CONCERNS MRS. STAPLETON
Ten days had passed since the events I have set down in the previous
chapter, and still no clue of any kind had been obtained to the robbers
at Holt, or the perpetrators of the outrage at the house in Grafton
Street. Nor, indeed, had any light been thrown upon the mystery of the
forged telegram, while the incident of the discovery of the charred body
of a murdered woman among the _debris_ of the house in Maresfield
Gardens destroyed by fire on Christmas Eve had, to all intents, been
entirely forgotten.
In the firelight in a small room leading out of the large library,
Dulcie and I sat and talked. Perched on the broad arm of a giant padded
chair, swinging her small, grey-spatted feet to and fro, she glanced at
me moodily, replying in monosyllables to most of my remarks. Presently I
rose with a gesture of annoyance, and began to pace the floor.
It was not a comfortable atmosphere by any means—metaphorically. In
point of fact, Dulcie and I quarrelled.
We had quarrelled during our afternoon walk over the hard-frozen snow to
a neighbouring hamlet to take a deserving widow a can of soup, and old
"Captain" Barnacle in Wheatsheaf Lane a promising Christmas pudding.
The cause of our quarrel was a curious one. Though Aunt Hannah appeared
to have overcome her belief concerning the telegram she had felt so
certain I had sent, I felt that she was now prejudiced against me—why,
heaven only knew. Her manner towards me, as well as her expression, and
the way she spoke to me, all betrayed this. Women dislike being proved
to be in the wrong even more than men do, and the conclusion I had come
to was that Aunt Hannah would never forgive my having, in a sense, made
her eat her words and look ridiculous. It was on the subject of Aunt
Hannah, then, that Dulcie and I had begun our quarrel, for Dulcie had
stood up for her when I condemned her—that I condemned her rather
bitterly, I admit. From that we had presently come to talk of Mrs.
Stapleton, for whom Dulcie had suddenly developed a most extraordinary
infatuation.
On the morning that Dick, on his way to the station, had passed Mrs.
Stapleton in her car, Mrs. Stapleton had called at Holt and asked to see
Dulcie. At that moment Dulcie was in the train with Aunt Hannah, on her
way to London in response to the telegram. The widow had then asked to
see Aunt Hannah Challoner, and then Sir Roland.
Upon hearing that all three were absent from home, she had asked if she
might come into the house to write a note to Dulcie, and the maid who
had opened the door to her—the butler and footman having, as we know,
gone into Newbury—had politely but firmly refused to admit her,
declaring that she had orders to admit nobody whomsoever.
This refusal had apparently annoyed Mrs. Stapleton a good deal, and on
the same evening she had called again, and again asked to see Dulcie,
who by that time had returned. It was while she was alone with Dulcie
in her boudoir that Sir Roland and Dick and I had returned to Holt, and
that the stranger—whom we now knew to have been Lord Logan's son—had
been discovered in the hiding-hole. Mrs. Stapleton had remained with
Dulcie over an hour, and during that hour it was that she had apparently
cast the spell of her personality over Dulcie. It was on the subject of
this infatuation of Dulcie's that Dulcie and I had ended by quarrelling
rather seriously.
"I won't hear a word said against her," Dulcie suddenly declared
impetuously, kicking her heel viciously against the chair. "I think she
is the most fascinating woman I have ever met, and the more you abuse
her the more I shall stand up for her—so there."
"Abuse her!" I answered irritably. "When did I abuse her? Repeat one
word of abuse that I have uttered against her. You know quite well that
I haven't said a syllable that you can twist into abuse. All I have said
is that I mistrust her, and that I think it a pity you should for ever
be metaphorically sitting on her skirts, as you have been during the
past few days."
"And you don't call that abuse?" Dulcie retorted. "Then tell me what you
do call it."
"I myself like Mrs. Stapleton up to a point," I answered, evading the
question. "She is capital company and all that, but—"
"But what?" Dulcie asked quickly, as I hesitated.
"But who is she? And where does she come from? How is it that nobody
about here, and apparently nobody in town either, knows anything at all
about her? Such an attractive-looking woman, young, apparently well off,
and a widow—surely somebody ought to know something or other about her
if she is quite—well, quite all right. It's most singular that she
shouldn't have any friends at all among our rather large circle of
acquaintance."
"I shall tell her just what you have said about her," Dulcie exclaimed
quite hotly. "I never thought you were that kind, Michael—never. You
pride yourself upon being broadminded—you have often told me so—and
yet because Tom, Dick and Harry don't know all about poor Mrs.
Stapleton—who her husband was, who her parents were, and where she
comes from—you immediately become suspicious, and begin to wonder all
sorts of horrid things about her."
"My dear Dulcie," I said, becoming suddenly quite calm, so anxious was I
to soothe her at any cost, for I hated our falling out like this, "you
put words into my mouth I never spoke, and thoughts into my mind which
never occurred to me. I have said only one thing, and I shall say it
again. I mistrust Mrs. Stapleton, and I advise you to be on your guard
against her."
The door opened at that moment, and Charles, entering, announced:
"Mrs. Stapleton."
"Oh, Connie, how glad I am you've come!" Dulcie burst out, jumping off
the arm of the big chair impetuously, and hurrying forward to meet the
widow, who at once embraced her affectionately. "We were just this
instant talking about you. Isn't that strange?"
"And I hope not saying nasty things, as I have reason to believe some of
my 'friends' do," Mrs. Stapleton answered, with a charming smile,
casting a careless glance at me. "But, of course, I couldn't imagine you
or Mr. Berrington saying anything unpleasant about anybody," she added
quickly; "you are both much—much too nice."
This was heaping coals of fire upon me, and I believe I winced as
Dulcie's eyes met mine for a brief instant and I noticed the look of
scorn that was in them. She did not, however, repeat to Mrs. Stapleton
what I had just said about her, as she had threatened to do. Instead,
she slipped her arm affectionately through the young widow's, led her
over to the big arm-chair, made her sit down in it, and once more
perched herself upon its arm.
"Ring for tea, Mike, like a dear," she said to me. Her tone had
completely changed. Once more she had become her own, delightful self.
This sudden _volte-face_ did not, I must admit, in the least surprise
me, for I knew what a child of moods she was, how impulsive and
impetuous, and I think I loved her the more because she was like that.
We now formed, indeed, quite a merry trio. By the time tea was finished
Connie Stapleton's magnetic personality must, I think, have begun to
affect me to some extent, for I found myself wondering whether, after
all, I had not been mistaken in the opinion I had formed that she was a
woman one would be well-advised not to trust too implicitly—become too
intimate with.
"And your jewels, dear!" she suddenly asked, as though the recollection
of the robbery had but at that instant occurred to her. "Have you
recovered any of them? Have the police found any clue?"
"Yes," Dulcie answered at once, "the police have a clue, though, as yet,
none of the stolen things have been recovered."
"Indeed?" I exclaimed. "Why, Dulcie, you never told me. What is it? What
is the clue?"
"I forgot to tell you; at least, I should have told you, but you've been
so snappy all the afternoon that I thought there was no need," Dulcie
answered equivocally. "Well, the clue is merely this. When
Churchill—that's the head gardener, you know," she said to Mrs.
Stapleton—"was sweeping away the snow in the drive at the back of the
house, that narrow drive which leads down to the lane that joins the
main road to Newbury, just by Stag's Leap, he saw something shining on
the ground. He picked it up and found it was a buckle, set in diamonds,
as he thought, so when he brought it to me of course he was tremendously
excited—he made sure it was one of the stolen bits of jewellery. As a
matter of fact, it was one of a set of very old paste buckles which
belonged to my mother, and those buckles were among the stolen things."
"When did he find it?" Mrs. Stapleton asked, interested.
"Why, only a few hours ago—it was just after lunch when he came to me,
and he had then only just found it. You see, the ground has been covered
with snow ever since the day of the robbery; that was the last day
we hunted."
"Did the gardener say anything else? Has he any theory to account for
the buckle being there?"
Again it was Mrs. Stapleton who put the question.
"None, Connie," Dulcie answered. "At least, yes," she corrected, "he has
a sort of theory, but I don't think much of it. That narrow drive is
rarely used, you know; the gate into the lane is nearly always
locked—it was unlocked and the gate set open the day the hounds met
here in order to save people coming from the direction of Stag's Leap
the trouble of going round by the lodge. I don't think, all the same,
that many people came in that way."
"I don't see much 'theory' in that," I observed drily. Somehow I could
not shake off the feeling of irritability that my quarrel with Dulcie
during the afternoon had created.
"Naturally, because I haven't yet come to the theory part," Dulcie
answered sharply, noticing the tone in which I spoke. "I am coming to it
now. Churchill says he happened to come along that drive between about
eleven o'clock and half-past on the morning of the meet—that would be
just about the time when everybody was at the breakfast—and he
distinctly remembers seeing a car drawn up close to the shrubbery. There
was nobody in it, he says, but as far as he can recollect it was drawn
up at the exact spot where he found the buckle this afternoon. Of
course, there was no snow on the ground then."
"Has he any idea what the car was like?"
As Connie Stapleton made this inquiry I happened to glance at her. I
could only see her profile, but there was, I thought, something unusual
in her expression, something I did not seem to recollect having ever
seen in it before. It was not exactly a look of anxiety; rather it was a
look of extreme interest, of singular curiosity.
"Churchill is most mysterious and secretive on that point," Dulcie
answered. "I asked him to tell me what the car was like, if he had any
idea whose it was. He said it was a grey car, but he wouldn't tell me
more than that. He said he believed he had 'hit the line,' and would
soon be on a 'hot scent.' Try as I would, I couldn't get him to say
another word. He asked if he might have this afternoon off, and gave me
to understand he wanted to go into Newbury. I believe he is going to try
to do a little detective work," she ended, with a laugh; "but, as I say,
I don't put much faith in any theory Churchill may have formed."
"Well, my dear Dulcie, if you succeed in recovering your jewellery you
know I shall be the first to congratulate you," Mrs. Stapleton said,
taking Dulcie's hand and patting it affectionately. "It is too dreadful
to think all those lovely things should have been stolen from you,
things of such exceptional value to you because of their long
association with your family. Oh, how stupid of me," she suddenly said,
interrupting herself, "I have forgotten to tell you what I have come to
see you for. I have some friends from town dining with me to-night—some
of them are going to stay the night at 'The Rook,' the others will
return to town in their cars—and I want you and Mr. Berrington to join
us. It's quite an informal little dinner party, so I hope you will
forgive my asking you in this offhanded way and at such short notice.
The fact is, two people telegraphed at lunch time that they wouldn't be
able to come, so I thought that if I motored over here I might be able
to persuade you to come instead. Will you come, dear? And you, Mr.
Berrington? Do say 'yes.' Don't disappoint me when I have come all this
way out to try to persuade you—if I were not really anxious that you
should join us I should have telephoned or telegraphed!"
"Of course—why, I shall love to come!" Dulcie exclaimed, without a
moment's hesitation. "And, Mike will come—I know he will."
"You mean he won't be able to let you be away from him so long," Connie
Stapleton said mischievously, and there was something very peculiar in
her laugh. It flashed across me at that moment that for an instant or
two she looked a singularly wicked woman.
Dulcie smiled self-consciously, but said nothing. I knew that she rather
disliked any joking allusion being made to our engagement.
"May I use your telephone, darling Dulcie?" Connie Stapleton asked
suddenly. "I want to tell the hotel people that we shall be the original
number. I told them after lunch that we might be two short."
Dulcie had a telephone extension in the little room which adjoined her
boudoir, and some moments later Mrs. Stapleton was talking rapidly into
the transmitter in her smooth, soft voice. She spoke in a tongue that
neither of us understood, and when, after she had conversed for over
five minutes, she hung up the receiver, Dulcie called out to her gaily:
"Why, Connie, what language was that?"
'Polish,' she answered. "Didn't you recognize it? Of course, you know
that I am Russian."
"Russian! Why, no, I hadn't the least idea. I always thought you were
not English, although you speak English perfectly. I remember wondering,
the first time I met you, to what nationality you belonged, and I came
to the conclusion that possibly you were Austrian."
"No, Russian," Mrs. Stapleton repeated. "I have a Polish maid who speaks
hardly any English, and I was talking to her. And now, my dear, I really
must be going. What is the exact time?"
It was five minutes past six. Dulcie pressed the electric button.
"Mrs. Stapleton's car at once," she said, when the footman entered.
A few minutes later Mrs. Stapleton's long grey Rolls-Royce was gliding
noiselessly down the avenue, over the snow, its tail lights fast
disappearing into the darkness.