Inspector Alleyn 3-Book Collection 7: Off With His Head, Singing in the Shrouds, False Scent. Ngaio Marsh
wanted to glower out of the smithy at the county riding by.’
‘In effect. Though it’s not the most attractive way of putting it.’
‘Do you love me, blast you?’
‘Yes,’ Camilla said wildly. ‘I do. So shut up.’
‘Not bloody likely! Camilla, how marvellous! How frightfully, frightfully nice of you to love me. I can’t get over it,’ said Ralph who, from emotion and rapture, had also turned white.
‘But I stick to my point,’ she said. ‘What’s your great-aunt going to say? What’s your father going to think? Ralph, can you look me in the eye and tell me they wouldn’t mind?’
‘If I look you in the eye I shall kiss you.’
‘Ah! You see? You can’t. And now – now when this has happened! There’ll be the most ghastly publicity, won’t there? What about that? What sort of fiancée am I going to be to a rising young county solicitor? Can you see the headlines? “History Repeats Itself!” “Mother ran away from Smithy to marry Baronet!” “Granddaughter of murdered Blacksmith weds Peer’s Grandson!” “Fertility Rite Leads to Engagement” Perhaps – perhaps – “Niece of –” What are you doing?’
Ralph had got up and, with an air of determination, was buttoning his mackintosh. ‘I’m going,’ he said, ‘to send a telegraph to Auntie Times. Engagement announced between –’
‘You’re going to do nothing of the sort.’ They glared at each other. ‘Oh!’ Camilla exclaimed, flapping her hands at him, ‘what am I going to do with you? And how can I feel so happy?’
She made an exasperated noise and bolted into his arms.
Alleyn walked in upon this scene and with an apologetic ejaculation hurriedly walked out again.
Neither Ralph nor Camilla was aware either of his entry or of his withdrawal.
II
When they had left Bailey and Thompson to deal with certain aspects of technical routine in the old coach-house, Alleyn and Fox, taking Carey and Dr Otterly with them, had interviewed the Guiser’s five sons.
They had found them crammed together in a tiny kitchen-living-room in the cottage next door to the coach-house. It was a dark room, its two predominant features being an immense iron range and a table covered with a plush cloth. Seated round this table in attitudes that were somehow on too large a scale for their environment, were the five Andersen sons: Daniel, Andrew, Nathaniel, Christopher and Ernest.
Dr Otterly had knocked and gone in, and the others had followed him. Dan had risen, the others merely scraped their chair legs and settled back again. Carey introduced them.
Alleyn was greatly struck by the close family resemblance among the Andersens. Even the twins were scarcely more like to each other than to the other three brothers. They were all big, sandy, blue-eyed men with fresh colour in their cheeks: heavy and powerful men whose muscles bulged hard under their countrymen’s clothing. Dan’s eyes were red and his hands not perfectly steady. Andy sat with raised brows as if in a state of guarded astonishment. Nat looked bashful and Chris angry. Ernie kept a little apart from his brothers. A faint, foolish smile was on his mouth and he grimaced; not broadly, but with a portentous air as if he was possessed of some hidden advantage.
Alleyn and Fox were given a chair at the table. Carey and Dr Otterly sat on a horsehair sofa against the wall and were thus a little removed from the central party.
Alleyn said: ‘I’m sorry to have to worry you when you’ve already had to take so much, but I’m sure that you’ll all want the circumstances of your father’s death to be cleared up as quickly as possible.’
They made cautious sounds with their throats. He waited, and presently Dan said: ‘Goes without saying, sir. We want to get to the bottom of this. We’m kind of addleheaded and over-set, one way and t’other, and can’t seem to take to any notion.’
‘Look at it how you like,’ Andy said, ‘it’s fair fantastical.’
There was a strong smell of stale tobacco smoke in the room. Alleyn threw his pouch and a packet of cigarettes on the table. ‘Let’s take our pipes to it,’ he said. ‘Help yourselves.’
After a proper show of deprecation they did so: Ernie alone preferred a cigarette and rolled his own. He grimaced over the job, working his mouth and eyebrows. While they were still busy with their pipes and tobacco, Alleyn began to talk to them.
‘Before we can even begin to help,’ he said, ‘we’ll have to get as clear an account of yesterday’s happenings as all of you can give us. Now, Superintendent Carey has already talked to you and he’s given me a damn’ good report on what was said. I just want to take up one or two of his points and see if we can carry them a bit further. Let’s go back, shall we, to yesterday evening. About half an hour before the Dance of the Five Sons was due to start. All right?’
They were lighting their pipes now. They looked up at him guardedly and waited.
‘I understand,’ Alleyn went on, ‘that would be about half past eight. The performers were already at Mardian Castle with the exception of Mr William Andersen himself and his youngest son, Mr Ernest Andersen. That right?’
Silence. Then Dan, who looked like becoming the spokesman, said: ‘Right enough.’
‘Mr William Andersen – may I for distinction use the name by which I’m told he was universally known – the Guiser? That means “The Mummer”, doesn’t it?’
‘Literally,’ Dr Otterly said from the sofa, ‘it means “The Disguised One”.’
‘Lord, yes! Of course. Well, the Guiser, at half past eight, was still down here at the forge. And Mr Ernest Andersen was either here, too, or shortly to return here, because he was to drive his father up to the castle. Stop me if I go wrong.’
Silence.
‘Good. The Guiser was resting in a room that opens off the smithy itself. When did he go there, if you please?’
‘I can answer that one,’ Dr Otterly said. ‘I looked in at midday to see how he was and he wasn’t feeling too good. I told him that, if he wanted to appear at all, he’d have to take the day off – I said I’d come back later on and have another look at him. Unfortunately, I got called out on an urgent case and found myself running late. I dined at the castle and it doesn’t do to be late there. I’d had a word with the boys about the Guiser and arranged to have a look at him when he arrived and –’
‘Yes,’ Alleyn said. ‘Thank you so much. Can we just take it from there. So he rested all day in his room. Any of you go and see how he was getting on?’
‘Not us!’ Chris said. ‘He wouldn’t have nobody anigh him when he was laying-by. Told us all to keep off.’
‘So you went up to the castle without seeing him?’
Dan said: ‘I knocked on the door and says “We’re off then,” and “hoping to see you later,” and Dad sings out “Send Ern back at half-past. I’ll be there.” So we all went up along and Ern drove back at half past like he’d said.’
‘Right.’ Alleyn turned to Ernie and found him leaning back in his chair with his cigarette in his mouth and his hands clasped behind his neck. There was something so strained in this attitude that it suggested a kind of clumsy affectation. ‘Now, will you tell us just what happened when you came back for your father?’
‘A-a-a-aw!’ Ernie drawled, without looking at him. ‘I dunno. Nuthin.”
‘Naow, naow, naow!’ counselled his brothers anxiously.
‘Was he still in his room?’
‘Reckon