Chapter 6
When Daisy emerged from the library, a dozen people were lurking in the hall. They converged on her, all talking at once. Everyone knew that Alec was coming and everyone knew that Daisy had talked to the local police and everyone wanted to talk to her.
Lord and Lady Carleton reached her first. Daisy had been introduced to them but she had never exchanged more than a few words with them and she had no idea where they came on the family tree.
Lady Carleton clasped Daisy’s hand as if she were a long-lost friend. “Mrs. Fletcher, tell me they don’t really believe Aunt Eva’s death was murder! Some sort of horrible accident, I’m sure.”
“I’m afraid not. There seems to be no question of anything but murder.” Even as she spoke, Daisy regretted it. She should have denied any inside knowledge and referred them to Inspector Crummle. Now all those crowding around would expect her to answer their questions.
“They won’t make us stay, will they?” Lady Carleton asked anxiously. “Denzil says we won’t be let go till they’ve arrested someone.”
“It must be one of us, must it not, Mrs. Fletcher?” That was Henry Fotheringay. The effect of his words was to make people glance around and move slightly apart from each other.
“That’s for the police to decide.”
“But those of us who obviously didn’t do it,” Lady Carleton persisted, “they’ll let us leave, won’t they? Ursula is terribly sensitive, just a child still. I’ve sent her to the nursery but it’s not at all good for her to stay in a house with such an unpleasant atmosphere.”
“Poor little Ursula,” Erica said sarcastically. “I can’t imagine why Lucy invited such a child to be a bridesmaid.”
“I can’t think why she asked you, Erica,” said another bridesmaid.
“You’re only a second cousin,” her sister seconded her, “and you’re getting married next month yourself.”
“That’s enough, Alice, Mary!” snapped Mrs. Henry. “This is not the time or place for childish squabbles. You’re not too old to be sent to the nursery yourselves.”
“I was getting married next month. My wedding’s going to have to be postponed too,” Erica pointed out. “Too tedious! Mrs. Fletcher, I really need to go home right away and start notifying people.”
“I have to leave today.” That was Flora, Lord Fotheringay’s unmarried daughter.
She was dressed for the city, in a tailored black costume and white silk blouse.
“I only came down yesterday to advise Aunt Vickie on decorating the chapel. I have a meeting with an important client in town this afternoon. They won’t stop me going, will they? They’ve no reason to suspect me.”
“It’s not for me to say,” Daisy insisted. “But I wouldn’t advise anyone to leave without permission. It’d look very fishy.”
“Very fishy indeed.” Mr. Henry agreed with apparent relish. “We’ll just have to wait for Mr. Fletcher to arrive to separate the sheep from the goats, if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphors.”
“How can you all be so petty, with poor Grandmama lying murdered upstairs?” Veronica Bancroft sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “Wanting to rush off as if she was a stranger who had inconvenienced you!”
“Hush, my dear.” Peter Bancroft put his arm around his wife’s
shoulders. “You can’t expect everyone to feel the horror as deeply as you do, close to your grandmother as you were.”
In fact, Daisy thought, no one she’d spoken to appeared heartbroken by Lady Eva’s demise. Her brother Montagu seemed the most affected. Even Veronica Bancroft’s eyes, though slightly reddened, were quite dry, for all her dabbing at them.
Her reproach was reasonable, however. Most of the others had beaten a retreat as she spoke. Only Oliver Fotheringay and Jennifer Walsdorf lingered, at a little distance.
“It’s true, is it, Mrs. Fletcher,” said Peter Bancroft, “that your husband is going to be in charge of the case?”
“I believe so.”
“He’ll soon find out we had nothing to gain. Lady Eva was aware that I am perfectly able to provide for Veronica and the children. She left practically everything to Angela, you know.”
“For her stupid dogs. Angela cares more for dogs than people. She’d do anything for her abandoned dogs, absolutely anything.”
“It’s good to know someone’s willing to help the poor things, isn’t it?” said Daisy, wondering what could have caused such spite—worse than spite, if it was a deliberate attempt to suggest that Angela was capable of killing her grandmother for the sake of her dogs.
At least Daisy’s response got rid of the Bancrofts. As they went off, Oliver Fotheringay came closer. He looked worried.
“Daisy—Mrs. Fletcher, I should say—”
“Please go on calling me Daisy.”
He smiled. “Then you’d better call me Oliver, without the ‘Uncle,’ since you’re now a married lady. Daisy, Vickie is desperately concerned about Lucinda. She’s saying now that she’s not sure she’s going to marry Bincombe after all, that perhaps it was all a mistake.”
Was Lucy wavering again, or just leading up gently to revealing her decision? “To tell the truth,” Daisy said with caution, “I think
she just has cold feet, as well as being thoroughly fed up with all the pomp and circumstance.”
“Vickie’s been trying so hard to give her a dream wedding.”
“Lucy’s dream? Or her mother’s?”
“In that case, why didn’t Lucinda say long ago that she wanted something different?”
“Partly she didn’t know exactly what she wanted, and partly she didn’t want to disappoint her mother. That’s my guess, anyway.”
“She’s always had different ideas from the rest of us.
We’ve never known just how to deal with her.
” Oliver sighed. “We’ll try to understand.
At least, I’ll try to explain to Vickie.
Perhaps it’s just as well the whole thing must be postponed—not that I’d wish for poor Aunt Eva’s death to be the cause!
But I wouldn’t want Lucinda to marry Bincombe if she’s not sure. ”
“Has Lucy telephoned him?”
“I don’t know. She won’t talk about it,” said Lucy’s harassed father. “Perhaps she’ll tell you.”
“I expect so,” said Daisy. “I’ll go and look for her in a minute.” She looked enquiringly at Jennifer, still waiting in the background.
Becoming aware that someone else wanted to speak to Daisy, Oliver apologized for keeping her and excused himself.
“Daisy, you must be sick of people treating you as a surrogate for the police,” said Jennifer, “but I’m not sure what I ought to do. Do you mind if I ask your advice?”
“Not if I can sit down while you ask! Marble is a very unfriendly surface to stand about on.”
“Come into the library.”
“Inspector Crummle …”
“He came out while you were talking to all those people.” Jennifer led the way. “I think he went to interview the servants.”
Leaving the nobs for Alec to cope with, of course. “A good move on his part.” Daisy sank into one of the comfortable leather chairs by
the fireplace. “He was frightfully annoyed by Sir Leonard’s calling in Alec, but I’m quite sure he was feeling out of his depth, dealing with the aristocracy. Did Sir Leonard get a list of guests from you? Guests and residents?”
“Ye-es.”
“What’s the trouble?”
“It’s Aunt Ione. Baines told me she’d ordered a car to take her to the station. I went to look for her to tell her she’d better stick around just now, but she’d already gone. I don’t know what’s got into her. She never goes anywhere.”
“Oh dear!” Daisy had a sudden picture of the worm turning at breakfast this morning, of the meek, silent Lady lone announcing that now Aunt Eva was dead she didn’t have to pretend any longer. “Did she take a suitcase?”
“Her maid says not. Daisy, ought I to tell the Inspector? Or Sir Leonard? Or wait till your husband arrives? Or hope she returns before anyone else finds out?”
“Do you know exactly when the car left? Assuming she was making for the station, would she have arrived by now? Could she have caught a train already?”
“Yes, if she’s going to London. I suppose I’d better tell Inspector Crummle, but it would be too awful if he had her arrested when she gets to Liverpool Street!”
“Whatever I advise, Alec’s liable to grind his teeth and accuse me of interfering. I’d say least said soonest mended, except that the servants will talk.”
“And the Inspector’s with them now.”
“Oh yes, that’s all right, then,” said Daisy, relieved. “They’ll tell him, and neither you nor I need have any hand in it.”
“Thank heaven! But I do wonder what on earth’s come over her.”
“It’s odd, if she usually doesn’t go anywhere. But I doubt if she’s done a bunk. She probably wouldn’t know how. Where’s John, by the
way? I understood he was in charge of dealing with the wedding postponement, but Crummle’s turned him out of the library.”
“Yes, he’s taken all his stuff up to Lord Haverhill’s study. He was too late to catch several people before they set out, so they’ll be arriving sometime today.” Jennifer stood up. “If they have any sense they’ll turn right around and go home again, but I’d better make sure their rooms are ready.”
“And I’d better look for Lucy. Any idea where she’s to be found?”
“Try the folly. I saw her heading for the park and it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s gone to earth there.”
“Good idea. I wouldn’t mind a walk.” It would give her a chance to think about people and their attitudes towards Lady Eva.
Daisy followed Jennifer out to the hall. There she was pounced upon by Angela Devenish, the mongrel Tiddler at her heels as usual.
“Daisy, Mummy and Daddy want to see you. Would you mind awfully coming up to their room?”
The only possible reasons for the bereaved Sir James and Lady Devenish to ask for Daisy were to pick her brains about the police or to give her information to pass on to the police. Jennifer gave her a commiserating look and deserted her.
“I’ll come,” said Daisy. “Your father must be frightfully shocked by what’s happened, Angela. Was your mother close to Lady Eva?”
“Not to say close. They rubbed along all right together. I say, Daisy, I’ve just remembered, Lucy said you’re expecting a baby? I shouldn’t rush you up the stairs like this.”