The Murder of Busy Lizzie

chapter five

The Missing Hostess

‘Plover, partridge, for your dinner,

And a capon for the sinner,

You shall find ready when you’re up,

And your horse shall have his sup:

Welcome, welcome, shall fly round,

And I shall smile, though under ground.’

John Fletcher

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Sebastian reclaimed the keys which he had handed in when he and his sister had left the hotel, and they went to have tea in the lounge before he unlocked the chalet so that they could change for dinner. They were too leg-weary to have any desire to go out again, and, as the hour for tea was almost over when they ordered theirs, it was turned half-past five before Sebastian, with a sweater under his dressing-gown, went off to the bathhouse and Margaret, fully clothed but carrying sponge-bag, towel and toilet accessories, knocked at her father’s bedroom door.

Marius was reading, but, in response to his child’s plea that she needed his room, he agreed to remove himself after requesting her not to dawdle.

‘And what we’re to do about baths and what not, when all these bird-watchers arrive, I don’t care to think,’ he said. ‘If I’d realised that Lizzie meant to crowd out the hotel with people sleeping three to a room, I would never have come.’

‘Have you seen Aunt Eliza, Father?’

‘No, I have not. I went down to meet the boat, but she was not on it. Half-a-dozen people were landed, but your aunt was not among them.’

‘Did you say anything at the desk?—ask after her, I mean?’

‘No. Miss Crimp was busy, and it did not seem worth my while to hang about until she was at liberty.’

Margaret went down to him in the lounge when she had had her bath to inform him that his room was now at his own disposal, and added,

‘There’s nobody wanting anything at the desk now. Shall I speak to Miss Crimp about Aunt Eliza?’

‘No. You go and get ready for dinner. I will speak to Miss Crimp myself.’

He found the receptionist worried.

‘I can’t think what’s keeping her, Mr Lovelaine,’ she said. ‘I quite thought she would have been on yesterday’s boat and, when she was not, I was certain she would turn up today. There is no boat now until Saturday morning, and that is much too late for her to see to things. All these naturalists will be on the steamer, and the boat will be plying back and forth all the morning to bring them off. They will be arriving here half-a-dozen or more at a time, a perpetual influx, and all having to be assigned to their rooms and chalets, and their luggage to be seen to, and all the rest of it, apart from our having the upset of turning the lounge into a conference room for them. Thank goodness all the camp beds and extra chairs were brought over last Saturday, so that’s done with. They’ll have to do their own arranging and put up the extra beds themselves, I’m afraid. The staff can’t be expected to see to everything. Of course we’ve had to reduce our usual charges because they’ve been told to bring sleeping-bags and also because they insisted upon making a group booking at an inclusive charge, which does cut our profits and I can’t think why Eliza agreed to it.’

‘But why do you think my sister is delaying her return? Is there any reason that you know of?’

‘I really cannot think of any, Mr Lovelaine. There was no suggestion that she intended to stay over there longer than usual. And now, if you don’t mind, I have a whole heap of things to see to. There is only tomorrow to get everything done, so I’m sure you will excuse me.’

‘Oh, yes, of course. How long are these naturalist people staying?—I feel bound to point out that the number of bathrooms is limited !’

‘A week, ten days, a fortnight, and one party will stay even longer. We are expecting to get rid of the camp beds on Saturday week, but that is the most we can hope for.’

‘I see. Well, I shall look forward to this Saturday’s boatloads in one respect at least.’

‘More than I shall, Mr Lovelaine, I can assure you!’

‘To see my sister, I mean.’ Marius went off to the room his daughter had vacated and later joined his children at dinner. ‘Your aunt must now be expected on Saturday,’ he said. ‘ In view of the influx which is then anticipated, I have a very good mind to meet the boat when it comes in, greet Lizzie (but not warmly) and take the boat back to the mainland. Having invited us here, I think the least she could do was to be here to greet us. I feel put out, decidedly put out. Besides, these bird-watchers will swarm everywhere. There will be no peace for anybody. I am informed at the desk that some of them may be staying for an indefinite time. It is most annoying and provoking of Lizzie not to have told us about them, and most inconsiderate, too.’

‘Perhaps she thinks we haven’t shown her all that much consideration,’ said Sebastian, ‘not communicating with her or going anywhere near her, I mean. As for the bird-watchers, Father, I expect they’ll only haunt the rocks and the cliffs. Besides, some of them may even break their necks with their scrambling about. You never know your luck.’ He caught his sister’s eye and slightly shook his head. She understood him. It was not the time to mention Ransome.

The next day, Friday, was passed by the brother and sister in bathing and sun-bathing between breakfast and lunch, and by taking a windy walk directly after lunch along the west cliffs. The cliff path gave them views of a series of steep escarpments with knife-edge headlands enclosing small inlets. Up these inlets the sea leapt, tossed and foamed, assaulting a succession of black rocks, luridly streaked with bright-green, poisonous-looking seaweed, which lay like sea-monsters dangerously lurking inshore.

‘Grand, but off-putting,’ yelled Sebastian, his voice almost shouted down by the wind. ‘Let’s shelter behind that tor.’

Winds and storms had weathered the granite to a vast bare crag in whose lee some cattle were sheltering.

‘Oh, cows!’ exclaimed Margaret, backing away.

‘They won’t hurt you.’

‘I don’t like them at such close quarters. What’s the time?’

‘Nearly four.’

‘Well, we ought to be getting along to the farm for tea.’

‘You don’t really mean to take up with that, do you?’

‘We were invited and I think we could just drop in. I wouldn’t mind meeting Cousin Ransome again.’

‘Cousin… ? Oh, well, I suppose he is.’

There was no clear path to the farm from where they were. They could see the roofs of its buildings, however, for the island at this point was barely half a mile wide, so they made their way by following tracks through the bracken and soon arrived at the door of the cottage from which Ransome had emerged on the previous occasion.

He opened the door as soon as they knocked. They received the impression that he had been waiting for them. He had shaved and was neatly dressed in dark grey flannel trousers, a blue shirt open at the neck, and a heather-mixture tweed jacket.

‘I reckon I’m going to disappoint you,’ he said. ‘Connie Crimp sent for Dad and he’s had to go over to the mainland and he’s taken Lucy with him, so I can give you some tea up at the house, but I can’t introduce you to them. How did you leave things at the hotel?’

‘In rather a muddle,’ said Margaret, as they entered the farmhouse. ‘Aunt Eliza still hasn’t come back from the mainland and we’re threatened with a full-scale invasion of birdwatchers on Saturday. Oh, you know about that, of course. I think we told you.’

‘Dad and Lucy have taken the trip in Dimbleton’s little boat. They’re going across to round up my mam and tell her to get her business cleared up and get back on tomorrow’s steamer, so I knew she wouldn’t have been on today’s boat. I reckon Connie Crimp is in a bit of a taking.’

‘Yes, Miss Crimp is in the hell of a flap,’ said Sebastian. ‘Does Aunt Eliza usually go off on these jaunts and