Murder on the Caronia by Edward Marston

Author:Edward Marston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2022-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Frank Openshaw liked to collect people around him so that he could hold court. There was more to it than the simple desire to impress them with the story of his life. Though many of the guests would be invited purely on a social basis, there would always be a smattering of those whom he hoped to involve in one of his many business ventures. Hospitable by nature, he also expected a return on his money When he and his wife returned to their cabin that afternoon, they went through the guest list for their next gathering. Those who had come on the previous evening were discounted. Twenty new people had been invited to join them for drinks before dinner. The list was not entirely made up of his choices. Kitty Openshaw had contributed a couple of names herself.

‘These are mine,’ she said, handing him a slip of paper.

He glanced at the names. ‘Who is Iris Cooney?’

‘A lovely American lady, who visits her son in London every two years. She uses a walking stick but she refuses to let arthritis hold her back. Mrs Cooney sat next to me in the hairdressing salon.’

‘Is she travelling alone?’

‘Her husband passed away ten years ago.’

‘Does she have any brass?’

‘Frank!’ scolded his wife.

‘Some of these American widows have more money than they know what to do with,’ he said airily. ‘Look at that woman we met on the Mauretania when we sailed to New York. She was worth millions.’

‘Well, I didn’t ask Mrs Cooney about her money. It’s not the polite thing to do.’

‘But you must have got some idea, Kitty. That’s the wonderful thing about brass. You can smell it on people. You can see it in the way they dress and the manner in which they talk to other people. That’s why I invited Stanley Chase.’

‘Oh, I liked him.’

‘So did I.’

‘Such nice manners.’

‘And such a thick wallet,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘I sensed that as soon as he sat down opposite us. There’s big money in antiques. Look at his card,’ he went on, taking it from his waistcoat pocket. ‘He has a business in the King’s Road, Chelsea, and a house in Knightsbridge. Property is not cheap in either of those places, I can tell you. He also has a cottage in the south of France. Chase must be making a small fortune.’

‘I wouldn’t know about that. I just thought he was a gentleman.’

‘Who’s this other person you’ve invited?’

‘Pamela Clyne.’

‘Another rich American widow?’

‘Far from it,’ said Kitty. ‘She’s English. Miss Clyne is a friend of Iris Cooney’s. I had tea with them this afternoon. It was one of those awkward situations, Frank. I couldn’t invite the one without the other.’

‘All the more, the merrier.’

‘The truth is that I felt sorry for Pamela Clyne. Apart from Mrs Cooney, she doesn’t seem to know anyone else on board. She’s one of those very shy women from down south.’

‘Wouldn’t last two minutes in Yorkshire, then,’ he said briskly. ‘If you don’t speak up for yourself there, you’re nowt.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.