Authors: John Bude

Death on the Riviera (23 page)

BOOK: Death on the Riviera

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Au Revoir

“Well,” said Freddy with a melancholic sigh, “I suppose this is it! No good kicking against the pricks. It's been fun while it lasted. We're off tomorrow as soon as it's light.”

He and Dilys, cosily intertwined, were leaning over the terrace of Le Rocher de Monaco gazing out across the placid waters of the harbour towards the lights of Monte Carlo.

Dilys asked with a faint hint of apprehension:

“But surely you'llâ¦you'll be glad to get home again?”

“What!â¦To Willesden, N.W.2? After this?” He gestured toward the insubstantial fairyland that seemed to be suspended between sea and sky like some spangled and impossibly romantic backcloth. “Have a heart, darling!” Freddy sighed again. “I suppose you realize you've just about knocked me for a six? I came down here a carefree, uncomplicated sort of chap. And now look at me! Befogged, bewitched and bewildered. You've got a heck of a lot to answer for, Miss Westmacott.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Well, you don't look it!” snorted Freddy, gazing down at her upturned face with an expression of agonized approval.

“Really? Then how
do
I look?”

“Unbelievable,” breathed Freddy. “Out-of-this-world.”

Dilys laughed.

“A week from now you'll remember saying that and blush to the roots of your hair.”

“A week from now,” contested Freddy, “I shall be sitting in my lonely bachelor room writing you a ten-page letter.”

Her hand tightened over his. She demanded earnestly:

“You
will
write, won't you?”

“Every dreary day until we meet again. Though heaven alone knows,” he added glumly, “when that will be.”

“Why not when I come to London?”

“What!” whooped Freddy, twisting her round and almost whirling her off her feet. “You're coming to London? Why the deuce didn't you tell me? Why? When? How long for?”

“Well, I don't know exactly. But Aunt Nesta wants to let the villa for at least six months. We'll probably be coming over to England in a few weeks. You can imagine how dreadful she feels about poor Tony.”

Freddy nodded and went on in more sober tones:

“Yesâa rotten show. I didn't mean to talk about all thisâbut now that it's cropped upâ¦well, I may as well tell you.”

“What?”

“They arrested that poor devil Dillon this morning at the Gare du Nord in Paris. I suppose he was trying to edge his way back across the Channel. You know, darling, I can't help feeling sorry for the fellow. Take it all round he's had a pretty raw deal. More sinned against than sinning, eh?”

“And nowâ¦” asked Dilys unhappily, “now that they
have
arrested himâ¦?”

Freddy shrugged.

“Difficult to say. Heaven knows he had plenty of provocation for what he did. It's what they call a
crime passionel
over here, isn't it? So perhaps they won't hand out too stiff a sentence.” For the third time Freddy sighed. “Funny how some blokes get all the hard knocks, whilst othersâ¦” He broke off and slowly shook his head. “Noâmaybe I'm being a bit too optimistic.”

“Over what?”

“You, darling. You see, when you come to Londonâ¦”

“Well?”

“Well, I was wondering if we could sort ofâ¦well, knock around togetherâsee the sights, do a few shows and all that.”

“But why not? I'd get lost in London on my own.”

“Yes, but I meanâ¦erâ¦officially. You see, I was wondering if you and Iâ¦” Freddy gulped, took a firm grip on himself and blurted out: “Good heavens, darling, you know I'm absolutely crazy about you! Do you think we could make a go of it? Do you? I mean, sort ofâ¦erâ¦together.”

“Is this a proposal of marriage? It sounds ominously like it.”

“Well, it
is
â¦actually,” mumbled Freddy with a hangdog look.

“I rather thought it was,” murmured Dilys.

“And yourâ¦erâ¦reaction to the idea?”

She threw him a provocative, sidelong glance.

“As a detective I must naturally leave you to find that out for yourself.”

“Find out? How?”

“By exercising your well-trained powers of observation and deduction.”

Freddy took a single, infatuated look at her smiling, upturned face and scooped her unceremoniously into his arms.

“O.K.,” he murmured. “O.K.! Good enough, my girl. Case closed!”