The Wicked Mr Hall by Roy Archibald Hall Read Free Book Online Page B

serve dinner and suchlike. The lady of the castle deemed me competent and I was offered a job on her staff – helping around the house and chauffeuring her when needed. The duties were light and easy, the surroundings pleasant. Within days I had noted the items of true value and where they were kept. The other thing that caught my eye was Agnetha, the young Swedish au pair .
    Back in Winchester, I had given John Wooton my parents’ Glasgow address and, with directions from my father, my old prison friend turned up at the castle. He couldn’t have timed it better, it was a beautiful sunny day, and employer and staff were enjoying food and drinks on the lawn. John turned on the charm, and Mrs Dunsmuir took an immediate shine to the London-born criminal. If she had known that her staff was now resembling a Wandsworth old boys’ reunion party, she would have had a heart attack.
    Agnetha was a young girl looking for fun. Stuck out inthe Scottish countryside, miles from any nightlife, she was desperate for some stimulation. I charmed her, I slept with her, I liked her. After my time in prison, she was a welcome diversion. There seemed to be an immediate bond between John and my mother, she had a level of intimacy with him that I had never witnessed between her and my father. Increasingly her off-duty hours were spent with him. I spent mine with Agnetha. Since puberty my sexual drive has been a strong controlling factor in my life. In the morning I awake with a hard on, and when I lay my head on my pillow at night, it is generally with a hard on. I was hard, on the Saturday morning that I walked into Mrs Dunsmuir’s bedroom, to see Agnetha stretching over the mattress making the mistress’s bed. I took her from behind, she liked me to take control. Neither of us bothered to undress, her knickers were just moved to one side as I entered her. Her favourite position was ‘doggy’. Her face was buried in the floral eiderdown. There was no sound to make me turn. But I did anyway. Our employer was standing framed in the doorway. She told me that she wanted me off her staff, and off her property… immediately. Wiping and putting away my now flaccid cock, I said, ‘Certainly, Madam. If you will give me a cheque in lieu of a month’s wages, I will be on my way.’ At this, we argued, but when she realised that I would not give way, she grudgingly paid me my severance money. Much to my delight, Agnetha packed her suitcase and followed me out of the castle. I said my goodbyes to John and my mother and Agnetha and I lounged and lusted away two weeks in Jersey.
    Being a thief, I had many criminal contacts. I knew some of the best forgers in the business. For a price, I obtained new references and a new past. I scoured top people’s magazines for new employment. Working for someone is better than just robbing them on a whim. You get to enjoy all the creature comforts, you have time to assess what it is that you’ll take and, if you have the right contacts, replacements can be made. Most people don’t know a good fake from the real thing. Also, I enjoyed nobility, it was something I had a feel for.
    The Warren-Connells were as far removed from Mrs Dunsmuir as a warm puppy is from a hot dog. They were ‘old money’, part of a long-established, Clydeside shipping family. They were now in retirement at their stately mansion, Park Hall. They were a pleasure to work for. They had true class. Mrs Warren-Connell was a bubbly vivacious woman, with Christian values that she actually practised as well as preached. Her husband was an utterly charming elder statesman of industry.
    The staff that I joined consisted of three gardeners, a gamekeeper, chauffeur, cook/housekeeper and two maids. I worked diligently and hard. Within a short while I won the trust of my new employers. As the height of the holiday season approached, all staff, along with the Warren-Connells themselves, left for a two-week break. The responsibility for running the house