‘What has happened to her?’
‘Whisked off by formidable maiden-aunt. She’ll probably marry a wealthy stockbroker within the year – if there are any wealthy stockbrokers left!’
Mrs Kane shivered. ‘However nit-witted she may be, it’s pretty ghastly for her, knowing that her mother was a murderess.’
‘Won’t know it,’ said Jim, drawing out his pouch, and beginning to fill a pipe. ‘Hemingway will put in a report, and it’ll be Murder by Persons Unknown.’
‘Did he tell you so?’
‘More or less. After Guisborough’s arrest, Timothy got hold of him, and he came round to Paper Buildings, to have a drink, and talk over old times. Lord, do you realise how many years it is since –’
‘Yes,’ said Mrs Kane. ‘I expect you had a lovely evening, but I don’t want to remember those particular old times, thank you, dear! Isn’t the girl bound to wonder about that first murder, and perhaps guess?’
‘I shouldn’t think so. As far as I could see, she isn’t given either to speculation or to the process of reasoned thought. What’s more, it stood out a mile that she didn’t care two hoots for her mother. According to what the aunt poured into my ears yesterday, Mrs Haddington’s obsession about her took the form of sending her to expensive boarding-schools, arranging for her to spend her holidays winter-sporting, or sun-bathing, lavishing money on her, but rarely having her with her, until she brought her out.’
‘But why?’
‘Not disclosed. Timothy thinks Mrs Haddington and Seaton-Carew were hand-in-glove in various shady undertakings. Doesn’t seem to be much doubt they lived together, so I daresay that was why Cynthia was kept away.’
‘It’s all quite horrible!’ Mrs Kane said. ‘What will happen to Lord Guisborough?’
‘He’ll stand his trial, of course. I daresay he’ll get a few trick-cyclists to go into the witness-box, and tell the court he’d got some kind of a fixation, or whatever they call it, due to seeing his mother taking her false teeth out, when he was five years old, which makes it all right and above-board for him to go about murdering people who get in his way. In fact,’ said Mr Kane gloomily, ‘it wouldn’t in the least surprise me if we find ourselves helping to keep him at Broadmoor! Except,’ he added, on a more hopeful note, ‘that Timothy says juries have got a lot more common-sense than you’d think, to look at them.’
Having packed his pipe to his satisfaction, he struck a match, and became partially enveloped in a smoke-cloud. Mrs Kane at last reached the nub of the matter. ‘And what about the adventuress?’ she asked. ‘The line was so bad last night I couldn’t hear you properly at all. I thought you said she was going down to Chamfreys!’
Mr Kane grinned. ‘I did. All due to my well-known tact and diplomacy, too! I passed on to Mother what Timothy told me, which wasn’t a lot, but quite enough for Mother. I don’t know the rights of it, but it does seem as though Beulah was made a sort of catspaw of by some nasty piece of work she was employed by in the City. Anyway, Timothy said she’d had the rawest of raw deals, the which I faithfully reported. You know Mother! All up in arms in defence of her sex before you could say knife! As a matter of fact, I think she and Beulah will get on all right. I didn’t take to the girl at first, but when you get to know her she isn’t a bad kid at all. Madly in love with Timothy!’
‘She is?’ Mrs Kane said quickly.
‘Oh, thinks he’s the bee’s roller-skates!’
‘Then your Mother will like her! Are they actually engaged?’
‘Yes, but nobody knows it yet.’
The door opened to admit Miss Susan Kane and Master William Kane, washed, brushed, and escorted by their amiable tyrant. ‘Are Mummy and Daddy ready for us?’ enquired this lady winningly. ‘May we play in here while Nanny pops the casserole in the oven? Ever so excited we are to have Daddy back again, and to hear all about the new Auntie we’re going to have, aren’t we, my ducks?’
So saying, the despot surrendered Master William Kane to his mother, smiled kindly upon Mr Kane, and withdrew,
bearing the tea-tray with her.
‘Pat!’ said Mr Kane thunderously. ‘This is the End! Either you get rid of –’
‘Yes, dear, but not in front of the children!’ said Mrs Kane hastily.
About the Author
Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty books, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. Her barrister husband, Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, and her inventive plots and sparkling characterization.
Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
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