Off With His Head (The Ngaio Marsh Collection) by Marsh Ngaio

Author:Marsh, Ngaio
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2009-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

IV

‘I am not in the least embarrassed,’ Ralph said angrily. ‘You may need a solicitor, Camilla, and, if you do, you will undoubtedly consult me. My firm has acted for your family – ah – for many years.’

‘There you are!’ Alleyn said cheerfully. ‘The point is, did your firm act for Miss Campion’s family in the person of her grandfather, the day before yesterday?’

‘That,’ Ralph said grandly, ‘is neither here nor there.’

‘Look,’ Camilla said, ‘darling. I’ve told Mr Alleyn that grandfather intimated to me that he was thinking of leaving me some of his cash and that I said I wouldn’t have it at any price.’

Ralph glared doubtfully at her. It seemed to Alleyn that Ralph was in that degree of love which demands of its victim some kind of emphatic action. ‘He’s suffering,’ Alleyn thought, ‘from ingrowing knight-errantry. And I fancy he’s also very much worried about something.’ He told Ralph that he wouldn’t at this stage press for information about the Guiser’s visit but that, if the investigation seemed to call for it, he could insist.

Ralph said that, apart from professional discretion and propriety, there was no reason at all why the object of the Guiser’s visit should not be revealed and he proceeded to reveal it. The Guiser had called on Ralph, personally, and told him he wished to make a will. He had been rather strange in his manner, Ralph thought, and beat about the bush for some time.

‘I gathered,’ Ralph said to Camilla, ‘that he felt he wanted to atone – although he certainly didn’t put it like that – for his harshness to your mama. It was clear enough you had completely won his heart and I must say,’ Ralph went on in a rapid burst of devotion, ‘I wasn’t surprised at that.’

‘Thank you, Ralph,’ said Camilla.

‘He also told me,’ Ralph continued, addressing himself with obvious difficulty to Alleyn, ‘that he believed Miss Campion might refuse a bequest and it turned out that he wanted to know if there was some legal method of tying her up so that she would be obliged to accept it. Of course I told him there wasn’t.’ Here Ralph looked at Camilla and instantly abandoned Alleyn. ‘I said – I knew, dar – I knew you would want me to – that it might be better for him to think it over and that, in any case, his sons had a greater claim, surely, and that you would never want to cut them out.’

‘Darling, I’m terribly glad you said that.’

‘Are you? I’m so glad.’

They gazed at each other with half smiles. Alleyn said: ‘To interrupt for a moment your mutual rejoicing –‘ and they both jumped slightly.

‘Yes,’ Ralph said rapidly. ‘So then he told me to draft a will on those lines, all the same, and he’d have a look at it and then make up his mind. He also wanted some stipulation made about keeping Copse Forge on as a smithy and not converting it into a garage which the boys, egged on by Simon Begg, rather fancy.

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