The Dig (26 page)

The archaeologists turned out to know a lot more than I did about what had happened to everyone — or almost everyone — involved in the original dig. I was delighted to hear that Mr. Brown, now in his late seventies, was still in good health. He and his wife had been over several times to see the site. Despite having injured his leg in a fall, Charles Phillips had also visited and had made a number of suggestions about how the work should be conducted. Mr. Reid Moir, it seemed, had died some years earlier. As to what had happened to his deputy, Mr. Maynard, that remained a mystery.

Mrs. Piggott had lived in Sicily for a number of years, following her divorce. There, she had married a Sicilian, but sadly this marriage had also failed. Recently, she had moved back to England and was understood to be working on the first of a projected two-volume study of Roman beads. As for Stuart Piggott, he was now Professor of Archaeology at Edinburgh University.

Nobody, however, knew the identity of the photographer. I was able to tell them that the pictures had been taken by my cousin, Rory Lomax, who had been killed in 1947, when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a lorry.

As I was leaving, another of the archaeologists said that they had been sifting through the original spoil heaps when they had found something they thought might belong to me. He went away and came back carrying an old shoebox. Inside was a rusted piece of metal with what appeared to be four wheels attached, one at each corner. Only after I had removed it from the box did I realize what it was: a single steel roller-skate. It sits on my desk now as I write this.

Robert Pretty

October 1965

This novel is based on events that took place at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk in the summer of 1939. Certain changes have been made for dramatic effect. I would like to thank the following people for their help: Robert Erskine, Ray Sutcliffe, Angela Care Evans, Rosalind Cattanach, Peter Geekie, Sue Annear and Jane Eldridge. I’m especially grateful to Martin Carver, Professor of Archaeology at the University of York and Director of Research at Sutton Hoo, for taking the time to read the manuscript. Any mistakes, of course, are entirely my own.

A behind-the-scenes look at the desperate, scandalous private life of a British MP and champion manipulator, and the history-making trial that exposed his dirty secrets to the world

As a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Liberal Party in the 1960s and 70s, Jeremy Thorpe’s bad behavior snuck under the radar for years. Police and politicians alike colluded to protect one of their own. But his homosexual affairs and harassment of past partners, as well as his propensity for lying and embezzlement, only escalated as he evaded punishment. Until a dark night on the moor with an ex-lover, a dog, and a hired gun led to consequences his charm and power couldn’t help him escape.

With the pacing and drama of a thriller,
A Very English Scandal
is an extraordinary story of hypocrisy, deceit, and betrayal at the heart of the British establishment.

  
OTHER PRESS

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OTHER PRESS
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