03 - Murder at Sedgwick Court Read Online Free PDF Page B

of course,’ answered Vera, as if that explained everything.
     
    ‘Oh,
there you are, Cedric,’ Rose said, coming across him at last in the formal
gardens giving some instruction or other to the head-gardener. ‘I wondered
where you were.’
    ‘Torridge
wanted to talk to me about the arrangements for Lavinia’s guests, you know,
whether they were bringing their own maids and manservants and that sort of
thing. Couldn’t help him one jot, of course. Mrs Farrier really needs to talk
to Lavinia about it, but my sister was far too busy talking to you. I say, how
is she?’’
    ‘She
seems quite well. Almost back to her old self, I’d say.’
    ‘I’m
awfully glad she’s returned and all that,’ said Cedric, ‘but it’s a pity she
saw the need to bring a lot of friends with her. She’s only just made their
acquaintance, hasn’t she? I hope they won’t be too frightful.’
    ‘I was
one of her friends, in case you’d forgotten,’ teased Rose. ‘If she hadn’t seen
fit to bring me on a visit to your aunt’s, we’d never have met.’
    ‘True.
And she’s almost her old self, you say?’
    ‘She
appears to be on good form. Prepared to let bygones be bygones, I think, but she
doesn’t want to talk about what happened at Ashgrove. So I wouldn’t mention it
if I were you, not yet. I’m sure in time she’ll want to talk to you about
it all, but for the moment she’d rather not go over it. I don’t believe she
thinks it would do any good.’
    ‘Righto.
It’s just good to have her back.’
    ‘I also wouldn’t
mention what happened at Dareswick. She’s read about it, of course. She seems
to be under the impression that I attract murder wherever I go. ’
    ‘What absolute
rot,’ said Cedric, tucking her arm through his, as they set off idly back
towards the house. ‘She could just as easily say that about me. But I’m awfully
glad to hear that she’s all right. I was afraid that she might never come back,
you know, make her home on the Continent or in America. I was afraid that
Sedgwick might hold too many sad memories for her.’
    ‘I think
it has something to do with the time of year,’ Rose said, ‘you know, with
Christmas approaching. It made her think of family and so, of course, you.’
    ‘Well,
whatever Lavinia’s reasons for coming back, I’m just jolly pleased she’s here.
And if she doesn’t want to talk about what happened at Ashgrove, well, that’s
fine by me. Let’s concentrate on the here and now, shall we? Did she happen to
mention who her new friends were whom she’d invited to come and stay? Torridge
mumbled something about her mentioning to him a foreign count of some sort.’
    ‘Vera
said that the housekeeper was grumbling about an heiress. I say, Cedric,’ Rose
stopped walking and clutched at his arm, ‘Vera was behaving very oddly just
now. She seemed jolly put out that Lavinia had returned and that she had
invited some guests to stay.’
    ‘Vera has
always been rather jealous of Lavinia and very possessive of that doctor of
hers. For all I know she might have good reason, but I don’t know how Theo puts
up with it sometimes. Usually she’s fine but – ’
    ‘She kept
going on about unrequited love and how she loves Theo more than he does her.’
    ‘Did she?
Oh dear, that must mean that she’s … I thought she’d stopped all that.’
    ‘All
what?’ But before Cedric had a chance to answer, Lavinia was upon them, her
hair expertly arranged, her face exquisitely powdered.
    ‘Oh do
come inside, you two. It’s cold as anything out here. And I want you to see my
new dress, Rose. It’s from one of those famous houses in Paris. I forget which
one, because I visited quite a few while I was there and bought ever so many
gowns. I want you to see the one I’m going to wear to dinner tonight.’
    ‘I’d like
to see it,’ said Rose.
    ‘It was
frightfully expensive,’ continued Lavinia, ‘but absolutely divine. Oh, don’t
look at me like that, Ceddie. You