Stagestruck

‘Only Hedley Shearman. He had to know, as theatre manager. I asked him to look in at the interval and make sure she was comfortable.’

‘Didn’t you see her yourself?’

‘Only when she arrived. She was a little late, just before curtain up, and it was the briefest of conversations. I had other duties in the interval, so I had to rely on Hedley to take care of her.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Take care of her. God only knows what happened. It now appears she died during the interval.’

‘Where were you?’

‘In the interval? In the 1805 Rooms, pressing the flesh.’

‘The 1805 Rooms?’

‘It’s our VIP suite. Named after the year the theatre was built. We had a casting director from the National and several of our sponsors.’

‘You were there for the whole twenty minutes?’

‘It went on for longer, in fact. Some minor alarm backstage.’

‘This would have been Fraulein Schneider reacting to the grey lady – as she supposed at the time.’

‘Actors.’ He clicked his tongue in disapproval as if speaking of prodigal sons.

‘You haven’t answered my question: were you in the 1805 Rooms for the whole of the interval? I can easily check, but it would be simpler hearing it from you.’

‘The bulk of the time. I slipped out towards the end to find out what the delay was about and while I was making my way backstage the second half started.’

‘So there was a period of time when you were between the 1805 Rooms and backstage?’

‘A very short period. Is that significant?’ He managed a look of innocence that faded when Diamond declined to answer.

‘And at what point did you learn that Clarion was dead?’

‘After the final curtain as I was leaving the theatre. One of the front-of-house staff told me an ambulance had been called to someone who had apparently collapsed and died in the Arnold Haskell box. Dreadful. I knew who it was, of course. The whole world fell in on me. Couldn’t think how it had happened. They told me Hedley was dealing with it. In my state of alarm I couldn’t face anyone and I knew there was sure to be an explosion of media interest. Let’s admit it: I panicked.’

‘You left the theatre?’

‘Returned here in turmoil and spent a sleepless night trying to work out what to tell people.’

‘People like us?’

‘Not you. I’ve told you the honest truth. It’s all those reporters I dread. They’ll twist it into a filthy scandal. They always do.’

Diamond was tempted to say not much twisting would be needed and see what reaction that would get, but the last brief comment interested him. ‘Why, have you been on the receiving end before?’

‘Not in a serious way. This is something else.’

‘Yes, it’s huge,’ Diamond said. ‘I’m holding a press conference this afternoon.’

On the drive back to Bath, he asked Gilbert what he’d made of Melmot.

‘Didn’t like him, guv. He’s all front. Chairman of the board and all that.’

‘True.’

‘There wasn’t much real sympathy for either of the women who died in his theatre. All he thinks about is what the press will make of it. He said he was a Clarion fan, but he isn’t grieving for her.’

‘She let him down,’ Diamond said. ‘He had great hopes. He saw an opportunity and brought her to the theatre to be in this play, offered to let her stay with him.’

‘Hoping to get inside her knickers?’

‘I wouldn’t express it in those terms. He claims not. He said she stayed in a different wing of the house.’

‘He’d say that, wouldn’t he?’

‘I’m inclined to believe him. He’s a mummy’s boy, and you’d understand why if you met his mother. Aside from all that he was getting credit from the theatre people for finding a star performer and she was supposed to be grateful for getting the part. But it all turned sour. She didn’t stay long in the house.’

‘I’m not surprised, seeing the state of it.’

‘And she was going to be a flop in the play.’

‘His reputation was under threat.’

‘You’ve got it. People of his sort, heirs to a big estate, are often prone to insecurity. They don’t like to be thought of as living off their capital and nothing else, so they get involved in business or the arts at boardroom level. The theatre is a perfect vehicle for someone like him to earn extra status.’

‘Buffing up the image.’

‘And it was in serious danger of collapse. I’ve been asking myself if that could be a motive for murder. But he let slip another intriguing remark.’

‘About being treated unfairly by the press?’