knowing that sooner or later the cliff will slip and take my very expensive cottage with it.”
He chuckled good-humouredly.
“I knew you’d like it. I’d have bought it myself if it wasn’t too far to travel each day. The cottage at the other end has a retired couple in it in their seventies and the two in the middle are weekend cottages. They are situated in the middle of a small headland, well away from the cliff edges, and, frankly, the bricks will crumble long before the foundations do. As for the wind and the tourists, well, it’s to the east of Swanage so it’s sheltered from the prevailing winds, and the sort of tourists who walk that coastal path are not the sort to disturb your peace, simply because there is no public access beside these cottages. The nearest one is four miles away and you don’t get noisy children or drunken lager louts tackling that sort of hike for the fun of it. Which leaves’ his boyish face split into a carefree smile ‘the problem of cost.”
Roz giggled.
“Don’t tell me. The owners are so desperate to get rid of it they’re prepared to give it away.”
“As a matter of fact, yes. Liquidity problems with their business and this is only a weekend retreat. They’ll take a twenty-thousand reduction if someone can come up with cash.
Can you?”
Roz closed her eyes and thought of her fifty per cent share of the proceeds of divorce, sitting on deposit. Yes, she thought, I can.
“This is absurd,” she said impatiently.
“I didn’t come in to buy anything. I’ll hate it. It’ll be far too small. And why on earth have you got it on your books? It’s miles away.”
“We have a reciprocal arrangement with our other branches.”
He had hooked his fish. Now he let her swim a little.
“Let’s see what this file can tell us.” He drew it forward and opened it.
“Twenty, Leven Road. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. Instructions: quick sale wanted; carpets and curtains included in asking price.
Bought by Mr. and Mrs. Blair.
Completion date: twenty-fifth Feb.” eighty-nine.” He looked surprised “They didn’t pay very much for it.”
“It was vacant for a year,” said Roz, ‘which would probably explain the low price. Does it give a forwarding address for the Clarkes?”
He read on: “It says here: “Vendors have asked Peterson’s not to divulge any information about their new whereabouts.” I wonder why.”
“They fell out with their neighbours,” said Roz, economical as ever with the truth.
“But they must have given a forwarding address,” she remarked reasonably, ‘or they wouldn’t have asked for it to be withheld.”
He turned over several pages then carefully closed the file, leaving his finger to mark a place.
“We’re talking professional ethics here, Miss Leigh. I am employed by Peterson’s, and Peterson’s were asked to respect the Clarkes’ confidence. It would be very wrong to abuse a client’s trust.”
Roz thought for a moment.
“Is there anything from Peterson’s in writing saying they agreed to honour the Clarkes’ request?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t see that you’re bound by anything. Confidences cannot be inherited. If they could, they would no longer be confidences.”
He smiled.
“That’s a very fine distinction.”
“Yes.” She picked up the details of Bayview.
“Supposing I said I wanted to view this cottage at three o’clock this afternoon? Could you arrange it for me, using that telephone over there’ she nodded to the furthest desk ‘while I stay here looking through these other house details?”
“I could, but I’d take it very badly if you failed to keep the appointment.”
“My word’s my bond,” she assured him.
“If I say I’m going to do something I always do it.”
He stood up, letting the file fall open on the desk.
“Then I’ll phone our Swanage branch,” he told her.
“You will have to collect the key from them.”
“Thank you.” She waited until his back was turned, then swung the file round and jotted down the Clarkes’ address on her pad. Salisbury, she noted.
A few minutes later Matt resumed his seat and gave her a map of Swanage with Peterson’s estate agency marked with a cross.
“Mr. Richards is expecting you at three o’clock.” With a lazy flick of his hand he closed the Clarkes’ file.
“I trust you will find your dealings with him as mutually satisfactory as you have found your dealings with
