A Charitable Body: A Novel of Suspense Paperback - 2013

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1
Change of Life


âÈêVery nice,âÈë said Rupert Fiennes, licking his tongue delicately around his lips. âÈêBoiled is easily my favorite way of having an egg.âÈë

âÈêThe easiest, anyway,âÈë said his cousin Mary-Elizabeth rather grimly, as was her wont whenever anything even remotely connected to their new and only comparative penury came up. âÈêMrs. Tower always said it was a very poor sort of breakfast.âÈë

âÈêOh, Mrs. Tower was devoted to bacon and sausages, to mushrooms and black pudding,âÈë said Rupert. âÈêWe had to have them because she enjoyed them herself. I always hated piled-high breakfasts in the army, and I hoped for something simpler when I got out. Croissants, maybe, or cold meats and cheeses. As so often, Walbrook Manor defeated me.âÈë

âÈêDonâÈçt be disrespectful of Walbrook. You know it pains me to the heart that we have lost it.âÈë

âÈêIt doesnâÈçt pain me to the heart, but IâÈçll try to be silent in my rejoicings in future.âÈë

They were just finishing the washing-up when Mary-Elizabeth looked at her watch.

âÈêOh goody! ThereâÈçs time to read the papers. I havenâÈçt got to be at the vicarage until eleven oâÈçclock.âÈë

âÈêNow you see what a wonderful thing running hot water is,âÈë said Rupert. âÈêYouâÈçd still be waiting for the kettle to boil if we were living at Walbrook Manor.âÈë

Mary-Elizabeth said nothing. That was always the way to get the best of Rupert. She settled down to the bits and pieces in the TimesâÈç Arts supplement and was well advanced with the sudoku when she checked her watch again and then hurried into the hall and put on her outdoor coat.

âÈêAh, Mary. Just a word before you go,âÈë said her cousin, coming out from his study. He didnâÈçt speak to her as a cousin, much more like a brother, which is how she regarded him. âÈêGot all your papers for your meeting read and digested?âÈë he temporized.

âÈêWe donâÈçt have much paperwork in the WomenâÈçs Institute committee. Now what is it, Rupert?âÈë

âÈêIâÈçve been thinkingâÈ'it troubled meâÈ'about your sorrow at losing Walbrook.âÈë

âÈêWell, donâÈçt. Really, RupertâÈ'âÈë

âÈêI think sometimes you throw a pretty pink halo around the place, forgetting how horribly inconvenient it was.âÈë

âÈêI am quite aware of that. I have reason to be.âÈë

âÈêOf course you do. But I was wondering, would you like a positionâÈ'well, a job, to be frankâÈ'in Walbrook when the place is really open to the public on a full-time basis?âÈë

A smile burst onto Mary-ElizabethâÈçs usually rather glum face.

âÈêI can think of nothing IâÈçd like better. But be careful, Rupert. The other members of the Walbrook Trust Board might condemn you as wanting to keep control even when youâÈçve handed the house over to them. NoâÈ'thereâÈçs no might about it: some of them certainly would.âÈë

âÈêIâÈçm aware of that. I will go very carefully. And you must go carefully and not try to glamorize the placeâÈçs past. There were very ugly sides to the days when our family ran the manor and almost everything around it. The Trust, quite rightly, would expect a degree of balance in how the houseâÈçs history is presented to the public.âÈë

âÈêAnd theyâÈçd get it from me. I do appreciate how much easier life is in this flat. Everything works, everything is convenient and saves us no end of trouble. We can concentrate on what interests us, not on the grind of everyday living. So in many ways weâÈçre both better off than we were.âÈë

âÈêOf course we are. I knew you must see that,âÈë said Rupert, his relief showing in his voice.

âÈêStill, this place is a bit lacking in style, history, peopleâÈçs loves and struggles and dilemmas, isnâÈçt it?âÈë

With that Mary-Elizabeth made her way out of the front door, being careful not to bang it.

A few minutes later Rupert passed his cousin as she was gazing into the window of Mrs. BordenâÈçs secondhand-book shop (OPEN THURSDAYS AND SATURDAY MORNINGS the sign said), and he stopped and broached to her what he had been thinking on his walk.

âÈêYou know, I wonder whether instead of a job it wouldnâÈçt be easier to get you into one of the vacant places on the Trust Board. No payment involvedâÈ'but we canâÈçt pretend we are in need of money.âÈë

âÈêNo . . . a place on the board sounds glorious, Rupert. WeâÈçd make a great team.âÈë

âÈêAh . . .âÈë Rupert gave every appearance of having been caught out. âÈêI was thinking instead of me, not in addition to,âÈë he said, and resumed his walk to the manor.

That was typical of Rupert, his cousin thought. He floated ideas, then shut down any discussion of them, assuming that he, and his interlocutor, needed time to sort things out in their own minds. It was a surprisingly effective way of proceeding. But this time he momentarily turned back.

âÈêThe meeting today is going to discuss the matter of the rolling exhibitions on the first floor. At the moment the plan is for a new exhibition each year, with a wide range of topics.âÈë

âÈêIâÈçd support that,âÈë said Mary-Elizabeth. âÈêSomething is needed to get the crowds in.âÈë

âÈêThe choice for the first exhibition is between one on the First World War and its poets and one on our great queen consorts.âÈë

Mary-Elizabeth thought for a few seconds.

âÈêWell, you know me: IâÈçm a glutton for royal. But not for the first exhibition. Not serious enough. How can you be a great queen consort? And people wonâÈçt lend their royal pictures to an untried organization. IâÈçd back the war poets. Pathos and tragedy, and the odd story of heroism. And youâÈçd get lots of school parties. It would get WalbrookâÈçs education department off to a good start when it is finally put together.âÈë

Rupert nodded and went on his way. He was impressed by his cousinâÈçs grasp of practicalities. She would make a much better representative of the family on the board than he did. And it would give him, finally, freedom from the burden of Walbrook. It was something âÈêdevoutly to be wishedâÈëâÈ'had been for more than twenty years.

The lawn sloped gently down to the river, with, dotted around, a shrub pretending it had grown there quite casually. Felicity would have liked to play games with ThomasâÈ'let go of the pram and then chase it, then repeat the joke. But Thomas was a serious baby and could carry for life the conviction that his mother was a potential infanticide. Quite enough crime in the Peace household, thank you. Felicity turned back into the weed-covered rose garden, enjoying a rather tentative second flowering, and then round toward the front of the house and the main entrance.

From here the old manor house looked its best, with its plethora of windows regularly reflecting the Yorkshire sun, and Felicity was longing to go inside to see whether the interior was similarly welcoming and well planned. The early-eighteenth-century builder who had designed and delivered this house to its first owner must have had a modicum of sheer genius in his makeup.

The notice said HOUSE OPEN TUESDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. Today was Saturday, the time was eleven oâÈçclock, but when she tried to enter, she was politely told that she could not take Thomas.

âÈêBut I thought there was some kind of crÃúche for young children,âÈë she said.

âÈêOh, there is,âÈë said the woman with an all-purpose smile, âÈêbut only for the Tuesday openings and bank holidays. ThatâÈçs not very convenient for families we know, but the fact is we canâÈçt get volunteers to staff the crÃúche on Saturdays.âÈë

âÈêI see. I guess youâÈçre really just testing the waters at the moment, arenâÈçt you?âÈë

âÈêWe are. The house is run by a charitable trust, and the people on the governing body all donate their time. Do come back some Tuesday. Or bring your husband.âÈë

Felicity had to fight the suspicion that the woman saw that her husband was black (not difficult by looking at Thomas), and she assumed that he would therefore not be interested in the treasures of Walbrook Manor and could be left to mind the baby. No point in rummaging round for possible prejudices though. And at least the woman had presumed a father was in the picture. Felicity smiled and said she was sure there was plenty to see in the garden.

She continued walking, just to familiarize herself with the setup. She knew an herb garden had once been here, and a wildflower meadow, but from that point between the manor and the car park most of what she could see was still lawn and hedgerow, and the drive leading to the main road. Some way from the main gates was a substantial block that her little guide to the estate identified as the stablesâÈ'no longer used for horses obviously, and with a long, windowed extension. Certainly it was now used for something else, because cars were arriving and turning into a small, special parking area.

Felicity watched, idly, as people walked toward the main entrance to the stables. Some smart, country people, some more scruffy ones; men in open-necked shirts, broad-beamed women in slacks. One young woman got off a bus outside the gates with a buggy and pushed her baby toward the meeting or social get-together that was obviously scheduled to go on. Felicity watched her, and a man who came out from a side door to the manor and started in the direction of the stablesâÈ'a slim, elderly figure, impeccably dressed in dark-gray suiting, with a good head of hair, and a way of walking that gave Felicity the idea of someone walking on water. She wondered if he could be the person in charge of the museum-to-beâÈ'director, curator, or whatever. Perhaps chairman of the Trust.

Felicity had all the time in the world before Carola, her elder child, would be finished for the day at her riding school. She decided she would wander toward the stables later and then go and find the wildflower meadow if it still existed. More to the point at the moment, which her watch showed to be close to eleven thirty, was to go to the little cafeteria that she had seen on the other side of the manor and get herself a cup of coffee and maybe a cream bun. Felicity was one of those people, almost unnatural people it was often thought, who never had to watch their weight. She had settled Thomas with a rattle in an otherwise empty cafÃû (one offering good coffee and basic cakes and biscuits obviously supplied by a local bakery chain) and was enjoying a leisurely snack when the door opened again and another woman came inâÈ'one in a similar position to herself: child in a baby buggy and a need for coffee, which she fetched from the counter before settling into a nearby table with an outlook on the sloping grass. It was the woman who had got off the bus and whom Felicity had last seen going toward the meeting. She was crying.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks, her light makeup was smudged, and when she had had a couple of sips from her cup, she put her head on the table and Felicity heard gulps of anger or frustration.

âÈêCan I help?âÈë Felicity asked, getting up and going over to her. For a moment there was no reply. âÈêI think I saw you arriving at the stables a little while ago. Is there something wrong?âÈë

The woman looked up.

âÈêI donâÈçt see how you can,âÈë she said, thrusting out her hand. âÈêIâÈçm Maya Tyndale.âÈë

âÈêIâÈçm Felicity Peace.âÈë

âÈêItâÈçs nice of you, but I donâÈçt think you can help. I may be being silly. ItâÈçs those bastards in there.âÈë

âÈêWhat bastards? In the stables?âÈë

âÈêYes. ItâÈçs a meeting of the Walbrook Manor Trust Board. The trustees of this place, of whom I am one, fool that I am. I just feel so frustrated. They took me for a fool, and I was a fool.âÈë

And she told Felicity all about it.

When Maya had arrived at the TrusteesâÈç Room in the stable block, things seemed to be going on pretty much as normal.

âÈêAh, good to see you again, er, Maya,âÈë said Sir Stafford Quarles, as usual pronouncing her name Meyer and sounding as if he were welcoming a regular guest at his upmarket B and B.

âÈêAnd is this little Feo?âÈë asked Mattie Fowler, bundled up in the weirdest assortment of clothes. âÈêFeisty little bugger I wouldnâÈçt mind betting, eh?âÈë

Maya smiled. âÈêYes, this is Theo. IâÈçm still breast-feeding him. People say itâÈçs the thing to do, though IâÈçm not sure IâÈçd do it a second time.âÈë

All as per regular form, then. But as Maya took her coffee and biscuit and settled down in a chair with Theo watching her from his stroller with his inquiring gaze, she had a strong sense that things were not as normal. Why was Mrs. Porritt avoiding eye contact, though she had always come up to greet Maya before? Why did the little group of three in the far corner of the room keep half looking round in her direction, then sharply turning away again?

âÈêWe must have a talk about that exhibition you have in mind, er, Maya,âÈë said Sir Stafford as he passed her by in search of more highly regarded prey. He floated on air from soul to soul, with an encouraging nod for all of them. He had been holding out to Maya the prospect of a small exhibition in the Garden Room at the time of the next Walbrook Festival, and Maya had a series of lithographs inspired by the house and gardens that she longed to see hung there. She had talked to Wesley Gannett, the museum director, and he had said it was a good idea, but Sir Stafford had never mentioned it to him. If it was to be part of the festival that was Sir StaffordâÈçs remit, not GannettâÈçs. It had been agreed that the trustees would virtually take over the house for those two weeks.

âÈêEr, I think we could . . . ,âÈë said Sir Stafford, his voice slightly raised from its normal murmur. Everyone became quiet, perhaps because of his title, perhaps because he alone of the trustees had an intimate connection with museums and galleries, having spent most of his working life running them. They all began taking their places round the table, apparently at random, in fact guided by a series of alliances that Maya was only just beginning to fathom.

âÈêIâÈçve called for this, er, private session of the board because we, erâÈ'âÈë

But he was interrupted, almost as if according to plan.

âÈêChairman, if I could just make a point before we begin,âÈë said Mrs. Porritt, her face set in a stern, judicial mask, as if she were about to rummage in her handbag and pull out a black cap.

âÈêYes, er, Janet, of course.âÈë

âÈêIt is clear in the Articles of Association that the board consists of those elected to it and those co-opted onto it. Anyone not a member of the Board of Trustees can only be invited to attend its meetings, usually for a particular item on its agenda, except for the director of the museum.âÈë The face had gained an accretion of granite. âÈêThere is a person here who is not a member of the board and who has not been invited.âÈë

Several members looked at Theo, or at the handles of his pram, he being sunk beneath the tabletop. Other members stared down at their agenda and minutes of the last meeting.

MayaâÈçs mouth almost dropped open with astonishment. âÈêYou must be joking!âÈë

âÈêNow, er, Maya, IâÈçm sure if you think about it, you will understand,âÈë mumbled Sir Stafford. âÈêThere are rules in the ArticlesâÈ'âÈë

âÈêBut I asked you when I came to the Festival Committee, told you I couldnâÈçt get a minder for this date, and IâÈçd have to bring Theo. You said everyone would understand since most of them had âÈæbeen there themselves.âÈç âÈë

âÈêAh,âÈë said Sir Stafford, âÈêI think there has been a slight misunderstanding. I couldnâÈçt preempt a decision of the boardâÈ'âÈë

âÈêBut Theo isnâÈçt a person! HeâÈçs only eight months old!âÈë

âÈêI think you will find that there is no lower age limit to being a person. Certainly the Articles of Association stipulate none. I think for him to remain we need a motion. I propose that the motion reads, âÈæThat Theo Tyndale be allowed to attend this meeting.âÈç Do I have a proposer? A seconder? Excellent. Those for the motionâÈ'âÈë

Maya was getting her things together almost before the vote was complete. There were six for, then six against, the latter vote including Sir StaffordâÈçs. When he gave his casting vote, Theo was certified as a noninvited person and Maya took hold of the baby buggy, not even trying to suppress her outrage, and marched him out of the boardroom. The comic aspects of the self-important body declining to have a baby observe its proceedings did not strike her till later. Her overwhelming feeling was that she had been outmaneuvered.

âÈêIn what sense outmaneuvered?âÈë asked Felicity. âÈêAnd what were they trying to achieve?âÈë

âÈêI donâÈçt know,âÈë replied Maya. âÈêBut the private session of the board is going to be a discussion of Wes GannettâÈçs future with us. ThatâÈçs what theyâÈçll be doing now. HeâÈçs the museum director, and his initial contract is nearly up. I think they calculated who would vote for him to continue, and who would be against. IâÈçd been sounded out at a committee meeting and I was very much in favor of a renewed contract. I presume IâÈçve been got rid of so as to have a clear vote not to renew the contract. Much more satisfactory than having to use the chairmanâÈçs casting vote. That always smells of a fit-upâÈ'one person having two votes.âÈë

âÈêA fit-up, as youâÈçve been fitted up,âÈë said Felicity.

âÈêExactly. I was also in favor of having a permanent exhibition in the house rather than a series of less ambitious ones.âÈë

âÈêLess ambitious ones?âÈë

âÈêI wanted a big subject: a history of the womenâÈçs movement, in fact.âÈë

âÈêAh. Not the best time for it. Either twenty years late or I would guess twenty years before its time.âÈë

âÈêMaybe. Anyway I had some support but by no means enough.âÈë

âÈêNow Gannett: why do half the board want to sack him?âÈë

âÈêSearch me. But IâÈçm pretty sure the chairman does. ThatâÈçs Sir Stafford Quarles. HeâÈçs managed, as he usually does, to get half the board on his side.âÈë

âÈêSir Stafford being the chairman,âÈë said Felicity meditatively. âÈêAnd to do that he had to get rid of you?âÈë

Maya nodded. âÈêIâÈçm just an art teacher and part-time artist.âÈë

âÈêAnd theyâÈçll still be discussing it?âÈë

Maya peered out of the window in the direction of the stable block.

âÈêWesley isnâÈçt pacing around outside, but I think they allotted an hour to the discussion, so they probably havenâÈçt voted on him yet. They are capable of having an hourâÈçs discussion on whether to dispense with having biscuits with the tea or coffee, so they surely can have an hour on a genuinely important topic.âÈë

âÈêThen why donâÈçt you go back to the meeting?âÈë Felicity asked. âÈêYou might be in time for the vote. I can look after Theo.âÈë

Maya looked at her. âÈêOh, but I couldnâÈçt. Two babies, two pramsâÈ'âÈë

âÈêTheo looks to be a lot less trouble than Carola, my eldest, when she was young. Go onâÈ'IâÈçll finish my coffee and bun and then take a walk outside. Get alongâÈ'hurry. Take all the time you need in there.âÈë

Maya looked at Felicity questioningly, got an encouraging nod, then dashed out of the cafeteria and hurried through the wilting rose garden in the direction of the old stables.

Maya paused for a moment, then opened the door of the TrusteesâÈç Room.

âÈêProblem solved,âÈë she said brightly. More brightly than she actually felt. She shot a glance around the table. Janet Porritt was obviously trying to think up a point of order or remember some obscure clause in the Articles of Association. Sir Stafford was clearlyâÈ'a rare occurrenceâÈ'nonplussed.

âÈêAh, I see. YouâÈçve notâÈ'âÈë

âÈêI havenâÈçt left him in a basket by the bulrushes,âÈë said Maya. âÈêOr palmed him off on one of our members of staff. HeâÈçs being looked afterâÈ'thank you for your concern.âÈë

Her carefree tone obviously brought Sir Stafford up short. âÈêAhâÈ'splendid. WeâÈçve not managed to come to any decision.âÈë He obviously had tried to drain any sign of regret from his voice but had failed. Maya had returned to the meeting just in time.

âÈêI have to say I donâÈçt yet see why some members are unwilling to renew the contract,âÈë said Ben Hooley, a local primary-school head teacher. âÈêGannett may have taken time to settle in, but this was his first job in this kind of organizationâÈ'âÈë

âÈêAustralia,âÈë murmured Sir Stafford. âÈêHow should he have had experience of a fine house such as Walbrook?âÈë

âÈêBut itâÈçs good sometimes to get an entirely outside view of things, donâÈçt you think? Anyway, the point IâÈçm making is that since he recovered from the death of his wife, heâÈçs been a first-rate director in my view. Absolutely on the ball as far as his ideas on presentation are concerned, with real expertise in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century art, which is where we need it. He did a wonderful job in his paper on pensions, absolutely on top of all the legislation about disabled accessâÈ'really an all-round man, and a great success.âÈë

âÈêIâÈçd agree with that,âÈë said Maya. âÈêYouâÈçve only got to look at the visitor numbers, even though weâÈçre only open two days a week, all the wonderful publicity weâÈçve had, and the take-up for the education program starting next yearâÈ'itâÈçs fantastic.âÈë

Sir Stafford had sucked in a very audible breath. âÈêI think visitor numbers have everything to do with social trends and very little to do with the business of a director.âÈë

âÈêThere is a danger,âÈë said Maya quietly, âÈêthat whenever something is going wrong the fault lies with the director, and whenever it is going right, it is not his achievement.âÈë

âÈêParticularly,âÈë said Ben Hooley, âÈêremembering something that no one is mentioning, though it is highly relevant: the fact that the previous director was suspended and then got rid of after only six months. What is it going to do to our reputation if another director falls by the wayside?âÈë

There was instant babble, with one-half of the board shouting and wagging fingers at the other half. The most interesting exchange that Maya could distinguish was âÈêThe complaint from the members of staff was absolutely unanimousâÈë and the comment âÈêThat is what most people found suspicious.âÈë

Maya decided, as a newish member of the board, that she should try to act as peacemaker.

âÈêIf I may make a suggestion,âÈë she said. A sheepish quiet fell over the room, but several looked at her with open hostility on their faces. âÈêThere seem to be two opinions on whether Wes has been a success as director or not. We need to acknowledge both views. But there can be no two opinions about the likelihood of damaging publicityâÈ'certainly in the local papers, possibly in the national ones as well. We must remember that the more successful the festival is, the more we are the object of general interest. I suggest we reach a compromise: that WesâÈçs contract be renewed for a further two years.âÈë

It wasnâÈçt what Sir Stafford wanted, but he had been stymied by the threat of damaging publicity.

âÈêOne year?âÈë he suggested almost timidly.

âÈêIf he has only one year, he will spend much of his time applying for jobs,âÈë said Maya. âÈêWe wonâÈçt get the best out of him.âÈë

âÈêAgreed,âÈë said Ben Hooley. âÈêAnd WesâÈçs best is very good.âÈë

âÈêAnd we can use the current financial situationâÈ'practically every museum and gallery in the land is feeling the pinch these days, with the American visitor numbers so poorâÈ'to explain why we canâÈçt do more at the moment,âÈë said Maya.

In the event, the compromise was passed on the nod. By now Wes Gannett was waiting in the sun outside, and he was called to the meeting, no longer private, and the discussion went on its rambling, inconsequential way. Maya, moderately happy at the outcome, stayed to the end.

In the late-autumn sunlight Felicity did a great deal of wheeling up and down and round about, becoming quite dextrous at coping with one baby buggy in each hand. She did a bit of elementary playing with Theo, though he was inclined to roll himself up into a ball and gurgle. She kept an eye on the house. The small but steady stream of visitors included several carrying musical instruments. Most of the paying customers came for their stroll around after their visit to the house, though not the musicians.

From the open windows of one of the downstairs rooms, Felicity heard a series of chamber pieces and thought this added a distinct plus to her visit. When she saw an elderly man being wheeled by a young woman out of the lodge just outside the main gates and proceeding toward the house, she recognized the composer Graham QuarlesâÈ'he must be the brother, cousin, or at any rate some relation to Sir Stafford Quarles, the chairman of the board, whom Maya Tyndale had mentioned. Graham, after a period of eclipse during the era of twelve-tone music and outrÃû experiments with percussive utensils, was enjoying something of a revival. She had recently read a piece about him in one of the Sunday papers. As the man in the wheelchair neared the house and he heard the music being rehearsed inside, his right hand began making little gestures, as if in response to the music. His left side and hand were inert, lifeless, and she realized he had probably suffered a stroke.

She walked toward him to get as unobtrusively as possible a better look, but at that moment the main door into the stables opened and the members of the board emerged, their meeting over. Most of them got into their cars and drove away, and only Maya Tyndale headed in the direction of the house.

âÈêDid it go well?âÈë asked Felicity, as Maya took over her buggy and they walked together up to the house.

âÈêPretty well.âÈë Maya looked at the house, red and inviting in the sunlight. But she shook her head, declining its invitation. âÈêHave you got a car?âÈë

âÈêIn the main car park here.âÈë

âÈêI feel like talking, but not around the house. Would that be an imposition?âÈë

âÈêNot at all. IâÈçm curious. IâÈçm always curious, in fact. Would a pub be okay? IâÈçm not breast-feeding and I feel like a long drink.âÈë

âÈêPerfect. I am, but I actually like orange juice. Can we manage two strong-willed males and two strollers?âÈë

âÈêWith difficulty, but it can be done.âÈë

So half an hour later they were in the Black Heifer in Kettlestone drinking orange juice and a small lager, and Maya was recounting the events of the meeting in a purely factual way, as Felicity had suggested would be the best. She was interested first in information, only later in conjecture or impression.

âÈêSo,âÈë she said, as Maya finished, âÈêthe director has two further years. Was that why I didnâÈçt see Sir Stafford come out at the end of the meeting? He was talking with Wesley Gannett about the boardâÈçs decision?âÈë

âÈêThatâÈçs right,âÈë said Maya with a grimace.

âÈêHaving kept him on tenterhooks throughout the main part of the meeting?âÈë

âÈêRight again.âÈë

âÈêDo I gather that human relationships are not Sir StaffordâÈçs forte?âÈë

âÈêIn some ways he seems totally unaware of them. On the other hand he seems to be rather good at manipulating people to get his own way, and since the decision went largely in WesâÈçs favor, I bet it was presented as his decision alone.âÈë

âÈêAh. I suppose he uses the clout of his name and his experience of organizations such as the Trust in the interests of the manor, and to get his own way.âÈë

âÈêVery much so. In great and little things. He and his wife have a flat in the house during the run-up to the full-time openingâÈ'a rather splendid flat carved out of some of the bedrooms on the first floor. And since he runs this festival of music and the arts almost single-handed, he has plenty of clout and patronage at his disposal.âÈë

âÈêAnd heâÈçd managed to get half the board on his side,âÈë said Felicity.

âÈêExactly. On the other hand, he didnâÈçt have the sense to see that getting rid of two directors in quick succession would certainly have resulted in some very bad publicity.âÈë

âÈêI suppose the country gentry in the past could rely on discretion in the media, provided they kept their flies buttoned up.âÈë

âÈêEven if they didnâÈçt. Money talks in a country area. But IâÈçve never heard that Stafford has problems in that direction. Or Graham either, come to that.âÈë

âÈêThe composer?âÈë

âÈêYes. StaffordâÈçs brother. Much loved in the locality I believe, when he was a young man. Gentle without side, thatâÈçs what people in the village said about him. Not that the family was really gentry and therefore qualified to have âÈæside.âÈç They just lived for a short time in the Dower House here on the propertyâÈ'Mum, Dad, kids. It was Timothy Quarles, a bachelor, living in the big house.âÈë

âÈêI havenâÈçt had the pleasure . . .âÈë

âÈêLong dead. The last family member to live in the house was Rupert Fiennes. He was at the meeting this morning, but he keeps a low profile.âÈë

âÈêI think I saw Graham, the composer, while you were in the meeting. Has he had a stroke?âÈë

âÈêYes. He and his attendant seem to manage to communicate, but otherwise heâÈçs pretty much in a shell.âÈë

âÈêSo if we cut out sex, and if money matters are in the hands of a Trust, Sir Stafford is probably motivated by some kind of power lust: keeping the decisions for himselfâÈ'and that means getting rid of the museum director?âÈë

Maya shrugged. âÈêSeems possible. You think of power-crazy people as Robert Maxwell types, but if thatâÈçs what makes Stafford tick, then heâÈçs a lot more subtle about it.âÈë

âÈêTrue. But if heâÈçs already got rid of one director . . .âÈë

MayaâÈçs forehead creased. âÈêI donâÈçt know if that was Sir Stafford. Tell you the truth, I hardly know anything about it. It was before I came on the board. But I think there was a petition from the staff questioning her competence.âÈë

âÈêHer?âÈë

âÈêOh, yes. Definitely female. Annabel Sowerby. I donâÈçt know what happened to her. TheyâÈçve only recently started to mention her again. Reports that she wrote while she was director get quoted, usually with the implication that she was on the ballâÈ'more so than Wesley Gannett. IâÈçm pretty sure thatâÈçs unfair to Wes and just part of the whispering campaign that the crowd around Sir Stafford have, I suspect, been organizing. Any mud is welcome, even if it means partial rehabilitation of the sacked Annabel. They rely on peopleâÈçs memories being short.âÈë

âÈêBut you could learn more about the sacking or suspension of Ms. Sowerby if you tried?âÈë

âÈêI should think so. Ben was on the board then, IâÈçm pretty sure. Ben Hooley. He was a great help today. But whatâÈçs your interest?âÈë

Felicity decided she had better come clean.

âÈêRaw material. I had my first novel published earlier this year, to what my agent called a âÈæchorus of muted praise.âÈç The second is all but finished. I have to have a good nose for a subject if IâÈçm going to go on, and I think IâÈçm acquiring one. A nose, I mean. Walbrook Manor seems to have all the characteristics of a meaty plot.âÈë

Maya smiled, in obvious appreciation and interest. âÈêThereâÈçs a concert at Walbrook next Saturday. They have three or four a year to generate interest in the festival. There are still a few tickets going . . .âÈë

Felicity thought. âÈêI wonder if I could persuade Charlie to come. HeâÈçs a policeman. Good at getting information. I suppose those were the performers we heard rehearsing? Charlie hates chamber musicâÈ'calls it âÈæall that scraping.âÈç Still, heâÈçs often the only black at things like that, and people come up and talk to him as some kind of interracial gesture. I might put the thumbscrews on him. We donâÈçt have any problem with babysitters.âÈë

âÈêIf you do come,âÈë said Maya, âÈêit might be a good idea for you and me to keep apart.âÈë

âÈêWhy do you say that?âÈë

âÈêSome people might be unwilling to talk to your husband if they associate you with me. You donâÈçt want to get labeledâÈ'docketed as one of the awkward squad. Who knowsâÈ'Sir Stafford will be intrigued that you are a novelist. He might try to sound you out. Even see if you might be interested in coming on the board.âÈë

âÈêWell, I suppose thatâÈçs better than geriatric gropings.âÈë

âÈêOh, Sir Stafford is not geriatric, or, so far as I know, a groper. . . . Would you be?âÈë

âÈêInterested? Well, in the abstract definitely not. I donâÈçt like bodies like that, and I donâÈçt think I function well on them. On the other hand, if thereâÈçs something interesting going on . . .âÈë

âÈêI really do think there must be something, and that a good part of the board has sold its soul to the devil.âÈë

âÈêSir Stafford is a very smooth, subtle devil by the sound of it.âÈë

âÈêDevils usually are. We mustnâÈçt jump to conclusions. There could be a quite different Satan at work. Do you really know what hurts most about the business of bringing Theo into the meeting? More than Sir Stafford making me think it was quite okay, then using it as an excuse to get me out of the meeting?âÈë

âÈêNo. What?âÈë

âÈêAll the women members of the board voted against me.âÈë

Âû 2012 Robert Barnard