âCecile will be a gold mine for you.' Shamelessly, Evangeline had thrown Dame Cecile to the slavering wolves. Or, in this case, the thrilled, quivering-with-anticipation Jocasta. âJust bring along your notebook. She's overflowing with gourmet recipes, theatrical anecdotes and all sorts of culinary hints. All on her own, she'll make your book a bestseller ⦠. Just give me a hand with these cases, will you, dear?'
The terraces of white wedding cake Regency houses curved along streets sloping gently towards the vast grey-blue expanse of the water below. Even though it was a grey day, the glistening white stucco brightened and cheered it.
âTurn here,' Evangeline directed and Jocasta swung the car into a street lined with larger houses, one of which looked familiar.
While I concentrated on getting Cho-Cho's carrier out of the car without jarring her too much, Evangeline soared up the steps to the front door, leaving Jocasta to struggle with the luggage all by herself. No surprise there.
The door opened before we could ring the bell and Soroya stood glaring at us. Especially me.
âAbout time you brought her back!' She snatched at the carrier, sending Cho-Cho tumbling against the wires with an indignant squawk. âHow dare you go off with my cat like that? I ought to report you to the police!'
âPlease, Soroya.' Matilda's weary voice came from
behind. âI told you. I asked Trixie to take the cat out of the way until Cecile had time to calm down.'
âI don't know why you want to have her staying here. I should think you get enough of her at the theatre. It's a rod for your own back.'
Evangeline snorted. When it came to rods, Dame Cecile was the least of them.
âTrixie and Evangeline are going to be staying here for a few days, too.' There was a trace of relish in Matilda's voice as she broke the news.
Soroya opened her mouth, obviously to protest, but noticed the steely glint in Matilda's eyes and shut it again.
âI'll just take the cat up to my room.' She gave me a hostile look. âWhere no one can get at it again.'
âPlease do,' Matilda said. âAnd keep it out of Cecile's sight. I don't think she's ready to cope with it yet.'
âStill upset, is she?' Evangeline asked heartlessly. After all, Fleur had been with Dame Cecile longer than any of her husbands had.
âPlaying it to the hilt.' Matilda shrugged. âShe's taken to going out in the wee hours of the morning and wandering the streets in that black outfit. I wouldn't mind, but she leaves the front door unlocked so that she can get back in. I've had to give her a key â and a good talking-to â but I'm not sure it's worked. The door was on the latch again this morning when I got up.'
Cho-Cho gave a piteous
Meewrrr
and cast me an anguished look as Soroya carried her up the stairs, tilting her cage again and buffeting her against the sides.
âBe careful!' I started forward, hands outstretched to steady the carrier.
âDon't tell
me
how to handle my cat!' Soroya yanked it away, sending Cho-Cho sprawling sideways.
Yeoowrr!
This time Cho-Cho's protest was louder and growing angry. She was not accustomed to this treatment â another reason to doubt Soroya's claim that the cat was hers.
âDo be quiet!' Matilda looked nervously towards the top of the stairs. âYou'll disturb Cecile and she'll have another fit if she sees that cat.'
âYour friend Cecile did not return to the house until just before dawn this morning,' Soroya informed her frostily. âShe'll sleep for hours yet. You'll be lucky if she makes the rehearsal this afternoon.' Soroya flounced up the stairs, jouncing Cho-Cho on every step.
A loud thump at the front door startled us all. It sounded as though something had been thrown against it. Matilda crossed the hall swiftly and looked through the small window panel.
âYou have some luggage?' she asked.
âGood heavens, Jocasta!' I rushed to open the door. âI'd forgotten all about her.'
âShe must be used to that,' Evangeline murmured.
âI'm so sorry, I stumbled,' Jocasta gasped. âI hope it hasn't scratched the paint.' We both looked at the oversized suitcase leaning drunkenly against the door. Neither of us quite dared to look at the paint.
âNo, no, it's all right,' Matilda reassured her, then frowned uneasily. âEr ⦠are you staying here, too?'
âOh, no. I just drove them down.' Jocasta resumed her struggle with the cases, heaving them one by one into the hall. âI'll be going back to London soon. But first, Miss Sinclair promised me that Dame Cecile â¦' She looked around hopefully.
âAll in good time.' Evangeline avoided her eyes. âNow, if you'll just take these cases upstairs, Matilda will show you where to put them.'
âOh ⦠yes ⦠of course.' Jocasta looked despairingly at the pile of luggage and the stairs.
âI'll take my own.' I felt guilty about the grateful smile Jocasta gave me, my case was the smallest of the lot.
âThis way.' Matilda gamely picked up the next-smallest of the remaining cases, staggering slightly under its weight. I thought I heard a muffled clank from it. I shot
Evangeline a sharp look, but she still wasn't meeting anyone's eyes.
âSo kind â¦' she said vaguely, drifting towards the drawing room with an abstracted air. âIf you'll excuse me ⦠I'll just â¦' She wafted out of sight. â ⦠urgent telephone call â¦'
The fact that it was true didn't make me any less annoyed. I tightened my lips and hoped that Superintendent Thursby would not make it easy for her, then followed Matilda up the stairs and down the long hallway, wondering which door Cho-Cho had disappeared behind.
âI thought you might like this room.' Matilda swung open a door. âIt's small, but it has a sea view. Well, actually, it's the English Channel, but it's part of the sea.'
âIt's lovely!' It was a jewel box of a room. Small, yes, but light and airy, with a tiny white-painted wrought-iron balcony outside the window, flower-sprigged drapes and bedspread, even a curved recess holding display shelves built into one corner, the curved background painted a delicate shell pink. Fresh flowers stood in cut-glass vases on the dresser and the bedside table. The blue-grey stretch of water cresting the horizon outside was a bonus that would pay dividends on a sunny day.
âLovely â¦' A wistful echo came from the doorway, where Jocasta looked longingly into the room.
âEvangeline's room is opposite, across the hall, you can see it if you come this way.' Matilda threw open a door and apologized. âYou'll have to share a bathroom, I'm afraid. This establishment doesn't run to separate en-suites.'
âWhy should it? It isn't a hotel.' I stepped into a spacious bathroom which had obviously once been another full-sized room connecting the two end-of-corridor rooms and was promptly lost in the nostalgia it evoked. It brought back memories of my first trip to Europe on one of the old liners. Back in the days when âJet Set' had been the newly minted description to denote the height of luxury and ocean liners were the old hat, bog standard way of travelling. In those days each third-class cabin had housed four
passengers, two up and two down, so eight of us shared the bathroom between every two cabins and, sure as fate, someone always forgot to unlock the door to the opposite cabin when they had finished, so someone else was always hammering on the door, trying to make themselves heard in the cabin on the other side of the bathroom.
âIt's all right, so long as you remember to unlatch the other door when you're through,' Matilda said, as though reading my mind. Or perhaps from long experience.
âThat won't be a problem,' I said truthfully. Evangeline was highly unlikely to even notice the latch on the opposite door and I wasn't bothered, either. In fact, in view of the delicate negotiation we might be entering into to effect Eddie's release, it would be quite convenient to be able to consult with each other without the rest of the household knowing.
âGood.' Matilda turned away briskly. âI'll just see to a few other things, then. Cecile really ought to be stirring, if she wants to get to rehearsal on time.'
âI won't disturb you,' Jocasta told me earnestly. âI'll bring Miss Sinclair's things in through the hall door. Why don't you lie down and have a rest? It was a long drive down.'
She looked as though she were the one in need of a rest; she had done the driving. I smiled agreement and closed my door firmly, then went over to the window to enjoy the view.
It took Jocasta three trips to cart all of Evangeline's luggage up into her room. Cravenly, I kept out of the way, enjoying the panorama of coastal shipping along the Channel. So timeless, so peaceful, so â
âThere you are, you wretched creature! Where have you been?' The explosion of Soroya's wrathful tirade banished all thoughts of peace. âYou're late! Days late! Where have you been? If Matilda doesn't report you to your agency, I will! You have no right to treat people like this. You were engaged in good faith and you have betrayed our trust â¦'
Oh, no! I hurried to the door and threw it open. As I had feared, poor Jocasta was quailing against the wall, horrified at being accosted by what seemed to be a madwoman accusing her of she knew not what.
âNo! No! No!' Matilda rushed down the hallway towards us. âShe has nothing to do with the agency. She's with Trixie and Evangeline!'
âThat housekeeper still hasn't turned up?' I deduced, putting an arm around Jocasta's quivering shoulders.
âI've given up hope. What can you do?' Matilda shrugged resignedly. âOne makes all the arrangements. They promise they'll take the job, they even seem enthusiastic. Then they never show up. It happens all the time. But I had such hopes for Mrs Temple; she was older than the usual run of applicants and she seemed so responsible. I thought I could depend on her. But all Australians take these domestic jobs to finance their Grand Tours and I suppose she got a chance to join her friends on an exciting trip and just took off. I wish she'd let me know, though.'
âIrresponsible!' Soroya sniffed. âUtterly, totally irresponsible. Typical. You must phone the agency and demand a replacement â and don't let them charge you another fee, either!'
âSoroya,' Matilda sighed. âThe show is opening on Monday. I don't have time to interview staff.'
âYou needn't concern yourself with that. I can easily take such domestic chores out of your â '
The icy flash in Matilda's eyes stopped her dead.
âThank you, but I shall decide who presides over the housekeeping arrangements in
my
house!'
âThat's all very well,' Soroya ignored her resentment, âbut what are we to do about meals? I'm getting very tired of going out to find a restaurant every time I'm hungry. And you should be, too. It would be far more restful for you to be able to have your meals and relax in the privacy of your own home. Why, there isn't even anything for lunch today â '
âWe can manage,' Matilda said wearily.
âManage! You've invited a whole houseful of people to stay indefinitely â and there isn't even anything in the fridge for lunch!'
âIf it's a question of lunch â ' Jocasta pulled away from my sheltering arm before I could restrain her â âperhaps I could help out. I'm rather good at making something from nothing.'
âYou don't know what you're getting into,' I warned softly. âWhen she says there's nothing in the fridge, she means nothing.'
âThere are plenty of supermarkets around and she has a car.' Soroya bestowed a gracious smile on Jocasta. âSo kind of you, my dear.'
Perhaps. And perhaps there was also an ulterior motive. Dame Cecile had not surfaced yet and Jocasta was, quite rightly, afraid that Evangeline would dismiss her and send her back to London before she had a chance to discover that her prospective gold mine contained only fool's gold.
âI
do
appreciate it.' Matilda smiled gently. âThank you so much.'
âI'll just take a quick look at what you've got and make out a shopping list to supplement it,' Jocasta said confidently, more comfortable now that she had found a role for herself here.
âI'll show you where everything is.' Matilda led the way to the kitchen and I followed in their wake. I figured Jocasta was going to need all the moral support she could get when she saw the state of that fridge. And I was right.
âOh, my!' She went pale as she opened the door and paler still as she scanned the contents. I noticed that there was something that seemed to have grown a beard since I had seen it the other day.
âThe freezer â¦' Jocasta opened the freezer compartment door and slammed it shut again quickly, but not before I had seen what appeared to be an overgrown snowball lurking in the far corner behind a screen of icicles.