Chapter 10 #2
‘Oh, yes. Dead and gone,’ and to Lara’s great surprise, Mrs M smiled. She seemed to register Lara’s reaction, as she continued, ‘I don’t think there was any love lost there.’
‘Did they live in India for long?’ Lara asked, thinking Mrs M would certainly be able to clear up this mystery.
Mrs M stopped and stared at her. ‘Lily, but…’ She appeared lost for words. ‘So she told you that did she?’
‘Yes. That she lived in India.’ Lara confirmed, at the same time wanting to ask why Mrs M called Lady Porter ‘Lily’. But maybe that was a private name? Or perhaps she had said ‘Lizzie’? Lara pushed these thoughts aside, she wanted to get to the bottom of the India business.
It seemed Abby did too as she was now watching Mrs M like a cat watching a mouse hole.
Mrs M took a while to continue, ‘Yes, my dear. She certainly did live in India. For a short while at least. And great stories she told of the time she spent there. She didn’t share that with many people.
Hardly anyone at all.’ She smiled softly.
And then her expression changed. ‘But as for family.’ She shook her head.
‘Reg now, he was her family. It was a great sadness when he died.’
‘You knew him?’ Lara asked, feeling tearful again at the thought that Lady Porter had considered her worthy of confiding in.
‘No, that was before my time, but Lady Porter spoke of him often.’
The next words burst from Lara, ‘Mrs M, do you think she killed herself?’
‘Well,’ Mrs M’s face became grave, ‘if the doctor says that was the case…’ it appeared Mrs M was not going to doubt the word of a medical man.
‘…yes, I believe if Dr Patil says Lady Porter committed suicide, then that’s good enough for me.
Who are we to question that? He’s a good doctor and a good man. ’
Yet not so good a friend that Lady Porter told him about her time in India, Lara mused.
‘But did she take sleeping pills regularly?’ Lara persisted.
This clearly offended Mrs M’s sense of the boundaries between employer and staff.
‘I have worked here for thirty years and I looked after Lady Porter to the best of my ability, but that did not include nosing around in what didn’t concern me.
It was not for me to poke and pry through her personal things.
So what she may or may not have kept in her bathroom cabinet and private drawers was none of my business! ’
Lara felt it was time to change the subject. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs M, I didn’t mean anything by that.’ Lara stood up. ‘Do you think I could just use the cloakroom before I head off? It really has been nice to see you again.’
Mrs M’s face softened. ‘Of course. You know where it is. And don’t mind me, dear, it’s been a trying time for us all.
’ Lara walked towards the cloakroom leaving the kitchen door to the hall open.
When she came back into the kitchen there was no sign of Abby.
Making sure the door was left ajar, she sat back down at the table and started talking to Mrs M about inoffensive local gossip.
She thought she had stepped on enough toes for the time being and needed to keep to safe subjects.
It was then she remembered the will and the conversation she had overheard Mrs M having with the vicar.
So much for safe subjects, Lara thought.
She decided it might be best to tackle this as a throwaway comment as she was leaving, so she started to gather her bag and coat.
‘I was in the church the other day and overheard someone talking about the roof fund. It seems the vicar was hoping for a bit of a windfall from Lady Porter’s will…
’ Lara kept her head down and made a pretence of looking for her phone.
‘Yes, he said as much to me,’ Mrs M confirmed.
‘Did she leave anything?’ Lara asked with a false air of uninterest.
‘I couldn’t really say,’ Mrs M said, loyal to the last. She unbent slightly, adding, ‘I know the family were looked after and then I think there were some other bequests. She did leave me a small pension, which was very good of her. But then she always was a lady who did things properly.’ As Lara looked up she saw that Abby had returned and clearly wanted to communicate something to her.
Lara dawdled a bit more over getting ready.
Really, she thought, Mrs M must think she had lost the plot.
She raised a questioning eyebrow at Abby.
‘Try and find out why there are gaps around the house where ornaments and paintings have been,’ Abby instructed.
‘There must be lots of things to sort out,’ Lara said sympathetically, winding her scarf around her neck with glacial speed.
‘I don’t mind that,’ Mrs M replied. ‘What I don’t like is having to sleep here rather than at my cottage. Mr Richard has got it into his head that things will go missing if there’s not someone living here.’
‘I guess Lady Porter did have a lot of valuable ornaments and paintings,’ Lara said.
‘Too many if you ask me, and she was always buying more, selling this and that, and moving things around. It’s my belief she didn’t know what she had half of the time,’ Mrs M muttered.
Abby nodded, apparently satisfied.
Lara felt there was little more she could ask without sounding unbelievably nosy. ‘Well, I’ll be off,’ she said, ‘thank you for the coffee.’
‘Anytime, dear,’ Mrs M replied. ‘It’s good to have some company rather than rattling around this big old house on my own.
’ As Lara was opening the door to leave, Mrs M added, ‘Although sometimes I could swear I can hear someone else moving around. Pipes I expect.’ Mrs M shrugged.
‘Or maybe Lady Porter has come back to haunt us all. I wouldn’t put it past her.
’ The door closed on Mrs M’s final words.