‘Not as remarkable as the last piece of news,’ James announced with a wide grin on his face. ‘I asked Mr Smithson, the builder in the village, to take his little digger over the field where the pottery was found. He went up there yesterday. Had to dig down quite a bit, but it’s there alright.’
The guests glanced at one another.
‘He uncovered what appear to be remnants of a large community of rather well-to-do Romans,’ continued James. ‘Quite stunning.’
Wilkins leant forward. ‘Showed a tiny village of some sort,’ he added. ‘Very exciting, but the burial mound is even more so. I don’t know who was buried there, but it was someone held in high regard. Many of the coins date back to the fourth century, to the time of King Constantine the Great - perhaps the man buried there was part of his entourage? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s not a nationally important villa or palace, but certainly something to add to the history of Cavendish.’
Beth had never seen the Professor so animated, but a question bugged her.
‘Professor, why did you leave so quickly the other evening? As soon as that fire was lit, you were out of here.’
Wilkins took a deep breath. ‘A lot of what I’d researched fell into place. I wanted to get back and continue with it.’ He bowed his head. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. That was rude of me. I’m a bit like that sometimes.’
‘And which university did you teach at in the States?’
‘Dartmouth.’
Beth felt lost for words. ‘Oh, last week you said Dartford.’
‘Did I?’ asked Wilkins in surprise. ‘Always doing that. I’m from Dartford. My family are still there, so it rolls off the tongue, even when I don’t want it to.’
James couldn’t help grinning at Beth’s blushing cheeks.
‘D-do you know who coshed m-me over the head?’ asked Stephen.
‘Diana,’ George answered. ‘Ian had told her about all this supernatural stuff, so she decided to play on that in case anyone started snooping about. She’d heard that you’d been sniffing, James, so she went across to Grimes’ place the night of your do here to sneak a look at the field. While she was there, she walked across to the farm and moulded the golem. You lot, of course, pitched up. She laid low, waiting for you to go. However, Stephen almost stumbled on her, so she clobbered you - probably with a torch or something.’
Stephen puffed his cheeks and blew. ‘So, a-all’s well that ends well. And,’ he nodded at Keith, ‘Keith Grimes, thank goodness, is alive and well.’
Keith confirmed that he was and expressed his thanks to James and Bert for rescuing him from a nasty death. Bert slapped him on the back.
‘You’ve got that little tyke Tommy Hawkins to thank for that.’
George took out his pipe and began preparing it. ‘Are you moving back here, Keith?’
Keith shook his head. ‘Just to oversee the excavation,’ he replied. ‘Professor Wilkins seems to think that we’ll find quite a few artefacts, but not a lot else. But I’m gonna open up that whole area, see what we can find, and let the historical society maintain it. Be a great place for people to visit-bring some funds in for the village.’
James proffered his cigarettes. ‘I say, Wilkins, what’s the score with this little treasure find? Does it belong to Grimes, or will Keith have to hand it in? I mean, finders keepers and all that?’
‘I believe you have to declare it,’ replied Wilkins, ’but Keith here should get some sort of value from it. I understand it depends on whether it was intentionally buried or just left.’
Anne laughed. ‘Well, how on earth will anyone know?’
Wilkins allowed his charming smile to surface. ‘It can normally be assumed, one way or another. But, whatever happens, Keith should get a tidy sum. Plus, of course, you’ll get a percentage from takings once the museum is open.’
Keith explained that this would be great for him, as he was getting married next year and the group immediately congratulated him on his good fortune. He glanced at James.
‘I’ll make sure that Mr Porter gets his money back.’
James clocked Bert’s sheepish expression and decided he would clear up the matter of Graham’s bracelet the next day.
Beth frowned, announcing that she had one more question.
‘What about Peter Mitchell?’ she asked. ‘He acted real strange on more than one occasion. Very shifty, especially when George questioned him after Stephen’s attack.’
James lit his cigarette, drew in the smoke and slowly exhaled. ‘Ah yes, Peter Mitchell. Now, he was owed money, but not enough to kill for. But Grimes did know something about Mitchell that lesser men have killed for.’
Bert glanced up. ‘He was ‘aving an affair, weren’t he?’
Anne gasped and James stared at him. Bert shrugged.
‘It’s a guess,’ continued Bert, ‘but when someone is that shifty about where they’ve been, and their wife’s away for a while, they’re normally up to no good. Pete Mitchell’s a young, ‘andsome sort of bloke, so…’
‘You’re right, Bert,’ replied James. ‘He’s been seeing someone in the village, but won’t say who. Now we have our man, he’s refusing to elaborate, but assures me he’s finished it. In fact, that’s why he looked so annoyed when I saw him coming out of the woods. He’d arranged to meet this lady in the little hollow there to call it off and it all got a bit heated.’
Anne and Beth wanted more details on this, but James held his hands up.
‘No more questions about that, please. It’s pure gossip and you ladies are above that sort of thing.’ He turned his attention to George.
‘George, I’ve no doubt that Diana will be tried for murder, or attempted murder. But what about Connell? I detest the man for what he did to Beth but, do you know, I don’t think he’s a killer.’
‘You’re right, he’s not,’ replied George. ‘I’d put him down as an accessory, no doubt about that, but I think he’s easily led. The fact that he tried to do everything legally to begin with may stand him in good stead. But, it’s down to the jury at the end of the day.’
James hobbled across the dining room and reached for a bottle of champagne in the cocktail cabinet. Anne helped Beth to distribute champagne flutes and everyone sat down with a sense of anticipation. James unscrewed the wire seal and began levering the cork off as he walked toward them.
‘Well, I believe that a toast is in order,’ he said as the cork popped.
He filled the glasses with foaming champagne. Then, standing behind Beth, he rested a hand on her shoulder, while he held out his glass to make a toast.
‘To getting back to normal,’ he said. ‘To the new Roman artefacts. A belated welcome to our new residents, Stephen and Anne. And to Keith, a man who will always be welcome to return to Cavendish, should he wish to do so.’
‘Cheers!’ the guests chorused.
THE END
(Read on for Grandma Alice Harrington’s Apple Crumble recipe and a request from the author)
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(See below for Grandma Harrington’s Apple Crumble delicious recipe – it’s scrummy!)
GRANDMA ALICE HARRINGTON’S APPLE CRUMBLE
For 4-6 helpings:
2 lbs/1 kilo Cooking Apples
1 oz/30mg Caster Sugar
Cinnamon powder
6 oz/180gr Plain Flour
3 oz/90gr Butter
2 oz/60gr Caster Sugar
1 oz/30gr Demerara Sugar
Two cloves
1. Peel, core and chop the apples.
2. Place them in the oven-proof dish, and sprinkle with the first ounce of sugar, some cinnamon power and cloves.
3. To make the crumble - sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the bu
tter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Mix in the second amount of caster sugar.
5. Spread this mixture over the apples, and press down lightly. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar and cinnamon powder.
6. Place the dish on a baking tray, so any filling that bubbles over doesn’t cause any mess.
7. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven (400ºF/200ºC - Gas Mark 6) for 50 minutes.
Serve with custard or a dollop of fresh cream and enjoy!
LORD JAMES HARRINGTON AND THE WINTER MYSTERY (Lord James Harrington Mysteries Book 1) Page 27
