03 - Murder at Sedgwick Court (25 page)

‘It’s all
right, Inspector,’ Rose said, quickly. ‘I’ve done this before.’

‘I’m sure
you have. But you needn’t think that I’m as tolerant of this sort of thing as Inspector
Deacon. Now, Miss Brewster.’ The inspector had obviously decided to adopt his
kind, fatherly tone again. ‘I daresay you’ll find this a little distressing,
embarrassing even, but I’d like you to tell me about Miss Montacute, if you
will.’

‘I hated
her.’

‘Vera! I
think you should – ’

‘Miss
Simpson, will you please not interrupt! Go on, please, Miss Brewster.’

‘I didn’t
hate her at first, of course. But I was frightened of her.’

‘Perhaps
you could explain, Miss Brewster?’

‘I was
worried when I heard Lavinia had invited an heiress to stay. I shouldn’t have
been surprised, of course. It was just the sort of thing she would do.’ Vera
sighed, and pulled at her handkerchief. ‘But it changed everything. Theo is
very ambitious, Inspector. He thinks he wants to be a doctor in London with a
practice in Harley Street. But he wouldn’t like that at all, I know he
wouldn’t. He cares about treating real people, making a difference to ordinary
people’s lives with his medicine.’

Vera
pulled so violently at the material of her handkerchief that Rose wondered
whether she would rip it.

‘Theo has
a weakness for the aristocracy and the landed gentry. He wants to associate
with them and have them respect him. He thinks they can help further his career.
I knew he’d view Miss Montacute as a potential wealthy patient.’

‘Please
proceed, Miss Brewster.’

‘I
thought that was all there was to it at first. Theo trying to secure a rich patient.
I didn’t think there was any more to it than that. Of course I noticed that
they spent a lot of time together, giggling and laughing and that sort of
thing. Theo can be quite charming when he wants to be. Then Lavinia said
something particularly spiteful … the day before yesterday, I think it was.
Something about Theo enjoying the company of Emmeline rather too much for her
liking and that I should make more effort with my dress. You remember, don’t
you, Rose? You were there, weren’t you?’

Rose
nodded but said nothing, keen not to catch the inspector’s disapproving eye.

’I’d
rather been thinking the same thing myself, but hoping that I was wrong. But to
find that even Lavinia of all people had noticed. Well, it really was too much.
I imagined all sorts of things, you know, about people talking behind my back
saying all sorts of horrid things like what a fool I was not to have noticed or
put a stop to it. Of course,’ Vera averted her gaze to take in the carpet, ‘it
didn’t help that I’d had a bit to drink.’

‘I beg
your pardon, miss?’

‘I’m
afraid that when I’m a bit nervous or upset I have a bit to drink. Not so much
that I can’t walk in a straight line or I slur my words. Nothing like that. I
don’t think anyone else would really notice. They don’t lock the drinks away
here at Sedgwick as they do in some houses. They trust their servants here. So
you see, it’s easy to help oneself to a drink if one wants to.’

‘I see.’

‘I’m
afraid you’ll think I was rather beastly to Emmeline. I couldn’t get it out of
my head that Lavinia was laughing at me. And Emmeline seemed so happy while I
was so miserable. It didn’t seem fair. So I mentioned the kidnapping. But I had
absolutely no idea that Emmeline and Jemima would be so upset. And then Theo … the
way he looked at me … the way he spoke to me and what he said … I have never
seen him so angry. And then he put his arm around her … Emmeline, I mean. He
cared about her, but he didn’t care about me at all. It was awful.’

Vera put
her hand to her forehead, as if she were trying to block out the image.

‘And then
Count Fernand suggested you all play a type of parlour game? Looking at each
other’s diamonds and the like through his jeweller’s lens?’

‘Yes. He
did. It was awfully kind of him. Of course, it was only Emmeline and Lavinia
who had diamonds worth looking at. I don’t know what would have happened if he
hadn’t suggested that entertainment. I’d probably have rushed out of the room
and gone up to bed. I might even have packed and left next day before
breakfast.’ Vera paused and said in a voice hardly above a whisper so that the
others only just caught her words: ‘I should have done that … If only I’d done
that.’

‘Now, I’d
like you to go through the events of yesterday for us if you will, Miss
Brewster. Shall we start with your walk in the grounds with Miss Simpson
yesterday morning? I understand you asked Dr Harrison if he’d care to join you,
but that he declined.’

‘He said
he had work to do,’ said Vera. Her voice had taken on a bitter tone. ‘I was
silly enough to believe him, Inspector. But he lied. He didn’t. He just didn’t
want to walk with me. He wanted to be with
her
.’

‘Perhaps
you will tell me about this walk, will you, Miss Brewster?’    

Vera
rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes.

‘There
isn’t much to say, Inspector. At least nothing new to add to what Miss Simpson
must already have told you. Let me see. Yes … we walked in the grounds, didn’t
we, Rose? I remember us chattering quite happily about one thing or another. I
tried to impress upon you how ridiculous Lavinia was being suggesting that Theo
was fond of Emmeline.  I had quite convinced myself that what I was saying was
the truth.’

‘And
then?’

‘We came
across Mr Thistlewaite and Miss Wentmore in the gardens.  They were sitting on
a bench with their backs to us, so they didn’t see us. It was all rather
embarrassing because they didn’t know we were there and they were – ’ 

‘Excuse
me, Miss Brewster. Miss Simpson, you didn’t mention anything about this.’

‘Didn’t
I? I’m sorry, Inspector, I must have forgotten,’ Rose said, and then added
rather pointedly: ‘I rather think you were wanting me to tell you about
something else at the time.’

‘I’m
sorry, Miss Brewster, do go on,’ said the inspector, frowning.

‘Really. It
was all rather sad. They were talking about how they didn’t think they could
bear to be apart from one another. They were saying that of course they would
write, but that it wouldn’t be the same thing at all. Then Jemima said
something about not having to wait … yes … now what was it? She sounded very
serious. Don’t you remember, Rose? Now what did she say exactly? Yes … something
about what if she could get her hands on some money now.’

‘Oh. Did
she indeed?’

‘Yes, we
didn’t hear any more. We felt a bit awkward that we had listened in, however
unintentionally, to what was obviously a private conversation. I think it was
then that we decided to walk down by the lake.’

Vera’s
voice had suddenly become quieter, and Rose leaned forward in her seat and squeezed
the woman’s hand.

‘It was
then that we saw Theo and Emmeline by the lake. It was awful. They were – ’

‘It’s all
right, Miss Brewster. Miss Simpson has told us all about it.’

‘It was
awfully odd in a sad sort of way,’ Vera said, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Because
do you know what kept going through my mind? It was that Theo had lied to me.
He had pretended to be busy with his work, when all the time he wasn’t. I
remember feeling frightfully angry about it. And of course it hurt damnably, Inspector.
Seeing Theo and Emmeline like that. So in love. I don’t think Theo and I were
ever like that.’

‘You
didn’t think to confront Dr Harrison?’

‘No. I
should have done of course. But it was such a shock. And then before I could do
anything they had disappeared. They hadn’t seen us, you see. I remember
standing there feeling sick and afraid I was going to go to pieces. You were
there, Rose, and I suddenly wanted more than anything else in the world to be
alone. Part of me wanted to forget what I had seen, and another part of me
wanted to think about nothing else.’

‘So you
went to your room?’

‘Yes, I
spent all day there. I didn’t come down for lunch or tea. Lavinia arranged for
my meals to be sent up on a tray, but I didn’t eat anything. I just moved the
food around on the plate. I felt frightfully lightheaded when I came down for
dinner.’

‘What
happened when you did?’

‘Nothing.
I don’t think Theo had even noticed that I had been absent all day. He didn’t
come over to me to see if I was feeling better.’ Vera looked wearily at Inspector
Bramwell. ‘That was the excuse I gave, Inspector, for staying in my room.’ She
sighed. ‘It was as if I wasn’t there. As if I didn’t exist for all the notice
they took of me, Theo and Emmeline. I hated them both like poison, parading
their feelings for each other for all of us to see. But most of all I hated
her. Emmeline Montacute. She could have had any man she wanted and she’d chosen
mine.’

Vera
laughed, a shrill little laugh that made the others feel uneasy.         

‘Do you
remember, Rose, how concerned you were about me? Do you remember what I said?
You were afraid they’d overhear.’

‘Vera …’

‘Go on
Miss Brewster. What did you say to Miss Simpson?’

 ‘I said
how much I hated them and I wished they were dead.’

‘Did you
indeed?’

‘I’m
afraid I’ve shocked you, Inspector. But that isn’t the worst of it. There’s
more – ’

‘Vera!’

‘Miss
Simpson! Will you please stop interrupting? If you can’t keep quiet, I shall
ask you to leave.’    

‘I’m
worried about Miss Brewster, Inspector. Vera, have you been drinking?’

‘A little
bit … yes. But I’m quite all right, Rose. I want to tell the Inspector
everything. You heard him, Rose. He wants me to. He doesn’t want me to withhold
anything.’

‘Inspector.
I don’t think Miss Brewster is feeling quite well.’

‘I’ve
only a few more questions to ask her, Miss Simpson, and then she can go.’

‘Miss
Brewster, Dr Harrison told us that before you retired for the night he asked
you to meet him in the library as he had something important to say to you.’

‘Yes. He
broke off our engagement, if that’s what you’re referring to?’

‘I am.’

‘He just
announced it. As if … as if it didn’t matter. And then he just walked out of
the room. He didn’t wait to hear what I had to say. He didn’t … make certain I
was all right. He … he knew how much I loved him. He knew. And he didn’t care!’
Vera’s voice had risen and now she was crying, tears falling freely down her
cheeks.

‘Inspector,
please.’

‘All
right, Miss Simpson. I only have one more question to ask Miss Brewster. Then
she can go.’

The inspector
turned his attention to Vera. He withdrew from his pocket a handkerchief, which
he passed to her. ‘There, miss. Use mine.’

Vera took
it and dabbed at her eyes clumsily.

‘Now, I
want to show you something, Miss Brewster. I want to know whether you recognise
the handwriting on this piece of paper here.’ He took a scrap of paper from the
desk in front of him and handed it to Vera, who looked at it in surprise.

‘“Meet me
in the middle of the maze at a quarter to six tomorrow morning,”’ read Vera. ‘“I
enclose a copy of the plan with this note. Go out by way of the French windows
in the study. They are bolted but not locked. Don’t be late. I have something
of the utmost importance to tell you.”’

‘You read
that very well, Miss Brewster. You obviously didn’t have any difficulty reading
the handwriting. It’s signed at the bottom. Can you see? What does it say?’

‘“T. E. H,”’
read Vera, again with no hesitation.

‘Do you
recognise those initials, Miss Brewster?’

‘Yes,
they’re Theo’s. Where did you find this note, Inspector?’

‘Never
you mind about that for the present, miss. Now, do you recognise the
handwriting?’

‘Yes.’

Rose saw
the inspector sit up in his chair and Sergeant Lane put down his pencil and
lean forward. There was a silence in the room full of anticipation. Rose
wondered whether Vera was aware that the two policemen were hanging on her
words.

‘Whose
handwriting is it, miss?’

‘Mine,’
said Vera. ‘I wrote this note, Inspector.’

Rose
heard Sergeant Lane drop his pencil.

‘You
did?’ exclaimed the sergeant. ‘You wrote that note, Miss Brewster?’

‘Yes … yes,
I did.’ Vera looked around rather wildly. ‘Oh, it’s you talking, is it, Sergeant?
I’d forgotten you were there.’ She returned her attention to the inspector. ‘I
thought she would have destroyed it. Silly girl. Where did you find it, Inspector?’

‘Inside
the dead woman’s glove,’ answered Inspector Bramwell. ‘Tell me. If, as you say,
you wrote it, why did you put Dr Harrison’s initials at the end of this note?’

‘I would
have thought that was obvious, Inspector. I wanted Emmeline to think the note
was from Theo. She wouldn’t have gone to the maze otherwise, would she?’

 ‘Miss
Brewster. I should warn you that if you’re trying to protect Dr – ’

‘I’m not,
Inspector. I wrote that note. You have my word.’

‘I think
it would be as well to start at the beginning, Miss Brewster,’ Inspector
Bramwell said gravely. ‘Do you wish to have a solicitor present?’

‘No, why
would I?’

‘Vera, I
think it would be a good idea.’

‘It’s all
right, Rose. I want to tell them everything. I want to tell them what I did.’
She stared at the inspector. ‘I suppose the idea came to me after Theo left me
alone in the library. I couldn’t believe what he’d said or the awful way he had
gone about breaking off our engagement. So cruel. Not like him at all.’

Vera
pulled at the handkerchief, still clutched in her hand.

‘I have
been in love with Theo for such a long time, Inspector. I worshiped him. I
always knew that I would make him rather a plain, dull little wife. But he
needed that, Inspector. Someone like me who was happy to fade into the
background and adore him. Someone who could help him stand in the light. Someone
– ’

‘Vera …’

‘Oh … I
am going on rather, aren’t I, Rose? You are quite right to stop me. What I am
trying to say is that I knew I’d make Theo a much better wife than
she
ever could. You never met Emmeline Montacute, Inspector. She was silly and
vain. She would never have done for Theo. Don’t you see? I was thinking of him
all the time. What I did, I did for Theo, not me.’

‘It must all
have been very upsetting for you,’ said the inspector.  

‘It was.
I was devastated. I think I must have sat there for quite a long time, trying
to take it all in. A full quarter of an hour, I should imagine. I was trying to
think what to do.’

Vera
looked up and fixed the policeman with eyes that were bright with emotion.

‘Perhaps
I should say at this point, Inspector, that I had no intention of giving Theo
up. I knew that it was just an infatuation. I knew it would all blow over when
Theo came to his senses. But I couldn’t wait for that to happen. He might have done
something very stupid that he would have lived to regret. He might have run
away and married the girl.’

Vera rose
from her seat and wandered around the room restlessly, every now and then
stopping to examine a picture or an ornament, once even looking in a mirror and
patting her hair into place.

‘It was
no good my trying to reason with Theo, not the sort of mood he was in. But it
did occur to me that I could speak to Emmeline. I suppose I should have waited
until morning, but I didn’t want Theo to see her first. I was afraid about what
he might do. Propose to the girl or something awful like that. Of course it was
far too late for me to go and tap on her bedroom door and ask to speak to her.
And for another thing, I didn’t want any of the others to know. For all I knew
Jemima or a maid might still be in with her, helping her to undress. And
besides, I was afraid it might wake up the others. I didn’t want that. Theo
would have been furious.’

‘It was
then that the idea came to you to write that note?’

‘Yes, Inspector.
I was sitting in the library as you know. Seeing so many old books around me reminded
me of the one Lord Belvedere had brought into the drawing room earlier that
evening to show us the plan of the maze. Emmeline had been very taken with the
idea of the maze. And of course Lavinia had told us that silly tale about the
maid who had gone out there to meet her lover. Really, I don’t think there’s
any truth in it, but it did give me an idea.’

‘To write
this note and sign it with Dr Harrison’s initials?’

‘Yes. I
thought the idea of a romantic assignation would appeal to Emmeline very much.
Besides, she would never have gone to meet me in the maze. I had to be sure
that she’d go.’

‘This
note refers to a plan of the maze. Did you enclose one with it?’

‘Yes, I
made a rough copy of the one from Cedric’s book.’ Vera blushed. ‘I’m afraid I’d
had one or two more drinks than I ought, and went a little wrong in one place.’

‘What did
you do then?’

‘I waited
in the library. I’d gone to the drawing room to get the book. But I went back
to the library to sketch the plan. You see, I knew there’d be notepaper and
envelopes there.  I waited until I was quite sure that everyone had gone to
bed, even the servants. And then I slipped the envelope underneath Emmeline’s
door. I risked giving it a little tap. You see, I was afraid that she might be
asleep and not see the note until the morning.

‘And what
did you do then?’

‘I went
back to my own room and waited. I remember being rather pleased to see that it
was a full moon. It appeared to be pitch black and yet one could see a little.
Does that make any sense, Inspector?’

‘Go on
please, Miss Brewster.’

‘Well, of
course, I didn’t even try to get some sleep. I have a straight backed chair in
my room, and I sat in that and watched the clock. It seemed to take forever for
the hours to go by. I think I counted every minute. I can’t tell you what a
relief it was for me when the time came to set off for the maze.’

‘I
suppose,’ said Inspector Bramwell, ‘that you had no idea at this point whether
Miss Montacute had seen your note or not?’

‘None
whatsoever, Inspector. I’d pushed the note right under her door so I didn’t
know whether Emmeline had picked it up or not. I could only hope that she had.
Anyway … where was I? I do wish you’d stop interrupting me, Inspector. You’re
making me lose my train of thought. I set off for the maze – ’

‘Vera.
I’m sorry to interrupt you,’ said Rose, ‘but I’d like to ask you just one
question.’

‘Miss
Simpson!’

‘I’m
sorry, Inspector. But it’s important. Vera. Listen to me. Before you set off
for the maze, did you go into the dining room and pick up one of the
candlesticks from the sideboard?’

‘Well, of
course I didn’t. Why would I have done that? You do say the silliest things, Rose.
I say, Inspector, do you think I might have a little drink?’

‘I think
not, Miss Brewster, unless of course you’d like a glass of water?’

‘No, I
wouldn’t. Very well. Let’s see where was I? Ah … yes. I arrived at the maze and
went to the middle. Of course I was early for our
rendezvous
, but
I
still had a jolly long time to wait for Emmeline to arrive. I was beginning to
think she hadn’t spotted my note after all, and was considering heading back
when she came stumbling into the middle of the maze.’

The room
was quiet save for the ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece. Rose watched
the inspector lean forward in his chair and grip the side of the desk. She
imagined he would have liked nothing better than to utter some words of
encouragement to prompt Vera to go on with her account.

‘I
remember her words,’ Vera said, very quietly. ‘Or at least I think I do. For
some reason they’ve got stuck in my head. She said: “Darling, you silly thing.
You made a mistake on your plan. You missed a bit. It took me ever such a long
time to work out what you’d done. But I’m here now. Don’t you think I was very
brave coming out in the dark? I almost didn’t. But it was very romantic of you
to suggest …” And then her voice trailed off. You see, she’d just realised it
was me not Theo.’

‘Vera, I
really think …’

‘She was
ever so shocked at first by the deception. And then she was very angry. I tried
to explain why I’d done it. I told her how much I loved Theo. How I couldn’t
live without him. I told her how selfish she was being playing with our lives.
I said that I didn’t believe she cared anything for him.’

Vera
walked back to her seat, and sat down heavily.

‘She
calmed down then. She told me that she was sorry. She said she knew they had
behaved badly, but that she loved Theo and that if he were to ask her to marry
him, she would. She looked at me as if she pitied me and I hated her even more.
I screamed at her, Inspector. I told her Mr Montacute would never agree to such
a match. She said she thought he would because her happiness meant everything
to him and that she could never be happy unless she was with Theo.’

‘What
happened then, Miss Brewster?’

‘I struck
her.’

‘With the
candlestick?’ enquired the inspector.

‘No, I’ve
told you already I didn’t take a candlestick with me. There was no candlestick
there. Why would there have been?’

‘Vera,
what do you mean when you say you struck Emmeline?’ Rose asked quickly.

‘I
slapped her hard across the face. She was very shocked, I remember that. And
then I did something awful, Rose.’

‘What did
you do, Miss Brewster?’ demanded the inspector.

‘She was still
holding my plan in her hand and I snatched it from her. I was so angry, you
see. I snatched it from her and ran out of the maze. I have never run so fast.
I wanted to make sure she couldn’t follow me out.’ Vera clutched at Rose’s hand
and gave her a look of desperation. ‘Don’t you see how wicked I was, Rose? I
knew she’d get lost trying to get out of the maze. And I just left her there.’

‘Well,
what do you make of all that, Sergeant?’ asked the inspector as soon as Vera
and Rose had left the room. ‘I don’t know whether the woman’s very clever or
very stupid.’

‘Or very
batty or quite drunk,’ suggested the sergeant.

‘Happen
she’s all four. I can’t make her out at all. One thing’s for sure, though, she
seems to love that doctor fellow almost to distraction. Having said that, one
minute she appears to want to forgive him and the next she hates him. And I’m
not altogether sure that story of hers isn’t made up in some pathetic attempt
to protect him.’

‘Well,
sir, all I can say is I’m not surprised Dr Harrison gave her the old heave-ho. I
found her rather frightening, so I did. And I wouldn’t put it past her to have gone
back into the maze later with the candlestick to finish the poor girl off. It
seems to me it’s just the sort of thing she’d do. I could see her coming back
to the house, having a couple more drinks, and then going back to the maze,
couldn’t you? She knew the girl was there, after all. The murderer would have
to have known that, wouldn’t they? They’d have to have known that Miss
Montacute was in the maze.’

As soon
as they came out of the study, Vera said: ‘I think I’ll go and have a little
lie down.’

‘I
think,’ said Rose, ‘that would be a jolly good idea. But, before you go
upstairs, I’d like to ask you one more question.’

‘Haven’t
I answered enough questions in there?’ Vera pointed towards the closed study
door. ‘I seem to have done nothing but talk and talk.’

Vera’s
mood had become petulant. She was behaving, Rose thought, like a tired child. It
occurred to her that the interview had taken a great deal out of the woman and
that, coupled with her somewhat inebriated state, meant Vera would soon be
asleep.

‘It’s
just one question. What did you do with the plan?’

‘The
plan? What plan?’ Vera asked vaguely. In her mind’s eye she was already
upstairs, asleep in her bed.

‘Oh,
Vera. Do try and concentrate. The plan of the maze, of course. What did you
think I meant? You said you snatched it out of Emmeline’s hand and ran out of
the maze with it. What did you do with the plan? Have you still got it?’

‘No. I
think I threw it away,’ said Vera slowly. ‘As soon as I got out of the maze I
think I screwed it up in my hand and threw it away. It’s probably on the ground
somewhere.’

‘Good lord!’
said Cedric, as soon as Rose had recounted to him the salient points of Vera’s
interview with the policemen. ‘What an absolutely rotten thing to do. I half wish
I hadn’t said anything to Theo now. I take it that Harrison breaking off their
engagement was the last straw and was what sent her over the edge?’

‘It
probably was. And it’s my fault, not yours. After all, I told you to have a
word with Theo.’

‘I should
have said something to him much earlier. I only hope that’s all Vera did. Leave
Emmeline in the maze, I mean.’

By common
accord they went into the library, having become thoroughly bored with both the
drawing room and the dining room and the company within them. To their relief,
the library was empty and they seated themselves comfortably side by side on a
great leather Chesterfield sofa. Rose sank back into the seat and leaned her
head comfortably on Cedric’s shoulder. They sat there curled up beside one
another, holding hands in companionable silence. Death seemed far away.