The Case Of William Smith by Wentworth Patricia

Author:Wentworth, Patricia [Wentworth, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
ISBN: 9780340689738
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2000-03-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

Katharine went home feeling rather dazed. She walked all the way because she wanted to think, but the turmoil in her mind was too great. Her thoughts were dashed this way and that by tides of feeling over which she had no control. In the end it all came out to the same thing — she didn’t know what to do.

She went on walking. The air was soft and damp — one of those mild January days which easily turn to fog. She would have been glad of the sharp feel of frost on her face, or a keen wind to buffet her. There was only that mild, gentle air. If she went back to Miss Silver she did not know what might come of it. At the worst there might be publicity, disgrace, things that William would find it hard to forgive. If she held back she might be taking risks with his life.

She came to the flat to find him gone — a note where hers had been:

‘I thought I’d just go over the car. Mr. Tattlecombe said something about giving us Saturday afternoon.’

He came in late for tea, kissed her cheerfully, and went to wash. It wasn’t until he was helping himself to jam that he asked her where she had been. She had wondered whether he would ask, and what she was going to say. But when it happened she knew. She couldn’t lie to William, and she couldn’t shuffle. The answer was as simple as the question. She said,

‘I went to see Miss Silver.’

‘Miss Silver?’

‘Mr. Abbott’s friend — the one whose address he gave you.’

William put jam on his bread — a good deal of jam. Then he said,

‘Oh, her?’ Why did you do that?’

‘Because of what you told me.’

‘Do you mean about my being pushed?’

‘Yes.’

‘It was rum, wasn’t it? This is good jam. Where did you get it?’

‘It’s some I made last summer when I was down in the country.’

‘I thought it didn’t taste like grocer’s jam. Talking about things being rum, that is.’

‘What is?’ Her laugh shook a little. ‘You’re being incoherent. We were talking about jam.’

‘That’s what I meant — your making it last summer, and I didn’t even know that there was any you to make jam, and if I had known I wouldn’t have known you were making it for me, and you wouldn’t either. What were you doing in the country?’

‘I was staying with an aunt.’

‘Where?’

‘At Ledstow.’

He crinkled up his eyes.

‘Ought I to know where Ledstow is?’

‘It’s about seven miles from Ledlington.’

He nodded.

‘I’ve been down to Ledlington on business, just for the day. Rather a nice old market square, but a frightful statue in the middle of it — Sir Albert Something-or-other in marble trousers. What’s this Miss Silver person like?’

She changed colour.

‘Like an elderly governess.’

William passed up his cup.

‘That’s what she used to be. It doesn’t sound as if she’d be much good.’

She ought to have let that go. If she had, perhaps he wouldn’t have thought about any of it again.

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.