‘You can’t say I didn’t try very hard to get you to go back to London,’ Max was saying. ‘But you’re such a determined creature. Even that fall from the horse didn’t do the trick.’
‘Was that your doing?’ In this awful situation, I could still feel surprise. ‘I thought it was Valerie.’
‘Poor Val! I suspected you hadn’t been altogether taken in by that “accident”. Of course, she was very jealous of you – as she had good reason to be. That’s why she insisted on giving you a difficult horse to ride, to show you up. But even Val wouldn’t have gone so far as to loosen the girth strap to get one over on a rival. The fall might have killed you.’
‘Why ... why did you ask me to marry you the other night? Or was that just a seduction scene?’
‘Oh no, Dulcie,’ Max said reproachfully. ‘That wasn’t the idea at all.’ He cocked one eyebrow expressively. ‘Of course I have to admit I overdid the infatuation a bit. I don’t suppose any woman could mean quite that much to me. But I was on the level when I proposed. You’re my sort of woman, duckie—I’d enjoy being married to you.’
I shuddered, but I tried not to let it show. 'I can’t see how it would have helped you in all this....'
‘You’re overlooking a little something, my love. If you were married to me, you’d find it a full-time job. I flatter myself you wouldn’t have to look to a career to fill in your free time.’
‘You’re a monster,’ I cried.
He smirked at me modestly. ‘No dear, just practical. I never let sentiment interfere with business, and that’s what this is—strictly business.’
I had been straining my ears for the sound of a car engine, but we were tucked away at the side of the building. Anyway, very little sound penetrated the closed windows. A thrush was singing its head off just outside, but apart from that we were surrounded by deathly silence.
Jenner had been sniffing around blissfully unaware of the drama in the room. I had dropped the leash in my first terror and he trailed it after him in his busy investigations
Max half bent, and snapped his fingers at the dog. ‘Here, Jenner old boy. Come to Uncle Max.’
The spaniel bounded over, and rolled on his back, deliriously happy, as Max tickled behind his ears and on his soft throat. Then Max straightened up and I saw that his gentleness had been a mask. From his hand dangled the leash he had neatly unhitched from Jenner’s collar....
I pressed against the solid bench, screaming. But no sounds came from my drawn-back lips.
Max took a step towards me, smiling, the leash held lightly between his two hands.
Chapter Seventeen
I could only just hear it. Faintly but unmistakably, my name was being called.
My silent scream took shape in words. 'Ian!’ I yelled with all my power. ‘Ian, in here—in the Drying room.’
Max had heard it too, and was half-turned, listening. I grabbed my chance and shoved past him. Tearing open the door I rushed into the corridor. Every moment I expected his heavy hand on my shoulder.
I fell headlong, straight into Ian’s arms.
‘Thank God you’re all right,’ he said.
‘It’s Max,’ I sobbed. ‘He was going to kill me.’
Jenner had followed after me, tail wagging gently. The door swung to very slowly and silently. There was no sign or sound of Max.
‘He hasn’t got a gun, has he?’ asked Ian.
‘No, but you must be careful,’ I told him frantically. ‘He’s crazy—he’ll try to kill us both.’
Very cautiously, Ian went over to the Drying room door and kicked it wide open. It flew right back against the wall with a crash.
The room looked empty. I thought at first Max must be crouched behind a bench, but then I noticed one of the windows gaping open.
‘He’s gone,’ cried Ian. ‘Come on Dulcie, after him.’
We rushed forward, and Ian put a foot on the sill and lightly vaulted through. I lifted Jenner through, then scrambled through myself and Ian helped me down to the ground.
The engine of Max’s Jaguar coughed into life. The car swept past us with a roar and squealed round the corner of the house and away down the drive.
‘Quick,’ Ian said, pulling me after him. ‘My car’s in the front.’
Jenner gambolled beside us, full of excitement, frisking like a puppy again. He leaped into Ian’s car as soon as the door was opened.
We were facing the wrong way, and precious seconds were lost while Ian reversed and turned.
‘We’ll be faster than him on these narrow roads though,’ said Ian. ‘That Jag’s too big.’
But at the crossroads Ian slowed up. No engine sound guided us now—Max was too far ahead. We looked around helplessly for a clue. Max could have taken any of the three possible roads.
The old man was sitting in his usual place under the oak tree, watching us. Slowly and deliberately he raised his stick and pointed with it in the direction of Woolcombe.
With a wave of acknowledgment Ian swung left, and we raced down the road towards the village.
‘Max said something about getting out of the country,’ I gasped.
Ian nodded. ‘I reckon he’ll be making for the Bristol road.’
‘How did you guess it was him?’ I asked.
‘I went to see Eric Reade this morning, and tackled him straight out about why he’d been sacked. What he had to say put me on to Tyler’s track. Then I tried to phone you at Mrs. Truscott’s and she told me you’d gone over to Malverton. That made me put my skates on, I can tell you.’
We had passed through Woolcombe by now, and started the steep run down into the valley. The woods on either side made the road quite dark.
There was so much I wanted to ask him. But Ian needed every ounce of concentration to drive so fast on the winding lane.
A motorcycle was roaring up the hill. As it passed, the driver slowed momentarily and gave us a warning shout.
“Accident!’ he yelled.
On the next sharp bend a jagged gap had been ripped in the crumbling old stone wall. An open sports car was pulled in close to the roadside, and two young men stood beside it, looking down.
Ian stopped, and we both sprang out. Immediately below us lay Max’s Jaguar, overturned and grotesquely smashed against a giant beech tree.
A third man was just climbing up the slope. ‘Poor devil,’ he said in a flat voice.
‘Is he dead?’ I asked. I felt sick inside.
‘He’s dead all right. Didn’t stand a chance.’
Another of the young men spoke, sounding defensive, as if expecting to be blamed. ‘He was coming down the hill like crazy. He could never have taken that bend.’
‘Have you sent for the police?’ asked Ian. ‘And an ambulance?’
They told us that the motorcyclist had gone to the police station at Woolcombe.
I felt Ian’s arm go round me comfortingly, and I turned my face into his shoulder.
‘I’ll take you back to Malverton,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing we can do here.’
‘Shouldn’t we wait and explain to the police?’
‘I don’t think so. It’ll only be the local bobby. I’ll phone the Inspector at Lechford when we get back.’
Even on this quiet lane a small crowd was already collecting.
‘Come along, darling,’ said Ian.
I didn’t need more urging. I let him lead me back to the car. Jenner had been trying to see what was going on, and he scuffled about happily when we climbed in again.
The police came quickly in response to Ian’s phone call. We talked to Detective-Inspector Edwards and his sergeant in the drawing-room. Ian spared me all he could by doing most of the talking. The questions went on and on endlessly.
I remembered that Mrs. Truscott would be worrying, and excused myself while I called her. It was too difficult to explain what had happened, but I reassured her that I was all right, and said we would both be over later in the day.
At last the police officers ro
se to go. ‘Will you both come down to the station tomorrow, please, to make formal statements? Any time that suits you.’
Then Ian and I were alone together, but I was unable to relax. I paced the big room restlessly. I could sense Ian’s sympathy as he watched me.
‘It’s all over now, darling,’ he said gently.
‘But what about the rest of the crooks Max was working with? Will they get away with it?’
Ian shook his head. ‘I don’t think they’ve got a hope. Now the police have a definite lead, I expect the gang will soon be rounded up.’
‘What will happen to the firm now it’s all out in the open? Will they clamp down on our imports of Physolaria?’
‘I’ve been thinking about that. I’m sure we could work out a watertight system of stock control, now that we recognize the danger. That ought to satisfy the authorities.’
‘I do hope so.’
I looked at Ian. Was he planning to stay at Drysdale Pharmaceuticals? He’d refused to give me a definite undertaking when I’d asked him that question before, and even now he might feel he didn’t want to work in a firm owned by me. Would it plan out for us? Could it? I longed for reassurance, but I hesitated to ask a question that took our future together for granted.
Ian had said he loved me. Did that mean he wanted me for always, as I wanted him?
I was looking at him doubtfully. Suddenly he moved across the room and took me in his arms, holding me close. “We must put what’s past right behind us. We have our future to think about now.’
I sighed gladly, nestling against him.
‘Your father and I had plans for expansion, you know. We’d worked out several ideas for new lines of research, and we’d got a long way with them. He had a very wide knowledge of tropical diseases, and there are still a number of them without any satisfactory treatment.’
‘Is it possible to go ahead without Father?’
‘Yes indeed.’ Ian spoke with enthusiasm, but he looked at me seriously. ‘There won’t be a lot of money in it, Dulcie—not in the sort of things your father planned. But it will be exciting. Together we’ll make a good life for ourselves.’
I looked up at him fondly. ‘Most of the work will fall on your shoulders, darling. I know nothing at all about the technical side of the business.’
Ian smiled. ‘I reckon I’ll bear up under the strain.’
We stayed there talking and dreaming about our future for a long while. I came to when I saw it was a quarter past two.
‘Look at the time! I’d better fix us something to eat. Coming?’
‘Just you try and stop me!’
Outside in the kitchen Ian asked what he could do to help. I gave him some cheese and told him to grate it for an omelette. When Jenner came sniffing, I noticed, a chunk of cheese was broken off and surreptitiously passed downwards.
I had to search around for a suitable mixing bowl.
‘Do you know this is the first time I’ve had a chance to do a thing in this kitchen. Mrs. Cass rules it with a rod of iron.’
Ian laughed. ‘Then it’s high time you showed her who’s boss.’
‘But I’ll have to do it gently, I don’t want to hurt her feelings.’ I broke eggs into the bowl, and seasoned them. ‘Poor Mrs. Cass! To think how I misjudged her in imagining she was involved in all this trouble. And Janet and Eric Reade, too.’
‘And Ian Hamilton! At one time you had me cast as the villain of the piece.’
I was whisking eggs with a fork. I stopped, holding the bowl against me, and looked at Ian.
‘Will you ever forgive me for that, darling?’
For answer he grabbed me, bowl and all, and hugged me tight.
‘Hey,’ I cried breathlessly. ‘Look out! I’ll be spilling these eggs if you aren’t careful.’
But Ian just went on kissing me as if he hadn’t heard.
Copyright © 1970 by Nancy Buckingham
Originally published by Robertt Hale [UK] [ISBN 978-0709116103]
Electronically published in 2016 by Belgrave House
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, E-mail, copying electronically or by any other means without permission of the publisher. For more information, contact Belgrave House, 190 Belgrave Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94117-4228
http://www.BelgraveHouse.com
Electronic sales: [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.
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