Page 68 of Fire Must Burn

They headed downstairs, pinned on their hats, then walked out.

‘How much did you learn from me last night?’ asked Iris when they reached the relative anonymity of Edgware Road.

‘Enough to consider a course of investigation,’ said Gwen. ‘If this were about avenging Nancy’s death, then it would most likely be someone who was close to her. A family member, a friend, or a lover. Anyone come to mind?’

‘I can’t think of any man at Cambridge who would fit those descriptions,’ said Iris. ‘She wasn’t in any serious relationships other than with Kevin, and that was over after that weekend.’

‘What about women?’ asked Gwen. ‘Friends at Newnham?’

‘She had friends, but there are regular friends, and there are the avenging-your-death sort of friends. I don’t know that she had any of the latter at Newnham. Prior to Cambridge, I have no idea. Would you avenge my death if circumstances required it?’

‘I would,’ said Gwen with no hesitation. ‘You?’

‘Yes, darling. The difference being your method of vengeance would be to catch my killer and turn him over to the police, while mine …’

‘Would be worthy of a Greek tragedy,’ Gwen finished.

‘I was leaning more towards the dinner scene inTitus Andronicus, but that’s probably the hangover speaking.’

‘I saw that play once,’ said Gwen. ‘The actress playing Lavinia was atrocious. We were all secretly relieved when they cut out her tongue.’

‘And everyone thinks you’re the nice one.’

‘Hopefully, I’ll keep on fooling them. All right, if it’s not someone from Cambridge, then it may be someone from her family. Did you know them?’

‘Not really. I met them a few times. They lived in Holland Park, but I don’t know if they’re still there.’

‘Were they upper-class?’

‘I think so, though I don’t know where the money came from.’

‘Then they may be out of town for the summer,’ said Gwen. ‘So there’s her family to locate. And there are two other possible sources of information. One is Tony.’

‘If he’s up to speaking to me,’ said Iris. ‘Lord, an old friend is at death’s door, and instead of offering comfort I need to interrogate him about an old tragedy while setting him up for further investigation as a possible spy. I am truly a despicable person.’

‘Or you’ll be saving him on two different fronts,’ pointed out Gwen.

‘Maybe. You mentioned a second possibility. Who?’

‘The housekeeper at the Pickard house. Any idea if she’s still there?’

‘The Pickards loaned out the place during the war. It became a convalescent house for badly wounded soldiers. I don’t know if she remained with it or not.’

‘Well, I do have some connections to that area,’ said Gwen. ‘We stayed at Kimbolton Castle back in the thirties for a rather dreary ball or two. Thor, my brother, was friendly with Manchester’s younger son from his first marriage, and—’

‘Manchester?’ interrupted Iris. ‘Manchester’s nowhere near Kimbolton.’

‘I know, it makes no sense, but Lord Montagu was also the Duke of Manchester. I remember his second wife. Half his age, of course, and although she professed to have been an actress, I heard that her career consisted of exactly one small role in a West End comedy years before. She had come up as a tango dancer, though, and danced rather scandalously with one of the younger men while Manchester beamed proudly from the sidelines.’

‘I wonder if Bruce Cater was at that party.’

‘Maybe he was. Maybe I danced with him. Who knows? Manchester kept going in and out of bankruptcy, ending up in Wormwood Scrubs for pawning some jewels that actually belonged to the estate before the Lords of Appeal let him off. I heard he recently sold Kimbolton Castle for debts. In any case, let me do my aristocratic magic on the telephone and track down the Pickards. You said there was a sister named Lucinda?’

‘Yes. I slept in her room.’

‘Then that should be enough for me.’

As they turned off Oxford Street towards the building holding their offices, Gwen spotted a familiar figure standing by the doorway.