The Unfinished Clue (28 page)
Read The Unfinished Clue Online
Authors: Georgette Heyer
"What, not the More Common English Names?" asked Dinah. "Did yon find Theresa? I thought they only had names like Abijah and Eusebius and Sophronia."
He smiled. "There were rather a lot like that, and 1 must admit I haven't often met an English person called Tryphosa, or even Polycarp. but l found Theresa all right. It was the only one that would fit the letters I had, too. That was what put me on to Mrs. Twining - a very false trail. Then I went with the Sergeant to check up on Geoffrey's alibi, and I found that Mrs. Chudleigh had been on her bicycle that morning. Even then I didn't tumble to it, though I began to be suspicious. It wasn't till I had time to think it over that it dawned on me - and then it seemed to me to be almost incredible. It took the records at Somerset House to convince me I hadn't stumbled on to a mare's nest, so I'm afraid I was anything but bright, darling."
"If you hadn't been bright about it," said Miss Fawcett firmly, "you'd still be nosing round after all the really suspicious people here who might have done it. Lola, for instance. Oh, by the way, did I tell you she'd heard from her agent - not the one who came here but another one? She's been offered an engagement at some theatre or other, and she's tremendously pleased about it. In fact she told Geoffrey at tea-time that he mustn't be unreasonable and expect her to marry him at once, so there seems to be a fair chance for him to be able to wriggle out of the betrothal." She paused, and peeped up at him. "Which reminds me, I don't know whether you want to wriggle out of yours, but -"
"No, thank you, I don't," said Harding.
"Well, that's rather lucky," confessed Dinah, "because I have just mentioned the matter to the rest of the party. Camilla looked awfully sick. She hinted that you'd been pretty matey with her."
"I was," said Harding. "I paid her fulsome compliments. That's how I got her to talk."
"It is quite evident to me," said Miss Fawcett with decision, "that it is time you left off being a detective."
They had reached the lawn at the back of the house, and were wandering towards the terrace steps. In the drawing-room the lights had been turned on. Dinah sighed. "I suppose we shall have to go in. Every one's wanting to see you in a human light. I think I shall have to introduce you, because you haven't met any of them socially yet. Can you stand up to a lot of congratulations, do you think?"
"I'd much rather stay out here with you," he confessed, "but we'll go in if you think we ought to."
So Miss Fawcett, still with her hand on his arm, led Inspector Harding into the house to be introduced.