Free The Ledbury Lamplighters by Kerry Tombs Page B

gentlemen.’
    Crabb gave Ravenscroft a look of relief as the two men followed the owner and his dogs along the path towards the main door of the residence.
    â€˜You are not originally from these parts then, Mr Catherwood?’ asked Ravenscroft.
    â€˜Yorkshire.’
    â€˜How long have you been resident in Ledbury?’
    â€˜Twenty-one years,’ replied Catherwood, opening the door and indicating that they should enter.
    Ravenscroft and Crabb found themselves standing on the quarry-tiled floor of a large room of rustic appearance, which was dominated by a great oak table and chairs in its centre, and a roaring log fire blazing forth from a stone hearth at the far end.
    â€˜Take a seat, gentlemen,’ said their host, throwing his hat down on the table. ‘I thought it would not be long before you arrived.’
    â€˜Oh, why do you say that, sir?’ said Ravenscroft, pulling out one of the chairs from the table and seating himself as the two dogsstretched out before the fire.
    â€˜You know perfectly well, Ravenscroft, that Montacute and myself were once business partners and that we had a severe falling out. You no doubt see me as your main suspect,’ replied Catherwood without hesitation.
    â€˜I would not say that, Mr Catherwood. At this stage we are merely making enquiries. The more we can discover about the late gentleman’s affairs, the more information we can obtain which may help us to eventually make an arrest,’ said Ravenscroft, sensing that his host was a man who liked to come quickly to the main point of an argument, and that he would need to tread carefully so as not to give offence.
    â€˜Don’t mince your words, Ravenscroft,’ said Catherwood.
    â€˜Tell me why you and Montacute fell out,’ said Ravenscroft.
    â€˜The man cheated on me.’
    â€˜Can you elaborate further, Mr Catherwood?’
    â€˜Shortly after I arrived in Ledbury, Montacute got me to invest a large portion of my savings in some old cottages and land at the bottom of New Street, telling me all kinds of fanciful stories about how their value would double in five years. Then after two years he said the council – of which he was the mayor of at that time – would need to acquire the land in order to widen the road and that we would have to sell for a fraction of the price we had paid. There was nothing I could do but comply with the demand, or face the courts. Montacute then said that if I invested the sale proceeds, I would soon double my investment, as he knew of a good company in the city that was involved in shipping and was sure to do very well. I, like a fool, believed him. The following year, Montacute sold his share of the New Street properties to the Ledbury Gas Coke and Coal Company for the new gas works and made a pretty pile in the process – seemed as though he had not sold his share of the original investment after all. At the same time the company I had speculated in became bankrupt after one of their ships was lost at sea.’
    â€˜Unfortunate,’ muttered Crabb, writing in his notebook.
    â€˜Not unfortunate at all! I sold out my share of the investment to Montacute, only to learn later that the company had been resurrected and had doubled its profits the following year. I call that sharp practice,’ added Catherwood.
    â€˜I can see why you disliked Mr Montacute,’ said Ravenscroft, trying to sound sympathetic.
    â€˜Dislike is putting it mildly. I hated the man at the time, Ravenscroft, but I soon realized I was powerless to do anything about it. Montacute had nearly ruined me, but he had such a strong hold on the affairs of the town that I could see little opportunity for redress,’ replied Catherwood, throwing another log on the fire.
    â€˜And do you still hate Mr Montacute?’
    â€˜No point. At the time I could have killed him quite easily, but as the years go by you soon realize it does you little good to think about the