by Jack Murray
And then there was the matter of Kit’s family. She would meet them at last. Some questions would finally be answered.
-
A few weeks later again….
‘It’s bigger than I thought,’ said Mary. Kit detected a slight trace of nerves. They were disembarking from Kit’s Rolls which had just driven up the long driveway of Cleves, Kit’s ancestral home. It was, to all intents and purposes, a palace, although Kit referred to it as the country home.
The house was certainly much larger than Cavendish Hall. It was built in an English Baroque style and set in an estate of over two thousand acres. The house was square with towers at each corner.
‘Are you going to lock me in a tower?’ asked Mary hopefully.
‘I will lock him and his father in the tower,’ came the voice of Aunt Agatha behind them. ‘Come on, get a weave on. Sooner this is over the better.’
To back this up, her umbrella appeared. This was enough to force Kit and Mary to move forward in order to avoid being prodded by their impatient aunt. The large doors at the front opened and out stepped Wedge, the elderly family butler.
‘Master Kit, how good to see you, sir,’ said Wedge. ‘Lady Frost, Lady Mary.’
Wedge bowed to the new arrivals and Kit shook his hand.
‘Hallo, old fellow, how have you been keeping?’
‘Oh, you know, sir, I’m not getting any younger.’
Mary liked him on first sight. He’d known Kit all of his life. And liked Kit, this much was evident. There was just a hint of fear in the respectful greeting to Aunt Agatha which made Mary smile. The nerves were with her full bore now. She smiled at Wedge and looked ahead into the great hallway.
Kit took Mary’s hand and walked with her forward into Cleves. The hallway seemed to be the size of Cavendish Hall. Enormous portraits by Lawrence and Raeburn adorned the walls, although she could not see one of Kit.
Then a young man appeared from one of the doors and walked towards them.
‘Hello, Kit,’ said the young man unenthusiastically.
‘Hello, Edmund,’ replied Kit with a smile, taking his half-brother into a hug. Mary detected that the greeting was a little forced as if Kit was willing himself to like his brother.
She looked at him. He was as tall as Kit and very good looking. There was something of the old Henry in him: an unresolved tension between the natural arrogance of privilege and the insecurity of youth. He looked at Mary in a way that made her blood run cold. She read what he was thinking, and she didn’t like it one bit.
She smiled and put out her hand, ‘Hello, Edmund, I’ve been so looking forward to meeting you.’
It felt like she was shaking hands with a lettuce.
While all this was going on, Mary was aware of another door opening and someone coming towards her. She turned away from Edmund and met the eyes of Kit’s father.
Lancelot Aston was as tall as his two sons. Unlike his brother Alastair, he had a full head of silver hair which was brushed neatly back off his forehead. He wore a pencil thin moustache and a wide smile. His gait was unhurried, graceful and panther-like. The dark suit was perfectly cut; he made no effort to acknowledge Kit. As far as this man was concerned, Mary was the only person in the hall.
When he finally reached Mary, he took her extended hand in both of his. His hands were warm and soft.
‘My, my Kit. Well done, my boy.’
Each word was spoken slowly and felt like a cat purring. His blue eyes were fixed on Mary’s while he spoke. He took her arm and turned to lead her into the room from which he’d come.
‘This is a pleasure, poppet.’
Mary turned to look at Kit. Her eyes narrowed. There was an amused frown on her face. And Kit knew exactly what she was thinking. Then she mouthed one word to him.
Poppet?
THE END
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Research Notes
This is a work of fiction. However, it references real-life individuals. Gore Vidal, in his introduction to Lincoln, writes that placing history in fiction or fiction in history has been unfashionable since Tolstoy and that the result can be accused of being neither. He defends the practice, pointing out that writers from Aeschylus to Shakespeare to Tolstoy have done so with not inconsiderable success and merit.
I have mentioned a number of key real-life individuals and events in this novel. My intention, in the following section, is to explain a little more about their connection to this period and this story.
For further reading on this period and the specific topics within this work of fiction I would recommend the following: Brian McDonald – Alice and the Forty Elephants. Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light – Matt Wingett. Churchill, Walking with Destiny – Andrew Roberts. MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service – Keith Jeffrey
Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
As incredible as it may seem, Winston Churchill was inducted or initiated into the Ancient Order of Druids in August 1908. The ceremony occurred at Blenheim Palace, at the Temple of Diana, where a day later he proposed to Clementine Hozier. They married a matter of weeks after. There is no question that Churchill saw the ceremony as anything other than a social occasion. Churchill was a long-time Mason and, therefore, familiar with such curious and arcane rituals. The idea that he was blackmailed by anyone, least of all his own security services is, as previously stated, pure fiction.
Sir Conan Doyle(1859 – 1920)
Arthur Conan Doyle’s fascination with the paranormal began early in his medical career. He investigated séances when he was a young doctor in Southsea. His interests extended as far as telepathy and hypnosis. In 1887, the year of his first Sherlock Holmes novel, he became convinced that spirit communication was possible.
Throughout the period when his fame and the fame of his creation grew, Conan Doyle investigated poltergeists, automatic writing and spirit photography. He confirmed his belief in this ‘new revelation’ in 1916 as the Great War was at its height. Supporters were many, including Harry Houdini, for a while, but so where his opponents, one of whom included Father Bernard Vaughan.
Sir Mansfield Smith Cumming (1853 – 1923)
Cumming helped found the British Secret Service in 1909, then known as Special Intelligence Bureau. Over the next few years, he became known as “C”. Like Kit Aston, he lost part of his leg following a motoring accident before the war.
After the end of the war the Intelligence Service was forced into drastic cuts as a consequence of economic realities. This applied to both MI6 and MI5. This was certainly something the War Office considered in the aftermath of the war. That it did not happen is a tribute to the strong and effective lobbying by Smith-Cumming. The idea that MI6 in some way blackmailed the War Secretary on this matter is, of course, fiction.
Major-General Sir Vernon George Waldegrave Kell (1873 – 1942)
Kell was a British Army general who founded and became first Director of the British Security Service, otherwise known as MI5. He was known as K. The Home Section of the Secret Service Bureau had the responsibility of investigating espionage, sabotage and subversion within and without Britain. The section headed by Cumming became responsible for secret operations outside Britain.
The relationship between Kell and Smith-Cumming was marked by a degree of suspicion that one would look to oust the other and take over a unified service. However, they forged a highly effective partnership during the war.
The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn
This was a secret society devoted to the study of the occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was activ
e in Britain but ultimately spread as far afield as Europe and the US. It is one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism. It was founded by Samuel Liddell Mathers, William Wynn Westcott and William Woodman.
Many celebrities of the time belonged to the Golden Dawn, such as the actress Florence Farr, the Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne, the muse of fellow member Irish poet William Butler Yeats, and Aleister Crowley.
The order had three orders within: the first order contained all of the members or adepts. It was open to men and women and they confined their activities to the study of esoteric philosophy. The second order concerned itself with magic including astral travel and alchemy. The third order was closed to all except the founders Mathers and Westcott who claimed to be in contact with the “Secret Chiefs”.
The order splintered, as the story explains, around 1900 for a variety of reasons although the actions of Samuel Mathers in driving through the membership of the controversial Aleister Crowley was a critical point.
Father Bernard Vaughan (1847 -1922)
Vaughan was a Jesuit priest from a well-to-do background. His brother Herbert was Archbishop of Westminster. Vaughan was a trenchant critic of spiritualism and Conan Doyle in particular. During the war he flew over to France to provide ministry to the troops engaged in the conflict.
Charles ‘Wag” McDonald (1885 – 1943)
McDonald was a leader of a south London criminal gang known as the ‘Elephant Boys’ who were based in the Elephant and Castle area of London. He was assisted by his brother Wal and they formed an effective partnership with Billy Kimber (who features in the TV series ‘Peaky Blinders’). McDonald led an interesting life. He fought in the Boer War before to returning to England to take over the leadership of the Elephant Boys. He then volunteered for active service during the Great War. When he came back from France, he took over leadership of the gang once more before escaping to the US in 1921. He worked in Hollywood for several years, getting to know many of the stars. His life and the life of gangs in the area have been captured in a number of books by his descendant, Brian McDonald.
Alice Diamond (1896 – 1952)
Alice Diamond was an English career criminal, linked to organised shoplifting. Her career in crime began in 1912. By 1915 she was the leader of a gang known as the ‘Forty Elephants’ due to their association with the Elephant Boys led by Charles ‘Wag’ McDonald. Her chief lieutenant was Maggie Hill.
They were an odd couple. Diamond was tall and had a dominating personality. Hill was much smaller, intense and violent. They lived the high life when they could, accepting the cost of this would be occasional spells in jail.
She was imprisoned on a number of occasions. In fact, one of these periods of incarceration took place at the same time in which this book has been set. Some artistic license has ensured Alice Diamond’s inclusion in the book. Alice Diamond never married but was in a relationship with Wag McDonald’s brother, Bert.
William ‘Billy’ Hill (1911 – 1984)
Hill was an English criminal, linked to smuggling, protection, robbery, black market activity during World War II, and violence. He was one of the leaders of organised crime in London from the 1930’s through to the 1960’s. He was also implicated in defrauding London's high society of millions at key gambling locations in London. He is reputed to have supplied real guns to the filmmakers involved in the production of Mickey Spillane’s ‘The Girl Hunters’ in 1963.
About the Author
Jack Murray lives just outside London with his family. Born in Ireland he has spent most of his adult life in the England. His first novel, ‘The Affair of the Christmas Card Killer’ has been a global success. Four further Kit Aston novels have followed: ‘The Chess Board Murders’, ‘The French Diplomat Affair’ and ‘The Phantom’ and ‘The Frisco Falcon’. ‘The Medium Murders’ is the sixth in the Kit Aston series.
Later in 2020, a new series will commence set in the period leading up to and during World War II. This series is entitled ‘Some Have Fallen’. The series will include some of the minor characters from the Kit Aston series.
Acknowledgements
It is not possible to write a book on your own. There are contributions from so many people either directly or indirectly over many years. Listing them all would be an impossible task.
Special mention therefore should be made to my wife and family who have been patient and put up with my occasional grumpiness when working on this project.
My brother Edward, and John Convery helped in proofing and made supportive comments that helped me tremendously. I have been very lucky to receive badly needed editing from Kathy Lance who has helped tighten up some of the grammatical issues that, frankly, plagued my earlier books. She has been a Godsend!
My late father and mother both loved books. They encouraged a love of reading in me. In particular, they liked detective books, so I must tip my hat to the two greatest writers of this genre, Sir Arthur and Dame Agatha.
Following writing, comes the business of marketing. My thanks to Mark Hodgson and Sophia Kyriacou for their advice on this important area. Additionally, a shout out to the wonderful folk on 20Booksto50k.
Finally, my thanks to the teachers who taught and nurtured a love of writing.
