Chapter Ten
Charles and Molly spoke very little on the twenty minute journey to Marshford the next morning. After the telephone call from Mrs Harker last night and Charles' declaration that they needed to face their problem head on and deal with any consequences as they arose, there seemed little point in trying to anticipate what might happen.
"I'm sure, that whatever he wishes to discuss with us will be conducted in a civilised manner," Charles said trying to smile reassuringly at Molly.
"Well, the invitation did come from Mrs Harker, didn't it?" Molly said trying to be equally positive. "Why would she invite me if there was going to be any trouble?"
Her intentions of talking to Charles about the meeting with Ted Chadwick or her discussions with Bella had gone out of the window completely. It was clear that Charles was too occupied by his present day problems to concern himself with something that had happened a long time ago. It had been thirty three years since Alice Delaney had left Greystones for another life and Molly felt sure the mystery of where she had gone would wait one more day.
That night in bed Molly cuddled in close to Charles and was glad of his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head as she lay next to him and she managed to sleep in spite of her worries. Charles however, dozed fitfully, concerned about the potential trouble that might be heading their way. Although, he had said nothing to Molly yet, he was resolved upon going to the Police if this meeting caused him any further concerns. He had no intention of being coerced into underhand activities.
Willow Dean House in Marshford was a Georgian house of modest proportions set in ten acres of grounds in a clearing surrounded by woodland. The house was set well away from the main road and prying eyes and approached by a quarter of a mile long gravelled driveway. As Charles and Molly emerged from the driveway into the clearing the house came into view.
"Looks like crime pays alright, then!" Molly quipped cynically.
Charles managed a weak smile but said nothing in reply. They parked up at the front of the house and made their way to the front door. They heard the sound of a doorbell ringing some distance away and waited until they heard footsteps approaching. The door was opened by a maid who smiled pleasantly and showed them into the tiled hallway. She took Charles' hat and placed it on a highly polished table. Molly glanced at herself in the hall mirror over the table. She looked pale and nervous. Her green eyes stared back at her full of uncertainty and she wondered how they had ever managed to end up in such a situation.
The maid opened a door on the left hand side of the hall and they were shown into a drawing room. The room was comfortably furnished and warm and welcoming. An immaculately dressed woman in her late thirties rose from the couch near the fireplace and walked towards them smiling with what appeared to be genuine warmth.
"I'm Felicity Harker. How do you do?"
She had just shaken hands with Charles and Molly when the drawing room door opened and two men entered the room. The first she assumed from Charles' description of the man he had met last week, to be Gerald Harker. He walked towards them both smiling broadly and shook Charles by the hand before turning towards Molly and saying,
"You must be Mrs James. It's lovely to meet you." He shook hands with her his firm grip matched by the steely gaze fixed upon her and she couldn't help remembering that the last time they had spoken he had told her in no uncertain terms never to call at the house again. He seemed to have conveniently forgotten that exchange and was being very polite and welcoming. She understood now what Charles had meant. He was most definitely charming but there was something else about him that she couldn't define. She had the feeling that he wasn't everything he claimed to be.
The second man who had come into room she recognised from their first viewing of Greystones as Richard Murray and he greeted her warmly. They all chatted for a few minutes as if it was the most natural thing in the world and they were simply a group of acquaintances catching up. It was only when the maid brought in a tea tray that Gerald turned to Molly and said very politely,
"I wonder if I could borrow your husband for a little while, Mrs James. I would very much like to ask his advice on a few matters."
Molly looked across the room at Charles and he nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Of course," she said managing to force a smile but realising that the real business of the day was about to be conducted and well out of her earshot.
"We'll try not to be too long," Gerald assured her as he guided Charles out of the room and into the hall. He closed the door behind him and said politely,
"Please come this way, Charles." He led him along the hallway and through a door on the right hand side which opened into his study. A pair of leather tub chairs was situated in front of a large mahogany desk. He moved around behind the desk and indicated to Charles and Richard to sit down. Charles sat and waited.
"I imagine you wonder why I invited you here today." Harker said gravely.
"If it relates to the discussions we had last week," Charles said immediately, wanting to curtail the meeting, "then I've already given you my answer."
Harker raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender at these words, "Yes, Charles. You made your feelings quite plain to Richard but I think there are still matters we need to discuss."
He sat down opposite Charles and said, "When we met last week I wasn't entirely honest with you."
Charles held his breath afraid of what was to follow.
"I'm not a business man. When we met last week, I told you that I worked in Military Intelligence during the war and that's how Richard and I came to know each other. However, whereas Richard returned to private practice after the war, I remained in Intelligence." He paused allowing his words to sink in. Charles was silent. Relief at realising Harker wasn't a criminal was mixed with confusion over why he still wanted to speak to him.
"Naturally, "he continued, "I can't tell you which department I work for or the exact nature of my work but I will say it relates to national security."
He paused and Charles said,
"So what was the purpose of the meeting last week? You offered me a lot of money to be involved in something that sounded very shady."
Gerald smiled, "Yes, that's quite an apt description. Some people I know would consider my work to be very shady indeed." He was almost laughing at himself.
"Richard and I decided to play a little game with you. You see, we already knew quite a lot about you, Charles. Naturally, we've checked up on you and know that you have an exemplary service record; your financial dealings are sound and above board and Richard certainly had gained a good impression of you from your dealings with him. He put me on to you in the first place. However, we didn't really know what Charles James the man was like so we devised a little test. In my experience, nothing tells you more about a man's integrity than to lay temptation in his path and see how he responds."
Charles shook his head, "So you're saying that the business deal was in fact a test to see if I'd accept your terms without question no matter how suspicious I was."
Gerald nodded, "We needed to know what sort of man we were dealing with and you'll be pleased to know that you passed with flying colours, that is until your wife's telephone call here put doubt into our minds about whether you could be trusted."
Charles spoke, "I knew nothing about that until Richard called me."
Richard looked a bit sheepish, "Yes, well it took us a couple of days to find out how that had happened and then it turned out to be something as simple as my own secretary being tricked into giving Mrs James the number." He raised his eyebrows.
Gerald smiled, "We checked on your wife too. She has a good service record, hasn't she? Awarded the George Medal for bravery by His Majesty, no less, a key witness in breaking up a black market racket involving the theft of military goods whilst serving at RAF Milton and I understand she also holds a private pilot's licence now. She's obviously quite a spirited lady."
It was Charles' turn to smile at this understatement and he said, "Oh yes, Molly is sometimes what you might call an unstoppable force of nature."
"When she called here, she said she wanted to find out about my Aunt and the house. Is that true?"
Charles nodded. "Yes. She's trying to get to the bottom of something which I can assure you has nothing to do with national security. Her reasons for calling were entirely personal and I think you could help her."
"Very well," Gerald said, "We'll talk with her in a little while, but firstly, I'd like to discuss a real business arrangement with you, if you're prepared to listen and to assure you that anything you might be asked to do would be on behalf of his majesty's government."
Charles listened in silence as Gerald outlined his plans to make occasional use of the airfield. In many ways the proposal was not dissimilar to that discussed last week except that the knowledge of whom he was dealing with and to some extent why put a completely different perspective on the matter. Gerald had need of somewhere relatively out of the way where light freight or occasionally personnel could be flown in or out by light aircraft from and to undisclosed locations. The advantage for Gerald was that the airfield was relatively near to his home and it was sometimes necessary for him to hold meetings here. Most of all they needed to know that Charles could be trusted not only to keep all matters confidential but also to deflect any questions or suspicions that might occasionally arise from comings and goings at the airfield. It simply couldn't be undertaken without his co-operation.
"I'm afraid we can't offer you terms that are quite as lucrative as those we previously discussed, for obvious reasons, but we will certainly ensure that you are adequately rewarded for your assistance."
He stopped speaking and looked at Charles for an answer. Apart from practical issues that needed to be ironed out Charles had no qualms this time about agreeing to be involved save for one issue,
"If I agree to this, Gerald, I must insist that Molly is party to this knowledge. She is my business partner in all but legal name and what's more she's the person I trust most in the world. I'm willing to tell lies and half-truths for the sake of national security but not to my wife. I'm sorry if that will be a problem but I have to be totally honest with you."
Gerald nodded, "I think we both realised that would be a condition and I'm agreeable to Mrs James being party to this but I must insist that it goes no further."
He held it out his hand to Charles, "Are we in agreement?"
Charles smiled, reached out and grasped his hand, "Yes, I think we are."
Molly had been sitting in the drawing room with Mrs Harker drinking tea for nearly half an hour. She was clearly a well-educated, cultured lady with a wide knowledge of music and the arts and had discussed or attempted to discuss a range of subjects with Molly hoping to engage her interest. However, Molly had struggled to keep her mind on any of them for very long and realised she would have struggled to make a contribution of any interest if she had. They eventually settled on discussing the local area and how well the family were settling into Nethercombe in general. Mrs Harker asked her about the house and said,
"I understand you wanted to ask me some questions about my husband's Aunt."
Molly nodded but realised that most of the questions had flown out of her head since they had entered the house. She was so concerned about what Charles might be coerced into doing that she had forgotten that she might discover something to shed light on the unanswered questions. She did however, manage to ask,
"I wondered if you could tell me anything about Mrs Harker's daughter, Alice Delaney."
She saw Mrs Harker's eyebrows lift in surprise.
"Goodness, " she said, "I don't think I can tell you very much. I've never met her but it's possible that Gerald did when he was a child."
"Really," Molly said. "Do you know where she is now?"
"I don't believe she's contacted her mother or anyone else in the family for about twenty years. I believe that they were estranged but I don't know the reasons why."
Molly looked around the room searching for something else to talk about and caught sight of a water colour painting on the wall that looked familiar,
"Is that Nethercombe church?" she asked.
Mrs Harker turned around to look at it, "Yes, I believe it is. In fact, it was actually done by my husband's uncle, Maurice. He was very artistic and there are some others of his hanging in the dining room. Now I think of it, one of the pictures does have Alice in the foreground. I do think if he hadn't decided to become an architect he might well have been an artist. It seems as if he was able turn his had to many different skills. We have some beautiful illuminated letters that he did and he was also skilled at calligraphy. Gerald has some of his work in the library here perhaps I could look it out for you." She rose from her seat as if meaning to go and look for the pieces when the door to the drawing room opened and Gerald Harker entered followed by Charles and Richard Murray. Molly's face turned anxiously towards Charles but she was relieved to see him smiling broadly at her. He looked relaxed and as he walked towards her she saw him wink and knew then that there was nothing to be concerned about. As he reached her he uncharacteristically leaned across to kiss her on the cheek and whispered in her ear,
"Everything's fine. Tell you later."
At Mrs Harker's suggestion Charles sat down next to Molly and she poured him a cup of tea.
"I do hope Felicity has been keeping you entertained," Gerald said politely.
"Yes, she has," Molly replied still feeling flustered and desperate to know what the outcome of Charles' discussions had been.
"We were just talking about your Uncle Maurice and Mrs James was interested in his artistic talents," Mrs Harker supplied.
"Ah, yes," Gerald said, "I understand from Charles that there are some points I may be able to help you with. He told me that you're trying to find out about something relating to the house."
Molly took a deep breath hoping that she wouldn't sound ridiculous, "I was just asking Mrs Harker about Alice Delaney. She thought you might have met her when you were a child."
Gerald was clearly taken aback, "Goodness, I only have a very vague memory of her. I was a very small child when we met. All I know of her really is the painting. I don't recall my uncle or aunt talking about her very much if at all."
"So you don't know where she is?" Molly asked.
"All I know is that she apparently ran away towards the end of the Great War to become a nurse and she didn't return. I understand that she occasionally wrote to her mother but never left any details of where she could be contacted. It must have been terrible for my Aunt to be estranged from her daughter like that. I believe she was quite bitter about it. In fact, as I recall she made reference to it in her will." He looked to Richard for affirmation.
"That's right," Richard confirmed. "When she revised her will in 1947 she cut her daughter out of it in favour of Gerald here. I can't remember the exact phrasing but it was something like, in the absence of any communication from my daughter, Alice, for fifteen years I hereby renounce her entitlement to inherit my property and possessions in favour of my nephew in law, Gerald Harker."
Molly considered this and realised that according to Mrs Harker's will, Alice had not written to her mother since 1932. The date jumped out at her. Other details she had heard over the last week began to circulate in her mind: the happenings in the house, the conversations with Reverend Swinton and Ted Chadwick, the discussions with Bella, the dreams they had shared, the information she had been given today and at last she was able to form a clear picture.
"I wonder Mr Harker, could you possibly show me the painting of Alice?" Molly asked.
He was surprised by the request but happy to lead her though to the dining room across the hall. On the left hand wall was a painting in oils of Greystones pictured in the summer and sitting in the foreground dressed in a style of white summer dress popular during the Great War years was a young woman with long, flowing auburn hair. Her piecing blue eyes seemed to follow Molly around the room and her face wore an expression of mystery. A half-smile hovered on her lips. Around her neck hung a silver locket.
"She was lovely, wasn't she?" Molly said gazing at the picture.
"Yes," Mr Harker replied simply. "Is there something you need to tell me, Mrs James?"