The Scandal at 23 Mount Street (An Angela Marchmont Mystery Book 9) by Clara Benson Page A
Authors: Clara Benson
Tags: murder mystery
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you,’ said Freddy. ‘I was struck by it at the time, and I was making up my mind to tease you about it when I saw you next. But then this all happened and I never had the opportunity. I never shall now, because it’s suddenly become far more important than just a silly joke. You must see that. I should hate to think of your being found guilty of something you didn’t do just because you’re trying to protect someone who probably doesn’t deserve it.’
For a moment he looked like a worried little boy, and she was touched by his concern. Could she have told she might have done it then, but of course she could not.
‘I do see it,’ she said, ‘and I wish I could say anything different, but I can’t. Do you really think I’d be sitting here now if I had a handy alibi? I assume that’s what you mean, at any rate: you think I wasn’t at home that night, but I can assure you I was, just as I said. I don’t know which man you’re talking about. I danced with quite a few that night, and I dare say I flirted with one or two of them, as one does when one’s enjoying oneself. Then I came home and went straight to bed, and rather stupidly didn’t spot until the next morning that someone had killed my husband and left his body behind the sofa.’
‘Oh, Angela,’ said Freddy sadly, for he did not believe a word of it.
There was a silence, and she looked down at her hands.
‘Besides, don’t you think it would look even worse if there were someone?’ she said quietly. ‘I still shouldn’t have an alibi because they’d just think we were in it together—that we’d both killed Davie. Then they wouldn’t call me only a murderer, but other things besides.’
For a second her lips trembled, and Freddy regarded her with the greatest pity. He was now certain that his guess had been right, and was privately disgusted at the man, whoever he might be, for not coming forward and giving her an alibi. Presumably he was married and had a position to maintain, and would let Angela hang rather than get himself into trouble. Angela was an honourable woman and would not give him away, but any true gentleman would have stepped in immediately to save her. Freddy resolved there and then that he would find this man if at all possible, and force him to do what he ought.
‘Angela—’ he began.
‘Listen, Freddy,’ she said in a firmer voice. ‘I promise you that if there were anything I could possibly do to make them let me out, then I should do it—should have done it long ago, in fact. I’m in the most awful fix, I know that, and I’m tremendously grateful that you’ve done as much as you have for me, but please don’t feel bad if things don’t—turn out well.’
‘You mustn’t think like that,’ he said. ‘Of course things will turn out well. We’ll find out who really did it and they’ll acquit you and let you go with a handshake and an apology, and perhaps even a bouquet—’ here she did manage a smile, ‘—and we’ll forget any of this ever happened.’
‘I hope so,’ she said. ‘But how can we find out who did do it?’
‘I only wish I knew,’ he said. ‘It’s a pity you can’t do any investigating yourself, stuck in here. But I shall do what I can, if you’ll only tell me where to start. I mean to say, you must have plenty of spare time here to think about things. Have you come to any conclusions as to who might have murdered your husband?’
‘Well it must have been someone he knew,’ she said. ‘I imagine I wasn’t the only person to find him tiresome. I don’t know who would have had a big enough grudge against him to kill him, though.’
‘Did he have friends in England?’
‘Well, there was the man he was staying with at Burkett’s. I can’t remember his name, but I dare say you could find it out. I don’t know about anyone else. As far as I knew, he had none.’
‘But what was he doing in your flat?’ said Freddy. ‘Surely that’s the oddest part of this whole
For a moment he looked like a worried little boy, and she was touched by his concern. Could she have told she might have done it then, but of course she could not.
‘I do see it,’ she said, ‘and I wish I could say anything different, but I can’t. Do you really think I’d be sitting here now if I had a handy alibi? I assume that’s what you mean, at any rate: you think I wasn’t at home that night, but I can assure you I was, just as I said. I don’t know which man you’re talking about. I danced with quite a few that night, and I dare say I flirted with one or two of them, as one does when one’s enjoying oneself. Then I came home and went straight to bed, and rather stupidly didn’t spot until the next morning that someone had killed my husband and left his body behind the sofa.’
‘Oh, Angela,’ said Freddy sadly, for he did not believe a word of it.
There was a silence, and she looked down at her hands.
‘Besides, don’t you think it would look even worse if there were someone?’ she said quietly. ‘I still shouldn’t have an alibi because they’d just think we were in it together—that we’d both killed Davie. Then they wouldn’t call me only a murderer, but other things besides.’
For a second her lips trembled, and Freddy regarded her with the greatest pity. He was now certain that his guess had been right, and was privately disgusted at the man, whoever he might be, for not coming forward and giving her an alibi. Presumably he was married and had a position to maintain, and would let Angela hang rather than get himself into trouble. Angela was an honourable woman and would not give him away, but any true gentleman would have stepped in immediately to save her. Freddy resolved there and then that he would find this man if at all possible, and force him to do what he ought.
‘Angela—’ he began.
‘Listen, Freddy,’ she said in a firmer voice. ‘I promise you that if there were anything I could possibly do to make them let me out, then I should do it—should have done it long ago, in fact. I’m in the most awful fix, I know that, and I’m tremendously grateful that you’ve done as much as you have for me, but please don’t feel bad if things don’t—turn out well.’
‘You mustn’t think like that,’ he said. ‘Of course things will turn out well. We’ll find out who really did it and they’ll acquit you and let you go with a handshake and an apology, and perhaps even a bouquet—’ here she did manage a smile, ‘—and we’ll forget any of this ever happened.’
‘I hope so,’ she said. ‘But how can we find out who did do it?’
‘I only wish I knew,’ he said. ‘It’s a pity you can’t do any investigating yourself, stuck in here. But I shall do what I can, if you’ll only tell me where to start. I mean to say, you must have plenty of spare time here to think about things. Have you come to any conclusions as to who might have murdered your husband?’
‘Well it must have been someone he knew,’ she said. ‘I imagine I wasn’t the only person to find him tiresome. I don’t know who would have had a big enough grudge against him to kill him, though.’
‘Did he have friends in England?’
‘Well, there was the man he was staying with at Burkett’s. I can’t remember his name, but I dare say you could find it out. I don’t know about anyone else. As far as I knew, he had none.’
‘But what was he doing in your flat?’ said Freddy. ‘Surely that’s the oddest part of this whole
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