Mischief in St. Tropez

by C. G Oster

  The ship was also running out of water, which had been distressing. Now they were slowly floating past the coast of Cornwall. The end was in sight.

  “I do hope George is here with the car,” Lady Pettifer said. Livinia stood on the other side of her, quiet for a change. George was Lord Wallisford’s driver, and a name Dory hadn’t heard for over two years. Her months serving as a maid at Wallisford Hall seemed a lifetime ago. “Shall you come back with us?” Lady Pettifer’s attention was on Dory.

  There had been considerable time on the ship to consider this question. “No, I think I need to go see my mother in Swanley.” Lady Pettifer had no need for a companion here in England, and the thought of going back to Wallisford Hall sat uncomfortably. As Lady Pettifer’s companion, she would be given one of the guestrooms and then be served as a guest by the people she used to work with—the people who had made things very difficult for her when she had helped DI Ridley uncover what Lady Wallisford had done. All in all, it would be an uncomfortable affair.

  It was time to move onto whatever came next in her life. The close friendship with Lady Pettifer was the hardest thing to let go of. It was what she treasured. Everything else… it was time to put it behind her.

  “What will you do?” Lady Pettifer asked.

  “I don’t know yet. Women are needed for all sorts of jobs, I understand. I am sure they will find some use for me.”

  “It is true that you will be of more service to the country away from Wallisford Hall. I suppose at times like these, we cannot keep hold of our companions, even if we want to.” Putting her arm around Lady Pettifer, Dory squeezed her shoulder. “I honestly have no idea what kind of country we are returning to. I wonder if this war is shaping up to be very different from the last. Still, the country will be run by women, I suppose. I am sure you will be needed. Perhaps you will even be a policeman. I think you do have a knack for it. You too, Livinia. You are going to have to find some way of being useful.”

  “Not sure my skills will be all that valued,” Livinia said.

  “Considering that you speak both French and German, I think they will find something for you to do.”

  “Do you think they’ll send me as a spy?” she said humorously.

  “I don’t think you could hide the fact that you are British even if you tried.”

  “I might stay in London for a while. See what everyone is doing,” Livinia said. The Wallisford family had a townhouse, but Dory didn’t exactly know where.

  “Your father will want to see you. You have been gone two years,” Lady Pettifer pointed out and her tone carried her disapproval.

  “Yes, I suppose I will have to go see daddy first,” Livinia admitted. “He should be at the hall this time of year.”

  “If George is there, we can drop you off in Swanley,” Lady Pettifer continued.

  “I am sure it will be out of your way,” Dory said.

  “Nonsense. We have traveled this far together, a few more miles isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

  It was strange to think she was going home to Swanley. It had been so long since she’d been back. With the difficulty with mail lately, it had even been hard to get letters through.

  “To whatever the future holds for us,” Dory said and they all looked out at the passing coastline. Sunshine basked the rugged, dark green landscape, interspersed with white beaches. It was a part of the country Dory hadn’t see until she had sailed to France two years back. There was so much of the world she hadn’t seen—so much of Britain she hadn’t seen. She’d never even been to Scotland.

  In truth, she had no idea where she would end up. It felt a little like she was leaving it up to fate. In a way, it was quite scary. She had found a really comfortable place with Lady Pettifer, but she was too young to hide away in comfort in someone else’s house. There was too much to be done, too much to be explored. From the start, she’d known this time would come and now it was here.

  *

  They moved away from the coastline and toward the Isle of Wight. They were nearing their destination. Lunch had been yet another meal of the tasteless, ubiquitous soup. Dory’s mouth watered for a proper meal. Tonight, she would dine at her mother’s house. The thought of her mother’s cooking made her smile. She might not be the cook that Gladys was, but she made a lovely supper.

  They were outside again, watching as they sailed past the Isle of Wight. This ship had carried them all the way home. Anxiousness and anticipation were growing around them. Everyone had packed their belongings and were ready to disembark. Dory knew that a few of these people had nowhere to go, had lost ties with England, lost family and friends over time. They would have to find a place for themselves until they could return to their adopted country, who didn’t want them in this time of war.

  Dory’s thoughts turned back to Prince Barenoli, wondering that solution he had found for himself. With the Italians pressing on the border, he had to go somewhere. They might even have invaded for all they knew. There was no news on the ship. By the look of the peaceful Isle of Wight, it seemed the world hadn’t ended while they had been afloat along the Atlantic Ocean.

  A while later, they sailed past the naval base in Portsmouth, but they were not stopping there. Technically a merchant ship, they kept going to Southampton, where cars were waiting patiently beside the dock they seemed intent for. Southampton port had none of the chaotic scenes in France. Cars were waiting for people. There were other ships around, unloading their pallets of cargo. American by the look of them. They were still getting supplies from America, it seemed.

  The lack of chaos was encouraging. Things could not be so bad if no one was desperately fleeing. This was where many wished to flee to, including them.

  They felt it in the structure of the ship as the engine slowed, and tugs appeared, working to guide them. It was hard to imagine those little boats being powerful enough to maneuver such a large ship.

  Foremost at the doc was a police car and a group of men was standing around—one in uniform. Dory knew instantly that it was DI Ridley and she felt her heart beat powerfully in her chest. He had come—here to arrest Terry.

  “Seems your DI is here,” Lady Pettifer said.

  “He’s not my DI,” Dory said, flaring red.

  “Is there some tenderness between you and that policeman?” Livinia asked. “I never knew.”

  “Of course not,” Dory said, but she knew neither of them believed her. Maybe she didn’t entirely believe it either, considering her hands were clammy and a nervousness had set itself deep in her belly.

  “They will lead Terry off first. Perhaps you should follow and speak to the good DI. I am sure he will wish to see you before he takes Terry away,” Lady Pettifer said.

  “Yes, perhaps you are right,” Dory said, feeling flustered.

  “Go on. We’ll see you down on the doc after.”

  “I am going to have to carry my trunk myself, aren’t I?” Livinia said as Dory walked away.

  The gangway was a story down and Dory had to fight her way past people who were already lined up. The Captain was standing by the opening to the gangway with some of his sailors, firmly keeping Terry Wilcott in custody.

  Dory decided to stay back a little, unwilling to provoke an interaction with Terry. The fact that he hated her was beyond doubt, and there was nothing to be gained by speaking to him. So, she waited. The gangway made grinding, mechanical sounds as it was extended into place, and the gate finally opened. The Captain and his men walked Terry down to the waiting policemen. Dory pushed through to follow, but the crowd surged forward in their eagerness for firm land.

  It took a few minutes, but Dory finally made it onto the gangway and started descending, holding her small suitcase in her hand.

  DI looked up and saw her, a smile gracing his lips. Her throat went dry as she moved closer. “I heard there was a scuffle,” he said when she stepped down on the ground.

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “You will have to press charges. The m
urder will be hard to deal with at a time like this, but attacking you, he will stand trial for.”

  DI Ridley wore a green uniform instead of his typical suit. He was in his military gear, she realized. He seemed to notice her observation. “I am only here temporarily. I need to head back to Pirbright almost immediately. I only came for the arrest.”

  “Of course,” Dory said with a smile. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. I am not happy to hear he attacked you.”

  “Livinia Fellingworth saved the day, would you believe it?”

  DI Ridley didn’t see the humor in it and Dory wiped the smile from her face.

  “Where are you heading?” he asked.

  “To Swanley.”

  People were streaming down the gangway behind them, and Terry was seated in the back of the police car with men guarding him. He was resolutely staring straight ahead, a tight expression of displeasure on his mouth. His displeasure wasn’t going to change any of the things that were about to happen to him, and he deserved whatever punishment was meted out. Dory turned away and refused to think about him more. He didn’t deserve it.

  “I can drive you as far as Pirbright, but I can’t take you all the way. I only have a few hours,” Ridley said, checking his watch.

  There were so many things Dory wanted to say and ask, but it wasn’t the place for it.

  “Lady Pettifer,” he said, moving his attention away from Dory. Dory almost felt the pressure of his gaze let. “I am glad to see you’ve found your way back to England.”

  “It wasn’t a comfortable journey, but these are dire times.”

  “Yes, they are,” he said. It was discouraging to hear him say that, but there was no hiding they were at war.

  “Lady Pettifer has offered to drive me home,” Dory said.

  “Good. It can be hard getting passage, particularly down toward Dover way. Have a safe journey. Watch out for the trucks on the road.”

  “We will,” Lady Pettifer said. “I saw George over to the left. It seemed my brother has not forgotten that we are arriving.”

  The police car started and DI Ridley gave them a nod, before turning his attention back to Dory. “I will write to inform you what happens from here. You will have to testify in court. I will be there if I can, but I might not be able to. My schedule is… uncertain, but you can reach me at Pirbright if you have any questions. They can forward letters if need be. Miss Sparks,” he said with a quick nod before he walked over to the police car and got in next to the driver.

  They quickly drove away down the dock, which was now crowded with families reunited.

  “The uniform certainly becomes him, doesn’t it?” Livinia said. “I think you should definitely come up with some questions to ask him.”

  Dory blushed but refused to look back. She cleared her throat. “Where was it you saw George?”

  “Yes,” Livinia said, stretching to look around. “I need him to go get my trunk. It was simply too heavy to lift.”

  The End

  Upcoming book in the Dory Sparks Mysteries series

  The Gentleman at Pennyfield Street – As the German planes came, London burned. Like everyone else, Dory had a job to do, watching for the threat that came in the night sky. Night after night, she and Vera searched for the enemy, while the bombs fell on street after street. The dark and empty streets of London also concealed the worst of intentions in the rubble and chaos of a blighted city—a perfect place to hide a murder.