husband since death had removed him as a possible suspect, but for politeness’ sake, he leaned forward and took it, anyway.
The strapping, handsome man in the photo had the mischievous, dancing eyes and ready grin that indicated he would be a handful, thought Rafferty. Beside him, Clara looked slim and demure in a sheath-style ivory dress and short, diaphanous veil. On closer inspection, although the demure expression remained, there was no mistaking the look of triumph in her eye. It proclaimed, that having caught her man, she had proved you could have your cake and eat it.
Given what Mary Soames had said about the marriage, Rafferty couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken for disillusionment to set in and for Clara to realise that, as a husband, Harry Mortimer wasn't, after all, such a great prize.
Once Llewelllyn, too, had glanced at the picture, Rafferty handed it back.
Mrs Soames returned the photo to the table and picked up her tea. It was in a thick earthenware mug rather than the exquisite and almost translucent china cups in Clara Mortimer's kitchen. But, given the way Mary Soames's possessions seemed to scatter about her, it was probably just as well she favoured more workmanlike drinking vessels.
‘Clara was ashamed that it should be her daughter who was the family's first divorcée, especially after the trauma she felt when Jane fell pregnant with Charles, her eldest.'
Rafferty, who had forgotten to make enquiries about the identity of the young man in RAF uniform in the faded sepia photo in Clara Mortimer's apartment, was thankful when Mrs Soames confirmed that the photo was that of Mrs Mortimer's elder brother, another Charles.
'Clara adored him. He died in the war, but he lived long enough to father two children who are both doing well, I believe, though since they emigrated to New Zealand with their mother, I've rather lost touch.
'I was pleased, for Clara's sake, when Jane and James Ogilvie married. I suppose I might have known it wouldn't last. Jane really went off the rails after that. Awful to say, perhaps, but maybe it was for the best that she miscarried several times after the marriage split. She was living a very rackety life at the time, so I imagine the babies stood a good chance of being damaged in some way."
'Talking about Mrs Ogilvie's children,’ Rafferty said. ‘For purposes of elimination, I need to find out the names and addresses of their fathers, but I didn't feel I could ask Mrs Ogilvie yesterday after breaking the news about her mother's murder. Did you know them? Or know their current whereabouts?'
'I met all three, but the only one I knew reasonably well was James Ogilvie. As for where they might be living now-' She shrugged. 'I doubt if Jane herself knows as she's never been a great one for keeping in touch.
‘I would imagine Hakim's father, Jamil Abdullah, has probably long since returned to Egypt; he was only here on a student visa and made no secret of the fact that his long-term commitment was to his homeland rather than Jane.
'As for Aurora's father – Earl Ray, he called himself, though I believe he also used several other names – was a bad lot, into buying and selling drugs. He's more than likely dead by now. I don't mind admitting I was glad when he cleared out of Jane's life. He wasn't a good influence on the children. Certainly neither of these men was what I would call good father material.
‘Unfortunately, with Jane, that's par for the course. She had always been something of a trial to poor Clara. Whatever Clara asked her to do, Jane did the opposite. Anyway, after their disagreement about the divorce things rather went downhill. Sometimes I swear that Jane behaved the way she did just to upset her mother. After all, she can't want to have had all of her children conceived with different fathers. Even though she's only a year off forty, Jane is still going through her rebellious teens in her head. The trouble is, Clara and her daughter never got
The strapping, handsome man in the photo had the mischievous, dancing eyes and ready grin that indicated he would be a handful, thought Rafferty. Beside him, Clara looked slim and demure in a sheath-style ivory dress and short, diaphanous veil. On closer inspection, although the demure expression remained, there was no mistaking the look of triumph in her eye. It proclaimed, that having caught her man, she had proved you could have your cake and eat it.
Given what Mary Soames had said about the marriage, Rafferty couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken for disillusionment to set in and for Clara to realise that, as a husband, Harry Mortimer wasn't, after all, such a great prize.
Once Llewelllyn, too, had glanced at the picture, Rafferty handed it back.
Mrs Soames returned the photo to the table and picked up her tea. It was in a thick earthenware mug rather than the exquisite and almost translucent china cups in Clara Mortimer's kitchen. But, given the way Mary Soames's possessions seemed to scatter about her, it was probably just as well she favoured more workmanlike drinking vessels.
‘Clara was ashamed that it should be her daughter who was the family's first divorcée, especially after the trauma she felt when Jane fell pregnant with Charles, her eldest.'
Rafferty, who had forgotten to make enquiries about the identity of the young man in RAF uniform in the faded sepia photo in Clara Mortimer's apartment, was thankful when Mrs Soames confirmed that the photo was that of Mrs Mortimer's elder brother, another Charles.
'Clara adored him. He died in the war, but he lived long enough to father two children who are both doing well, I believe, though since they emigrated to New Zealand with their mother, I've rather lost touch.
'I was pleased, for Clara's sake, when Jane and James Ogilvie married. I suppose I might have known it wouldn't last. Jane really went off the rails after that. Awful to say, perhaps, but maybe it was for the best that she miscarried several times after the marriage split. She was living a very rackety life at the time, so I imagine the babies stood a good chance of being damaged in some way."
'Talking about Mrs Ogilvie's children,’ Rafferty said. ‘For purposes of elimination, I need to find out the names and addresses of their fathers, but I didn't feel I could ask Mrs Ogilvie yesterday after breaking the news about her mother's murder. Did you know them? Or know their current whereabouts?'
'I met all three, but the only one I knew reasonably well was James Ogilvie. As for where they might be living now-' She shrugged. 'I doubt if Jane herself knows as she's never been a great one for keeping in touch.
‘I would imagine Hakim's father, Jamil Abdullah, has probably long since returned to Egypt; he was only here on a student visa and made no secret of the fact that his long-term commitment was to his homeland rather than Jane.
'As for Aurora's father – Earl Ray, he called himself, though I believe he also used several other names – was a bad lot, into buying and selling drugs. He's more than likely dead by now. I don't mind admitting I was glad when he cleared out of Jane's life. He wasn't a good influence on the children. Certainly neither of these men was what I would call good father material.
‘Unfortunately, with Jane, that's par for the course. She had always been something of a trial to poor Clara. Whatever Clara asked her to do, Jane did the opposite. Anyway, after their disagreement about the divorce things rather went downhill. Sometimes I swear that Jane behaved the way she did just to upset her mother. After all, she can't want to have had all of her children conceived with different fathers. Even though she's only a year off forty, Jane is still going through her rebellious teens in her head. The trouble is, Clara and her daughter never got
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