The Shining Skull by Kate Ellis Read Free Book Online Page B

taken two of them into my service – and I am not
     inclined to deprive his father, who was before these remarkable events but a poor working man, of this welcome remuneration.
    Were this gentleman of your acquaintance to take the lad and make a scholar of him, I fear for the future wellbeing of the
     Hackworthys. The door of the poorhouse always stands ready to receive poor families of such fecundity who, by the vagaries
     of life and through no fault of their own, fall upon misfortune. Yet, through young Peter’s gifts, the Hackworthys now enjoy
     some welcome shelter against the storms of this precarious existence. I trust you would not, sir, expose them to a reduction
     of their rising fortunes. Unless you, sir, are willing to compensate them from your own pocket for the grievous loss of income
     that would result from such a course of action.
    I remain, sir, your servant. John Bentham
    Adrian Fallbrook’s heart lurched as the rough jangling of the doorbell shattered the silence of the drawing room. He looked
     up from the newspaper and caught his wife, Carol’s, eye. It could be him.
    Carol stood up. ‘I’ll go?’
    Adrian put the paper down untidily beside him, his emotions swinging between anticipation and dread like the pendulum on the
     oak grandfather clock in the corner.
    ‘No. I’d better . . . ’
    As he stood up, Carol put a hand on his sleeve. ‘If it’s him be careful what you say. We don’t know anything about him. He
     could be . . . ’
    ‘My brother?’ Adrian brushed her hand away and marched into the hall.
    ‘Will you tell him you’ve been to the police?’
    Adrian stopped in his tracks. ‘Why not? If he’s got nothing to hide, he won’t mind.’
    As soon as her husband left the room Carol began to bite her nails. This was a habit she’d managed to break a few years before
     but this new turn of events had made her tense. Not many families had to deal with a long-dead relative – a relative they
     had never even known – being resurrected, returning to life from some unknown underworld.
    She wondered what he wanted of them. Money was the obvious answer of course. But she had a uncomfortable feeling of dread
     in the pit of her stomach, a premonition perhaps that his return might herald some unspecified disaster.
    She could hear the sound of voices in the hall and she froze, trying to make out the words. But they were speaking too quietly;
     almost, it seemed, in a whisper. She had a sudden sense of conspiracy but she told herself that this was ridiculous. Adrian
     was just as confused as she was.
    A few moments later the two men appeared in the doorway, Adrian leading the way into the drawing room and inviting the stranger
     who was claiming to be his long-lost half-brother to sit. Marcus sat down on the edge of the faded chintz sofa, as though
     preparing for a quick getaway if things didn’t go according to plan. Carol watched his face carefully but saw nothing there
     but nervous shyness, which, she supposed, was only to be expected in the circumstances.
    ‘Have you told, er . . . Marcus that you’ve been to the police?’ was Carol’s first question. The name Marcus almost stuck
     in her throat but she didn’t know what else to call him.
    Adrian nodded.
    ‘Yeah. It was the right thing to do. They had to be told,’ saidMarcus quietly, his eyes focused on the carpet. Carol watched him but found it impossible to guess at his true feelings about
     the involvement of the authorities.
    ‘They’ll want to speak to you,’ she said.
    ‘Yeah. But I can’t tell ’em much. I don’t remember nothing about . . . ’
    ‘But you remember this house.’ Carol stood up. She was a tall woman, thin with a mane of unruly black hair. As she had never
     been a beauty, she had channelled her considerable energies into being capable, ending up as head girl of her private school.
     Later she had worked as PA to a millionaire businessman but then she abandoned the world of business for rural