It wasn’t going well.
Tweaking Manor, which was located approximately halfway between Lower and Middle Tweaking, was best described as a minor stately home. The high wall that surrounded the property was in a terrible state of disrepair: Most of the bricks were flaking, and the iron railings that ran across the top of the wall were rusted, and completely missing in parts. The double gates were open. One of them was hanging off its hinges, and both were rusty and in desperate need of painting.
I drove up the uneven driveway and parked at the side of the property. The house too was showing its age: The brickwork needed pointing, most of the window frames needed replacing, and the guttering had come loose in several sections. The front garden was also in a bad way: The lawn was overgrown, and the flower beds had long since gone to weed.
I rang the doorbell, and moments later, an elderly man with grey hair, dressed in a butler’s uniform, answered the door.
“Mrs Maxwell, I presume.”
“That’s right. You must be Mulgrave.”
“Indeed I am, madam. Her ladyship is expecting you.”
He led the way into a huge hall, which looked even bigger because it was practically empty. The only furniture was a coat stand to the left of the door, and a badly worn leather sofa against the wall to my right. The walls were all bare except for a cracked mirror above the sofa. Directly in front of me, the double staircase must once have looked magnificent, but was now rather sad and neglected with its threadbare carpet. The room was incredibly cold, and I half expected to be able to see my breath.
“Would you care for a drink, madam?”
“A cup of tea would be nice.” If only to warm my hands on.
“Milk and sugar?”
“No sugar and just a drop of milk, please.” Life was so much easier since I’d stopped taking sugar. I no longer had to give people lessons in fractions.
“As you wish, madam.” He led the way across the wooden floor, which looked as though it hadn’t seen a mop in a long time. “This is the dining room; her ladyship is waiting for you in here.” He held open the door and I stepped into a room which was much warmer, thanks to the fire that was blazing in the large fireplace.
Caroline, who had a cream-coloured Persian cat on her lap, was seated at the head of a long dining table; she beckoned me to join her.
“Good morning, Jill. This is Olivia.”
“Nice to meet you, Olivia.” I held out my hand to stroke the cat, but she hissed at me.
“I’m afraid Olivia is rather anti-social. I must apologise for the state of this old place, I’m afraid our finances aren’t in the best shape at the moment, so we’ve been unable to carry out a lot of the repairs that need to be done.”
“It must be very expensive to run a house like this.”
“Far too expensive, unfortunately. I can only afford to heat a handful of the rooms. Is Mulgrave getting you a drink?”
“Yes, he’s making me a cup of tea. I noticed that he refers to you as your ladyship.”
“I’ve given up trying to stop him. I think he prefers to think he’s working for nobility.” She smiled. “After you’ve finished your tea, I’ll get him to show you the games room where the goblet was kept.”
“Will I be able to see the rest of the house too?”
“If you wish, but a lot of it has been sealed off to reduce costs.”
“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but is there a ‘Lord Tweaking’? Are you married?”
“Rupert died over ten years ago. His ticker.”
“Heart attack? I’m sorry.”
“No, his heart was fine. Strong as an ox. He died when the grandfather clock fell on top of him. I’d been telling him to get rid of that monstrosity for years, but he was too attached to it to let it go. The silly old goat was trying to move it when it toppled over and crushed him.”
“I’m so sorry. That must have been terrible for you.”
“Not really. He was an awful man. I should have listened when my parents warned me to stay clear of him. Anyway, back to the matter in hand. After I left your office yesterday, I had something of a brainwave.”
“Oh?”
“It occurred to me that my family are scattered to all corners of the land, so it seems silly to ask you to travel up and down the country just to talk to them.”
“I don’t mind. That’s what you’re paying me for.”
“Precisely. I don’t see why I should have to cover that cost when they could just as easily come to Tweaking Manor. I’ve been in touch with all of them and told them that’s what they must do.”
“Are they all okay with that?”
“They’ll do as I tell them.” She grinned. “I’ve drawn up a list of when each of them will be here.” She handed me a sheet of paper. “If this works for you, you’ll be able to talk to all of them within the next three to four days.”
“I should be able to work with this, thanks. Just one more thing, though, I notice that the cook, Mrs Jones, isn’t on this list. Will I be able to speak to her too?”
“Of course, but I thought as she’s local, you’d be able to contact her yourself. Is that alright?”
“Absolutely.”
After I’d finished my drink, Caroline leaned back in her chair, and pulled on a long cord. Moments later, Mulgrave came back into the room.
“You rang, madam?”
“Would you show Mrs Maxwell to the games room?”
“Certainly, your ladyship. This way, please, Mrs Maxwell.”
“Thank you for your time, Caroline.” I stood up. “Obviously,
