Page 65 of Fire Must Burn

‘Good morning, Miss Sparks,’ said the housekeeper.

‘Good morning, Mrs Dorter,’ said Sparks. ‘How is Miss Spurlock?’

‘Gone.’

‘What? Where?’

‘She decided that she would not attend the party after all,’ said Mrs Dorter. ‘She’s taking the nine-twenty train to Kettering, then changing to a Cambridge train there.’

‘Is she all right?’

‘She said to tell you goodbye, and not to worry about anything.’

‘Who is driving her to the station?’ asked Sparks.

‘Mr Danforth took her in Mr Cater’s car.’

‘Tony took her? Why not Bruce?’

‘She preferred that Mr Danforth drive her,’ said Mrs Dorter. ‘Would you care for some breakfast? There are eggs and sausage in the breakfast room. I will bring out porridge momentarily.’

‘Thank you,’ said Sparks, who was still trying to absorb the information.

She went to the breakfast room, which had covered dishes and a tea service set on a sideboard by an oaken table, a bay window on the other side with a few of the gardens stretching out into the distance.

Kevin sat at the head of the table, the remains of his breakfast in front of him. He was sipping from a glass of orange juice which had been enhanced by a bottle of champagne standing by his plate.

‘Ah, good, you’re up,’ he said. ‘I thought Buck’s Fizzes for this morning’s hair of the dog. Care for one?’

‘Care to tell me what happened last night?’ she asked.

‘Nothing happened last night,’ he said, getting up to fetch a glass for her. ‘Should be making these in flutes, I suppose, but I couldn’t find any clean ones.’

‘Why did she run off screaming if nothing happened?’ asked Sparks. ‘What did you do to her, Kevin?’

‘You know how women get,’ he said as he mixed her drink.

‘I do, as a matter of fact,’ she replied. ‘Especially when they get like that. What happened? Why did she go back to Cambridge this morning?’

‘You can ask her yourself on Monday,’ said Kevin. ‘She’ll tell you the same thing.’

‘I’ll be certain to,’ said Sparks. ‘Why is Tony driving her to the station instead of Bruce?’

‘Bruce still has a thick head from the evening’s festivities. Tony was in the best shape of all of us,’ he said. Then he leered at her. ‘Of course, I expect you found that out for yourself last night.’

‘Tony is the best man of all of you,’ said Sparks.

‘Debatable,’ said Kevin. ‘But you’re not in any position to judge, are you?’

‘Why not?’

‘You’re not really one of us, are you, Sparks?’ he said, looking at her scornfully. ‘The only reason you were invited is because Tony is besotted, or so he says, and you do seem like a lot of fun, although so far only he has been the beneficiary of that. But I hear you’re ambitious, as well. Smart, they say. I’d like to see you act like a smart, ambitious woman now. Because if you do, things can go well for you.’

‘And if I don’t?’

‘Then you’ll find that there are influences in the tides of men that can swallow up the ambitions of even the smartest women,’ said Kevin. ‘A tenure at Cambridge is not guaranteed, and should old family forces intervene, you may never reach the finish line. So, that being said, I would like to throw a party tonight with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of fun. I’d rather see you on the fun side of that balance.’

He placed her drink in front of her, then held his up.