Entertaining Death

by Lesley Cookman

  ‘I don’t either,’ said Dorinda, ‘because as I see it, the only way to prove there’s no truth in the matter is to prove that Sir Harold wasn’t killed, but died a natural death. He did, didn’t he?’

  Amy’s eyes widened and she sat up straight. ‘Of course ’e did! It was a bit sudden, but that’s all.’

  ‘What did the doctor say?’

  ‘Doctor? He wasn’t seeing a doctor.’

  ‘But you must have called a doctor when you saw that he was dead.’

  Amy looked bewildered. ‘Why?’

  ‘A doctor will have had to certify death,’ said Dorinda patiently.

  ‘Oh.’ Amy frowned. ‘I suppose so. Mariah dealt with all that. I was too upset.’

  ‘Then you must ask Mariah about it. And tell the Inspector tomorrow.’

  ‘All right.’ Amy stood up. ‘Can I go now?’

  Dorinda gave a slight smile. ‘Please do. And don’t even think about running away.’

  Amy turned a disconsolate face towards her. ‘I ’aven’t got anywhere to go.’

  After she’d seen Amy and Mariah go up the slope, Dorinda put her head out of her office door and called to Maude that she’d be ready shortly. A minute later, Maude bustled in.

  ‘You can’t get changed without help,’ she said. ‘Leastways not quickly. Go on, behind the screen.’

  Five minutes later, and more or less respectable, Dorinda emerged. The rest of the company had now gone, so she locked the front doors and joined Will and Maude.

  ‘What was that all about?’ asked Will.

  Dorinda told them the whole story.

  ‘Not more murders,’ said Maude. ‘You’d think they would leave us alone, now, wouldn’t you?’

  Dorinda laughed. ‘I don’t think it is murder. It’s just two nasty women determined to take revenge on poor Amy.’

  ‘It’s got to be more than that, Dolly,’ said Will. ‘That Inspector Colyer wouldn’t be down here if it was just gossip.’

  ‘He might!’ said Maude, giving her husband a nudge, with a knowing look at Dorinda.

  ‘No,’ said Will. ‘And the young feller’s down here, as well. Did our m’lady say anything about that?’

  ‘No. She just seemed shocked about the whole situation.’

  ‘Let’s hope she doesn’t make a run for it, then,’ said Maude. ‘Although we’d prob’ly be well rid of her.’

  ‘You could be right,’ said Dorinda with a sigh.

  Chapter Six

  Dorinda was faintly surprised to find Amy and Mariah waiting for her outside The Alexandria in the morning, both dressed soberly. Even Mariah looked subdued.

  ‘Have you seen the Inspector already?’ asked Dorinda, as she unlocked the door.

  ‘Yes, but ’e didn’t see me,’ said Amy with a slight shudder.

  ‘You aren’t avoiding him, are you?’ said Maude, coming up behind them.

  ‘He’s staying in our hotel,’ said Mariah. ‘We saw him as we come – came – past the dining room.’

  Dorinda nodded. ‘Yes, I suppose he would. He isn’t like any policeman I’ve ever known.’

  ‘Known many, have you?’ said Mariah, with a return to her waspish manner.

  Dorinda smiled gently. ‘A couple. I expect you have, too.’

  Mariah did her celebrated impersonation of a boiling kettle and stomped off towards the backstage area.

  ‘Oh, dear.’ Amy watched her departing figure. ‘Now she’s upset again.’

  ‘That’s a pity, said Dorinda. ‘I thought she was beginning to settle in here.’

  ‘So did I, but all this – well, it’s upset ’er.’

  ‘What, the Inspector wanting to question you?’

  ‘Yes. She thought we’d left it all be’ind in London. It was the only way I could persuade ’er to come down ’ere.’ Amy’s smile was a little wobbly. ‘She thinks I should be more – well, ladylike, I suppose.’

  ‘Aware of your position?’ suggested Dorinda.

  ‘That’s it exactly. Only, I’m not a lady. I’m plain Amy West, and me dad was a bootmaker. We ’ad to learn to be ladylike at The Gaiety – and ’ow to speak proper – and that’s why some of us …’ She trailed to a halt.

  ‘Caught the eyes of gentlemen,’ said Maude.

  ‘Yes.’ Amy lifted her chin. ‘And they married us.’

  ‘But Sir Harold loved you for yourself, didn’t he?’ asked Dorinda. ‘Not for the lady you had to pretend to be.’

  ‘Yes, ’e did.’ Amy looked even more downcast. ‘You know Ivy’s Sir Freddie, don’t you?’

  ‘I certainly do.’

  ‘Well, ’e don’t care what Ivy was – he knows what she was – and what she is. An’ he loves her.’

  ‘He does indeed. And he’s more or less withdrawn from polite society because of it.’

  ‘My Harry was the same. We got on so well. And ’e always took my part against his daughters, which wasn’t very nice of him, I s’pose, but they weren’t very nice either.’

  ‘They certainly weren’t, spreading that rumour about you!’ put in Maude.

  ‘And Mariah thinks – what?’ asked Dorinda. ‘You should have stayed in London and ignored the rumours?’

  ‘I s’pose so. Although she was real furious about ’em – and the sisters.’ Amy shook her head. ‘I dunno what to make of ’er sometimes.’

  ‘She’s very protective of you,’ said Dorinda. ‘Wasn’t she at all jealous when you went to The Gaiety?’

  ‘Oh, no. She weren’t a soloist, see, and anyway, I took ’er with me. She dressed me, and some of the other girls, too.’

  ‘Could you afford to pay her?’ asked Dorinda. ‘Forgive me, but they don’t usually have dressers for the ballet girls, do they?’

  ‘I was a soloist,’ said Amy proudly, ‘and I could afford to pay Mariah a bit, and she shared my room.’

  ‘Was she pleased when Sir Harold proposed?’ asked Maude.

  ‘Oh, yes.’ Amy smiled wistfully. ‘An’ she knew I’d be taking ’er with me.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Dorinda thoughtfully.

  ‘Well, come along, then,’ said Maude. ‘We’d better go and see what she’s doing in those dressing rooms. Undoing all my best sewing, I’ll be bound!’

  Dorinda went into her office, unpinned her hat and took it off. She had just settled down at her desk with the inevitable pile of bills to be paid when Jack Colyer appeared in the doorway.

  ‘Good morning, Miss Alexander. I don’t suppose you know where Lady Washington is, do you? She appears to have disappeared from her hotel.’ He leant forward over the desk, his eyes hostile.

  ‘Of course, Inspector,’ said Dorinda coolly. ‘Shall I fetch her? I expect you want to question her, so you would probably like to use my office?’

  Colyer stood back, an expression of sheer surprise on his face. Dorinda gloated inwardly.

  ‘Er – thank you,’ he said. Dorinda nodded, tidied the bills into a drawer, and stood up.

  ‘I shan’t be a moment,’ she said. ‘Would you like to see Miss Belting, too?’

  ‘Miss Belting?’

  ‘Mariah Belting. Lady Washington’s m – companion.’

  ‘Ah. Not at the moment.’ Colyer watched her leave the room, pulling at his lower lip.

  Dorinda went quickly to the backstage area, where she found Maude, Will and Amy sitting round the little stove.

  ‘Inspector Colyer’s here, Amy.’ Dorinda smiled. ‘And I’m delighted to say we’ve quite put him on the back foot. He came blustering in saying you’d disappeared – so he did see you this morning – and all but accusing me of helping you to run away.’

  ‘No!’ said Maude, aghast. ‘Well, I never.’

  ‘Anyway, he’s waiting for you in my office, and he doesn’t want to see Mariah at the moment.’

  Amy looked frightened, but stood up and followed Dorinda out of the room and into the auditorium. Dorinda took her arm. ‘Now don’t let him worry you. He can actually be very kind.’

  ‘Will you s
tay with me?’

  ‘I don’t think he’d allow that,’ said Dorinda, opening the office door.

  Colyer was standing staring out of the window, and turned as he heard them enter.

  ‘Lady Washington.’ He inclined his head. ‘Thank you, Miss Alexander –’

  ‘Please,’ said Amy hurriedly, ‘I’d like Dolly to stay.’

  Colyer looked surprised, then frowned. ‘I don’t –’ he began, but Dorinda, heart in mouth, had swept round the desk and sat down in her own chair, smiling at him brightly.

  ‘Thank you, Inspector,’ she said. ‘Amy, take the other chair.’

  Amy, with a suppressed grin, sat in the other chair, leaving Colyer to stand, or, as he had done in the past, perch on the edge of the desk. He gave a resigned sigh, and with a wry look at Dorinda, perched.

  ‘Lady Washington,’ he began, ‘I believe a police officer came to see you in London concerning rumours about your late husband’s death.’

  ‘Two,’ said Amy. ‘Two officers.’

  ‘Oh?’ Colyer’s eyebrows rose. ‘They came to see you twice?’

  ‘No, Inspector. Two officers came once.’

  ‘Ah.’ Colyer regarded her silently for a moment. ‘Did they tell you what the rumours were?’

  Amy lifted her chin. ‘It had come to their ears that there was a suspicion that I had murdered my husband in order to marry the Honourable Jeremy Coutts.’

  Dorinda, noting the return of Lady Washington, applauded silently.

  ‘And were you able to assure them there was no truth in these rumours?’

  Amy’s eyes opened wide. ‘Of course. The only thing I was worried about was where these rumours had come from. And who would be so – so –’

  ‘Malicious,’ put in Dorinda.

  ‘Malicious as to spread them.’

  ‘And have you seen the Honourable Jeremy Coutts since then?’

  ‘Yes. Last night, sitting here next to you.’

  Colyer’s lips tightened. ‘Before then. In London.’

  ‘He called after the police had paid him a visit, too,’ said Amy. ‘He wanted to know why I’d sent them to him.’

  ‘He thought you’d sent them?’

  ‘He said he couldn’t think of anyone else.’

  ‘Lady Washington, nobody “sends” the police anywhere, except their superiors.’

  ‘But someone did send the police,’ said Dorinda. ‘Someone had to suggest that the police look into the death.’

  ‘Miss Alexander –’

  ‘She’s right,’ said Amy, ‘and I know who.’

  ‘Oh?’ Colyer’s expression told Dorinda that he wasn’t pleased with the way this interview was going.

  ‘Yes, Inspector. Sir Harold’s daughters, Lady Juliana Willis and Lady Violet Dance.’

  Even Dorinda had heard of Violet Dance. One of society’s “fast” women, who drove a motor car and associated with all the most reprehensible rakes and reprobates. So it was said.

  ‘And do you have proof of this?’ said Colyer.

  Amy shrugged. ‘Well, they come – came – and accused me to my face.’

  ‘They did?’ Colyer was surprised.

  ‘I’m afraid I laughed at them.’ Amy looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. ‘I loved my husband and he’d given me everything I could ever want. Why would I want to kill him?’

  ‘The Honourable –’

  ‘Oh, don’t say that! Jeremy was a friend of Harry’s. They were doing some sort of history stuff together. I’m sure you know that. So he often came to dinner.’

  ‘Inspector,’ said Dorinda quietly after a moment, ‘I know it isn’t my place to ask, but is there any other evidence that Sir Harold didn’t die a natural death?’

  Colyer’s eyes flickered towards her. ‘That is being investigated at the moment.’

  Amy looked shocked. ‘But how? He died over a year ago! You’re not going to dig him up?’

  ‘We’re investigating, Lady Washington.’ Colyer’s voice hardened. ‘That is why I’m here. Can you please tell me the circumstances of Sir Harold’s death?’

  ‘But you know all this.’ Amy’s voice trembled. ‘I told the other policemen.’

  ‘You haven’t told me.’

  Amy looked across at Dorinda. ‘Do I have to, Dolly?’

  Dorinda stood up, went round the desk to Amy and put an arm round her shoulders. ‘I think you have to, Amy.’ She looked up at Colyer. ‘Shouldn’t you have another officer with you on these occasions?’

  She was surprised to see a faint pink come into his cheeks as he moved off the desk.

  ‘I was hoping,’ he said, ‘not to make this interview too formal. However, I can arrange to come back with another officer if you wish.’

  Damnation, thought Dorinda. Aloud, she said, ‘I was just hoping to save Amy – Lady Washington – from having to say it all over again if you had to come back. Come on, Amy, you might as well tell the Inspector.’

  Amy sighed. ‘All right.’ She settled back in her chair and pursed her lips in thought. ‘There was nothing – you know –funny about the day. At least, there was, but I mean it wasn’t a special day, or anything like that. The first I knew about it was when my maid came in and woke me to tell me.’

  ‘Do you mean Miss Belting?’

  ‘No! She ain’t – isn’t – my maid. I mean Jenny.’

  ‘And Sir Harold had died in his sleep?’

  ‘Yes – we all supposed so. I got up, and put on my wrapper, and Harry’s valet met me outside his room. He said the doctor was coming, and he was so upset, poor man.’ She drew a shaky breath. ‘I waited, and then Dr Hargreaves arrived – funny little man – and I went in with him.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Harry just looked as though he was asleep.’

  ‘There was nothing unusual about the bed?’

  ‘How do you mean, unusual?’ Amy frowned.

  ‘The bedclothes weren’t disarranged?’

  ‘No – only as much as they would normally be.’ Amy frowned. ‘Actually, a bit straighter, if you know what I mean. I suppose he must’ve died very soon after he went to bed and not moved around much.’

  Dorinda could almost see the thought going through Colyer’s mind – or the bedclothes had been straightened after death.

  ‘When the doctor came, was he surprised that Sir Harold had died so suddenly?’ he asked, more gently, now.

  ‘A bit.’ Amy frowned. ‘But not as surprised as I was.’ She looked up at Colyer. ‘You see, he explained to me that Harry’s heart wasn’t that strong. Harry hadn’t told me. I knew he’d given up riding to hounds, and he wasn’t smoking so many cigars, but he said he had to look after himself to look after me.’ She smiled. ‘Of course, that was after …’ She faltered and came to a stop.

  Dorinda and Colyer waited. Eventually, Dorinda asked gently, ‘After what, Amy?’

  Amy looked up, and Dorinda saw that her eyes were wet.

  ‘After I lost my baby.’

  Chapter Seven

  There was the sort of silence you could almost hear, Dorinda thought.

  ‘I’m very sorry, Lady Washington. I had no idea.’ Colyer looked shocked.

  Amy tried to smile, and Dorinda handed her a handkerchief.

  ‘It wasn’t made public, Inspector.’

  ‘No, of course not,’ said Dorinda. Pregnancy, and particularly loss of a child was not something to be bruited abroad. But she wanted to ask when exactly the baby had died. Amy anticipated this.

  ‘It would have been born around Christmas.’ Amy shook her head. ‘Harry said it was the best present he could have.’

  Dorinda looked up and met Colyer’s eyes. He shook his head slightly.

  ‘Lady Washington –’ he began.

  She looked up at him and tried another watery smile. ‘And, you see, he wanted to try again. Well, we were …’ Now she stopped and finally broke down.

  Colyer, dumbfounded, allowed himself to be ushered out of the office.

  ‘I must get back to her,’ sai
d Dorinda. ‘Will you please go backstage and ask Mariah to come? You know the way.’

  She turned her back on him and returned to the sobbing Amy. All she could do was hold her until a formidable rustling was heard and Mariah was on her knees beside them. Dorinda stood up and went back to the foyer, closing the door behind her. Colyer was standing by the front doors.

  ‘Well, now,’ she said. ‘That was enlightening, wasn’t it?’

  Colyer simply nodded.

  ‘Aren’t you going to say something?’ demanded Dorinda. ‘Apologise?’

  ‘How could I have known? No one has said anything about a child.’ He scowled at his feet. ‘Would you apologise for me, Miss Alexander? I shall leave now.’

  ‘You should apologise yourself,’ said Dorinda coldly.

  Colyer let out an exasperated sigh. ‘I did not intend to upset Lady Washington, but merely to question her about the circumstances of her late husband’s death.’

  ‘Which would upset her anyway.’

  ‘Why did she run away from London, Miss Alexander?’ Colyer fixed his eyes on Dorinda’s face.

  ‘Because she didn’t like the gossip the sisters were spreading. She is not of their class, and she had nowhere to turn. So she came back to a world she knows.’

  Colyer nodded. ‘You knew nothing about this?’

  ‘Nothing. I only met her when Lady Anderson brought her to see me. But surely you can see now she would have had no motive for murdering her husband? She’d lost her baby, and they were hoping to have another.’

  The pink was back in Colyer’s cheeks. ‘Indeed.’ He looked towards the office door. ‘And, of course, it provides a reason for her stepdaughters’ spite.’

  ‘Ah! If the child was a boy –’

  ‘Exactly. I shall look into Sir Harold’s affairs with great interest when I return to London.’ He opened the front doors.

  ‘Inspector.’ Dorinda’s voice halted him. ‘You told Amy – Lady Washington – that you were investigating her husband’s death. You can’t really be going to – er – dig him up?’

  Colyer turned back and smiled. ‘No, of course not. Sir Harold died over a year ago. His body wouldn’t be able to tell us anything by now.’

  ‘No.’ An unpleasant vision flashed across Dorinda’s mind’s eye. ‘Then what exactly are you investigating, and why?’