’re all at sixes and sevens, aren’t we? Virtually, my entire family has come here while almost everyone else has gone to Oxford. If the situation were not so fraught, this would have great comic potential. You could get a diverting sermon out of it, Percy.’
The curate disagreed. ‘I don’t think the good people of North Cerney need to be given insights into our trials and tribulations, Father,’ he said. ‘In public, I prefer to draw a veil of privacy over the whole thing.’
‘Percy preaches wonderful sermons,’ said Emma, smiling in approbation.
‘He has a rare gift,’ said Paulina.
Cassandra was impatient. ‘Come on then, Dominic. Why are you here?’
‘It was because I fondly imagined that you might be missing me, my dear.’ He kissed her on the cheek. ‘I certainly missed your company. What really prompted this visit, however,’ Vaughan went on, ‘is that I had twinges of guilt.’
‘Why — what have you been up to?’
‘It was nothing that would arouse your disapproval, Cassandra. I suppose what I felt was a sense of failure. If, as it seems, Imogen and her maid were abducted by a soldier who selected her as a target some time ago, then I am partly to blame. I should have been more aware of her attraction to such a scheming individual. Conceive of my horror,’ he said, ‘when I learnt that one of the most trusted scouts at the college had supplied information about my niece to this rogue.’