He poured out her drink, taking the same measure for himself, and they sat and sipped the whisky silently.
Her hat and hymn book had been abandoned on the floor at her feet and she was sitting perched anxiously on the end of her chaise longue, puffing rather inexpertly on a small cigar. Her tawny hair was dishevelled, her face tear-stained. She looked small and frightened and Joe could no longer imagine what about her had so disconcerted him in the cellars. But, whatever that quality, it was not so much to be feared as this new show of vulnerability, he decided, taking out a little insurance.
A few more sips and puffs and she had recovered sufficiently to look up and sketch a wan smile. ‘I’m sorry I frightened you all,’ she said. ‘Making an appearance like that and spoiling your moment. I didn’t go to church. Guilty conscience, I suppose, made me fear to leave what you’d probably describe as “the crime scene” for too long. Not with a sharp and determined bloodhound like you within a few yards of a concealed body.’
He was relieved to hear her light tone.
‘So you know about Edward?’ she said.
‘I couldn’t say that with any confidence,’ he replied. ‘I know that the body we have just found is that of Edward Thorndon and that he died here while sheltering under your roof in late July 1917. I know that your husband Clovis disappeared at the same time. I know that you, Aline, were observed dragging the body into its hiding place and giving instructions for it to be immured.’
‘Yes, yes,’ she cut him short. ‘Georges has just told me what he saw. My poor boy! All those years. . out of loyalty. . I had no idea. . I am much to blame for never realizing.’
Her head went up and she held out her glass for more whisky. Joe was glad to oblige and poured a second generous measure. He had never suspected that this might be the way to melt Aline’s ice crust. She delicately invited him with a gesture to refill his own glass.
‘But I did it for him, you know. For Georges. I couldn’t bear to lose him.’
‘I think you’re going to have to explain that,’ he said.
‘But first — I want you to tell me what you have deduced from that terrible scene down there. No!’ she added, seeing his cynical surprise. ‘No! I did not see the murder, I certainly did not play a part in it. I came across the body of Edward. There was no one about. Clovis had been stamping and raging all day and I feared his temper might lead to some sort of scene. . but I never expected this madness. A servant told me they’d gone down to the cellars. Together. And they were both in uniform. Both about to go back to the front. You can imagine what I thought — some sort of awful duel! Clovis was capable of anything. Do you think they fought a duel, Commander?’
Joe outlined as simply as he could the evidence he had drawn from the murder scene and linked it with the doctor’s report. ‘. . so, I’m assuming Clovis, having lured Edward down there — issuing a challenge or an invitation of some sort, “Sabres at seven,” “Why don’t we find a quiet place to discuss this?” — ambushed him, overpowered him and tied his hands. Perhaps some exchange of views took place and as a result of what was said, Clovis kicked him in the head as he knelt begging for his life.’
Joe hesitated, wondering how much of his knowledge he should share with her. ‘Oddly enough,’ he said, ‘like a terrifying echo from the past. . a recorded scream you might say if you were being fanciful, we know exactly what was said by the victim with his last breath. His words scored themselves on to the mind of his killer to be replayed like a phonograph recording years later in the course of a nightmare. Dr Varimont observed and noted. And that last desperate plea being wrung from him in his native language — in English — was the reason for my involvement. For good or ill.’
He repeated Edward’s dying words and her head drooped, heavy with grief.
‘Having stabbed him to death, I’m supposing Clovis himself cut the ties from Edward’s hands, though I can’t imagine why. .’
‘A cavalryman like Clovis would never want to be accused of killing a restrained man, Commander. It’s a matter of honour. Like shooting a sitting duck. He would want it to be thought — if discovered — that he had killed a worthy opponent in fair combat. But this is worse, much worse, than I had ever envisaged. My poor Edward. .’
She dragged herself free from the cold grasp of her imaginings, steadied her voice and started on the explanation Joe was waiting for. ‘It was a difficult visit. I had quarrelled with Clovis. He made it clear that he had no regard for me — suggested I return to my parents in Paris when the war ended. He was sure that it would be over by the end of the year. And he proposed to go on living here with Georges.
‘If he survived! But I think he wasn’t seriously expecting to survive the next battle. He was clearing up things here. He knew I loved Edward. It must have been obvious even to him. And I cannot be certain that Edward did not tell him. He was a very uncomplicated character. Open and good-hearted. He was not, by nature, an intriguer and what was going on here was, on one level, a torment to him, I knew that. I warned him to be discreet but, knowing him, he would have seized an opportunity of telling Clovis all.’
‘Do you mind telling me exactly what was going on, madame?’
‘Well, a love affair,’ she smiled. ‘You remember the doves? I was speaking of Edward, of course. We had met in 1915. In September. I’d cycled back from my shift at the hospital in the village to find the house full of troops. I assumed they were our troops — that Clovis had come back on leave — and I hurried off to the stables where they told me he’d gone. Clovis would never waste a minute waiting about. It was dark in the corridor but there he was coming in through the back door. He was wearing Clovis’s old clothes — his own uniform was in the tub. His fair hair was gleaming in the sunshine, he was being trailed by Georges and the dog. I was sure it was Clovis and I ran to him and threw my arms around him. Silly thing to do — he was carrying two bottles of champagne in from the cellar. The last thing he could have expected was a bloodstained nurse hurling herself at him and kissing him! He picked me up and swung me away from the broken glass and I realized.’
Her cigar had long gone out though she still clutched it, and Joe gently took it from her and put it in an ashtray.
She breathed unsteadily and her eyes filled with tears. Hardly able to speak she battled on, accepting that nothing she could say would convey the depth of her feeling but impelled to try. ‘Two seconds! I told you! Nothing we could do about it! Nothing! To say we fell in love is a bit weak — we recognized each other. We belonged to each other from that moment.’
Joe was becoming uncomfortable with the high swell of her emotional revelations. ‘And Clovis ran into a confession from Edward, you think?’
‘More than a confession. He was determined to tell him that, if he survived the war, he would come back for me and we’d make a life together in England with Georges. He refused to leave Georges behind.’
And Joe understood. ‘A dynastically minded man like Clovis with his honour challenged would never accept that. And he loved his son. He thought he was not likely to return from his next encounter. . where did you say he was bound? The Chemin des Dames? Ah, yes. He would have known his chances of surviving that were low. He would not want to ride off leaving behind his wife and his son to be acquired by a despised Englishman who’d usurped his position, stolen his life. Aline, this was always going to end disastrously! It was madness to think otherwise.’
‘Madness? What are you talking about? We were surrounded by madness! We lived in a daily hell of madness. Every day could have been our last. Our love was an escape from that — it was the only sane thing in our world.’
‘Not quite the only thing that meant a good deal to you, I think,’ said Joe. ‘This conversation started with Georges. .’
‘I couldn’t let it ever be discovered that my son’s father was a murderer. He was a clever boy, Commander. I was certain he would work it out. I had to hide the body. It was for his sake I hid it. Concealing it in the cellar was th
e easy part! I had to get rid of their horses in the night so it would appear they’d gone off to rejoin their troops. I rode one and led the other. I let them loose within a whinny of a French army camp where I was sure they’d be welcomed with open arms. They were good horses, it broke my heart to let them go. And I walked back through the lanes and helped Felix finish the wall.’
Joe was smitten by the reserves of strength, emotional as well as purely physical, that unforgettable night must have called for from this woman.
And he still had not guessed at the extent of her resilience. She gave him a calculating look. ‘There’s not a great deal you can do about this, I think, Commander? You have a corpse to which it will be difficult to assign an identity — I was not deceived for long by your confidence and your sleight of hand. And what authority is going to be interested enough or have sufficient time on their hands to get to the bottom of it? There are thousands of bodies coming back to the surface every year. The land itself disgorges them: French, German, British, Belgian, men from the colonies, they still appear. And you know as well as I do — better perhaps — how the authorities work. The French will hand the file over to the British who will hand it back again with a few superior and dismissive phrases. And it will spend more months. . years. . gathering dust on a shelf somewhere. Eventually all those who might have an interest or a memory will be gone themselves.’
‘We are speaking of a man who did not die in battle, madame. He was murdered.’
‘A soldier’s body pierced by sabre cuts? In the middle of the corpse-strewn Marne? Who will care? My dear Commander, if you pursue this, you will be a laughing stock.’
She had drawn up the battle lines. Over-confident.
Joe strolled to the table to put down his whisky glass and turned, replying with chill formality: ‘I will care, Madame Houdart. And, for me, the derision of a deskbound official or two in London or Paris is as nothing compared with the silent cry for justice of a fellow soldier.’
He took his cap badge from his pocket and studied it. ‘Edward of the Fir Tree: I feel I know him. He was a soldier just like me. A Fusilier, miles from home, trying to cling to some semblance of civilization and tradition. . snatching at love and warmth where he could find them. I’m a pretty traditional sort of man myself, madame, and in an old-fashioned way I’m going to give you my pledge that I will bring this matter to a conclusion that would have satisfied him. And here’s my gage on that!’
With a scornful gesture he tossed the badge across the room to land at her feet.
She stood up, glowing with fury, indicating that the interview had ended. As he bowed and made to leave her she called after him: ‘I had a black hound once. . an English breed. . a nonpareil when it came to following the quarry. But he was too keen, Commander. Sadly one day, in his eagerness, he outstripped the rest of the dogs and fell into a boar-trap. Broke his back. A terrible thing but someone had to give the command to administer the coup de grâce. I gave it.’
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joe closed the door quietly and stood outside, grinning and shaking his head to dispel his disgust at the melodramatic performance. ‘Pompous English idiot!’ was his judgement. ‘Against lying French schemer! Wonder who’ll prevail?’
He was disturbed enough by his conversation to wish to share his concerns with Charles-Auguste, recognizing now the man’s prescience in calling in a little help from a discreet quarter, and set off back towards the cellars. Charles was at the door, leaving directions with one of the men. Dusty and tired, he made his way over to Joe.
‘Kitchen, I think. I’ll put on a pot of coffee.’
Settled around the table and by themselves, they set about producing a second breakfast.
‘Here, have some bread,’ offered Charles. ‘It’ll soak up the whisky. You smell like a distillery, man! Trying to keep pace with her, were you?’
‘What? You’re not saying that. .?’
‘Oh, no! Aline’s by no means dependent on the stuff. She’s a winemaker, after all. Knows exactly where to stop. Usually doesn’t start but when she does. .! She was probably trying to drink you under the table. Seen her do it with buyers. But she should have known better than to try that on with a Scotsman, I’d guess?’
‘The capacity comes in useful sometimes. Even so, I’m ashamed to say I’d reached the loosening of inhibitions stage and made a gesture or two I regret. But, Charles, I want you to listen to Aline’s account and tell me what you’re thinking. I hardly know the woman. You do. I don’t want to come to a wrong conclusion about her and base my further actions on something false.’
Charles listened and asked an occasional question as the conversation and Joe’s interpretation of it were laid out for him. He grimaced and drew in a whistling breath as Joe recounted her Parthian shot. ‘No, actually she wasn’t making up that story about the dog. . I remember the brute. Black as night, keen as mustard and he died as described. Ouch! You’re for it, old man! But tell me — what are you going to do now?’
‘Head straight for the boar-trap, I’m afraid. Nowhere else to go. I won’t stand by and see Edward Thorndon shovelled into the earth as a nameless deserter, in a pine box in a French graveyard, with no one to mourn him but the woman who indirectly brought about his death. He has loving parents in England. They continue their search for information. They will want their son’s remains returned and, believe me, Charles, this is one missing soldier who’s going home if I have to carry him on my back!’
He paused to fill his coffee cup.
‘And that’s the easy bit,’ said Charles. He gave Joe a level look. ‘We’re both skirting round mentioning the obvious, aren’t we?’
‘Yes. And it goes right back to the beginning of all this. It was you who raised the matter with Sir Douglas, Charles. It’s your concerns I’m here to investigate. And I can tell you I have been picking up the hints. Now stop me if you think I’ve got this quite wrong but — it all hinges on a single, simple question: Why in hell does Aline want her husband back again?’
‘There we have it,’ said Charles with relief. ‘I’ve always suspected she hated my cousin — though I had no idea what good grounds she had for that hatred! And now, we’re looking at a woman who’s prepared to move heaven and earth to have this husk of a man brought back here into her life so that she may care for him. She knows how difficult that will be for her and for Georges. It would have been easy to have ignored the appeal in the paper — “Great heavens! What a surprise — doesn’t this man look incredibly like poor dear Clovis who was killed up near Craonne in ’17? I do hope they manage to locate his family I can imagine how they suffer.” And that, if any comment were called for — which it wasn’t — would have sufficed. But she went straight after him — like that bloody old Diabolo she told you about — hounding the doctor, spending time and money on research and bribery I shouldn’t wonder, determined to get hold of him.’
‘I’m bound to say there is a perfectly reasonable motive. She must know (as you say, she’s done some research on this) that the condition of shell-shock, Kriegsneurose or la confusion mentale de la guerre, whatever you want to call it, is not invariably irreversible. She must have considered the possibility of his recovering his memory with a click and a bang one of these days. There are many well-documented incidences. And what happens then? Clovis comes racing, hands down, back to his home to confront his faithless wife and reclaim his long-lost son? She’d lose everything. Would Aline be prepared to take even the slightest risk of this happening?’
‘Certainly not. She would not want that. She would prefer to have him under her control. Here. Not in Reims or anywhere else speaking his mind — should it ever come back to him. But — and I think you’ve seen it, Joe — there’s something else. Something darker.’
‘Yes. I think I have. The patient in Reims is not just a pathetic leftover from the war, he’s Clovis Houdart, the man she hated, the man who would have taken her son from her, the man who stabbed her lover to the heart and killed
off her hopes. I’d guess that she’s pinned the blame for all that has gone wrong in her life, the disasters and the sorrow, on him. Oh, yes, she wants him back all right. But not to care for him. No. Not that.’ Joe shivered and rolled to a halt.
‘To torture and torment him,’ Charles finished for him. ‘She’s a vindictive woman who’s not happy unless she has someone in her power and if she can’t charm them into submission, she’ll resort to other means. I really believe — and, Joe, I would be only too relieved to hear that you think my suspicions absurd — that she means to have her revenge in her own twisted way. If she were to acquire him, be granted custody, I think I would be sent away back to Provence in short order and, after an almighty row, Georges would flee. With me? Perhaps. Into the army? More likely. He’s still maintaining, by the way, that Thibaud is not his father. And she would be left head to head with that poor, dribbling wreck. I can’t think any further.’ He stumbled to a halt, shaken by his own dark thoughts. ‘You’ll think the worse of me for even entertaining such dreadful suspicions.’
‘No, Charles. My mind has plumbed much the same depths. Look here — you have said to me, lightly and on one or two occasions, that you thought Aline might be “a bit mad”,’ said Joe tentatively.
‘Just a manner of speaking,’ mumbled Charles. ‘And if you’re talking medically, I’m no authority. Indeed, I have no personal experience of the condition and my views are not worth an airing. But — oh, why be so mealy-mouthed! — her behaviour is occasionally worrying. Her reactions, excessive. I’ve always put it down to her sufferings in the war — they were enough to have brought down a strong man, you know — and with this further evidence of mental torment uncovered, well, one understands and sympathizes.’
‘I think your fears may not be unfounded,’ said Joe. ‘I agree we could risk terrible consequences if the man — Thibaud — were to be turned over to her.’
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