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Twenty-three
The inquest was over. It had been the merest formality of an affair, and though warned of this
beforehand, yet nearly everyone had a resentful sense of anticlimax.
Adjourned for a fortnight at the request of the police.
Gerda had driven down with Mrs. Patterson from London in a hired Daimler. She had on a
black dress and an unbecoming hat, and looked nervous and bewildered.
Preparatory to stepping back into the Daimler, she paused as Lady Angkatell came up to her.
“How are you, Gerda dear? Not sleeping too badly, I hope. I think it went off as well as we
could hope for, don’t you? So sorry we haven’t got you with us at The Hollow, but I quite
understand how distressing that would be.”
Mrs. Patterson said in her bright voice, glancing reproachfully at her sister for not introducing
her properly:
“This was Miss Collins’s idea—to drive straight down and back. Expensive, of course, but we
thought it was worth it.”
“Oh, I do so agree with you.”
Mrs. Patterson lowered her voice.
“I am taking Gerda and the children straight down to Bexhill. What she needs is rest and quiet.
The reporters! You’ve no idea! Simply swarming round Harley Street.”
A young man snapped off a camera, and Elsie Patterson pushed her sister into the car and they
drove off.
The others had a momentary view of Gerda’s face beneath the unbecoming hat brim. It was
vacant, lost—she looked for the moment like a half-witted child.
Midge Hardcastle muttered under her breath: “Poor devil.”
Edward said irritably:
“What did everybody see in Christow? That wretched woman looks completely heartbroken.”
“She was absolutely wrapped up in him,” said Midge.
“But why? He was a selfish sort of fellow, good company in a way, but—” He broke off. Then
he asked: “What did you think of him, Midge?”
“I?” Midge reflected. She said at last, rather surprised at her own words: “I think I respected
him.”
“Respected him? For what?”
“Well, he knew his job.”
“You’re thinking of him as a doctor?”
“Yes.”
There was no time for more.
Henrietta was driving Midge back to London in her car. Edward was returning to lunch at The
Hollow and going up by the afternoon train with David. He said vaguely to Midge: “You must
come out and lunch one day,” and Midge said that that would be very nice but that she couldn’t
take more than an hour off. Edward gave her his charming smile and said:
“Oh, it’s a special occasion. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Then he moved towards Henrietta. “I’ll ring you up, Henrietta.”
“Yes, do, Edward. But I may be out a good deal.”
“Out?”
She gave him a quick, mocking smile.
“Drowning my sorrow. You don’t expect me to sit at home and mope, do you?”
He said slowly: “I don’t understand you nowadays, Henrietta. You are quite different.”
Her face softened. She said unexpectedly: “Darling Edward,” and gave his arm a quick squeeze.
Then she turned to Lucy Angkatell. “I can come back if I want to, can’t I, Lucy?”
Lady Angkatell said: “Of course, darling. And anyway there will be the inquest again in a
fortnight.”
Henrietta went to where she had parked the car in the market square. Her suitcases and Midge’s
were already inside.
They got in and drove off.
The car climbed the long hill and came out on the road over the ridge. Below them the brown
and golden leaves shivered a little in the chill of a grey autumn day.
Midge said suddenly: “I’m glad to get away—even from Lucy. Darling as she is, she gives me
the creeps sometimes.”
Henrietta was looking intently into the small driving mirror.
She said rather inattentively:
“Lucy has to give the coloratura touch—even to murder.”
“You know, I’d never thought about murder before.”
“Why should you? It isn’t a thing one thinks about. It’s a six-letter word in a crossword, or a
pleasant entertainment between the covers of a book. But the real thing—”
She paused. Midge finished:
“Is real. That is what startles one.”
Henrietta said:
“It needn’t be startling to you. You are outside it. Perhaps the only one of us who is.”
Midge said:
“We’re all outside it now. We’ve got away.”
Henrietta murmured: “Have we?”
She was looking in the driving mirror again. Suddenly she put her foot down on the accelerator.
The car responded. She glanced at the speedometer. They were doing over fifty. Presently the
needle reached sixty.
Midge looked sideways at Henrietta’s profile. It was not like Henrietta to drive recklessly. She
liked speed, but the winding road hardly justified the pace they were going. There was a grim
smile hovering round Henrietta’s mouth.
She said: “Look over your shoulder, Midge. See that car way back there?”
“Yes?”
“It’s a Ventnor 10.”
“Is it?” Midge was not particularly interested.
“They’re useful little cars, low petrol consumption, keep the road well, but they’re not fast.”
“No?”
Curious, thought Midge, how fascinated Henrietta always was by cars and their performance.
“As I say, they’re not fast—but that car, Midge, has managed to keep its distance although
we’ve been going over sixty.”
Midge turned a startled face to her.
“Do you mean that—”
Henrietta nodded. “The police, I believe, have special engines in very ordinary-looking cars.”
Midge said:
“You mean they’re still keeping an eye on us all?”
“It seems rather obvious.”
Midge shivered.
“Henrietta, can you understand the meaning of this second gun business?”
“No, it lets Gerda out. But beyond that it just doesn’t seem to add up to anything.”
“But, if it was one of Henry’s guns—”
“We don’t know that it was. It hasn’t been found yet, remember.”
“No, that’s true. It could be someone outside altogether. Do you know who I’d like to think
killed John, Henrietta? That woman.”
“Veronica Cray?”
“Yes.”
Henrietta said nothing. She drove on with her eyes fixed sternly on the road ahead of her.
“Don’t you think it’s possible?” persisted Midge.
“Possible, yes,” said Henrietta slowly.
“Then you don’t think—”
“It’s no good thinking a thing because you want to think it. It’s the perfect solution—letting all
of us out!”
“Us? But—”
“We’re in it—all of us. Even you, Midge darling—though they’d be hard put to it to find a
motive for your shooting John. Of course I’d like it to be Veronica. Nothing would please me
better than to see her giving a lovely performance, as Lucy would put it, in the dock!”
Midge shot a quick look at her.
“Tell me, Henrietta, does it all make you feel vindictive?”
“You mean”—Henrietta paused a moment—“because I loved John?”
“Yes.”
As she spoke, Midge realized with a slight sense of shock that this was the first time the bald
fact had been put into words. It had been accepted by them all, by Lucy and Henry, by Midge, by
Edward even, that Henrietta loved John Christow, but nobody had ever so much as hinted at the
fact in words before.
There was a pause whilst Henrietta seemed to be thinking. Then she said in a thoughtful voice:
“I can’t explain to you what I feel. Perhaps I don’t know myself.”
They were driving now over Albert Bridge.
Henrietta said:
“You’d better come to the studio, Midge. We’ll have tea, and I’ll drive you to your digs
afterwards.”
Here in London the short afternoon light was already fading. They drew up at the studio door
and Henrietta put her key into the door. She went in and switched on the light.
“It’s chilly,” she said. “We’d better light the gas fire. Oh, bother—I meant to get some matches
on the way.”
“Won’t a lighter do?”
“Mine’s no good, and anyway it’s difficult to light a gas fire with one. Make yourself at home.
There’s an old blind man stands on the corner. I usually get my matches off him. I shan’t be a
minute or two.”
Left alone in the studio, Midge wandered round looking at Henrietta’s work. It gave her an eerie
feeling to be sharing the empty studio with these creations of wood and bronze.
There was a bronze head with high cheekbones and a tin hat, possibly a Red Army soldier, and
there was an airy structure of twisted ribbonlike aluminium which intrigued her a good deal. There
was a vast static frog in pinkish granite, and at the end of the studio she came to an almost life-
sized wooden figure.
She was staring at it when Henrietta’s key turned in the door and Henrietta herself came in
slightly breathless.
Midge turned.
“What’s this, Henrietta? It’s rather frightening.”
“That? That’s The Worshipper. It’s going to the International Group.”
Midge repeated, staring at it:
“It’s frightening.”
Kneeling to light the gas fire, Henrietta said over her shoulder:
“It’s interesting your saying that. Why do you find it frightening?”
“I think—because it hasn’t any face.”
“How right you are, Midge.”
“It’s very good, Henrietta.”
Henrietta said lightly:
“It’s a nice bit of pearwood.”
She rose from her knees. She tossed her big satchel bag and her furs on to the divan, and threw
down a couple of boxes of matches on the table.
Midge was struck by the expression on her face—it had a sudden quite inexplicable exultation.
“Now for tea,” said Henrietta, and in her voice was the same warm jubilation that Midge had
already glimpsed in her face.
It struck an almost jarring note—but Midge forgot it in a train of thought aroused by the sight of
the two boxes of matches.
“You remember those matches Veronica Cray took away with her?”
“When Lucy insisted on foisting a whole half-dozen on her? Yes.”
“Did anyone ever find out whether she had matches in her cottage all the time?”
“I expect the police did. They’re very thorough.”
A faintly triumphant smile was curving Henrietta’s lips. Midge felt puzzled and almost repelled.
She thought: “Can Henrietta really have cared for John? Can she? Surely not.”
And a faint desolate chill struck through her as she reflected:
“Edward will not have to wait very long….”
Ungenerous of her not to let that thought bring warmth. She wanted Edward to be happy, didn’t
she? It wasn’t as though she could have Edward herself. To Edward she would be always “little
Midge.” Never more than that. Never a woman to be loved.
Edward, unfortunately, was the faithful kind. Well, the faithful kind usually got what they
wanted in the end.
Edward and Henrietta at Ainswick… that was the proper ending to the story. Edward and
Henrietta living happy ever afterwards.
She could see it all very clearly.
“Cheer up, Midge,” said Henrietta. “You mustn’t let murder get you down. Shall we go out later
and have a spot of dinner together?”
But Midge said quickly that she must get back to her rooms. She had things to do—letters to
write. In fact, she’d better go as soon as she’d finished her cup of tea.
“All right. I’ll drive you there.”
“I could get a taxi.”
“Nonsense. Let’s use the car, as it’s there.”
They went out into damp evening air. As they drove past the end of the Mews Henrietta pointed
out a car drawn in to the side.
“A Ventnor 10. Our shadow. You’ll see. He’ll follow us.”
“How beastly it all is!”
“Do you think so? I don’t really mind.”
Henrietta dropped Midge at her rooms and came back to the Mews and put her car away in the
garage.
Then she let herself into the studio once more.
For some minutes she stood abstractedly drumming with her fingers on the mantelpiece. Then
she sighed and murmured to herself:
“Well—to work. Better not waste time.”
She threw off her tweeds and got into her overall.
An hour and a half later she drew back and studied what she had done. There were dabs of clay
on her cheek and her hair was dishevelled, but she nodded approval at the model on the stand.
It was the rough similitude of a horse. The clay had been slapped on in great irregular lumps. It
was the kind of horse that would have given the colonel of a cavalry regiment apoplexy, so unlike
was it to any flesh and blood horse that had ever been foaled. It would also have distressed
Henrietta’s Irish hunting forebears. Nevertheless it was a horse—a horse conceived in the abstract.
Henrietta wondered what Inspector Grange would think of it if he ever saw it, and her mouth
widened a little in amusement as she pictured his face.
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