Murder at the Spring Ball: A 1920s Mystery by Benedict Brown (simple ebook reader txt) 📕

Marmaduke froze for three whole seconds before reacting. He pulled his arms into his chest and rolled his fingers into fists. “No chance. I’ll leave this minute and spend the rest of my days in the woods if I have to. I’m not going to go anywhere near George, or the police for that matter. Not until the killer’s been found. Your grandfather may have retired, but he still thinks like a bobby. He’d hand me over before I stepped through the door.”

“No, he won’t. I promise. You’ve probably heard the stories about him, but Lord Edgington is different from everyone else.” I thought about these words and realised how true they were. “Over the last month, I’ve come to see that Grandfather is nothing like the man I imagined him to be. He doesn’t judge the world according to preconceived ideas or other people’s expectations. He analyses each new moment based on the evidence before him. I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll listen to what you have to say.”

He shrugged then and I saw a flash of the Marmaduke Adelaide that I’d known from school. “Fine, take me to him. He’s darned ancient, anyway. It’s not as if he can keep me here by force.”

As my former bully and now apparent ally got to his feet, I thought, Well, I wouldn’t be too sure of that, but said nothing more.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Grandfather hadn’t moved a muscle since I’d left him in the library after lunch. He was sitting in the same chair, his hands joined together in front of him and his elbows at right angles. He made no sign of having heard us as I knocked on the door and entered the room.

“Grandfather?” I was worried for a moment that he was-

“What do you mean by coming in here without permission?” He jerked back to life, his face, distorted with rage until he caught sight of me and relented. “Oh, Christopher, it’s you.”

“I’ve brought Marmaduke Adelaide to see you. I thought you’d want to hear what he has to say.”

He sat up in his chair but showed no surprise at the presence of our uninvited guest.

“Indeed. Bring him in.”

Marmaduke skulked along behind me as I made my way deeper into the sanctuary.

“Good evening, Lord Edgington.” He sounded nervous again and I realised that, despite his unparalleled arrogance at school, there were some figures of authority he feared after all.

“Well here we are, boy. What have you got to say for yourself?”

I moved aside and Marmaduke took a step closer to my grandfather. “I’m very sorry to intrude, and for all the trouble I’ve caused. I know I shouldn’t have run away, but my father’s not a big fan of the police and-”

“Let me tell you, Adelaide, the police aren’t too keen on your father either.” Grandfather took a moment to examine the lanky specimen before him. “That being said, I learnt in my career that, sometimes, the apple and the tree are infinitely far apart from one another.”

He glanced at me then with a searching look that I didn’t know how to respond to. Apparently reassured, he turned back to Marmaduke and, in his stentorian voice, intoned, “If you’ve a story to tell me, then you had better begin.”

Marmaduke clutched his hands together and ran through his version of events almost exactly as before. Grandfather fired off questions throughout but, when the boy’s tale was complete, the old man said nothing. He stared at my schoolmate with a perplexed look, as though figuring out a particularly tricky conundrum. I watched from my armchair as Adelaide stayed right where he was, awaiting his judgement.

“Very good, Marmaduke,” was Grandfather’s appraisal when it came. “I’ll ring for Todd to take you home.”

My schoolmate’s face fell even further, and I thought he might turn and bolt. Perhaps predicting what the boy was thinking, the old policeman spoke again. “But do not worry. I will explain what happened to the police and your father too if necessary.”

He surged to his feet and over to a panel by the door with various buttons on. Normally, Fellowes would have acted as an intermediary between any lower staff members, but there was no other option and so Grandfather rang the garage directly.

A few minutes later, the dashing chauffeur appeared in his usual green livery, with a smudge of grease on one cheek and the smell of beeswax about him. Grandfather issued his commands and Marmaduke turned to leave.

“Wait one minute.” The old man held his right hand up like he was swearing on a bible. “I need you to pass on a message to your father; he’ll remember me.”

“What is it?” Marmaduke replied, with a hint of his usual insolence.

“Tell him that, if he had anything to do with the murders here this weekend, I will find out and there will be nothing he can do to stop me exacting recompense.”

Even at seventy-five, my grandfather could strike fear into people and Marmaduke swallowed hard. His face blanching a little, he still had something to say to me before he left.

“I’m sorry about the black eye, Chrissy. You know I only wanted to be invited to your party.” Before I could reply, he spun on his heel and hurried out after Todd.

When we were alone once more, Grandfather started pacing the diagonal of the room to have the most space possible. I could tell he didn’t want me to interrupt, but if I was to be his assistant, I felt it only fair that I knew what he was thinking.

“Doesn’t this prove that you underestimated George?”

He stopped and looked offended. “Not at all, I have never over or underestimated another person in my life.” Clearly, this statement needed qualifying. “It merely surprises me that, if what your friend says is true – and we have no reason to believe otherwise – George is not the man I took him to be.”

I considered for a