Edward Marston - The railway viaduct

Madeleine Andrews was dismayed. It was two days since the murder investigation had been concluded and she had seen no sign of Robert Colbeck. The newspapers had lauded him with fulsome praise and she had cut out one article about him. Yet he did not appear in person. She wondered if she should call at his house and, if he were not there, leave a message with his servant. In the end, she decided against such a move. She continued to wait and to feel sorely neglected.

It was late afternoon when a cab finally drew up outside the house. She opened the door in time to watch Colbeck paying the driver. When he turned round, she was horrified to see the bruises that still marked his face. There had been no mention of his injuries in the newspaper. Madeleine was so troubled by his appearance that she took scant notice of the object he was carrying. After giving her a kiss, Colbeck followed her into the house.

'Before you ask,' he explained, 'I had a fight with Luke Rogan. Give me a few more days and I'll look more like the man you know. And before you scold me for not coming sooner,' he went on, 'you should know that I went to Liverpool on your behalf.'

'Liverpool?'

'The local constabulary helped us in the first stages of our enquiries. It was only fair to give them an account of what transpired thereafter. I can't say that Inspector Heyford was overjoyed to see me. He still hasn't recovered from the shock of accepting Constable Praine as his future son-in-law.'

Madeleine was bemused. 'Who are these people?'

'I'll tell you later, Madeleine,' he promised. 'The person I really went to see was Ambrose Hooper.'

'The artist?'

'The very same.' He tapped the painting that he was holding. 'I bought this from him as a present for you.'

'A present?' She was thrilled. 'How marvellous!'

'Aren't you going to see what it is?' Madeleine took the painting from him and began to unwrap it. 'Because I was engaged in solving the crime, Mr Hooper gave me first refusal.'

Pulling off the last of the thick brown paper, she revealed the stunning watercolour of the Sankey Viaduct. It made her blink in awe.

'This is amazing, Robert,' she said, relishing every detail. 'It makes my version look like a childish scribble.'

'But that was the one that really helped me,' he said. 'You drew what was in Sir Marcus Hetherington's mind. Two countries joined together by a viaduct – victorious France and defeated England.'

'Is this Gaston Chabal?' she asked, studying the tiny figure.

'Yes, Madeleine.'

'He really does seem to be falling through the air.'

'Mr Hooper has captured the scene perfectly.'

'No wonder you were so grateful to him at the start.'

'He was the perfect witness – in the right place at the right time to record the moment for posterity. That painting is proof of the fact.'

'It's a wonderful piece of work. Father will be so interested to see it. He's driven trains over the viaduct.'

'I didn't buy it for your father, I bought it for you. It was by way of thanks for your assistance. Do you really like the painting?'

'I love it,' she said, putting it aside so that she could fling her arms around his neck. 'Thank you, Robert. You're so kind.' She kissed him. 'It's the nicest thing you've ever given me.'

'Is it?' he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. 'Oh, I think I can do a lot better than that, Madeleine.'