Daisy was unable to deny this assertion. “I daresay. How is Violet?”
“As well as can be expected. She was always delicate, not a hoyden like you. It’s a relief not to have that noisy boy of hers about the house. I suppose I must thank Geraldine for taking him off our hands. I have been considering…” She paused.
“Oh?” Daisy said cautiously.
“Of all the unsuitable candidates, the jeweller is clearly the least unsuitable, the most accustomed to dealing with people of our class. This Pearson person must hurry up and confirm that he—”
“Mother, I’m sorry to have to tell you…” Daisy hesitated. Would Alec be furious? But the news was undoubtedly spreading by now and she couldn’t let her mother continue in her misconception. “Cousin Raymond died today.”
“Well, really! How inconvenient! Very inconsiderate of him to put himself in contention if he was on the point of expiring.”
“Your time is about to expire, caller,” said the operator, apropos. “Do you want another three minutes?”
“Yes, of course,” snapped the dowager. “I am not yet in want of twopence to speak to my daughter. Where were we?”
“I’m sure Raymond didn’t expect to die. He would hardly have undertaken the long sea voyage from South Africa had he known.”
“People take cruises in the hope of a cure, Daisy. Surely even you are aware of that. Or possibly he wanted to consult a Harley Street medical expert in his condition. I daresay colonial doctors are all very well in their way, but they can hardly compare with the best specialists in the world. I take it Edgar will cancel his birthday party. The man was a relative, after all. Of sorts. And that reminds me, I’m told Alec’s little girl fell off a donkey at the fair.”
“Belinda’s just a bit bruised, Mother, but thank you for enquiring.”
“I wasn’t enquiring. I know she wasn’t badly hurt because I’ve seen her with that mongrel of hers and Derek and the black child, who I’m quite certain cannot possibly be a legitimate Dalrymple, playing at Red Indians in the park.”
“Red Indians!”
“Or some similar game. They appeared to be sneaking after the black child’s—”
“Ben. Benjamin. His guardian?”
“So I believe. He was introduced as Frank Crowley, if I remember correctly, at that appalling Sunday lunch party of Geraldine’s. I could have told them where the fellow was heading. The Wedge and Beetle, playing darts in the public bar.”
“Good heavens, Mother, did you see him there?”
An outraged silence was followed by the click of the dowager hanging up.
TWENTY-SEVEN
“I shouldn’t have done it,” said Daisy, “but honestly … I plead provocation. I’ll get what-for next time I talk to her.”
“She always gives you what-for, love, with or without cause, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”
They were in their bedroom preparing for dinner. Powdering her nose, Daisy said meditatively, “Darts. Could you kill someone with a dart, darling?”
“I doubt it. Theoretically it’s possible, I imagine, but barring an unknown and instantly deadly poison of Amazonian origin, unlikely. The point is too short and narrow to do much damage.”
“Trinidad is near the coast of South America.”
“If someone dies of an unknown and instantly deadly Amazonian poison, I shall arrest Frank at once.”
Daisy laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Mother considers frequenting the public bar to be an indictable offence for a guest at Fairacres. And she considers me criminally negligent for letting Bel run loose with the boys.”
“Red Indians sounds quite harmless.”
“Bows and arrows,” she said darkly. “They learnt to use them at the fair. Gervaise used to mess about with archery. His bow and arrows are bound to be in the attics or hidden away in a cupboard somewhere. If the kids ferreted them out, the murderer could get hold of them.”
“If there is a murderer. What did you think of Sam?”
“I like him. You don’t need to tell me that doesn’t mean anything. But I do find it difficult to see how he could be responsible for Raymond’s fall when he’d only just arrived in Worcester, even if he’d actually been in England for ages.”
“It would be a whopping coincidence,” Alec conceded. “The diamonds are still in the running for a motive in that affair.”
“If he was in England: Vincent’s fall, possible; Belinda’s fall, possible; Ben’s, no, but Martha could have done that. It would explain why the butterfly net was placed near the bottom of the stairs. She might conceivably obey Sam’s instructions up to a point. I can’t see her willing to harm anyone seriously.”