Envious Casca Read online

  ‘Let me point out to you that there is no fire in this room, and that you could both discuss me in greater comfort elsewhere!’ snapped Stephen.

  Mrs Dean’s eyes might acquire a steely look, but her smile remained. She said: ‘You conceited boy, to think I should waste my time discussing you! I have much more important things to do! Indeed, I must unpack the few bits and pieces I brought with me, and just tidy myself a little after the journey.’

  Joseph at once offered to escort her to her room, and led her away before Stephen could say something even more outrageous. In the hall, Valerie, now clad in the navy-blue suit which her mother thought more proper to the occasion than primrose-yellow, was flirting mildly with Roydon. As Roydon’s mind was preoccupied with the possible consequences of Nathaniel’s murder, the flirtation was a desultory affair, but the sight of her daughter, tête-à-tête with a young man whom one glance assured her was ineligible, made Mrs Dean intervene at once. She said that she wanted her girlie to come up and help her to unpack.

  ‘Oh, Mummy, why on earth?’ said Valerie petulantly. ‘The housemaid will do all that.’

  ‘No, my pet; you know Mummy never likes the servants to meddle with her things,’ said Mrs Dean. ‘Come along!’

  ‘Oh, all right!’ said Valerie sulkily. ‘See you later, Willoughby!’

  Once in the seclusion of the Blue Room, which was a spacious if somewhat sombre apartment over the library, Mrs Dean wasted no time in beating about the bush, but asked abruptly: ‘Who is that young man, Val?’

  ‘Willoughby? He’s a playwright. He’s written the most marvellous play called Wormwood. He read it to us yesterday.’

  ‘I’ve never heard of him,’ said Mrs Dean.

  ‘Well, he hasn’t actually had anything put on yet, but

  he’s frightfully brilliant, and I expect Wormwood will run for simply years!’

  ‘I’m sure I hope it may,’ responded Mrs Dean. ‘But you know you can’t afford to waste your time on penniless young writers, my pet, and I didn’t quite like to see you being so friendly with him.’

  ‘Oh, Mummy, what absolute rot! As though I couldn’t be friends with other men just because I’m engaged!’

  ‘You must let Mother know best, my pet. You don’t want to make Stephen jealous, now, do you?’

  ‘I don’t care,’ said Valerie sullenly. ‘Besides, I don’t believe he would be. He simply pays no attention to me. The only person he’s more or less decent to is that sickening Clare-woman. And she isn’t even moderately good-looking, Mummy!’

  ‘Is she the one who went off to church with Mrs Herriard? Such manners! I wonder what Mrs Herriard was before she was married? I’m sure my little girl has nothing to fear from anyone as plain as Miss Clare. You mustn’t be silly, childie. I can see it’s high time Mother came to keep an eye on you. I’ve no doubt you’ve been getting on the wrong side of Stephen. He isn’t the sort you can play tricks with.’

  ‘Well, if it wasn’t for being frightfully rich, I don’t think I would marry Stephen,’ said Valerie, in a burst of frankness.

  ‘Hush, dear! I suppose there’s no doubt that Stephen will inherit all this?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know, except that Uncle Joe practically told me he would! Only I simply couldn’t live here all the year round, Mummy: I should go mad!’

  ‘Time enough to think of that later.’ Mrs Dean glanced round the room. ‘His uncle must have been worth a fortune. You don’t run a place like this on twopence-ha’penny a year. But I don’t like the sound of this murder, Val. Of course, we don’t know, and very likely everything will turn out satisfactorily, but I couldn’t let my girlie marry a murderer.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be able to, would I?’ asked Valerie, opening her lovely eyes very wide.

  ‘Of course not, my pet, but it was the engagement I was thinking of. Only one doesn’t wish to do anything in haste. Mother has to think of Mavis too, you know.’

  ‘I don’t see what Mavis has got to do with my marrying Stephen.’

  ‘Now, don’t be silly, childie!’ said Mrs Dean, somewhat tartly. ‘Heaven knows it isn’t easy to find an eligible husband for one daughter, let alone two! Your meeting Stephen at the Crewes’ was a piece of very good luck – not that I would want either of my chicks to marry without love, naturally – and young men who are heirs to fortunes don’t crop up every day of the week by any means. We shall just have to wait.’

  ‘I don’t believe Stephen ever would have proposed to me if you hadn’t sort of made him,’ said Valerie discontentedly. ‘In fact, in a way I rather wish he hadn’t.’

  ‘You know Mother doesn’t like her girlies to talk in that vulgar way. And she doesn’t like to see that sulky look, either. You must just trust her to do what’s best, and be your own bright self, my pet.’

  ‘I don’t see how anyone could possibly be bright in this house. It’s a ghastly place. Paula says it’s evil.’

  ‘Nonsense!’ said Mrs Dean. ‘Now, run along, and don’t let Mother hear any more of that kind of rubbish!’

  Valerie departed with something very like a flounce, but reappeared a minute later with whitened cheeks, and quickened breath. ‘Mummy!’ she gasped. ‘The most frightful thing! Someone has arrived! Two of them! I saw them from the top of the stairs!’

  ‘Good gracious, Val, why shouldn’t people arrive? Who are they?’

  ‘It’s an Inspector from Scotland Yard! I heard him say so to Sturry! Oh, Mummy, can’t we go home? Can’t you get me out of this?’

  ‘Come inside, and shut the door!’ commanded Mrs Dean. ‘Now, just you drink this glass of water, and stop being silly! I’m not at all surprised that Scotland Yard has been called in. There’s nothing for you to worry about. No one thinks you had anything to do with the murder.’

  ‘Yes, they do, because of that foul cigarette-case!’

  ‘What cigarette-case?’

  ‘Stephen’s. He sort of threw it to me in the drawingroom, and later it was found in Mr Herriard’s bedroom. But I never put it there!’

  ‘Of course you didn’t, and the police will realise that just as Mother does. You must just tell them all you know, and stop worrying. Remember, Mother is here to take care of you!’

  ‘I know I shall die if I have to answer any more questions! That policeman yesterday was utterly brutal, and this one’s bound to be worse!’ said Valerie fatalistically.

  Her bugbear, at this moment, was taking stock of Joseph and of Stephen, both of whom had emerged from the billiard-room to receive him. Joseph had a piece of tinsel in his hand, and explained that he was engaged in dismantling the Christmas tree. ‘We have no heart for it now!’ he said.

  ‘You ought to send it to your local hospital,’ said Hemingway helpfully. ‘They’d very likely be glad of it.’

  ‘There!’ cried Joseph. ‘Why didn’t I think of that? It’s just what my brother would have wished, too! It shall be done! What say you, Stephen?’

  ‘Do what you like with the damned thing!’ said Stephen shortly.

  The Inspector looked at him with quick interest. ‘Mr Stephen Herriard?’ he asked.

  Stephen nodded. ‘Yes. What do you want to do? Visit the scene of the crime, or interrogate us all again?’

  ‘If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d like to visit the scene of the crime first. Perhaps you’d take me up? I understand it was you who discovered Mr Herriard’s body?’

  ‘Go with my uncle,’ said Stephen. ‘He discovered it too, and can tell you quite as much as I can.’

  ‘Stephen!’ begged Joseph.

  ‘Oh, that’s all right with me, sir!’ said Hemingway cheerfully. ‘Very understandable that the gentleman shouldn’t wish to go into the room again.’

  Joseph sighed. ‘Very well, Inspector, I’ll take you.’

  Joseph followed him to the staircase. He cast a knowledgeable eye over this noble erection, and remarked that he didn’t know when he’d seen a finer one.

  ‘No; it is supposed to be a perfect example o