Free The Brading Collection by Patricia Wentworth Page B

asked you out! How provident!”
    “In case I wanted to go out, and—well, then everything just came along of itself. Charles, I didn’t think it was anyone coming out of the house and going through the glass passage to the annexe—I didn’t really.”
    “What did you think?”
    “It’s all vague, you know—just an impression. But I thought—I really did think it was someone coming from the passage into the house.”
    “But you said you saw the annexe door move when the light came on.”
    She nodded.
    “Yes, I know. But I thought there was someone there with the door open, waiting for the person in the passage to get into the house and then shutting their own door and putting on the light.”
    Charles was looking at her hard.
    “But you didn’t see anyone doing those things?”
    “No.”
    “And it might have been the other way round—someone coming out of the house, going into the annexe, and turning on the light when they got in?”
    Her voice dragged and hesitated as she said,
    “I suppose so.”
    “In which case it was probably James Moberly or Lewis himself.”
    “Then why was the passage dark? If there wasn’t anything wrong, I mean.”
    “It was broad daylight when they came over to the house and they forgot to switch it on. Even Lewis is human. It doesn’t switch on from the house, you know. It used to, but when Lewis turned the place over he had it changed. The switches are all on the annexe side.”
    Stacy put her hand up to her cheek. The colour had brightened there.
    “Then it was the way I said, because the light was on all right when I got into bed. It wasn’t quite dark outside, but the passage was lighted from end to end. Only someone in the annexe could have turned it out after that.”
    Charles frowned and looked away.
    “James absent without leave, I should think,” he said rather shortly. Then, after a pause, “There’s probably nothing in it. But I’ll tell Lewis the light was off.”
    CHAPTER 11
    It was later on when they were heading for Ledlington that Charles said in an airy voice,
    “Who is the unfortunate chap?”
    Stacy said, “What do you mean?”
    “The object of all the staff work about the key—the current boy friend—the fellow who’s going to take you out on the razzle-dazzle.”
    “Well, you said it was going to be you.”
    “Oh, no, you put in the staff work before I came along. You needn’t have any inhibitions—I’m all friendly attention. Who is he?”
    Stacy said,
    “Why do you call him unfortunate?”
    The words came tumbling out, and the moment they were said she knew that she had let Charles score. He did it easily, lazily, with a smile for his own reflection in the driving-mirror.
    “Fellow feeling, darling.”
    Stacy bit her lip. She ought to have bitten her tongue off before she gave him that opening.
    The easy voice went on.
    “Are you having him for keeps? You must let me know when you’ve got the day fixed. Not quite good taste for me to come to the wedding—but some little offering perhaps. I get a nice line of saucepans at wholesale rates for the flats. They’re all furnished you know. Much more lucrative, and you can get rid of people if you don’t like them. What about an aluminum set, with a double saucepan thrown in, and some appropriate lines on a card attached by a silver ribbon—‘Thanks for the memory,’ or something like that?”
    She was almost too angry to speak, but she wasn’t going to let him score again.
    “It sounds delightful. I’ll remember when it’s your turn. I suppose you will be marrying almost at once?”
    “I suppose so. Do you mind telling me who I am going to marry? I should rather like to know.”
    Stacy looked sideways. He was looking straight ahead at the Ledlington road as if he would like to murder it. Charles in a temper was Charles in a temper, a most ugly, black and exhilarating sight. Stacy felt very properly exhilarated. She said,
    “Lilias, I suppose.”
    The car swerved right across