Death Treads the Boards by Lesley Cookman

Author:Lesley Cookman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Accent Press
Published: 2019-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Making sure the office door was properly closed and no one was lurking in the foyer, Dorinda reached for the telephone. She was not yet completely comfortable with the instrument, but putting in a call to Sir Frederick and Lady Ivy at Anderson Place was becoming almost a normality.

She wasn’t surprised when Sir Frederick answered the call himself. He was too fond of his newest indulgence to let a mere servant do so, although the maids were slightly scared of the instrument, and quite happy to let him. It was simply another example of the somewhat individual way Sir Frederick and his lady ran their establishment.

‘Dorinda! My dear – how nice to hear from you. Ivy tells me you’ve taken in another little stray from the Halls.’

‘Well, yes, Sir Frederick. Actually it was about that I wanted to speak to you – or rather, to Lady Ivy.’

‘Oh? Can I be of any help?’

‘I don’t really know, sir. It’s all rather complicated.’

‘Very well, my dear. Ivy’s right here. I’ll just pass her the instrument.’

There was a shuffling sound, then Ivy’s voice came through.

‘What’s up, Dolly? It isn’t that Jessie, is it? Oh, Lordy! I might have known...’

‘No, wait a minute, Ivy. It isn’t just Jessie. I don’t like to talk about it over the telephone, but...’

‘Stop! You on this afternoon? Right then. I’m coming down. No – don’t argue. Tell Maudie to save a coupla seats – me and – What? Oh, Freddie wants to come, too. We’ll come in the motor car. See you later.’

Well, thought Dorinda, sitting back in her chair, at least she’d got someone on her side apart from the company. Although why she should feel that she needed it she wasn’t sure.

When they arrived however, it was clear that whatever she thought, Sir Frederick and Ivy were convinced, for they had even brought Billy the chauffeur and May and Ellen the maids, all of whom were ushered ceremoniously into the auditorium.

She went briefly out to meet them in the interval but waited until after the performance to tell them the whole story. She found them in the office, where Maude had installed them.

‘Billy’s taken May and Ellen to tea,’ Ivy explained. ‘They’re having a lovely time.’

‘I’m sure they are,’ said Dorinda with a smile. Nowhere else would the staff be taken out in this way, she was certain.

‘Come on then, Dolly. What’s been going on? That Jessie’s all right, isn’t she?’

‘She’s very good,’ put in Sir Frederick.

‘She is very good,’ said Dorinda with a sigh. ‘But it isn’t just Jessie.’

She told them the whole story, from her possible sighting of Michael Evans to his death, including the reappearance of Aramantha.

‘So Inspector Colyer’s been down here again, eh?’ said Sir Frederick, leaning his chin on his stick. ‘Sound man, I thought.’

‘Yes, I’m sure he is,’ said Dorinda, ‘but he won’t tell me about whatever’s been going on in London, and I need to know how far Jessie’s involved.’

‘All she did was run away from her pa!’ said Ivy.

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