‘Think nothing of it,’ he said kindly, ‘a look of interest from a lady is always a pleasure. Please take a seat. How may I assist you?’
‘I have been engaged by Mrs Harriett Antrobus to enquire into the disappearance of her husband,’ began Frances, once she was seated. ‘In particular I am examining the evidence that he might have returned to London from Bristol.’
‘Ah, yes, the body in the canal,’ said Luckhurst, climbing back on to his chair with an agility that spoke of long custom. ‘Which it seems is not my partner after all.’
‘It cannot be shown to be him. That is not quite the same thing.’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Did you view the remains?’
‘I did, very briefly. It is not a memory I wish to dwell upon. I did not think it was my partner, neither could I offer any suggestion as to who it might have been.’
‘I am trying to learn as much as I can about Mr Antrobus and any events that might have occurred just before he disappeared, his state of mind and health at the time, his plans for the future, his friends and rivals.’
‘Yes, of course,’ he said readily, ‘and I will help you all I can. While I cannot say that I regarded him as a brother, we were close associates for many years, and I miss both his company and acumen.’
‘Has the business suffered though his absence?’
He gave a wheezing sigh. ‘Oh, we put a brave face on it, but the truth is I have been hard-pressed to maintain the trade, and while I have employed another man to undertake the travelling my partner once did, it is not the same.’ Mr Luckhurst looked despondent, but he did not strike Frances as a man who could be despondent for long. ‘You see, it was not just a matter of replacing a man, finding another who could do the same work. When a partner in a business vanishes, suppliers become suspicious. They think the trade will collapse and fear that there are dark secrets about to come to light. They start to demand immediate payment for materials. Customers think we cannot be relied upon and look elsewhere. But we have managed to keep our heads above the water. I am taking a smaller salary and have postponed improvements to conditions in the workshop.’
‘Do you know if Mr Antrobus left you anything in his will?’
He looked surprised by the question. ‘I have no knowledge of that. In any case, he is in law still alive, so it is hardly of any relevance.’ He paused and his eyes flickered with realisation. ‘Ah, yes, I think I see the relevance, now. Well it is your right, indeed your profession to be suspicious. May I assure you that I have neither the desire nor the motive to do away with my friend and partner. If he were to walk through the door now I would welcome him back with joy and relief.’ He smiled roguishly. ‘I suppose many murderers have told you the exact same tale before you unmasked them for the villains they were!’
‘I am afraid so,’ said Frances, who was warming to Mr Luckhurst’s company. While not a handsome man, his face could light up with a good humour that was very pleasing. Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to harm Mr Antrobus?’
‘No. He was never involved in any underhand trading as far as I am aware, indeed I do not think it was in his nature to do so. Of course there are always petty rivalries in business, but it is more of a friendly competition. The tobacco trade thrives despite what doctors say, and there is room enough for us all. If there was anything wrong in his personal or family life that might have led to his disappearance or death I do not know of it. I last saw him the day before he went to Bristol, and there seemed to be nothing amiss with him in any respect. From that moment I have neither seen nor heard from him. It is my belief that he met with an accident and has either lost his memory or, sadly, is dead and his body not found. I have every sympathy with his family: it is a very trying time for them all. His brother has left no stone unturned to discover the truth, and he has had his own troubles, as I expect you know.’
‘I did not know.’
‘Mr Lionel Antrobus’ wife passed away just over a year ago, after a long and painful illness. It was a very distressing time.’
‘I am surprised that he was not therefore more sympathetic to his sister-in-law’s affliction,’ commented Frances.
‘Ah, well, there is no love lost there,’ said Luckhurst. ‘He was not an easy man to talk to even before he was widowed and less so now. He has seen real bodily suffering and has no patience with anything he thinks is all in the mind.’
‘He told me that his brother was too honourable to desert his wife. Do you agree?’
‘I do. Many another man has to endure the unhappiness that comes with a wife’s delicate health. Some can bear it, others cannot. Antrobus did all that he ought to have done, and it was hard for him as the complaint was so mysterious.’
‘Were they a contented couple before Mrs Antrobus’ illness?’
‘Oh, if ever a couple married for love it was they! Do you know,’ added Luckhurst, with the serene expression of a man recalling happy memories, ‘I was present on the day they met. In fact it was also the day that I first met them both. There was a gathering at the home of a mutual friend. Miss Harriett Pearce was such a beauty. She is handsome now, but back then she illuminated the room! So enchanting, and with a pretty soft musical voice and dainty manners. A man could not help but fall under her spell. Her father, I was told, was a good, hardworking man who lacked both ambition and fortune, but somehow that mattered nothing. Had I been taller I might have wooed her myself, but it is not the fashion to declare one’s admiration for a lady from a footstool. After the ladies retired Antrobus spoke very knowledgeably about the tobacco trade. I thought then that he was a man to watch, and we agreed to meet again and talk business. But when we did all his conversation was of the beautiful young girl who had captured his heart. He saw her constantly and six months later they were engaged to be married, but at the time it looked as if they might have to wait several years before a wedding date could be set. He was impatient to claim his bride, but marriage is an expensive business and a man likes to make his fortune before he has a wife and children to spend it for him. But then his uncle died and left him a handsome legacy, so they were married soon afterwards.’
‘And was it a happy marriage?’ asked Frances, gently bringing him back to her query.
Luckhurst knew that he had strayed from the point and gave a rueful smile, earning Frances’ instant forgiveness. ‘I haven’t really answered, have I? But there was a purpose to my story. I suppose they were as happy as many other couples. But Edwin once told me that his uncle’s death, the very event that had enabled him to marry, weighed heavily upon him. His uncle suffered from terrible headaches that sometimes left him melancholy and, well, it was deemed to be an accident, but those who knew him suspected otherwise. It placed a cloud over the marriage from the beginning, a cloud that only grew darker with his wife’s illness.’
‘You are more sympathetic to Mrs Antrobus’ sufferings than her brother-in-law,’ observed Frances, ‘and possibly more sympathetic than her husband.’
‘I am no expert on diseases of the ear but I can see when someone is in pain. The doctors who suggested she was feigning should be made to endure what she does for just one day and then they would change their tune.’ He made no reference to his own health, but Frances felt sure that he was no stranger to pain.
‘Mrs Antrobus has provided me with a list of her husband’s friends. It was a very short list, I am afraid, and I was hoping you might know of any business associates who could provide me with some information.’
‘I will do my best,’ he offered, ‘but I fear my list will also be short.’ He took up pen and paper and wrote down the names of a number of suppliers and customers. ‘Not that any of these men would have meant him harm. None would have profited from my partner’s absence and most would not have been in either Bristol or London at the time he disappeared.’ Frances looked at the list, which included the men the Bristol detective had already interviewed and a few others with businesses in London he had not.