‘I understand that your families have had a very long relationship,’ Banks said. ‘And, believe me, I really haven’t been spying on you, and I wouldn’t want you to betray any confidences in any way. I just got the impression that you were perhaps as concerned about Lady Chalmers as you were angry at my reappearance.’
‘Any anger was because of the upset it caused. I mean, it wasn’t you. And that man Nathan. I don’t like him.’
Like a fool, Banks asked why, and the look she gave him told him everything he needed to know about Nathan. It should have been obvious: Oriana was young and beautiful; Nathan was young and full of himself. Blushing a little at his lack of insight, he picked up his wine glass. They clinked and made a quick toast, then he moved on.
‘And Anthony Litton?’
‘Oh, Tony’s all right, I suppose,’ she said. ‘I’ve known him for a long time. I don’t think I’m giving away any family secrets when I say I think he’s a bit of a pompous arse, not to mention a bit of a bully. He’s used to giving the orders and getting his own way. But you’d expect that of a Harley Street specialist, wouldn’t you? I’m certainly glad I’m not one of his patients, though I understand he’s a very good doctor.’
‘I gather he’s still practising.’
‘Only part of the time. He keeps his surgery, and he has other doctors who work with him. He goes down to London regularly and, of course, he keeps the most prestigious, wealthy and famous patients for himself.’
Banks laughed. ‘How long have you worked for Lady Chalmers?’
Oriana arched an exquisitely plucked eyebrow. ‘You don’t know? I thought you knew everything about me.’
Banks smiled. ‘I’m sure it’s in the file somewhere.’
‘Just over ten years,’ Oriana answered. ‘Since shortly after I left university.’
‘And you live at Brierley House?’
‘Yes. I didn’t always. I had a flat in York for a while. But I do for the moment. It suits us all very well.’
‘You’re mainly a researcher, am I right?’
‘Yes. I do the research for Ronnie’s books. I enjoy it, and she doesn’t. I also organise her schedule, drive her to book signings and other promotional events. I also accompany her on overseas book tours. Australia. South Africa. The USA. Canada. Also various cities around Europe, places where there are book fairs and festivals and so on. She’s translated into nearly thirty languages, you know.’
‘A busy life. It’s a wonder she gets any time to write.’
‘It can be. But I enjoy it. I find travel very stimulating.’
‘Do you also act as her literary agent?’
‘No. That would be too much. Her agent is in London.’
‘What about the housekeeping?’
Oriana laughed. It was a charming, musical sound. ‘I’m not a housemaid, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ she said. ‘Can you picture me on my knees scrubbing the kitchen floor?’
‘Not exactly, no.’
‘I answer the door if I’m at home and not otherwise occupied. Ronnie doesn’t like to be disturbed when she’s working. It breaks her rhythm. I do some of the cooking because I love to cook. It’s a passion of mine. That’s all. My mother was an excellent cook, and she taught me all she knew.’
‘In Italy?’
‘Yes. In Umbria. You know the region?’
‘Just a little. I’ve been to Perugia, and Assisi. It’s a very beautiful area.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why did your family leave Umbria?’
‘There wasn’t much for them there. My father was not a natural man of the soil, like my grandfather, and he wasn’t interested in winemaking. He tried for some years, when I was still a child, but he wanted a city career, so he came back here to go to university. In Hull. And my mother wanted more from life, too. She had grown up country poor, and she saw her chance, I think, in my father’s connections with England. Also, I think Father had found his roots in Italy, and he decided he preferred the ones he had in England, but in a way my mother never left home. Living in the countryside is very beautiful, and easy to remember through rose-coloured glasses, but it is also very hard work to make ends meet. I was only about six when we came here. I don’t really remember it very well. My father studied hard, and in the end he became a land surveyor, and now he travels all over the place. He’ll be retiring soon. Something he’s not looking forward to. But it’s not me and my family you want to talk about, is it?’
Banks was actually more than happy to sit there and listen to her talk about herself and her life all day, but he realised he should get down to business. Their food appeared. Banks’s steak was perfectly cooked, the frites crisp and skinny. Oriana said her duck was perfect, too.
‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s about Lady Chalmers. I’m sorry that my talks with her seem to have upset the household so much. As you probably know, I’ve been warned off by my bosses, so I’d be grateful if you would keep this little meeting secret.’
‘You want me to keep secrets for you now?’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘A secret tryst? How exciting.’ Then she turned coquettish, casting her eyes down and smiling shyly. ‘But are you sure you can trust me?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Banks. ‘It seems that if I want to know anything more about what’s going on at Brierley, I have no choice.’
‘There’s nothing I can tell you, so I’m afraid there won’t be very much to keep secret.’
‘I’d just rather no one know we’ve met, that’s all.’
‘Including Ronnie?’
‘Not Lady Chalmers so much. I’ll leave that up to you. I’m more worried about Anthony Litton and Ralph Nathan than about her.’
‘In that case, you needn’t worry. I certainly won’t tell either of them.’
They ate in silence for a while. It certainly beat Banks’s usual lunchtime fare at the Queen’s Arms or the Indian takeaways that often passed for dinner, though any meal would have to go a long way to beat the game pie at the Low Moor Inn. Perhaps Oriana would enjoy that, too. What a stupid thought, he realised, and got back to business. ‘Do you know anything about this telephone call I asked Lady Chalmers about?’
‘No. As you know, I was out. I visit my grandfather every Monday. I often come here for lunch afterwards, too. Usually alone. I like to sit and read a book while I eat sometimes.’
‘Me, too,’ said Banks, ‘when I get the chance.’ He paused, trying to find a way of getting around to hinting that Lady Chalmers was lying without offending Oriana. ‘Only, it seems like a long telephone call about something she wasn’t interested in. Does Lady Chalmers often spend a long time talking to strangers on the telephone?’
‘I wouldn’t say that. Ronnie is always polite on the telephone, even to those people who pester her trying to sell things. I tell her she should tell them to go away and hang up, but she tells me they have a job to do, and it’s not her place to be rude to them. What can I say?’
‘You don’t usually answer the telephone for her?’
‘Sometimes I answer it, if she’s busy. Not always.’
‘So you don’t find it odd that she spent seven minutes talking to Gavin Miller?’
‘No, not really. If they were both at the same university, they might have had some memories in common they chatted about. Remembering their professors, other students, funny things that happened. It wouldn’t have to mean they knew each other at the time.’
‘It’s possible, I suppose.’ Banks showed her the two pictures of Gavin Miller, old and new. ‘Do you recognise this man? Have you ever seen him? Has he ever been to Brierley House?’
Oriana squinted as she stared, her dark glossy hair framing her oval face. ‘No,’ she said finally, pushing them back towards Banks. ‘I have never seen him. Is it the person who phoned?’