“Super. Would you like a drink before you go? I’m afraid I don’t have tea or coffee, but I was just about to make myself some Horlicks.”
“No, thanks. I’d better get going. When shall I call back?”
“Everything will be ready for you on Friday.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
Chapter 17
The next morning, over breakfast, Florence was giddy with excitement.
“Wendy said she’s going to make a bracelet for me, Mummy.”
“That’s very kind of her, isn’t it? Are you looking forward to going to her house later today?”
“Yes. Do you think I’ll like the dinner that her mummy makes?”
“I’m sure you will.” I turned to Jack. “What are the arrangements?”
“I’m going to meet Florence out of school, and walk with her and Wendy’s mum back to their house. I’ll tell Donna we’ll pick Florence up at six-thirty.”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll be able to have dinner by ourselves for once.”
“I suppose we could do that.” He flashed that wicked smile of his. “Unless, of course, we think of something better to do instead.”
“No wonder you were so enthusiastic about this play date. I should have known.” Just then, the letterbox rattled. “It’s a bit early for the post, isn’t it?”
The postman rarely showed his face before ten in Middle Tweaking.
Jack went through to the hall to collect it. “It isn’t the post. It’s a flyer for that new hotel. It opens the weekend after next.”
“They’ve cracked on with that.”
“It’s now called Hotel First Time, and they’re holding an open day on Monday, just for the locals. It says they’ll be putting on drinks and snacks. We should check it out.”
***
I drove straight to Tweaking Manor where I was going to interview Caroline’s son, Dominic. As always, it was Mulgrave who greeted me at the door.
“Hello again, madam. Do come in. I believe you’re here to see Mr Dominic today.”
“That’s right. Are we in the Marble Room again?”
“Actually, no. Her Ladyship had to go out, so she said you should use the dining room.”
“That’s good news. Has the fire been lit, Mulgrave?”
“Indeed it has. I did it myself, first thing this morning, so it should be nice and warm in there by now. I’m afraid Mr Dominic hasn’t arrived yet, but if you’d care to go through, I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
“That would be fantastic, thanks.”
The dining room was certainly much more welcoming than the Marble Room, and the cup of tea hit the mark nicely. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Caroline’s son. So far, the Tweaking family members had been something of a mixed bag. Elizabeth Judge, Caroline’s sister, was delightful. Ransom, Caroline’s brother, on the other hand, was a horror show.
As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long to find out because I’d only just finished my tea when Dominic arrived.
“I’m so very sorry to have kept you waiting,” he said. “There were three sets of roadworks on the way over here.”
“That’s quite alright.” He joined me at the dining table.
“Thank you for coming over today, Dominic.”
“Not a problem. When my mother explained that you’d be interviewing all the family, it seemed like the most sensible arrangement. Although, I have to be honest with you, I’m not sure I’m going to be of much help.”
“We’ll see. Perhaps you could start by telling me if you have any theories as to who might have taken the goblet.”
“None at all, I’m afraid. My understanding has always been that it isn’t very valuable, and it’s certainly an eyesore. Every time I go into the games room and see it, I wonder why my mother insists on keeping it out on display.”
“Speaking of the games room, I understand you played billiards with Ransom in there that night.”
“Yes. We quite often have a game. We both like to get away from the women’s gossip. No offence.”
“None taken. Ransom told me that he won.”
“Ransom’s a liar, then. He’s useless at billiards. I beat him every time, even though he does his best to cheat. That particular night, he’d had a skinful, so he was even worse than usual.”
“He was drunk?”
“Not falling down drunk, but he’d had one too many. That’s how the goblet got knocked over.”
“I haven’t heard about that.”
“Ransom was messing about with his cue, swinging it around like an idiot. He caught the goblet and knocked it onto the floor.”
“Was it damaged?”
“No. Except that the base became dislodged. It took Ransom an age to get it back on again.”
“But it was okay?”
“Yes. I made sure because I wasn’t going to take the blame for his stupidity. If it had been damaged, I would have told mother it was his doing. But there wasn’t so much as a scratch on it.”
“And the goblet was definitely still in the room when you’d finished playing billiards?”
“Yes. In fact, we left the games room straight after the incident with the goblet.”
“I assume you’re aware of the legend?”
“The parchment?” He laughed. “That thing is a joke. No one takes it seriously. I don’t know why mother insists on keeping it on the wall. It belongs in the bin.”
“Mulgrave showed me one of the secret passageways.”
“They’re cool, aren’t they? I used to love hiding in those when I was a kid. I spent ages trying to find the missing one, but with no luck.”
“Your mother doesn’t believe it exists.”
“She’s probably right. Mind you, Mulgrave might know differently.”
“Mulgrave? What do you mean?”
“There’s long been a rumour that he knows its whereabouts, but if he does, he’s never given it up.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No. Ransom has never liked Mulgrave. I think he started the rumour in the hope it would get him the sack.”
“It clearly didn’t
