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Edward leaned across the desk. ‘When did he die?’
‘Tuesday…last night, that is.’
‘Who gave you this news?’
‘Rob Aspen. He came into my office a few minutes ago and said, “Masters is no longer with us, he passed away.” I was just as shocked as you are now. I had a meeting with him on Monday afternoon, but he told me he’d have to cut it short, because he had an unexpected appointment and he had to hurry off. But he was more cordial than usual, which seemed a bit odd to me. Anyway, he left in a hurry. Yesterday I ran into him in the corridor, and although he was somewhat preoccupied he looked in good health, was quite normal.’
‘Did Aspen tell you what Aubrey Masters died of?’
‘He didn’t know.’ Alfredo lifted his hands in a helpless gesture, and added, ‘It must have been a heart attack or a stroke, something like that.’
‘Whatever it was, it was certainly sudden,’ Ned remarked, frowning. ‘And how did Aspen get the news? From whom?’
‘The horse’s mouth, of course. John Summers. Summers is somehow related to Masters, they’re cousins three times removed or some such thing. And as you know they are both related to Henry Grant. Hence their dedication to the Grant cause, and that’s the reason they both work here. Or rather did as far as Masters is concerned.’
‘I’m not going to play the hypocrite and say I’m sorry he’s dead,’ Edward said, ‘because it doesn’t matter to me that he’s left this world. He was, after all, my father’s enemy, and my enemy as well. And frankly, I’ve wondered for the last few days whether or not he was involved with the problems in the mining division—’ Ned broke off, drew even closer to Alfredo Oliveri. ‘You know what I mean, the skimming, or whatever is going on in India, South America and South Africa.’
Alfredo nodded. ‘I agree with you. I had the same thoughts.’
There was a knock on the door, and John Summers came in before Edward could say a word.
Summers hovered in the doorway for a moment, then said, ‘Good morning, gentlemen.’
They both responded in unison, and Edward said, ‘Do come in, Summers.’
As John walked across the office, his eyes on Edward, he said, ‘I suppose you must have heard the terrible news…about Aubrey Masters.’
It was Alfredo who answered when he said quietly, ‘Yes. Rob Aspen came to my office a short while ago and told me, and I have just informed Mr Edward.’
Edward asked, ‘What did Aubrey Masters die of, actually?’
‘We don’t know, as of this moment. His wife telephoned me this morning to inform me of his death. Apparently he came home on Tuesday night and seemed perfectly fit and well. He prepared his own dinner, as usual, his vegetarian dinner, and he ate it alone as always, in his study. About an hour later he staggered out of the study complaining of chest pains. Later he became violently ill. Apparently he was having what Mrs Grant described as convulsions. She had their housekeeper telephone for the doctor, whilst she endeavoured to help her husband. But sadly, to no avail, I’m afraid. The doctor arrived fairly swiftly, only to find that Masters had just passed away.’
‘Perhaps it was a stroke,’ Edward suggested.
‘It’s impossible to know anything now,’ John responded. ‘The doctor arranged for the body to be taken to the hospital, where they are probably doing an autopsy at this very moment.’
‘So we should have some news later today,’ Alfredo said, making a guess.
‘I hope so. In the meantime, I am going to go to their house in Hyde Park Gate, to be with Cousin Mildred. I think I’m about the only family she has, other than her sister. I shall come back to the office as soon as her sister arrives from Gloucestershire.’
All of these last few comments had been directed at Alfredo, who said, ‘Yes, of course, and would you like me to have Rob Aspen cover for Aubrey—’ He cut himself off, then said, ‘Deal with anything Masters was working on.’
‘Yes, that will be all right, a good idea actually, Oliveri,’ John replied. ‘Under your supervision, of course. And by the way, I think perhaps you should postpone your return to Italy. For the moment.’
Later that day, Edward had a short meeting with Neville at Neville’s office in the Haymarket. Will Hasling and Johnny Watkins accompanied Edward, and the four men sat together in the vast board room, discussing the death of Aubrey Masters.
‘A very sudden death such as his can be any one of a number of things,’ Johnny pointed out. ‘The obvious things are natural causes such as a heart attack, a massive stroke, a brain haemorrhage, or the ingestion of something poisonous.’
‘Talking of poison, he does eat a number of very weird things,’ Edward said. ‘He could have eaten some sort of poisonous mushrooms, for example. Don’t you remember when we were children, one of the stable boys at Ravenscar ate toadstools and was violently ill. Luckily for him he only ate one, that’s why he recovered.’
‘His name was Sammy Belter, I remember him well,’ Johnny replied, and grimaced. ‘The poor lad was horribly sick.’
‘Didn’t Amos say Masters ate pods and seeds, all sorts of strange roots and such?’ Edward now asked Neville.
His cousin nodded. ‘He did indeed, and perhaps Aubrey Masters ate something that killed him. On the other hand, he could have had a stroke or a heart attack. Look, we’re just speculating right now. A waste of time. We’ll know soon enough what he died from. What else did Summers have to say?’ he asked, changing the subject swiftly.
‘That he was going to be with Mildred Masters until her sister arrived from Gloucestershire, that the body had been taken for an autopsy. He also told Oliveri to have Aspen work on Masters’s various tasks, under Oliveri’s supervision.’ Edward leaned back in the leather chair, and said with a wide smile, ‘And he made a point of telling Oliveri that he should remain in London for the time being.’
‘That’s good to know!’ Will exclaimed.
‘Isn’t it just,’ Johnny cut in with a laugh.
‘How long does it take to get the results of an autopsy, Neville?’ Edward now asked quietly.
‘Do you know, I’ve absolutely no idea,’ Neville answered. ‘A couple of days, perhaps? Unless one knows the pathologist involved. And in this instance we don’t.’
‘So what you’re saying is we’ll just have to wait,’ Will interjected.
‘That’s right,’ Neville replied, ‘and how he died doesn’t really matter to us, does it? In the meantime, I just want to say that I for one will not be sending any condolences to the grieving widow, if indeed she is grieving. Finnister led me to believe there was an estrangement in that marriage.’
‘And I won’t be offering any sympathetic words either,’ Edward announced in a sharp voice. ‘In view of the fact that we never received any condolences when our fathers and brothers were murdered in Carrara, Neville.’
‘Now, gentlemen, shall we repair to my club for a few drinks before dinner?’ Neville suggested. ‘I think it might be rather nice to raise a glass to each other, under the circumstances.’ Neville shook his head, then remarked, ‘It’s a pity Oliveri’s not here.’
‘It is rather, I agree,’ Edward murmured. ‘But his mother is in hospital and he wanted to go and visit her. However, we can toast him, can’t we? After all, it looks as if he might well inherit Masters’s job.’
‘Indeed he might,’ Will agreed. ‘Let’s face it, this sudden death might very well play in our favour.’
At seven o’clock that same evening, Edward arrived at Lily’s house in Belsize Park Gardens. As he alighted from Neville’s carriage he said to Will and Johnny, ‘Enjoy your dinner, and come back around ten o’clock, please. Is that all right, chaps?’
Johnny grinned at his cousin, and saluted. ‘Yours to command, sire.’
Edward laughed as he went up the steps to the front door. It was Lily who answered his knock, not the housekeeper, and she opened the door wider, her smile radiant. ‘I’m so glad you were able to come tonight, Ned. I must admit, I’ve missed you.’
As the door closed behind them he took off his overcoat, chuckled and shot back, ‘I saw you on Saturday afternoon for tea, at Vicky’s for goodness sake!’
‘But we weren’t alone,’ she reminded him in a low voice; slipping her arm through his she led him into the drawing room. ‘Would you like to have a whisky?’
Ned shook his head. ‘No, thanks anyway. I had several at Neville’s club earlier.’
As usual he went and stood in front of the fire with his back to it, looking across at her. She had seated herself on the sofa, and he couldn’t help thinking how lovely she looked in the pale blue silk gown with pearls on her neck and ears. He wished he had money so that he could buy her a gift.
‘You’re looking rather pensive, darling. Is something wrong?’
‘No, Lily, nothing’s wrong now that I’m here with you. I was just looking at you and thinking how beautiful you are, and wishing I had some money so that I could buy you diamonds and emeralds, cover you in jewels.’
Shaking her head, giving him an indulgent look, Lily laughed. ‘Don’t be so silly, you don’t have to buy me anything! I have everything I could possibly want.’ She patted the sofa and said, ‘Come and sit down, tell me about your day.’
He did as she asked and seated himself on the loveseat, gazing at her intently. ‘You look like a rose in full bloom, Lily, your skin is perfect, your eyes are sparkling…simply ravishing, that you are. But a little different somehow.’ Leaning forward, he kissed her on the cheek, and sat back. ‘Well, you asked about my day, and I can only say that it’s been a bit hectic. Aubrey Masters died last night, very suddenly.’
‘Oh my goodness!’ Lily’s eyes narrowed, and she went on swiftly, ‘Wasn’t he the head of the Mining Division? The one you had the huge argument with about your father’s office?’
‘He was indeed.’
‘Was he ill?’
‘Oh no—well, as far as we know he wasn’t. John Summers told us that Masters had chest pains last night, and that by the time the doctor arrived he was gone.’
‘Masters wasn’t very nice to you…’ Lily slowly shook her head. ‘My mother always said God doesn’t pay his debts in money,’ she added pithily.
Before Edward could respond, there was a light knock on the door and Mrs Dane poked her head around it. ‘Dinner’s ready, madame,’ the housekeeper said, and added, ‘Good evening, sir.’
‘Evening, Mrs Dane,’ Edward responded, smiling, and stood up, offered his hand to Lily, brought her to her feet.
As they went across the hall to the dining room, Lily murmured, ‘I asked Mrs Dane to make some of your favourite things—roast leg of lamb and roast potatoes, and I had Fortnum and Mason deliver their best Scotch salmon and Russian caviare, Beluga actually, I—’
‘Lily, I’m afraid you’re spoiling me!’ he cut in, put his arm around her shoulders as they walked into the room together, smiling down at her.
After supper they retreated to the drawing room, and for a few minutes Lily fussed with pouring Edward a cup of coffee and then a balloon of Napoleon brandy. As she was doing so she said in a casual almost offhand way, ‘I’m thinking of buying a house in Kent, it’s not far from Stonehurst Farm and is rather charming. Fortunately, it’s in good condition, not a wreck like Vicky’s farm was when she bought it.’
Edward looked at her, his eyebrows drawing together in a jagged line. ‘That’s always a blessing, not having to engage in remodelling and such. But Lily, why on earth do you want to have a house in Kent? I never realized you had a partiality to the country. Or that you would ever contemplate living there.’
Lily realized at once that he was genuinely puzzled, and she replied quickly, ‘Oh, I do enjoy being out of town for part of the time, Ned, as long as there are friends nearby. However, I have another reason for buying the house.’ She cleared her throat, sat down on the small sofa, and continued, ‘There’s something I want to tell you, but please, I don’t want you to be upset. I’ll take care of everything, you won’t have to do a thing, I promise you.’
Frowning again, Edward asked in a puzzled voice, ‘Lily, what are you talking about?’
‘I’m pregnant, Ned,’ she announced calmly in a strong, steady voice. ‘I’m expecting your baby—our baby.’
He gaped at her in astonishment, and instantly experienced an extraordinary rush of emotion, a sudden sense of happiness. A huge smile spread itself across his face. ‘Lily, darling! We’re having a baby! And that’s what is different about you.’ He grinned from ear to ear. ‘You’ve put on weight, not a lot, but you are definitely a little plumper. Not that I mind, it’s rather charming.’
Rising, he went to sit next to her on the loveseat, encircled her in his arms and kissed her on the cheek in the most loving manner. ‘A baby. Well, fancy that, we’re having a baby.’
‘You’re not angry with me, are you?’ A look of worry crossed her eyes.
‘How could I possibly be angry with you of all people?’ Drawing away, gazing deeply into her face, he murmured, ‘I’m just as responsible as you are for making this child, and I will always feel and be responsible for him, or her.’
‘You don’t have to be, I mean in a financial way,’ Lily assured him. ‘And I do understand you can’t possibly marry me, I’m much too old for you. You will have to make an important marriage one day, you know. But, of course, it would make me happy if you could see our child, spend time with us, visit us.’ A gentle smile flitted across her face. ‘You must understand I’ll never make any demands on you, Ned. Never ever.’
There was an odd expression on his face, and he took her hand, brought it to his lips, kissed it, and held it between his own. ‘You’re the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever met. You are very special to me, my darling Lily.’
TWENTY-SIX (#)
‘I’m certainly glad you’ve recovered from that nasty little attack upon your person, Mr Deravenel,’ Inspector Laidlaw said in his hearty voice, shaking Edward’s hand with a firm grip. ‘I’m afraid we came to a dead end on that, sir, no suspects, as you know. Mind you, we’ve not closed the case. It remains open.’
‘I’m perfectly certain you’ll never be able to pin it on anyone, Inspector Laidlaw,’ Edward replied and chuckled. ‘Those boyos were long gone that very night, wouldn’t you say?’
‘I would indeed.’
‘Now, Inspector Laidlaw, I would like you to meet my colleagues, Alfredo Oliveri and Robert Aspen. They both worked rather closely with Aubrey Masters, for a number of years. They’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, as will I.’
‘Pleased to meet you, gentlemen,’ Inspector Laidlaw said, shaking Alfredo’s hand and then Rob’s. ‘I do have a few things I would like to discuss with you both, and Mr Deravenel.’
The four men were standing in the middle of Edward’s office at Deravenels, and he now said, ‘I think we might be more comfortable over there near the window where we can all sit down.’ As he spoke he walked across the room and seated himself on the sofa; the other three men followed and each took an armchair arranged in a grouping close to the big leather sofa.
‘By the way, Inspector, do you have the results of the autopsy yet?’
‘Yes, I do, Mr Deravenel. Mr Masters died from the ingestion of digitalis.’
‘Isn’t that a heart medicine?’ Rob Aspen asked in surprise, looking at the Inspector. ‘I didn’t think one could die from it. My mother has a heart problem and the doctor prescribed digitalis last year.’
In his late thirties, Rob Aspen was a pleasant-looking man who appeared much younger than his years and wore his clothes with a bit of a dash. Women found him attractive, wanted to mother him, but so far he had eluded all of them and was still single.
‘It is indeed a heart medicine, Mr Aspen,’ the Inspector answered. ‘And that was one of the things I wanted to talk to you all about. Did Mr Masters suffer from a heart condition, do you know?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Alfredo answered, ‘but then Aspen would know better than I, because he works here in London all the time. I go back and forth to Italy, to Carrara, to be exact.’
Rob exclaimed, ‘I’m pretty certain he was in the best of health. He appeared to be, at any rate. On the other hand, how can I be sure? We were business colleagues not close friends, and he did not confide in me. Surely Mrs Masters would know about his health?’
The Inspector nodded, leaned back in the armchair, a reflective look on his face. After a moment’s considered thought, he continued slowly, ‘Mrs Masters insists that her husband did not have a heart condition, and therefore was not taking digitalis. She was most definite about this. I’ve also spoken to his physician, Dr Fortescue, and went to see him at his surgery. In fact, we had a long chat. The doctor cannot explain the reason Mr Masters took digitalis. He, too, is most baffled. Certainly he did not prescribe it, because Mr Masters did not have a heart condition. The doctor was most firm about that.’
‘Could there be another doctor involved, Inspector Laidlaw?’ Edward asked, giving the policeman a hard stare. ‘Perhaps Aubrey Masters wanted a second opinion, if he thought he had a health problem, and certainly he wouldn’t have wanted to offend Dr Fortescue. Or perhaps he didn’t want his wife to know he had developed a heart condition, and secretly went to see another physician or specialist.’
‘Or any kind of condition,’ Rob volunteered.
‘What are you suggesting, Mr Aspen?’ the Inspector asked, his eyes on the other man.
‘It’s something I’ve just remembered—’ Rob left his sentence unfinished, shaking his head. ‘No, no, it’s a long shot, I’m sure there’s nothing to it.’
‘To what?’ the inspector asked.
‘A remark Masters made to me about six months ago. I thought it was an odd comment, and quite out of character, not at all like him. Out of the blue one day, he muttered that life was so much easier for women, that all they had to do was lie down, whereas men had to stand to attention.’ Rob shook his head. ‘I was being something of a dunce that afternoon, I suppose, because I didn’t get the innuendo at first, not until he chuckled and winked at me. Frankly, I was astonished. I realized he was making a reference to his…sexuality, or perhaps I should say lack of it. About a week later I took some papers to his office, but he was out. I placed the files on his desk and it was then I noticed a writing pad on which he had drawn a number of hearts in red pencil, doodles really, and just below the hearts was the name Dr Alvin Springer. I thought nothing about it at the time, it just came back to me now.’
‘I will have that name checked out, Mr Aspen. Thank you very much indeed,’ Inspector Laidlaw said. ‘There’s a possibility that Dr Springer is a heart specialist, in view of those scribbles.’
‘It might be a clue, yes,’ Rob responded. ‘On the other hand, the doctor could be one who specializes in sex therapy. There are a few now practising in London, I hear from a friend of mine, who suffers from…well, er, shall we say a certain inadequacy. He has also been going to a psychiatrist, and, in fact, Dr Springer might well be a doctor who treats problems.’
Edward, who had been swallowing sudden and unexpected laughter, now glanced at Inspector Laidlaw. Immediately he saw the laughter in the policeman’s eyes, although his expression was one of total solemnity.
Rising, Edward walked over to his desk, trying to turn his spluttering laughter into coughing. A moment later, fully in control he said, ‘Do excuse me, I’m so sorry.’
The Inspector looked across at him, obviously suppressing his laughter, and said, ‘Do you need a glass of water, sir?’
Edward walked back to the sofa, shaking his head. ‘No, no, thank you, I’m fine.’
Laidlaw now said, ‘Mr Aspen, you’ve been very helpful, and I will personally speak to Dr Springer.’ Clearing his throat several times, he then went on, ‘I don’t suppose any of you would know if there was—well, another woman in his life?’
Edward thought he would burst into laughter at the preposterousness of this idea, but he managed to control himself, as did Oliveri and Aspen. Both of them looked as amused as he was; they simply shook their heads, as did Edward, and kept their faces straight.
