Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham Read Free Book Online

talent, and that’s usually illogical, so you never know where you are. I say, Val,’ he went on, dropping his voice, ‘to put a personal question, is your Aunt Diana – er – Caesar’s wife, what? I mean you don’t think they could approach her with flattery and guile?’
    Val frowned. ‘My Aunt Diana,’ he said softly, ‘treats herself like a sort of vestal virgin. She’s lived at the Cup House – that’s on the estate, you know – ever since Uncle Lionel died, and since Father was a widower she rather took it upon herself to boss the show a bit. Penny has a dreadful time with her, I believe.’
    â€˜Penny?’ inquired Mr Campion.
    â€˜My sister Penelope,’ Val explained. ‘One of the best.’
    Mr Campion made a mental note of it. ‘To return to your aunt,’ he said, ‘I’m sorry to keep harping on this, but is she – er – batty?’
    Val grinned. ‘Not certifiable,’ he said. ‘But she’s a silly, slightly conceited woman who imagines she’s got a heart; and she’s made copy out of that “Maid of the Cup” business. Until her time that part of the ceremonial had been allowed to die down a bit. She looked it up in the records and insisted on her rights. She’s a strong-minded person, and Father puts up with her, I think, to keep her quiet.’
    Mr Campion looked dubious. ‘This “Maid of the Cup” palaver,’ he said. ‘What is it exactly? I’ve never heard of it.’
    The young man reflected. ‘Oh, it’s quite simple,’ he said at last. ‘Apparently in medieval times, when the menfolk were away fighting, the eldest daughter of the house was supposed to remain unmarried and to shut herself up in the Cup House and attend to the relic. Naturally this practice fell into abeyance when times got more peaceful, and that part of the affair had been obsolete until Aunt Diana hunted it all up as soon as she became a widow. She set herself up with the title complete. Father was annoyed, of course, but you can’t stop a woman like that.’
    â€˜No-o,’ said Mr Campion. ‘Any other peculiarities?’
    â€˜Well, she’s bitten by the quasi-mystical cum “noo-art” bug, or used to be before I went away,’ Val went on casually. ‘Wears funny clothes and wanders about at night communing with the stars and disturbing the game. Quite harmless, but rather silly. I should think that if anyone put a fishy suggestion up to her she’d scream the place down and leave it at that.’
    A decrepit waiter brought them the inevitable cold roast beef and pickles of the late luncher, and shuffled away again.
    Val seemed inclined to make further confidences. ‘I don’t expect trouble with Father,’ he said. ‘You know why I walked out, don’t you?’
    Mr Campion looked even more vague than usual. ‘No?’ he said. ‘You got into a row at Cambridge, didn’t you?’
    â€˜I got married at Cambridge,’ said Val bitterly. ‘The usual tale, you know. She was awfully attractive – a Varsity hanger-on. There’s a good lot of ’em, I suppose. I ’phoned the news to Dad. He got angry and halved my allowance, so –’ he shrugged his shoulders, ‘she went off – back to Cambridge.’
    He paused a little, and added awkwardly: ‘You don’t mind my telling you all this, do you? But now you’re in it I feel I ought to tell you everything. Well, I came back to Sanctuary, and Hepplewhite, Dad’s solicitor, was fixing up the necessary legal separation guff when I had a letter from her. She was ill, and in an awful state in London. Dad was bitter, but I went up and looked after her by selling up my flat and one thing and another, until she died. There was a filthy row at the time and I never went back. Hepplewhite tried to get hold of me several