03 - Murder in Mink (5 page)

“But Clara, if you hadn’t found me…”

“I did find you and that is all that matters.” Clara gave
the girl a smile.

They were on the back lawn, light was pouring out of a
set of open terrace doors and people were milling about.

“She’s here! We found her!” Clara called out.

Hogarth pushed past a pair of servants, hastily followed
by Glorianna. He ran to his daughter and embraced her to him.

“What in the world?” He exclaimed as he realised she was
soaking wet.

“I had an accident.” Susan said quickly, “I went for a
walk near the river and I missed my footing.”

If Hogarth disbelieved this answer he gave no sign.

“Let’s get you inside and drinking a hot totty. Martha!
Fetch some towels and get the water bottle heated!” Hogarth waved at servants
and the crowd slowly dispersed back to their usual duties

Susan was herded inside, shielded in the arms of her
father with Glorianna clucking about her and brushing at her wet hair and
clothes. Clara was left alone with Timmy.

“Thanks for the help.” She said to him, “I think your
uniform is ruined.”

Timmy pulled at a shirt sleeve and gave it a sniff.

“Nothing a bit of carbolic won’t solve.” He shrugged,
“Goodnight miss.”

“Goodnight.”

Clara headed indoors wondering just what on earth the
drama of that evening had been all about.

Weddings were meant to be happy events Clara reflected,
but the atmosphere in the Campbell house that morning was rather sombre. Susan
was tucked up in bed, suffering from a chill and officially relieved of
bridesmaid duty. There was no indication of who would replace her. The events
of the night before had cast a pall over proceedings. Susan might protest it
had all been an unfortunate accident, but Clara was not alone in thinking
otherwise. The atmosphere around the breakfast table that morning had been
particularly tense. Somehow uncle Eustace had managed to have the sense to not
put in an appearance.

As Clara arranged her dress and brushed her hair she
agitated herself by thinking Susan’s swim was a rather bad omen. To begin
blissful nuptials with such a near tragedy in peoples’ minds seemed hardly
fortuitous. It made Clara uncomfortable, almost nervous.

“I think too much.” Clara scolded herself, putting down
her brush and glancing at herself in the mirror. She wondered if Susan had any
mascara? It was as good an excuse as any to check on her.

“I’m too curious as well.” Clara nagged herself as she
left the room, but it didn’t stop her heading upstairs to Susan’s bedroom.

Susan called out when she knocked. She was propped up in
bed among mountains of pillows and eating quite heartily from a plate of
kedgeree. Rather than someone with the appearance of a chill, she seemed
rosy-cheeked and merry.

“Morning Clara.”

“Morning. Sorry to disturb you, do you happen to have any
mascara?”

Susan pointed to a dressing table piled with bottles and
small containers.

“How are you feeling?” Clara asked as she ransacked the
pile, if she was honest she wasn’t entirely certain what she was looking for.

“Heaps better. I don’t know what came over me last
night.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.”

“Sorry to scare you all like that. I’m not usually the
morbid kind, just things got on top of me.” Susan forked up some rice, “I
wasn’t thinking straight and I wasn’t really thinking about, you know, ending
it all.”

“I understand.” Clara found a small pot of black cream,
“Is this it?”

“Oh no, that’s awful stuff. Look in the blue box. Anyway,
turns out missing this jolly wedding has improved my mood no end.”

“Why’s that? I mean, most people look forward to
weddings.”

“I know, just for me this one was different.” Susan
adjusted her pillows, “I can’t say why and it was only this morning I really
understood that it was the thought of the wedding that had made me so miserable.
Knowing I couldn’t go was such a relief, isn’t that strange?”

Clara found a small, round blue box and held it up for
Susan.

“That’s it, there’s a brush about somewhere too.”

“I suppose losing a brother and a friend at the same time
would make anyone sad.” Clara replied as she fumbled through jars, earrings and
the odd scrap of paper, “After all, Laura will have a new life, as will Andrew.
As happy as that is, it can also feel upsetting.”

“Yes, I had thought about that.” Susan sighed, “I’ve seen
three friends get married in the last year. I’m the only one left single. Talk
about feeling left-out.”

Susan gave an unconvincing laugh.

“But you have other things. Laura told me you want a
career?” Clara found a brush and went to Susan, “Would you mind?” She held out
the jar.

“No, no of course. Bend down.” Susan carefully began to
paint in Clara’s eyes, “You see Clara, I would like a career, well I would like
something. Something I could show to people and be proud of. The only problem
is I don’t know what.”

“There are a lot more opportunities these days for
women.”

“I can’t deny that, though there are still too many
things we are excluded from. Tell me Clara, how did you decide to be a
detective?”

“I’m afraid it just sort of happened. Saying I decided to
become a detective would imply that I gave it more thought than I actually did.
It just happened to be something I was good at and liked doing.”

“There you are, you did decide. You picked something you
could be good at and which you liked. So why can’t I find something similar?”

“What do you like doing?”

“That’s the problem, I quite like doing nothing.” Susan
finished Clara’s eyes and set the box down on a side table, “I’m not exactly a
modern woman keen to rush into business and push the limitations of society. Rather
I like being at home and spending daddy’s money. Doesn’t that sound appalling?”

Clara smiled at her as she stood.

“I won’t condemn you for it. But I don’t really think
that is enough for you, else you would not have had this upset over the
wedding.”

“True.” Susan nodded, “Perhaps I would like a family?”

“I think you have plenty of time to make up your mind.”
Clara examined her eyes in the mirror and then headed for the door, “Thanks for
the mascara, I’ll bring you back some cake.”

“Oh don’t bother, there will be loads left over. We’ll be
eating it for weeks.” Susan frowned as she sank back into the pillows, “Don’t
tell Laura about this.”

“My lips are sealed.” Clara promised as she headed back
to her room.

The church was crammed with various branches of the
Campbell family, they had spread themselves out so liberally that they had
overflowed onto the bride’s side of the church, but since the Pettibone guests
were rather limited in number this didn’t really matter. Clara was escorted
with Tommy to the far side of a pew by an attendant, who apologised briefly for
the positioning.

“I should think so!” Clara grumbled to her brother,
“Shoved up a corner, five rows back, not even in line with the other cousins.
It should be pointed out that we are fairly close blood relations, at least we
should have been in the third row. Considering we are actually staying with the
bridegroom’s family!”

“It’s this thing.” Tommy tapped the side of his
wheelchair, “They didn’t know where to put me so I wouldn’t block an aisle.”

Clara’s frown deepened.

“That is unfair Tommy, did you not lose the use of your
legs fighting for most of these souls here? I’m sure we could have squeezed you
into a pew briefly. I shall talk to someone!”

“Clara!” Tommy hissed, his tone suddenly sharp, “Don’t
make a scene, I do
not
want to be manhandled out of this chair and into
a pew in front of everyone.”

Clara sank into her pew.

“I know. I know that.” She said softly, “I just… I feel
hurt that they didn’t consider you better when they organised this. Glorianna
has spent enough of Hogarth’s money after all. She could have arranged
something, instead of shunning us, sticking us up a corner, like we were
outcasts.”

“It doesn’t upset me.” Tommy said soothingly.

“What would mother say? She would be so upset.”

“But I’m not.” Tommy persisted, “It’s just a wedding, and
quite frankly I would rather be here than be sitting next to weeping aunts and
uncles.”

“Yes. Yes, you are right. At least they didn’t put us
behind a pillar.”

“Talking of uncles, watch out here comes Eustace.”

Eustace squeezed his girth into the narrow space between
the rows of pews and edged down towards Clara. He collapsed onto the hard wood
with a groan.

“Mind if I sit here? They don’t want me at the front, I
know that without asking. Look at Glory’s face.” Eustace raised a hand and gave
a silly wave to Glorianna who had momentarily turned in her seat. She glared
back and turned away quickly.

“How did you offend Glorianna in the first place? She has
only been married to Hogarth these last, what, five years?”

“Eight. Married him shortly after Maud Campbell popped
her clogs. I thought Hogarth couldn’t get a worse wife than old Maud, oh she
was a battleaxe! Ruled her husband and her children with an iron will. Andrew
is like her ever so much. She was barely cold in her grave when Hogarth
announced he was marrying again, for the sake of the girls, of course.”

“Glorianna isn’t such a bad thing, she has been very
pleasant to us.” Clara replied.

“HahI You don’t know her yet, just you ask Susan. That
little drama last night? If you ask me Glory had a fair hand in it.”

“She was very worried about Susan, you saw that.”

“And so she should be, if it were her sharp tongue that
sent Susan out into the cold to do herself in.”

Clara stiffened a little.

“It was an accident.”

“You and I both know she jumped.” Eustace grimaced and
rubbed at his breastbone, “Damn indigestion, won’t leave me be.”

“Are you suggesting Glorianna and Susan do not get
along?”

“How many teenage daughters get along with a stepmother
their father married within weeks of their real mother’s death? Typical
bitterness and angst. Susan is a dear thing, but rather sensitive. She takes
things to heart and Glory has a cruel tongue when she wants. Of course, she is
all sweetness and light to her special guests.”

There was an unpleasant emphasis in Eustace’s words that
made Clara uncomfortable. She knew she shouldn’t ask, but if she didn’t she
would wonder what he had meant.

“Special?”

“Glory likes her charity cases, anyone she can fuss over
and feel better than. Sorry to say you are it Clara. The poor relations. That’s
why you are staying at the house and no one else is. You’re Glory’s project
that she can usher around and show to her friends to prove how generous and
nice she is. The reason she doesn’t like me is that I wouldn’t play her game.”
Eustace snorted, “She wants her friends to remember how she looked after her
husband’s poor cousins, how kind she was, how
nice
. That Tommy is a
cripple just makes it an extra bonus, ‘oh look how Glory takes care of the war
wounded!’ Didn’t you even wonder why she suddenly got in touch after all this
time?”

“Ignore him.” Tommy said promptly, refusing to look at
Eustace, “This is his way of getting attention.”

Clara did ignore him, she had more sense than to take Eustace’s
‘honesty’ at face value. But a little seed of doubt had been sown, perhaps not
even sown, perhaps just watered. Something deep down had always wondered if
there had been more to the sudden invite than the wedding. After all, they
had
been asked to stay at the house, how often were distant cousins given such
privilege?

“Eustace, would you mind moving over to Laura’s side of
the church, we are uneven.” Glory had appeared like a Valkyrie ready to clash
shield and spear with a recalcitrant foe.

Eustace scowled at her.

“Yes, I mind. I don’t know anyone over there!”

“You know great aunt Bess and her companion Irlene.”

“Bess Campbell! You want me to sit next to that deaf old
post?”

“Yes we need to make up the numbers on that side, else it
all looks rather awkward. Now come, come Eustace, you weren’t going to sit with
us anyway, so why make a fuss about moving?”

“Typical! Typical!” Eustace pried himself from his seat
and started to edge away, “You have it in for me Glory!”

“Nonsense! I’ve already asked cousins Bert and Freda to
move and they were
very
gracious about the matter.”

Eustace launched himself into the aisle of the church,
already panting hard from the exertion. Glorianna carefully motioned him to an
opposite aisle, made the introductions to great aunt Bess and left him in her
mercy. She quickly returned to Clara and Tommy.

“I’m so sorry about that Clara.”

“No harm done.” Clara assured her.

“He really drives me to distraction. You never know what
he will do next. And I’m sorry about you being so far back, this is really most
trying. I was assured by the vicar he would arrange somehow to accommodate
Tommy’s chair in the third row, but as you can see he completely forgot.” Glorianna
fanned herself with a hand, “I really wonder sometimes, I really wonder…”

She was distracted by the whispered announcement the
bride had arrived and rushed back to her place.

“Let the show commence.” Tommy said to his sister with a
slightly morose grin.

Laura looked stunning as she appeared at the church
doors. The private viewing of the dress she had given to Clara at her house had
not done justice to the outfit designer. The slimming lines and low waist,
coupled with a hemline that revealed ankle and white shoes, turned the dress
into something a starlet might wear. It helped that Laura had the dainty figure
to accommodate its unforgiving cut. Her veil draped down behind her and spilled
out on the floor like a grand spider’s web. Minus one bridesmaid, the remaining
girl fought to keep the veil lifted and snag-free.

Clara watched Laura walk up the aisle with a strange
flutter in her stomach. To be getting married to a man one loved so dearly in
that moment seemed the greatest of things. Clara found herself tight-throated
as Laura took her place by Andrew and looked up into his eyes with blissful
happiness. Would that ever be Clara? She tossed away the thought; it made her
angry getting so emotional and silly. She had her place in this world as did
everyone, so far it had been a rather lonely journey and with her twenty-fifth
birthday approaching hopes of it being otherwise were looking dim. But she had
other things and she was pleased with the life she had created for herself.
Still, there were so many missing; her mother, her father, those who had gone
to war and never come back. A tear rolled unnoticed down her cheek.

Tommy reached out and took her hand, squeezing it hard.
She glanced at him, gave him a smile to assure him she was all right and then
held tight to his hand.

The reverend was working his way slowly through the marriage
service. Andrew stood bolt upright, wearing his military officer’s uniform, his
medals proudly displayed on his chest. He did not reveal a flicker of emotion,
but surely deep down he was moved by the momentous occasion? Laura was
breathless and giddy, she was trying to grasp the words being spoken but was
too excited and elated to really catch them. It was all like a strange dream
come true and her mind was on the moment they could leave the church man and
wife.