Mystery at Lovelace Manor: A completely addictive cozy mystery novel (An Eve Mallow Mystery Book 8) by Clare Chase

Author:Clare Chase [Chase, Clare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803142029
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2022-05-16T16:00:00+00:00

24

Eve glanced at the time. She could make the appointment with Diana on her way home and still be back to feed Gus. She turned off the A12 and made for Lovelace-by-Sax.

It was a beautiful afternoon and Eve had her window down, so all the smells of the countryside wafted into the car. She passed verges thick with cow parsley next to hedgerows of hawthorn in bloom. It was so idyllic, but Eve’s stomach was in knots. What was on Diana’s mind? She hadn’t sounded happy.

At last, Eve turned in at the manor. She parked as near to the house as she could. As she left her car she could see the gardener, Josh Standish, standing close to Diana on the bridge over the moat. He nodded, then turned to leave, making his way back towards his cottage. Eve guessed they’d been talking business; he was clutching some papers.

Diana looked after him pensively, then raised her eyes to meet Eve’s. ‘Come in.’

No pleasantries. It was clear Diana wasn’t pleased with her. Was this about the interview earlier in the day? Eve was sure she’d touched a nerve.

Diana led the way to her study. That spoke of a formal talk. She sat behind her desk and motioned Eve to sit too.

‘I decided I’d have to ask you back.’ She steepled her hands, elbows on the desk in front of her. ‘You know, don’t you?’

It was a horrible moment. Eve guessed she was talking about Cammie’s affair with Peter, but what if that was all in her head?

‘About the affair?’ she said at last. ‘Yes.’ Naming no names was the best solution she could think of. She might be talking about anyone. If she was barking up the wrong tree she could bluff her way out.

Diana got up stiffly and went to pour herself a whisky from a decanter on a side table. She took a large mouthful and swallowed it before sitting back down. ‘I knew you must, with all those pointed questions.’

‘I didn’t want to be specific. I wasn’t sure if you were aware.’

Diana took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. ‘I wasn’t at the time, of course. Peter told me when he was dying.’ She put the glass down heavily on a pile of papers. ‘I couldn’t forgive Cammie. It wasn’t the betrayal – though that hurt. It was what she did to Peter. It ate him up inside. Love for her. Guilt. And he bottled it all up. It made him… more ill. She contributed to his death.’

Eve held her breath and kept quiet. Waiting for more.

‘Peter wasn’t always faithful, but this’ – she clenched her fist and pushed it to her forehead – ‘this was different. It meant something. And Cammie came back to visit. Just often enough to keep the flame alive. Even at the last, when Peter was at death’s door, she visited. She cried when she left him and hugged me. I took comfort from her. And just after she went, Peter finally told me the truth.

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