Death at the Chase by Michael Innes

proper firmness. ‘And here’s your fellow-toper turned up at last. Shove some hard liquor down him quick, for the love of mike. I’m starving.’
    ‘Why haven’t we got Robina with us?’ Finn asked an hour later. There had been two bottles of wine, after all, which had meant five glasses each for Finn and Giles. Finn, in consequence, had become even more cheerful than usual, which was proper enough. Giles appeared unaffected until you noticed the particular way in which his complexion had changed. Bobby concluded that he must add the unknown Giles to the intimately known Finn as not having too good a head. ‘Why haven’t we got Robina?’ Finn repeated to Giles. ‘You could present her to the rich uncle.’
    ‘What do you mean – present her?’ Giles put down his glass and stared at Finn. He spoke quite loudly, so that in the small hotel dining-room several people turned to glance curiously at the three young men.
    ‘Well, a sort of droit de seigneur .’ It was clear that this offensive joke wasn’t what Finn had intended; it had just come into his head. ‘Tied up in pink ribbon. Your uncle might like her quite a lot more than that grocer’s claret.’
    ‘Shut up, Finn,’ Bobby said.
    ‘No – but honestly. It might be a good idea for Giles to turn up with his girl. Appealing, mightn’t it be?’ Finn produced an oddly wild laugh. ‘At least it would give old Uncle Martyn a surprise.’
    ‘Uncle Martyn has met her, as a matter of fact.’ Giles had lowered his voice again, apparently mollified. ‘I brought her down to stay, you know, and my parents were quite civilized at first.’
    ‘Before they tumbled to the complete absence of cash?’ Finn asked.
    ‘Just that. My mother even toted her around, and included a call at the Chase. My mother tries to keep us on some sort of speaking terms with the head of the family. It isn’t much good, but she does go over once or twice a year. Well, Uncle Martyn was very decent to Robina. It seems he saw that she’d had about enough of my mother for a time, and he carried her off for a tour of the house all by herself.’ Giles paused before another yelp of laughter from Finn. ‘What are you cackling at? Rather hopeful, it seems to me. Would you say it was about time to get cracking?’
    ‘Decidedly it is.’ Bobby had glanced at his watch. ‘But you’d better not spend more than half an hour with the old gentleman when you get there. He might find anything beyond that a bit boring.’
    ‘Yes, of course,’ Giles said readily. He seemed to have formed a high opinion of the sagacity of Finn’s literary friend.
    ‘And you must be quite frank about the wine.’
    ‘You mean about its not being all that classy?’
    ‘Partly that. But chiefly you want to appear quite touchingly naïve about this business of bringing him a present. He’ll see at once that you want to get something out of him. Be childishly transparent about it. You should find it quite easy.’
    ‘I suppose so.’ This time, Giles sounded a little dubious. ‘You really think that would be the thing?’
    ‘Definitely. You must amuse him.’
    ‘Tell him jokes?’
    ‘I don’t mean that at all. You don’t want to put on your clown’s hat and start turning somersaults. What you must do is wait till you see that he is finding you an unconsciously absurd young man–’
    ‘His finding that out mayn’t show,’ Finn interrupted gravely. ‘I expect the old boy has quite decent manners.’
    ‘It will be in the air,’ Bobby said. ‘Giles must wait for it, and then he must suddenly give the game away. Tumble out what he’s really after, I mean, and pretty well ask the old gentleman for a cheque there and then – to be followed by a modest transfer of a few useful investments.’
    ‘Shock tactics,’ Giles said gravely, and drained his glass with deliberation. ‘I don’t see why not.’
     
    A sliver of moon hung in a clear sky, but nevertheless it was quite dark in the hotel yard. Finn,