A Mysterious Affair of Style

by Gilbert Adair

  ‘I’ll be for ever in your debt, Evie,’ said Calvert, adding, ‘Yours too, of course, Mr Trubshawe.’

  ‘Oh, me,’ said Trubshawe. ‘Don’t feel you have to thank me. As usual, I was just Inspector Plodder, the hapless butt of all the amateur sleuth’s jokes.’

  ‘Please, no false modesty. You two formed a great team. And, talking of teams, I gather from Evie here that I’ll be offering you congratulations of a very different order before not too much time has passed, eh, Eustace?’

  ‘Tush tush!’ growled the Chief-Inspector. ‘You’re getting a touch too big for your breeches.’

  ‘In any case, my dear,’ Evadne piped up, ‘you may or may not be relieved to know that you’re going to have a breathing space before we eventually tie the knot.’

  ‘Oh, and why would that be?’ asked Trubshawe.

  ‘I’ve got to write my new whodunit first.’

  ‘You’re going to write a new whodunit?’ asked Lettice.

  ‘I most certainly am. It will be dedicated to Cora’s memory, not’ – she glanced meaningfully in her future husband’s direction – ‘repeat not, to Agatha Christie.’

  ‘But that’s terribly exciting news, Evie. Dare one ask what it’s about?’

  ‘Why, what do you suppose?’ she replied as though the answer were obvious. ‘The story we’ve all just lived through. We authors are a thrifty race, you know. We never waste anything, never throw anything away.’

  ‘Great Scott Moncrieff!’ cried an incredulous Trubshawe. ‘You mean you’re planning to write about Cora and Farjeon and Hattie and the rest of them and put them all in a book?’

  ‘That I am. Naturally, I won’t use their real names. I’m a novelist, after all, an artist. I’ll have to invent lots of new ones. But don’t you worry, Eustace, don’t go snapping your cummerbund. You’re going to be in it too. As a matter of fact, you’re all going to be in it.’

  ‘Sacre bleu!’ exclaimed Philippe Françaix, his eyes swimming heavenwards. ‘This is – how you say? – the end!’

  About the Author

  Gilbert Adair published novels, essays, translations, children’s books and poetry. He also wrote screenplays, including The Dreamers from his own novel for Bernardo Bertolucci. He died in 2011.

  Copyright

  First published in 2007

  by Faber & Faber Limited

  Bloomsbury House,

  74–77 Great Russell Street,

  London WC1B 3DA

  This ebook edition first published in 2014

  All rights reserved

  © Gilbert Adair, 2007

  Cover design by Faber; woman’s body © Rimmer / Alamy

  The right of Gilbert Adair to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

  This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly

  ISBN 978–0–571–31977–0