Death by a Cornish Cove by Fliss Chester

Author:Fliss Chester [Fliss Chester]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837900336
Publisher: BOOKOUTURE
Published: 2023-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

24

Cressida’s ominous suggestion had made them all rather quiet, and Dotty was considerably less giggly as they marched back up towards the house. Dotty was finding the soft grass hard to navigate and had gratefully taken George’s arm, and Cressida was about to leave them to their slower progress and dash upstairs to get dressed for dinner when Dotty asked: ‘Cressy, why did you come running down to find us? How did you know we were there, down at the boathouse, I mean?’ Dotty hiccoughed again and clasped her free hand over her mouth.

Cressida had no good answer except to explain everything to her dear friend, not to mention George, who was very much waiting for an explanation too. Dressing for dinner would have to wait a moment or two more. ‘Well, this is a bit embarrassing really and, please don’t take offence, George, but—’

‘Don’t tell me, I’m on your list of suspects?’ George, whether he felt it or not, was putting on a good show of taking this all rather lightly.

Cressida had no option but to agree with him. ‘Quite frankly, yes. But only because you left out the bit about you and Randolph having a filthy row in Falmouth yesterday lunchtime, when you were quite happy telling us all about everyone else’s motives. A witness saw you having a real humdinger with him yesterday, shirts being rumpled and everything. Something to do with Randolph not crediting you for some finds you brought back from Egypt? It sounded like you were quite cross about it.’

George looked at the grass as they walked and Dotty looked at him, worry once more written across her face.

‘George? Is this true?’ Dotty pulled her arm ever so slightly away from his, though she still needed him for support.

He looked up at Cressida, and then to Dotty. ‘Yes, it’s true. And I’m sorry I didn’t mention anything earlier. But, you see, I knew there wasn’t anything in it and didn’t want to muddy the waters, so to speak.’ He eyed them, judging how his explanation had gone down, and something in Cressida’s frown told him to continue. ‘But you’re right, it was remiss of me and, well, I had only just met you both and didn’t want to make a bad impression.’

‘Having a motive to kill someone who has just been murdered is, generally speaking, quite a bad introduction,’ Cressida said, and George gave a hollow sort of laugh.

‘True, true. You see, I didn’t mention it because Lord Canterbury and I had resolved our differences. Yes, we had a tiff in Falmouth, I’m not denying that. Though I am ashamed that I let myself get quite so out of control, it was unforgivable, but it must have got my point across. Later yesterday afternoon, after he’d done his tea ceremony thing with Jago and Lord Trevelyan, he found me out and apologised and said he’d make sure I was credited completely for my finds. They were important ones, you see, and integral to my doctorate.

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