But just as she reached the foyer, the main doors were flung back, and Phoebe almost tumbled through them.
‘Oh, Miss!’ she gasped, clutching Dorinda’s arm. ‘It’s Aramantha, Miss! She’s gorn!’
CHAPTER NINE
The foyer was suddenly full of people. Maude, followed by the rest of the company, burst through the doors from the auditorium and the inspector flung open the office door. Dorinda tried to calm Phoebe and sat her down on one of the foyer chairs.
‘It’s all right Phoebe,’ she said. ‘Just tell us exactly what happened. You saw her this morning, did you?’
‘Yes, Miss.’ Phoebe gulped. ‘When I woke up, she was standin’ in ’er shift by the winder.’
‘And then what?’ prompted Dorinda, as Phoebe seemed to falter to a halt.
‘I got dressed an’ went an’ ’ad me breakfast. Didn’t see the others. When I got back, Aramantha weren’t there.’
‘And?’ put in the inspector. Phoebe looked puzzled.
‘What did you do then,’ explained Dorinda with a quelling look at the inspector.
‘Well, I waited, didn’t I? Thought she’d popped to -well, you know. But she didn’t come back. So I went an’ ’ad a look.’ She shook her head. ‘She weren’t there.’
‘Were her clothes there?’ asked the inspector.
Dorinda felt as if her heart turned over. If they were...
‘I dunno.’ Phoebe looked helplessly at Dorinda. ‘I didn’t think...’
Dorinda patted her hand. ‘Of course you didn’t.’ She looked at Maude. ‘Do you think..?’
‘Yes,’ said Maude. ‘I’ll go. Come on, Will. Phoebe, Maisie, Patsy – you come too.’
‘What about me?’ asked Betty.
‘You stay here with Jessie, Betty,’ said Dorinda. She looked at the inspector. ‘What do you want to do, Inspector? Do you want to go and inspect Miss Giles’ room?’
‘I think perhaps it would be wise,’ he said. ‘Mrs Beddowes? Do you mind?’
Dorinda, Maude and Will all looked surprised at this evidence of delicacy on the policeman’s part.
‘N-no, of course not,’ said Maude, glancing hastily at her husband.
‘Very well.’ The inspector opened the main doors and stood back to allow the others to go past him. ‘Don’t worry, Miss Alexander.’
Don’t worry? thought Dorinda as she closed the doors behind them. What else could she do? She ushered Betty and Jessie through the auditorium to the backstage area and made them sit down.
‘Now,’ she said, ‘neither of you can think of any reason for Aramantha’s disappearance?’
They both shook their heads. Jessie was, once more, as white as a sheet.
‘She never talked to us, Miss – Dolly,’ said Betty. ‘Except...’ she glanced at Jessie.
‘She said – things – to me.’ Jessie’s voice was a whisper.
‘What sort of things?’
‘About – about what I did.’
‘As a performer?’
‘Sort of.’ Jessie’s hands twisted together. Now, what’s all this? wondered Dorinda. ‘As a male impersonator, you mean?’
Jessie nodded.
Betty took a deep breath. ‘Not just that,’ she said and looked again at Jessie, who nodded. ‘She said – well, she said...’ Betty swallowed hard, ‘that it must be real .’
‘Real? What – that you really were a man?’ Dorinda was astounded.
‘Not exactly, Miss.’ Betty was by now bright red.
The penny dropped. ‘That you were a woman but you preferred other women?’
Both girls nodded, looking extremely uncomfortable. Dorinda was aware of being furiously angry with the absent Aramantha but struggled to keep it under control.
‘Well, unpleasant though that was, it doesn’t seem a reason for her to bolt, does it?’
They shook their heads.
‘And did she ever refer to what she did in London?’
‘Not really.’ Betty looked thoughtful. ‘Though she did say things like she knew what the real stuff was like. As if what we was doing was – I dunno – just playin’...’
‘Real stuff?’ repeated Dorinda. Now she wondered exactly what Aramantha had been doing in those unsavoury establishments. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. Knowing Aramantha, she was just trying to make herself look important. It’s hardly as if she became a big star in London, is it? She wouldn’t have come running down here if she had.’ She stood up. ‘Now, I’m going to make you some tea, then I’m going back to the office.’ She tried a bright smile, which, she feared, failed.
Back behind her desk, she tried to concentrate on the ever-growing pile of bills, but failed at that, as well. What was it about her company? About her? Why did these things keep happening? She stood up and went to the window. Would it have been better if she had let Will take over? After all, most concert parties were run by men. And a man wouldn’t allow people to take advantage of him. Dorinda reflected with amusement on Will’s reaction if Velda, Amy or Jessie had come to him asking for sanctuary, even though she knew Will to be a kind man.
Just then she saw Will himself, leading his little party, arrive at the top of the slope with Inspector Colyer bringing up the rear. She went out to the foyer to meet them.
‘Well?’ she said, as soon as Will and Maude entered. They shook their heads, looking worried.
‘Oh, Miss!’ Phoebe tumbled through the door again. ‘All ’er things are gone!’
The inspector came through the doors and nodded.
‘All right, everyone,’ said Dorinda briskly, ‘you all go back to the dressing rooms and make yourselves some tea. I want to talk to the inspector.’
Talking softly among themselves they obeyed her, and Dorinda led the way into the office.
‘It seems as though Miss Giles has taken it upon herself to leave.’ The inspector perched on the edge of the desk. ‘The room had been cleared out, no doubt while Miss Phoebe was at breakfast. Including, sad to say, one or two things that weren’t hers to take.’
‘What? Things belonging to Phoebe?’ Dorinda was aghast. ‘How could she?’
‘Knowing her past, are you surprised?’
Dorinda slowly shook her head. ‘But you surely don’ t think she had anything to do with the death of this man?’
‘With his death, no, but she knew him.’
Dorinda wrinkled her brow. ‘But not as Jessie’s stepfather? I suppose there’s no doubt it was him?’
‘No doubt at all. Aramantha said she didn’t know his name but he was identified as both Evans and Brother Anarawd – by different people, of course.’
‘Who identified him as Brother Anarawd?’
Colyer smiled. ‘One of the women who, I believe, rather annoyed you.’
Dorinda laughed. ‘The short one? Oh, no! What a shock for her!’
‘I didn’t see it myself, but I believe she fainted clean away.’
‘I’m not surprised! How did she come to see the body?’
‘She went to the police station to report him missing. He had been supposed to organise a public meeting at the other end of the beach and failed to appear.’
‘Oh, yes! We heard there was one of those the other day. So he was behind that, was he? I’m surprised he would risk appearing in public when he knew Jessie would recognise him.’
‘But he had followed her down here. He must have wanted to see her.’
‘Mmm.’ Dorinda frowned down at her desk. ‘If it’s the man I think it was, he took care that we didn’t see him. He was loitering up there on Victoria Place for a few days before the first time the women tried to blockade the slope, but he always vanished if it looked as though we’d spotted him, and when we confronted the women he just melted away, though I’m sure I saw him.’
‘It’s understandable enough that he wanted to see Jessie, and equally understandable that she didn’t want to see him,’ said Colyer, ‘but Aramantha? Why did she run away? Even if it was Evans who attacked her in London –
she knew he was dead.’
Dorinda was still frowning. ‘Betty and Jessie told me something just now. Aramantha was being unpleasant to Jessie apparently, taunting her about – about being a male impersonator.’ She looked away. ‘And making certain... implications.’
‘Ah. I take it they aren’t true?’
‘Of course not!’ Dorinda was indignant. ‘But she also said – well, I didn’t really understand it, I’m afraid, and I don’t think they did, either – but she said something about having been involved in what she called the real stuff in London.’
Colyer was silent for so long Dorinda began to get worried. Eventually he stood up and walked to the window.
‘Then I think it’s quite possible that she was scared of us, not the man who attacked her.’
‘Us?’
‘The police.’ He turned to face her. ‘I can’t be sure, but it seems to me that she was involved – probably against her will – in something illegal. This death has stirred things up.’
‘She could also think someone from up there was after her, to – to silence her!’
‘Yes, of course. So, two reasons to be scared.’
‘Poor Aramantha.’ Dorinda shook her head.
‘You think so?’
‘You said yourself whatever she was involved with, it was probably against her will.’
Colyer sighed. ‘I must go.’ He picked up his bowler from the desk.
‘Before you go – did you find anything in Aramantha’s room?’ asked Dorinda.
Colyer raised his eyebrows. ‘Of course not. It was cleared out. Except for Miss Phoebe’s belongings. Why?’
‘I just wondered.’ Dorinda gave an unladylike shrug.
After he’d gone, Dorinda stared out of the window deep in thought. What now? It wasn’t as if Aramantha had been an important part of the company. Her loss would cause very little disturbance to either the performances or the company itself – but linked, as it was, to Jessie’s unfortunate stepfather and possibly – although Dorinda hated to think so – to Jessie herself, raised too many uncomfortable questions.
CHAPTER TEN
Making sure the office door was properly closed and no one was lurking in the foyer, Dorinda reached for the telephone. She was not yet completely comfortable with the instrument, but putting in a call to Sir Frederick and Lady Ivy at Anderson Place was becoming almost a normality.
She wasn’t surprised when Sir Frederick answered the call himself. He was too fond of his newest indulgence to let a mere servant do so, although the maids were slightly scared of the instrument, and quite happy to let him. It was simply another example of the somewhat individual way Sir Frederick and his lady ran their establishment.
‘Dorinda! My dear – how nice to hear from you. Ivy tells me you’ve taken in another little stray from the Halls.’
‘Well, yes, Sir Frederick. Actually it was about that I wanted to speak to you – or rather, to Lady Ivy.’
‘Oh? Can I be of any help?’
‘I don’t really know, sir. It’s all rather complicated.’
‘Very well, my dear. Ivy’s right here. I’ll just pass her the instrument.’
There was a shuffling sound, then Ivy’s voice came through.
‘What’s up, Dolly? It isn’t that Jessie, is it? Oh, Lordy! I might have known...’
‘No, wait a minute, Ivy. It isn’t just Jessie. I don’t like to talk about it over the telephone, but...’
‘Stop! You on this afternoon? Right then. I’m coming down. No – don’t argue. Tell Maudie to save a coupla seats – me and – What? Oh, Freddie wants to come, too. We’ll come in the motor car. See you later.’
Well, thought Dorinda, sitting back in her chair, at least she’d got someone on her side apart from the company. Although why she should feel that she needed it she wasn’t sure.
When they arrived however, it was clear that whatever she thought, Sir Frederick and Ivy were convinced, for they had even brought Billy the chauffeur and May and Ellen the maids, all of whom were ushered ceremoniously into the auditorium.
She went briefly out to meet them in the interval but waited until after the performance to tell them the whole story. She found them in the office, where Maude had installed them.
‘Billy’s taken May and Ellen to tea,’ Ivy explained. ‘They’re having a lovely time.’
‘I’m sure they are,’ said Dorinda with a smile. Nowhere else would the staff be taken out in this way, she was certain.
‘Come on then, Dolly. What’s been going on? That Jessie’s all right, isn’t she?’
‘She’s very good,’ put in Sir Frederick.
‘She is very good,’ said Dorinda with a sigh. ‘But it isn’t just Jessie.’
She told them the whole story, from her possible sighting of Michael Evans to his death, including the reappearance of Aramantha.
‘So Inspector Colyer’s been down here again, eh?’ said Sir Frederick, leaning his chin on his stick. ‘Sound man, I thought.’
‘Yes, I’m sure he is,’ said Dorinda, ‘but he won’t tell me about whatever’s been going on in London, and I need to know how far Jessie’s involved.’
‘All she did was run away from her pa!’ said Ivy. ‘Step-pa.’
Dorinda glanced at Sir Frederick. ‘He attacked her, Ivy.’
‘Oh.’ Ivy peered at her shrewdly.
‘In that way?’
Dorinda nodded.
‘Ah.’
‘And he did the same to Miss Giles?’ asked Sir Frederick.
‘We understand that he tried,’ said Dorinda, exquisitely uncomfortable talking about this with Sir Frederick. ‘But what I want to know is what Aramantha was talking about when she was – er – taunting Jessie about her performances.’ She sent Ivy a pleading look. ‘I thought Ada...’
‘Might know?’ Ivy fixed her eyes on a corner of the ceiling. ‘Now, then... how could we find out?’
Dorinda and Sir Frederick exchanged amused glances. This was Ivy in plotting mode.
‘You don’t want to go up to London again, do you?’ said Ivy. ‘Well, no more do I. So – we get Ada down here. After all, it was her Jessie went to in the first place...’ She looked at her husband and smiled wickedly. ‘And we always said she ought to have a bit of a holiday – her and the kids... didn’t we?’
Sir Frederick sighed in mock exasperation. ‘Yes, my dear.’
‘And we have still got the house on Cliff Terrace?’
‘Oh, Ivy!’ protested Dorinda. ‘Ada wouldn’t know what to do with herself in that great house!’
Ivy grinned. ‘Don’t you worry about that, Miss! You just carry on giving the holidaymakers a good time. I’ll let you know what’s happening in a day or so. Come along, Freddie.’
And that, thought Dorinda with a smile, was that. She had simply intended to ask Ivy to ask Ada if she knew what went on in the disreputable halls in which Aramantha had been appearing – but Ivy, as usual, had other ideas. And, Dorinda had to admit, they were often good ones.
The following day there was no news from either Ivy or Inspector Colyer, and Jessie began to relax. Dorinda was impressed that her performances hadn’t suffered throughout the recent problems, but she was aware that any small thing could tip the balance. The other girls were definitely happier without Aramantha, and Dorinda wondered what would happen if the girl turned up unharmed and wanting to come back. Would she take her?
‘No,’ said Maude, when this was put to her. ‘She’s let you down once too often, if you ask me. We shouldn’t have taken her in the first place.’
‘Last year?’ Dorinda was shocked. ‘I thought...’
‘No, I mean this time.’
‘But you were the one...’
Maude, rather pink in the face, lifted her chin. ‘I know. I was wrong.’
‘Well, it’s too late now. Perhaps we shouldn’t have taken her back that first time – after Velda’s death.’
‘But that was the inspector’s idea, wasn’t it? And Ivy too
k her home with her for a few days. You didn’t have much choice,’ said Maude. ‘Come on, now. Buck up -you’ve got the others to think of and a new week coming up.‘
‘I know. A new programme to sort out.’ Dorinda shuffled the sheet music on her desk. ‘I suppose I could use the same set as two weeks ago. The audiences will be different.’
‘Except the ones here for the season,’ said Maude.
‘They don’t come that often.’ Dorinda smiled up at her friend. ‘Usually!’
Every summer, the new middle classes liked to decamp to the seaside. The wealthiest would take suites at hotels, but most would hire a house and bring the entire household, servants and all. The menfolk and boys at school would come down for weekends, and the boys for the whole of the summer holidays. It was while Dorinda had been governess to Sir Frederick’s granddaughter Julia that she had had become acquainted with Maude, Will, and Will’s Wanderers, as they were then, when Sir Frederick had taken a house on Cliff Terrace, Nethergate, for the season.
The following day, Sunday, with the new programmes for the week ahead set and the sun shining overhead, Dorinda felt more optimistic. Just as she was about to change into her Silver Serenaders pierrot costume, the telephone rang. Eyeing it with some trepidation, Dorinda approached it.
‘Dolly, is that you?’
‘Yes, Ivy. It’s me.’
‘You’ll be pleased about this,’ said Ivy, sounding triumphant. ‘Ada and the kids are coming down to Cliff House! And we’ve got a suggestion.’
‘Yes?’
‘Well, see, what Freddie and I thought -’ for that, read “I thought”, Dorinda assumed, ‘was that we could turn Cliff House into The Alexandrians’ lodgings! What do you think of that?’
‘I – I don’t know!’ Dorinda was taken aback.
‘They could all be in one place, see, there’s plenty of room – well, you remember that – and Ada used to be in the business so she understands. And they might talk to her.’
‘Do you mean she would spy on them? Oh, I don’t think I’d like that.’
‘No, not spy, just be at their side. And it’s closer than the lodgings they’ ve got now, and cheaper.’
Death Treads the Boards Page 6
