R Raichev - The Death of Corinne

‘Well, I hope you ask me to the wedding,’ Lady Grylls said.

Provost appeared at the doorway. ‘Lunch is ready, m’lady. Do you wish us to serve?’

Coda

It was very warm now, real spring weather. The sun was shining and the nightingales sang. The magnolia tree outside the open study window looked like a giant wedding cake, covered with solid pink and white sugar icing. A spruce-looking elderly gentleman in heather tweeds, a green pork-pie hat and driving gloves could be seen talking animatedly to Major Payne in the drive, beside an ancient Bentley.

‘Is that all you want? Are you sure, my dear?’ Lady Grylls said in some surprise.

‘I am. I’ve got quite a yen for it,’ Antonia said.

‘What an extraordinary thing to have a yen for! Of course you shall have Rory’s desk. Goodness. Glad to be rid of the ghastly old object… I’ll have this room turned into a boudoir or something equally jolly. You know – one of those muslin and primrose affairs with lots of silk cushions? I need to get something off my chest.’ Lady Grylls pushed her glasses up her nose. ‘It was I who killed Corinne.’

Antonia stared. ‘What – what do you mean?’

There was a pause. ‘If I hadn’t given Ruse that brooch all those years ago, Corinne wouldn’t have worn it on her beret,’ Lady Grylls said slowly. ‘Corinne then wouldn’t have been noticed in the greenhouse and then – then she would have remained alive – poor dear Andrew would have died instead! It’s a dreadful thought, I know.’

Antonia breathed an internal sigh of relief. ‘Oh, it never works like that,’ she managed to say lightly. ‘Something else would have happened – she’d have given herself away in some other way – the gun would have glimmered in the moonlight – he’d have noticed it.’

‘You think so? He would have, wouldn’t he?’ Lady Grylls brightened up. ‘He is such a clever young man… And now,’ she went on, ‘we must go and look at Bobo Markham’s new pigs. He’s come all this way to collect us. Such an old bore!’

But she was wearing lipstick, her hair was freshly coiffed and earlier on she had asked Antonia to help her choose what dress to wear.