curious. Why should you believe you were adopted?”
“Because I cannot remember any parental love. Because my parents left me an awful lot of money.”
“So you did not come here to try to get money out of me?”
Fell stared at her, first in shock and then in dawning anger. “Of course not!”
She studied him closely. “But you had a good education?”
“I attended Buss Comprehensive, but could not go to university because I had to support my parents. Until my mother’s recent death, I worked as a waiter at the Palace Hotel.”
She leaned back in her chair and murmured, “But they were paid well for your education.”
Maggie let out a little gasp.
“The money,” said Fell slowly. “That money I found. That was from you. Why?”
There was a long silence. A small plane droned overhead. A bird in the heavy branches above them gave a dusty cheep.
“I thought you had come here for money,” said Mrs. Wake-ham. “I may as well tell you. There is no reason why I should not tell you. First we will have tea.”
She rang a little bell on the table and when the nurse appeared, said, “We will have tea after all, Martha.” After the nurse had gone, Mrs. Wakeham raised a wrinkled hand. “We will wait for tea before I tell you anything.” She turned her gaze on Maggie. “And so you are engaged to Mr. Dolphin?”
“Yes. I am Fell’s fiancee. We met while we were both working at the hotel.”
“You have fine eyes and a kind face. I am pleased. Tell me about yourself.”
Maggie began to talk about what it had been like being a waitress. She told several funny stories about the customers and Mrs. Wakeham gave a dry laugh. Fell was amazed that Maggie should be so at ease, so unintimidated.
Tea was served. The nurse retreated again. Mrs. Wakeham took a sip of tea and said, “Now, where shall I begin? At the beginning, I suppose. My son Paul was very wild, but at the time, we did not know much about his wildness. He was studying in the City for his stockbroker exams. He came down here at weekends. He got a local girl pregnant.”
“My mother?” asked Fell through dry lips.
She nodded. “She was called Greta Feeney and she was the local barmaid. Paul refused point-blank to marry her. She had respectable parents and Greta did not want an abortion, but she agreed to having the baby adopted if we arranged everything. My husband often took the train from Buss. Dolphin had once told him he regretted that he and his wife could not have children. My husband, Colonel Wakeham, approached him and said he would give him a large sum of money to adopt the baby. Dolphin agreed but said he would only do it for a lump sum in cash. Adoption is difficult and we all wanted to keep the matter quiet. So it was decided just to hand the baby over after it was born. Mrs. Dolphin agreed to fake pregnancy. She came here in the supposed last days of her pregnancy. The baby, you, was subsequently handed over, and that was that. Dolphin agreed to never come near us or approach us again.”
“My mother?” asked Fell.
“Greta? I regret to say she died of cancer.”
“And my father?”
“How odd to hear you call him that. Paul was persuaded by my husband to join the army. My husband was a retired colonel and thought the British army a cure-all for wayward youth. Paul was posted to Cyprus. He was killed in a drunken brawl.” She rang the bell again and when the nurse appeared, said, “Martha, on top of the bookshelves in the morning room, you will find a photo album. Bring it, please.”
Fell could feel his heart hammering against his ribs. Orphaned in one stroke on a hot day! And yet gradually, as they waited, he began slowly to relax. All the guilt he had felt over not loving what he had believed to be his parents was ebbing away. And that money had not come from the train robbery! There was no need to bother much any more about who had committed the robbery.
Martha came back and placed a large leather-bound photo album on the table. Again, Mrs. Wakeham waited until the nurse had left. Then she opened the album. She withdrew a photograph and handed it to Fell. Fell looked down at the photograph of a laughing young man. He had a square handsome face, brown hair and bright blue eyes. “I don’t look at all like him,” he said.
“No, you look like your mother.”
“Do you have a photograph of her?”
“I’m afraid not. You must now forget about it. Her parents are dead as well. Greta married a decent man, a local farmer. He knew nothing about you, and I do not want him to know anything. I am glad the Dolphins left you money. It seems to me you have had a hard life. But I assure you, they cheated you. That money was for your upbringing and to give you a good education.” She rested her head on her hand. “Now I must ask you to leave. I am tired.”
Fell and Maggie stood up. “May we call again?” asked Fell.
“No, it brings back painful memories. I am old. I wish to be left in peace.” She rang the bell.
“But I am your grandson!” protested Fell.
“I know. I know. But I do not want to be troubled any more by bad memories. I want to remember only good things about my son. Ah, Martha, please show them out.”
Maggie and Fell followed Martha back through a chain of rooms and back out through the front door. They got into the car and Maggie drove off.
“It seems as if no one wants me,” said Fell.
“You’ve got me,” said Maggie. “As a friend, I mean.”
Fell experienced a sudden rush of affection for her. Solid, dependable Maggie. “Well, it looks as if we don’t need to worry about the robbery any more,” he said. “So they hid the money, not wanting the tax man to get it. They lived on as little of it as they could. They were misers. And I can’t declare it without exposing where I got it from.”
Maggie wanted to ask – where do we go from here? She had a sinking feeling that it was only the investigation about the robbery that was keeping them together. She remembered the reporter, Peter South. She would go out to a phone box and call him and see if he could meet her the following evening. Perhaps if Fell knew someone else was interested in her, he might look at her with new eyes.
Fell was thinking guiltily that he should really do something good for Maggie because shortly he was going to have to tell her that he did not want to pose as her fiance any more. He said, “Let’s go to Oxford.”
“All right. Why?”
“I’m going to get you those contact lenses you wanted. There’s one of those express opticians in Oxford in the West-gate. And maybe you can pick out a new dress.”
And Maggie, not knowing the reason for this sudden generosity, said, “Oh, that’s so good of you, Fell.”
¦
It was a quiet day at the
Just then the editor loomed over him. “That French restaurant is very grateful for the good write-up. They’ve written to say they’re offering you a complimentary meal for two. If you can’t use the invitation – ”
“I can. Thanks,” said Peter. The phone on his desk rang. He picked it up as Tommy Whittaker walked away. “This is Maggie, Maggie Partlettt. You may not remember me…”
“Course I do,” said Peter. “Lot of traffic. Where are you calling from?”
“Oxford. A phone box. I wondered if you would like to meet me tomorrow night?”
“Sure. Tell you what. I’ll take you to that French restaurant. Hey, are you still there?”
“Yes, yes, that would be fine. I’ll meet you there. What time?”
“Eight. Have you seen…?”
But Maggie had rung off.
¦
The rest of that day, Maggie floated on air. She had her new contact lenses, which she planned to wear for the first time for her date with Peter, and she had also had her hair restyled. As they drove back towards Buss, her
