‘He’s insisting that we bring in troops from Topsham to assist the search for our main suspect. This latest development will only intensify that urge. I’ve asked my superior, Superintendent Tallis, to do all he can to dissuade him but my fear is that the bishop is far too inflexible.’
‘Have you met the bishop?’
‘I’ve had two encounters with him.’
‘Go on.’
‘They were less than enjoyable.’
‘Yes,’ admitted Swift, ‘he can be spiky at times but he’s unfairly maligned, in my view. I know what a philanthropic gentleman he can be.’
‘Oh?’
‘This may look like a house of detention, Inspector, but we try to make it as pleasant as possible. You’ll have noticed all the paintings in the corridors. They bring colour and a note of domesticity into the asylum. There are several others in public rooms and all of them were donated by Bishop Phillpotts.’
‘That’s uncommonly generous of him.’
‘His interest in the asylum did not end there. When it was opened in 1845, the first thing he did was to appoint a chaplain from his own staff. Canon Smalley is still here and does splendid work. He has a gift for calming unruly patients. He just sits there holding their hands and
‘I clearly need to revise my opinion of the bishop,’ said Colbeck.
‘He’s a good man at heart.’
‘I never doubted his sincerity.’
‘Next time you meet him, try to be more tolerant of his idiosyncrasies.’
‘Thank you for your advice. I can see that I misjudged him.’
‘He’s been a friend to this asylum from the start.’
‘Then I can see why you feel so grateful.’
‘It’s more than simple gratitude, Inspector. It’s closer to veneration. The bishop was instrumental in furthering my own career.’
Colbeck was curious. ‘In what way did he do that?’
‘Out of his own pocket, he gave me a bursary that allowed me to take time off in order to do some vital research. The fruit of that research,’ he said, crossing to the desk to pick up the copy of his book, ‘is contained in here. That’s why it’s dedicated to Henry Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter.’ He opened the book and showed the dedication to Colbeck. ‘Be sure to look at the paintings in the corridor as you leave. They’re an important visual stimulus for our inmates. In his own way,’ concluded Swift, ‘Bishop Phillpotts is a holy psychiatrist.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
After the warning he’d given her, Madeleine Andrews had expected that her father might not return home until well into the evening. She was therefore amazed when he came back in little over an hour from the time when he’d left the house. There was a secondary surprise for her. The first time he’d taken tea with Binnie Langton, he’d come back in a state of euphoria. Andrews was more guarded this time. There was no smile hovering and no nostalgic glint. Madeleine was intrigued.
‘Did you have a nice time?’ she asked, helping him off with his coat.
‘Yes.’
‘And did Mrs Langton make you a cake?’
‘She made all manner of things.’
‘Why are you back here so early?’
Handing her his cap, he slumped into a chair. ‘I’d had enough, Maddy.’
‘I thought you’d spend hours with Mrs Langton.’
‘So did I,’ he said, wistfully, ‘and I would have done so if Binnie and I had been alone. But her sister was there — Mrs Young — and that changed everything.’
She hung coat and cap on a peg. ‘I don’t understand, Father.’
‘Ivy Young came to look me over and to see if I was sound in mind and limb. I tell you, Maddy, I felt as if I was an old bull in a market, being poked and prodded by a farmer who wasn’t sure if I was worth spending money on. It was dreadful. Mrs Young did everything but ask me my weight.’
‘Why didn’t Mrs Langton stop her?’
‘You can’t stop a woman like Ivy Young. When she gets up a head of steam, she has as much traction power as one of the locomotives I used to drive. I wasn’t questioned — I was interrogated.’
‘Oh dear!’ said Madeleine, sitting down opposite him. ‘That must have been very unpleasant for you.’
‘The really unpleasant thing is that she was obviously there because Binnie had invited her. She wanted her sister to check me over. I suppose it’s a good sign in some ways,’ he went on. ‘It shows that her interest in me is serious. But it was really uncomfortable at the time.’
‘Was Mrs Young anything like her sister?’
‘No, she was much slimmer and — if I’m honest — a bit more intelligent than Binnie. She lost her own husband years ago and was very supportive to Binnie when she was in the same position. Ivy Young is an attractive woman,’ he said, ‘and she dresses very well. I’m surprised that she hasn’t married again. She must have many admirers. On the other hand, they would have been frightened away if she’d treated them the way that she treated me this afternoon.’
Madeleine was at once sympathetic and relieved. Though she was sorry that her father had not enjoyed the event as much as he’d hoped, she was secretly glad that his whirlwind romance had slowed to a more reasonable speed. It would give him time to appraise the situation in a more objective frame of mind. While he might still have strong feelings about Binnie Langton, they might be tempered by the fact that marriage to her would encumber him with an over-inquisitive sister-in-law.
‘How do things stand with you and Mrs Langton?’ she asked, tentatively.
‘That’s the trouble, Maddy — I don’t really know.’
‘But you still like her, I assume.’
‘Yes, I like her very much but I just had to get out of there.’
‘What do you think her sister will say about you?’
‘I’ve no idea. I hope that she doesn’t advise Binnie to have nothing more to do with me. She could see how fond we were of each other — and still are. I’d love to see Binnie again but I’m not sure that I could sit through another ordeal like that.’
‘Why not invite her here, Father?’
He was doubtful. ‘I’ll think about it.’
‘It would give me the chance to meet Mrs Langton.’
‘What if she turns up with her sister?’
‘You make it clear that the invitation is only for her,’ said Madeleine. ‘Does she know where you live?’
‘She knows every single thing about me,’ he protested. ‘Her sister made sure of that. Where did I live? What church did I attend? Who were my friends? How would I manage now that I was retired? Did I have anything put by?’
‘She sounds as if she was terribly nosy.’
‘That’s how it felt at the time, Maddy. On the walk back home, however, I tried to see it from her point of view. She only wants to protect Binnie. After all, there are some men who might try to take advantage of a handsome widow.’
She was outraged on his behalf. ‘Nobody could suspect
‘And I have no qualms about Binnie — only about her sister.’
After some thought, she offered her counsel. ‘Take plenty of time to mull it over. If you want to see Mrs
