‘So there is last night’s total situation – apart from Mr Grinton’s turning up and firing a revolver, and so forth. There really isn’t much mystery left.’
Perhaps unexpectedly, it was Magda Tancock who first collected herself in face of this doubtless-elucidated but nevertheless, uncomfortable situation.
‘At least Giles has that satire,’ she said, ‘although he has behaved a little oddly about it. That’s just, as Sir John has said, a family affair, and to be put right accordingly. I’ve been worried about all this, and now I know why.’ Magda turned quickly to her children. ‘My darlings,’ she said, ‘are you having such a nice, nice game?’
Florinda failed to respond to this maternal solicitude. Demetrius put out his tongue. But since he was a polite child, it was at his sister and not his mother.
‘But what about the Claudes?’ It was Hillam who demanded this, and he was glaring vindictively at Mrs Mustard. ‘Of course I haven’t been involved at all. I’ve explained that. But this damned woman must be made to hand them over. And then she must be put in jail.’
‘I’m afraid that must be rather doubtful,’ Appleby said, ‘and I think Mr Denver will agree with me. I don’t believe the pictures are any longer in the lady’s possession. And – what’s more important – I much doubt whether they could legally be proved ever to have been so. I’ve offered, you know, only what can be called a conjecture. Suppose it to be true. What will the lady have done? Hurried to the local post office, I’d say, and despatched them to an unknown destination. Suppose that they turn up later – on an American market, perhaps, in six months’ time. How is Mr Grinton going to prove that they were ever in his ownership, or to be identified with the Claudes mentioned in that gossipy Reliquiae Grintonianae? It would be a cock-eyed case from the start. In fact, it’s most unlikely that Mrs Mustard will be required to pursue her transcendental meditations in prison, although she certainly deserves to do so.’
‘And what about the satire?’ Giles Tancock suddenly spoke up boldly. ‘What proof is there that it in any sense passed into the possession of Jonathan Grinton, or that it was written in this house or remained in this house? Jonathan Grinton’s Journal? There’s no proof that anything of the sort ever existed. There’s nothing but that so-called transcript, made by my father-in-law’s creature, Burrow.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ Burrow said, ‘I respectfully beg you to take note of what has just been said. I have the penalties attached to slanderous utterance in mind.’
‘And it won’t wash, Mr Tancock.’ Inspector Denver, hitherto silent, had risen and advanced to the centre of the room. ‘There will be no doubt, you know, about that body having been in your car. Our forensic people are seeing to that. Legally, mind you, your dealings with the dead Hagberg may be on the tricky side. I can imagine counsel representing that, not wishing to cause distress in a weekend party, you quietly removed the body pro tem to holy ground. Nonsense of that sort. But, taking one thing with another, your prospects aren’t good. Unless you act quietly in a family way.’
‘And hand over that Pope thing!’ Terence Grinton said – or, rather, produced as a shout. ‘I’m told I’ve lost those daubs by Claude Whatshisname, and an enormous sum of money as a result. But I’ll bloody well have the poem. Nine thousand pounds! Hand it over, blast you!’
And Giles Tancock gave in. Reluctantly, he put a hand in an inner pocket. Reluctantly, he produced a sheaf of yellowed papers and handed them to his father-in-law.
‘Then there you are,’ he said. ‘And much good may they do you.’
Terence plainly thought they were going to do him quite a lot of good – thousands of pounds of it, so mad was the world. He stared at the papers, at first unbelievingly and then – it seemed – with a certain stirring of curiosity. What on earth could be the sort of tosh that people would give that money for?
Terence turned over a page, and read. He actually read: there could be no doubt about it. And as he read, his brow darkened. His brow darkened, his face flushed. His face turned red beyond (it might have been said) the scope of Charles Honeybath’s palette. And then he uttered a roar of rage. Totally inarticulate at first, it swiftly revealed itself as imprecation of no common order. Terence was on the verge of apoplectic seizure. Offering in energetic heroic couplets his estimate of Grinton and the Grintons, the metrical death-adder Alexander Pope looked to be at work again. Mr Grinton was as Professor Hagberg had been, but with furious indignation taking the place of glee.
And then it was all over. With a final bellow of fury, Terence crumpled the manuscript and hurled it into the heart of the fire. Nine thousand pounds was something. But the honour of the Grintons was something more.
Everybody looked on, stunned. Nobody knew what to say. Or nobody except Judith Appleby. Judith glanced at her watch and turned to Dolly.
‘Why, Dolly!’ she said. ‘It’s almost tea-time.’
So they all dispersed. Or all except Terence Grinton, who remained staring at the fire, and Charles Honeybath, who advanced upon him with quiet resolution.
‘Grinton,’ Honeybath said, ‘I think we should perhaps give our minds to the question of the portrait.’
‘The portrait?’ For a moment Terence was understandably a little at sea. And then he remembered.
‘Yes, of course,’ he said. ‘My dear fellow, yes, of course. Wednesday or Thursday – or any day you like.’
Note on Inspector (later, Sir John) Appleby Series
John Appleby first appears in Death at the President ’s Lodging, by which time he has risen to the rank of Inspector in the police force. A cerebral detective, with ready wit, charm and good manners, he rose from humble origins to being educated at ‘St Anthony’s College’, Oxford, prior to joining the police as an ordinary constable.
Having decided to take early retirement just after World War II, he nonetheless continued his police career at a later stage and is subsequently appointed an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard, where his crime solving talents are put to good use, despite the lofty administrative position. Final retirement from the police force (as Commissioner and Sir John Appleby) does not, however, diminish Appleby’s taste for solving crime and he continues to be active, Appleby and the Ospreys marking his final appearance in the late 1980’s.
In Appleby’s End he meets Judith Raven, whom he marries and who has an involvement in many subsequent cases, as does their son Bobby and other members of his family.
Appleby Titles in order of first publication
These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Death at the President’s Lodging Also as: Seven Suspects 1936
2. Hamlet! Revenge 1937
3. Lament for a Maker 1938
4. Stop Press Also as: The Spider Strikes 1939
5. The Secret Vanguard 1940
6. Their Came Both Mist and Snow Also as: A Comedy of Terrors 1940
7. Appleby on Ararat 1941
8. The Daffodil Affair 1942
9. The Weight of the Evidence 1943
10. Appleby’s End 1945
11. A Night of Errors 1947
12. Operation Pax Also as: The Paper Thunderbolt 1951
13. A Private View Also as: One Man Show and Murder is an Art 1952
14. Appleby Talking Also as: Dead Man’s Shoes 1954
15. Appleby Talks Again 1956
16. Appleby Plays Chicken Also as: Death on a Quiet Day 1957
17. The Long Farewell 1958
18. Hare Sitting Up 1959
19. Silence Observed 1961
20. A Connoisseur’s Case Also as: The Crabtree Affair 1962
21. The Bloody Wood 1966
22. Appleby at Allington Also as: Death by Water 1968
23. A Family Affair Also as: Picture of Guilt 1969
24. Death at the Chase 1970
25. An Awkward Lie 1971
26. The Open House 1972
27. Appleby’s Answer 1973
28. Appleby’s Other Story 1974
29. The Appleby File 1975
30. The Gay Phoenix 1976
31. The Ampersand Papers 1978
32. Shieks and Adders 1982
33. Appleby and Honeybath 1983
34. Carson’s Conspiracy 1984
35. Appleby and the Ospreys 1986
Honeybath Titles in order of first publication
These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. The Mysterious Commission 1974
2. Honeybath’s Haven 1977
3. Lord Mullion’s Secret 1981
4. Appleby and Honeybath 1983
Synopses (Both Series & ‘Stand-alone’ Titles)
Published by House of Stratus
The Ampersand Papers
While Appleby is strolling along a Cornish beach, he narrowly escapes being struck by a body falling down a cliff. The body is that of Dr Sutch, an archivist, and he has fallen from the North Tower of Treskinnick Castle, home of Lord Ampersand. Two possible motivations present themselves to Appleby – the Ampersand gold, treasure from an Armada galleon; and the Ampersand papers, valuable family documents that have associations with Wordsworth and Shelley.
Appleby and Honeybath
Every English mansion has a locked room, and Grinton Hall is no exception – the library has hidden doors and passages…and a corpse. But when the corpse goes missing, Sir John Appleby and Charles Honeybath have an even more perplexing case on their hands – just how did it disappear when the doors and windows were securely locked? A bevy of helpful houseguests offer endless assistance, but the two detectives suspect that they are concealing vital information. Could the treasures on the library shelves be so valuable that someone would murder for them?
Appleby and the Ospreys
Clusters, a great country house, is troubled by bats, as Lord and Lady Osprey complain to their guests, who include first rate detective, Sir John Appleby. In the matter of bats, Appleby is indifferent, but he is soon faced with a real challenge – the murder of Lord Osprey, stabbed with an ornate dagger in the library.
Appleby at Allington
Sir John Appleby dines one evening at Allington Park, the Georgian home of his acquaintance Owain Allington, who is new to the area. His curiosity is aroused when Allington mentions his nephew and heir to the estate, Martin Allington, whose name Appleby recognises. The evening comes to an end but just as Appleby is leaving, they find a dead man – electrocuted in the son et lumière box which had been installed in the grounds.
The Appleby File
There are fifteen stories in this compelling collection, including: Poltergeist – when Appleby's wife tells him that her aunt is experiencing trouble with a Poltergeist, he is amused but dismissive, until he discovers that several priceless artefacts have been smashed as a result; A Question of Confidence – when Bobby Appleby's friend, Brian Button, is caught up in a scandalous murder in Oxford, Bobby's famous detective father is their first port of call; The Ascham – an abandoned car on a narrow lane intrigues Appleby and his wife, but even more intriguing is the medieval castle they stumble upon.
Appleby on Ararat
Inspector Appleby is stranded on a very strange island, with a rather odd bunch of people – too many men, too few women (and one of them too attractive) cause a deal of trouble. But that is nothing compared to later developments, including the body afloat in the water, and the attack by local inhabitants.
Appleby Plays Chicken
David was hiking across Dartmoor, pleased to have escaped the oppressively juvenile and sometimes perilous behaviour of his fellow undergraduates. As far as he could tell, he was the only human being for miles – but it turns out that he was the only living human being for miles. At least, that is what he presumed when he found a dead man on top of the tor.
Appleby Talking
Arbuthnot is paying for a rash decision – he recently married a beautiful but slightly amoral girl whose crazy antics caught his rather cynical professional interest. His wife has taken a lover, Rupert Slade, and Arbuthnot wants nothing more than to see him dead – but the last thing he expected was that he'd walk into his living room and find just that!
Inspector Appleby shares the details of this and many other fascinating crimes in this un-missable collection.
Appleby Talks Again
Ralph Dangerfield, an Edwardian playwright who belonged to the smartest young set of his day, kept a scandalous diary recording the intimate details of his own life and those of his friends. After his death, it was believed that his mother had burnt the incriminating evidence, but fifty years later, a famous collector of literary curiosities claims to have the diary in his possession and threatens to blackmail fashionable London with belated secrets about people now in respectable old age. Sir John Appleby reveals how he uncovered this unscrupulous crime and talks about his key role in seventeen more intriguing cases.
Appleby's Answer
Author of detective novels, Priscilla Pringle, is pleased to find that she is sharing a railway compartment with a gentleman who happens to be reading one of her books – Murder in the Cathedral. He is military officer, Captain Bulkington, who recognises Miss Pringle and offers her £500 to collaborate on a detective novel. To everyone's surprise, Miss Pringle is rather taken with Captain Bulkington – is she out of her depth?
Appleby's End
Appleby's End was the name of the station where Detective Inspector John Appleby got off the train from Scotland Yard. But that was not the only coincidence. Everything that happened from then on related back to stories by Ranulph Raven, Victorian novelist – animals were replaced by marble effigies, someone received a tombstone telling him when he would die, and a servant was found buried up to his neck in snow, dead. Why did Ranulph Raven's mysterious descendants make such a point of inviting Appleby to spend the night at their house?
Appleby's Other Story
During a walk to Elvedon House, palatial home of the Tythertons, Sir John Appleby and Chief Constable Colonel Pride are stunned to find a police van and two cars parked outside. Wealthy Maurice Tytherton has been found shot dead, and Appleby is faced with a number of suspects – Alice Tytherton, flirtatious, younger wife of the deceased; Egon Raffaello, disreputable art dealer; and the prodigal son, Mark Tytherton, who has just returned from Argentina. Could the death be linked to the robbery of some paintings several years ago?
An Awkward Lie
Sir John Appleby's son, Bobby, assumes his father's detective role in this baffling crime. When Bobby finds a dead man, in a bunker on a golf course, he notices something rather strange – the first finger of the man's right hand is missing. A young girl approaches the scene and offers to watch the body while Bobby goes for help, but when he returns with the police in tow, the body and the girl are missing.
The Bloody Wood
An assorted party of guests have gathered at Charne, home of Charles Martineau and his ailing wife, Grace, including Sir John Appleby and his wife, Judith. Appleby's suspicions are soon aroused with the odd behaviour of Charles, and the curious last request of Grace – who desires that upon her death, Charles marries her favourite niece, Martine. When Charles and Grace die on the same day, foul play is suspected.
Carson's Conspiracy
Businessman Carl Carson decides to make a dash for South America to escape the economic slump, leaving his home and his barmy wife. But he has a problem – if his company were seen to be drawing in its horns, it wouldn't last a week. His solution is his wife's favourite delusion – an imaginary son, named Robin. Carson plans to stage a fictitious kidnapping – after all, what could be more natural than a father liquidating his assets to pay the ransom demand? Unfortunately, Carson has a rather astute neighbour – Sir John Appleby, ex-Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
A Change of Heir
George Gadberry, 'resting actor', packs his bags and heads for obscurity when the Tax Inspector beckons. Then he receives a mysterious i
nvitation and a proposition that could lead to enormous riches. Wealthy imbiber, Nicholas Comberford, wants George to impersonate him in order to secure a place in the will of fabulously affluent Great-Aunt Prudence, who lives in a Cistercian monastery and won't allow a single drop of liquor in the place. Gadberry's luck seems to have changed – but at what cost?
Christmas at Candleshoe
When an American multi-millionaire is keen to buy an Elizabethan manor, she comes up against fierce opposition from a young boy, Jay, and his band of bowmen, who are prepared to defend the manor and its nonagerian owner against all comers. It seems likely that that behind a monumental, seventeenth-century carving, by the hand of Gerard Christmas, lies a hoard of treasure.
A Connoisseur's Case
When John Appleby's wife, Judith, sets eyes on Scroop House, she insists that they introduce themselves to the owners – a suggestion that makes her sometimes reserved husband turn very pale. When Judith hears the village gossip about the grand house, she is even more intrigued; but when a former employee is found dead in the lock of the disused canal, and the immense wealth of Scroop's contents is revealed, Appleby has a gripping investigation on his hands.
The Daffodil Affair
Inspector Appleby's aunt is most distressed when her horse, Daffodil – a somewhat half-witted animal with exceptional numerical skills – goes missing from her stable I Harrogate. Meanwhile, Hudspith is hot on the trail of Lucy Rideout, an enigmatic young girl has been whisked away to an unknown isle by a mysterious gentleman. And when a house in Bloomsbury, supposedly haunted, also goes missing, the baffled policemen search for a connection. As Appleby and Hudspith trace Daffodil and Lucy, the fragments begin to come together and an extravagant project is uncovered, leading them to South American jungle.
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