Dance to Your Daddy

'Not the newest fashions, obviously,' Laura replied, 'but quite wearable if you shortened the skirts a bit, I suppose. The hats-well, they didn't come out of the ark.'

'You mean that anyone appearing in these garments in public at the present day would not cause hurtful comment?'

'Oh, no, of course not. You'd easily pass in a crowd if you went out in them.'

Dame Beatrice was looking for maker's tabs. There were none, but there was blood on one of the coats.

'Amabel,' she said, 'when you and your sister first came here, the family, I believe you once told me, were not already in the house.'

'That's roight, Dame Beatrice, mum. Our vecar, he come to our cottage and told our mam as he'd had a letter to say Galliard Hall was let at last, and there was a place for two maids, and he was be-en asked ded he know of any loikely young women, so he gev us first go, knowen us respectable, loike, and be-en chrestened in church and all that.'

'Were you out of a job at the time, then?' asked Laura.

'No, but us dedden loike et where us was, and me and Voilert, us allus wanted to be together, so both of us gev notece and vecar had been sent key of the house, so us went along and cleaned up and aired out, and our mam helped and so ded our dad.'

'You and Violet were here to receive the incoming tenants, then?' asked Dame Beatrice. 'Do you remember how Miss Rosamund was dressed?'

'Oh, yes, of course Oi do.' She touched a tweed costume and indicated a coarse straw hat. 'They there was what her had on.'

'What impression did you get of her?'

'Oh, quiet loike-nothen much to say. Her brought a rare lot of luggage, though-trunks and suitcases and packen cases-took our dad and Luke all their toime to get et all up the stairs.'

'Packing-cases?'

'Ah, too and all. What the fancy dresses come en, Oi daresay.'

'I suppose they are in that large chest.' They went over to it and Laura lifted the lid, for the chest had no lock. 'Did Miss Rosamund ever refer to these?' Dame Beatrice continued, indicating the theatrical costumes which lay neatly stowed away, with Joan of Arc's mimic armour on top.

'Oh, yes, her said her loiked to take part, but her dedden suppose there'd be much chance down in these parts.'

'She didn't say whether she had been on the professional stage, I suppose?'

'No. Come to thenk of et, her covered up a lettle bet, Oi reckon. When Oi was helpen her onpack and that, her says, "Fancy dress dances, Oi mean," her says. "London an't loike this old hole," her says. "Us be gay and happy, and there be noight loife, and all of that koind of theng," her says. "You don't lev down here; you be more loike cabbages," her says. "Oi don't thenk Oi'll be able to steck et," her says.'

Dame Beatrice closed the lid of the chest.

'Was she an untidy young woman?' she asked.

'Ontoidy? Oh, no, Dame Beatrice, mum, her wasn't ontoidy. Made her own bed, put away her thengs...'

'When did you first receive the impression that she was not quite like other people?'

'Not tell her started wearen they fancy dresses. That was after her cut and run, and Mester Romelly, he had to go after her to fetch her back, loike.'

'Oh, that actually happened, did it? Do you remember when it was?'

'Shan't never forget et. Upsoide down, the house was. Et was after her and Mester Romelly had their holleren match.'

'They quarrelled, did they?'

'Oi never heard the roights and wrongs. You can't hear all that much through these here old doors and walls. All us heard was Mester Romelly shouten out. Well, next theng us knowed, Luke had to get the car out, and they brought Messus Trelby back. Her had run away, so et seems, on account her coulden get her own way. Well, nothen else come about tell the toime you knows on. Mester Romelly wroites the letters and two of 'em gets lost off hall table, and then you come, and the relations come, and sence then there haven't been a menute's peace in the place. And now they've all gone, and you've come back, and what's to do now Oi don't know!'

(3)

'Well,' said Laura, as they drove back to the Stone House, 'that wasn't particularly helpful, was it-except to confirm that Rosamund had plenty of ordinary clothes if she chose to wear them. I mean, even if Romilly had locked the wardrobe and taken the key, she could easily have busted the lock if she'd really wanted to. I notice you didn't ask any questions concerning the attempts that Romilly claims Rosamund made on his life.'

'There was no need, child. For one thing, I doubt whether the servants knew anything about them. The attempt to drown him-if there was one-came to nothing, and if, as he alleges, she had already made an attempt to shoot at him through the bedroom squint, we have evidence to show that the servants would not have heard the shot.'

'If it was Romilly who shot at you, what motive could he have had? You weren't a menace to him at that time.'

'I think now that it was Judith who shot at me. Romilly's interests were hers, and she was always suspicious of my sessions with Rosamund. I think she feared lest Rosamund might let fall something which might suggest to me that Romilly was not what he represented himself to be. She and, at that time, she and Luke alone, knew that Romilly was, in actual fact, Groot de Maas.'

'I had an idea you thought it was Rosamund who took that pot-shot at you.'

'I did think so, for a time, and, of course, it may be so. Whoever was responsible for inviting the other guests, there can be no doubt that Romilly invited me, and that without the knowledge of either Judith or Rosamund, I feel sure. Rosamund may have seen me as an enemy, but, as she had other eliminations to plan, I hardly think, now that I have a more complete understanding of events than I had when I first went to Galliard Hall, that she would have risked killing me. To have done so might have put an end, not only to me, but to her more important schemes.'

'Well, what's the next move?'

'Since we now know that neither Willoughby nor his brother Hubert could have offered any threat to Romilly, the question still before us is the reason for Willoughby's death. I think our next assignment must be another interview with the manager of the Carlisle hotel, who, you will remember, not only gave evidence in court, but who made a most illuminating and helpful remark.'

'About old Felix Napoleon's little friend, you mean? Yes, we agreed we'd have to find her before we could tie up all the loose ends. When do we go?'

'Immediately. We must act before Rosamund leaves the care of Humphrey and Binnie.'

'You think she'll slip her collar and make off?'

'She still intends to kill Romilly Lestrange.'

'But now it's proved he isn't Romilly Lestrange, she's got nothing to fear from him. Why don't you tell her? He can't possibly inherit under Felix Napoleon's will, so there's no sense in either of them killing the other one, is there?'

'What you say is true, and very much to the point. Nevertheless, I have a fancy to go to Carlisle while Humphrey's zeal in keeping a sharp eye on Rosamund is still at boiling point. There will be plenty of time to talk to Rosamund when we come south again next week.'

(4)

'I particularly want you to accompany us,' said Dame Beatrice to Kirkby. 'To obtain the information which we must have if you are to make out a case against the murderer of Willoughby Lestrange, an official approach is indicated.'

'Just as you say, ma'am. Certainly, from what we've heard, there is no longer any occasion to suspect Mr de Maas of murder, and, now that he's paid back the legacy in full to the lawyers, there's not much point in charging him with false pretences. Merely to assume someone else's name, so long as he didn't benefit fraudulently, isn't such an offence as any magistrate would look at twice.'

'I hope, too-in fact, I confidently expect-that our visit to Carlisle will end in a peaceful settlement all round and put an end to all murderous plots and family disagreements.'