Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Belinda and the boys, offered a choice of joining the adults for dinner or supping á trois in the breakfast room, had unanimously chosen the latter.
Daisy still felt responsible for Martha though.
She was shy with everyone else, and they tended to ignore her.
So, on their way down to dinner, Daisy and Alec collected her.
She was looking very pretty in a lilac crêpe frock, and very pregnant in spite of the slimming effect of diagonal trimming—the latest thing, according to Madge.
A mother-of-pearl necklace and earrings were her only ornaments.
She had refused to buy even the simplest of jewelry, though Tommy had agreed that charging the estate for dress expenses was permissible, as long as they were modest.
Sammy wouldn’t like it. They had always paid their own way.
They had just settled in the drawing room, and Edgar was asking what they would like to drink, when Lowecroft came in. He came over to Alec and leant down to say in a hushed voice, “A trunk call, sir. From London. Will you take it in his lordship’s study?”
“Alec, they can’t—!”
“I hope it’s just some information I’ve been waiting for.” He stood up. “Yes, the study, please, Lowecroft.”
“I shall switch the instrument through immediately, sir.”
Alec excused himself and went out, leaving Daisy fuming.
Though she had said, “They can’t,” she knew very well that “they” could call him back to the Yard if they were shorthanded.
It was all very well hoping the call was to provide information he expected, but she had had too many holidays interrupted by the call of duty to have much faith.
“What’s wrong?” Martha was dismayed.
“Oh, sorry, was I scowling? Nothing, probably.” An idea had struck Daisy: The only information she was aware of that Alec might expect was news from his American acquaintances about Martha’s Sam.
Which might be good news or might—from what she knew of rumrunners—be very bad indeed.
She was glad of the distraction when Frank Crowley brought her Dubonnet and Martha’s gin and lime with water instead of gin. Deserting Raymond, next to whom he had been seated, he sat down beside Martha and started chatting with her about their respective Caribbean island homes.
Laurette came in, followed by Vincent, limping along supported by Ernest. Alec returned a moment later.
Daisy raised her eyebrows at him. Flashing a glance towards Martha, he shook his head.
He went over to get the whisky Edgar had poured him, then joined Raymond, leaving Daisy to wonder what he meant.
Official business he couldn’t tell her about till they were alone?
Or bad news he didn’t want to break to Martha in public?
She didn’t find out till bedtime. “Well?” she asked, as Alec closed the door.
“He still hasn’t made up his mind.”
“Samuel? About what? How do you—?”
“Not Samuel, Raymond. I must say I’m impressed by Geraldine and Edgar’s ability to dodge his questions. He’s remarkably persistent. Though why he thinks I know—”
“Darling, you know that’s not what I meant. The phone call—What was that about? News of Martha’s Sam? You said you’d ask someone in America to make enquiries.”
“I said I’d consider doing so. But yes, I did, and I asked Mackinnon to keep an eye out for a response, whether cable or letter, while we’re away. Strictly unofficially. The Yard has no conceivable official interest.”
“It arrived today? Sunday—it must have been a cable.”
“A long one. But there’s a limit to how much one can cram into a cable, and,” he added ruefully, “a limit to how well I can interpret American telegramese.”
“News of Sam, though.”
“Sort of. Possibly. I can’t be sure.”
“Why on earth not?”
“Because when rumrunners are caught they don’t give their real names if they can possibly help it.”
“He was caught? Oh no!”
“Let me tell you the story as I understand it. A black ship, the Sunny Susie, was taken off Florida after an exchange of shots. She was escorted into Key West. On arrival, the crew reported that the captain had been wounded and fallen overboard, whereupon the mate, a Jamaican known as Samson Dalloway—”
“Who must be Sam Dalrymple!”
“People who use false names do frequently choose the same initials.”
“The same nickname, too. And Martha was told he shipped on the Saucy Sally.”
“Easy to change one to t’other with a spot of paint.”
“Oh, Alec, I’m sure it was him. I bet he jumped overboard to try to save the captain. Did you know he got a medal after the war for saving several lives when his ship was torpedoed? He can’t have drowned now, in peacetime!” She studied his expression. “No, you’d be looking grim.”
“The crew claimed they both drowned. The captain being a local man and Key West being on the whole anti-Prohibition, there was talk of lynching the coast guard who ordered the shots fired. At least, that’s what I think my informant’s cryptic abbreviations are saying.
The ship was confiscated, but most of the cargo had already been sold. Yet they found no money.”
“Sam and the captain must have taken it with them. What happened to them?”
“The captain was found a couple of weeks later, at home with his wife. He had plenty of witnesses to swear he’d never been away.”
“And Sam?”
“Nothing certain. Rumours that a stranger had been staying at the captain’s house. That’s all.”
“Blast, what are we going to tell Martha?”
“That’s up to you. I’ve done my part.”
“Very much above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you, darling.”
Some time passed before she was able to consider the question, being otherwise happily engaged, but once Alec had fallen asleep it nagged at her.
On the one hand, she didn’t have any real news of Sam, even if Samson Dalloway was indeed Samuel Dalrymple.
On the other, if Martha found out some day that she had not passed on even such vague information, she might be very upset.
She still hadn’t decided when she, too, fell asleep.
* * *
The morning was misty with a promise of warmth by afternoon, perfect for the fête, as forecast last night on the wireless. By the time Daisy went downstairs, the children had all dashed off to see what was going on at the site, taking rolls and hard-boiled eggs to sustain them.
After breakfast, Edgar considered it his duty as lord of the manor to see that all was well with the preparations.
Alec decided to go with him, to stretch his legs and to make sure the children weren’t getting in the way.
Daisy and Martha went up to the nursery to play with Oliver and Miranda.
Daisy wasn’t looking forward to informing Nurse Gilpin that she intended to take the twins to the fête.
Mrs. Gilpin, as expected, was not pleased. “There’ll be all sorts there,” she objected. “Nasty ragamuffins from the village, full of germs, and dirty farm workers, maybe even a wise woman who’ll put a spell on my babies.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Daisy said sharply. “I won’t have you putting such silly ideas into their heads.”
“And poachers and tinkers, like as not,” the nurse muttered, sulking.
“You needn’t worry about them. Mr. Fletcher and I, and Miss Belinda, will take care of them so that you can enjoy the fête.”
“I wouldn’t set foot near the place, madam, and that’s the truth.”
“Manda go?” Miranda asked anxiously. “Manda an’ O’ver?”
“O-li-ver,” Daisy corrected her.
“Oyiver.”
“Me!” said Oliver, looking up briefly from his blocks.
“An’ Auntie Marfa, an’ Ben?”
“All of us, pet.”
“An’ Nana, an’ Nurse?”
“Nurse can go if she wants to see the fun.”
“No thank you, madam.”
“As you wish. I think Nana had better stay here. There will be lots of people and she might get stepped on.”
“Fun,” Oliver said firmly, picking out the only word that mattered.
“Not if it’s still foggy,” said Mrs. Gilpin, equally firmly.
Daisy didn’t argue, but nor did she intend to keep the children indoors if the mist didn’t clear. It was nothing like a coal-smoky London fog, and neither of the twins had a weak chest, thank goodness.
By lunchtime the sun was breaking through. Lunch was served early, a cold buffet, to allow all the servants a chance to attend the fête. Most of them were local, so their friends and relatives would be there, as Geraldine explained to her guests in apologising for the informal meal.
“It’s just simple country merrymaking,” she added, “but I hope you’ll enjoy yourselves.”
“I’ll enjoy it, for sure,” said Frank Crowley. “I’ve already met half the population of the district at the Beetle.” He laughed. “The male half.”
“I think I’ll give it a miss,” Raymond said.
“Not my cup of tea,” said Vincent, stroking his moustache. Laurette nodded.
Edgar leant forward and addressed them earnestly.
“It’s up to you, of course. But if one of you ends up as proprietor of Fairacres, people won’t forget that you didn’t participate.
It’s an event of some importance for the villagers, raising funds to rebuild the village hall.
I hope you’ll reconsider. Geraldine will be opening the festivities at two o’clock. ”
“Oh, in that case … Of course we will be there, n’est pas, Vincent? I must not miss the chance to learn how one addresses a crowd of peasants.”
“If everyone else is going,” Raymond conceded ungraciously, “I might as well.” In a more conciliatory tone, he added, “I look forward to hearing you speak in public, Lady Dalrymple.”
“It’s nothing much, no more than a welcome and encouragement to spend freely for a good cause.”
Daisy knew the “nothing much” had caused a huge hullabaloo the summer after her father’s death.
The village committee had invited Geraldine to open the fête, both because the dowager was assumed to be in mourning and because, after all, Geraldine was now viscountess.
Daisy’s mother was furious, considering herself slighted. Geraldine willingly abdicated the task.