The Room on the Second Floor (8 page)

Henri was enchanted. Things were back to normal. He was once more able to minister to the needs of a respected master. And he really did respect Roger, particularly once he discovered that the professor understood not only modern French, but medieval Old French as well. Anybody who had read the
Chanson de Roland
in its original manuscript form was worthy of deep respect in his eyes.

Linda, too, was a happy girl. With the generous pay rise awarded to her by her new employer, she had finally left her mother’s house. With Duggie’s aid, she had found a charming flat in the little town of Toplingham, a stone’s throw from the estuary, and only a short cycle ride from the manor. Roger told her to take whatever she needed from the manor. As a result, she was now the proud owner of, amongst other things, an absolutely enormous bed in the main bedroom. Her single duvet looked rather forlorn there, but then she was used to that sensation.

Her work was reassuringly similar to the previous years at the university, while the working environment was unparalleled. She had an office the size of the vice-chancellor’s, with a view out over spectacular gardens. And, of course, she had a boss to die for. And tonight she was entertaining him with supper.

Linda’s mum was not a great cook. For her family, food was necessary because, without enough of it, you died. Whether it was interesting, attractive or creatively prepared, was of less importance than the scrupulousness of the washing-up and cleaning afterwards. Linda had, therefore, invested in some cookery books. She asked Henri for his advice, without specifying for whom it was intended. The butler was, however, in no doubt as to who the lucky recipient of her hospitality was to be. In consequence, he advised her with all the experience of seduction a Frenchman could muster.

‘Ah, my dear, you are planning a feast. It has to be foie gras with lightly toasted, very thinly sliced bread. And, remember, it must be white bread. Maybe with a sauce of pears, caramelised of course. A glass of Sauternes to accompany it is always to be recommended. And then for the main course, I would always favour a lobster, but be sure to cool it well after the
cuisson
unless, of course, you favour thermidor…’

Linda had thanked him with a smile, and sought advice elsewhere. Mrs Vinnicombe had had little to offer, apart from ensuring that there be lots of it, whatever it was. Predictably, she also exhorted Linda to ensure everything was clean and spotless. Paddy, unexpectedly, was the one who gave her sensible advice, none of which involved Guinness, Dublin Coddle or Boiled Boxty.

‘As long as the ingredients are good, the food will be good. Don’t overcook it, and make sure you serve it hot. Something kind to the oesophagus and the stomach will also ensure a comfortable night’s sleep, while your gastric enzymes perform their necessary duty.’

He had then mercifully branched away from his normal fascination with the constituent parts of the human body. He had gone on to tell her about his years in the merchant navy, and the dishes he and his fellows had thrown together (and up) during their time at sea. These seemed to be principally composed of emergency rations, particularly powdered egg, cocoa powder and corned beef, sometimes all mixed together. Wisely, she decided not to emulate him. Nothing should be allowed to harm what she fervently hoped would turn out to be a night to remember.

She had had modest success in the past with her cottage pie and summer pudding, so she decided to stick with what she felt comfortable doing. She made sure she bought everything fresh that morning. Upon her return to the manor, she stuffed the supermarket bags into one of the huge fridges and rushed up to Roger’s office. Upon arrival, she was greeted effusively by Jasper. Roger was bent over an old book and barely looked up.

‘Sorry I am late, Roger. I had a few things to do.’ She did not want to tell him what she had bought for dinner. He waved dismissively and launched predictably into the Middle Ages.

‘Fontaine-lès-Dijon. I really must go there and see if there is anything left of Bernard’s home.’

For a moment, Linda wondered what it would be like if he were to invite her to accompany him. The idea of a few nights with him in a French hotel sent shivers up her spine. Her eyes became quite dreamy for a second or two until he turned the page and added, ‘You could hold the fort here for a few days, couldn’t you?’

Linda nodded, her expression giving nothing away. She had long ago come to terms with taking second place to a long-dead saint. Ruefully, she turned her attention to the post. She began slicing the envelopes open and passing them across to him. As he opened them and read the contents, she allowed herself a few seconds to study him, unobserved. He was looking very relaxed and fit. His early morning runs through the grounds with Jasper had brought a bit more colour to his cheeks and he looked all the better for it. His hair was getting long, and she knew he would soon get it cut. She always thought that it suited him longer though. It fell over his forehead and ears in an unruly brown mop, the sides just beginning to show a few grey flecks. She felt the urge to reach out and tidy it for him with her hand. As ever, she resisted the temptation.

There was a tap on the door. She looked up to see Duggie, a broad smile on his face. She reflected that he had been looking very happy for a good long while now. Tina and he made a good couple. A glance to her right reinforced her feeling that Roger and she would make an even better couple. Her thoughts sped on to the evening to come. The rigours of church twice every Sunday throughout her adolescence had suppressed any religious inclinations she might have developed. Nevertheless, she offered up a silent prayer for the success of her soirée.

Jasper, seeing his friend, sprang up and trotted over to him, tail wagging. Linda nodded approvingly. She reflected that only a couple of weeks previously, it would have been a full-blooded assault, albeit with the most amiable of intentions. Inevitably, dog and man would have ended up rolling on the floor. Now Jasper’s greetings were much more restrained. Progress indeed.

‘Roger, would you have a few moments for me to run through possible logos with you? I think that the image of the club is so important.’ Roger nodded and waved him to a seat.

Roger indicated to Linda to sit down with them. ‘I would be grateful for your advice, Linda. You are so much better at these things than I am.’ She happily agreed, pleased to be involved.

Duggie produced a number of pieces of artwork, some variations on the acronym formed by the initial letters of Toplingham Country Club, and some more abstract. After seeing them all, they both readily decided in favour of Duggie’s stated preference. This consisted of a silhouette of the house, with the two huge cedars of Lebanon in front. Duggie was keen to add a strapline below. They agreed upon Leisure in Luxury. He was clearly delighted at their endorsement.

‘Anticipating your approval of my proposals, I took the liberty of asking the marketing consultants to put together a couple of specimen membership cards. What do you think?’ They leant forward to view the flashy gold and green cards, complete with hi-tech hologram and, surprisingly, the photo of Roger on one, and Linda on the other.

‘How splendid.’ Roger was impressed, as was Linda, right up to the moment when she saw that the card bearing her photograph was not in the name of Linda Reid, but Linda Dalby. With a masterly piece of iron self-control, she managed to avoid blushing bright red. This resolve lasted for all of a couple of seconds till Roger, too, noticed. He blushed like a traffic light. At that point she joined him in third-degree embarrassment.

Duggie suddenly realised he was late for an appointment. Sweeping the documents into his case, he mouthed an excuse, and disappeared out of the door. He left them, as he later reported to Tina, like a pair of prize lobsters on the slab.

After his departure, there was a long silence as they composed themselves.

‘How do you feel about lobster?’

Linda was the first to take a desperate stab at conversation. In an attempt to change the subject, she hit on her scheduled menu for that evening. She soon discovered that cottage pie was going to be the best option, without a shadow of a doubt.

‘Never been able to try the things. I suffer from an allergy to prawns. As the lobster looks like the biggest prawn of all, I have always given them a wide berth. Anyway, that business of chucking them into boiling water always did seem so cruel.’

Both of them were glad to get back to everyday matters. He managed to look up and meet her eye. ‘Why do you ask? Is that what you were thinking of giving me tonight?’

Linda smiled broadly and replied. ‘No, it was just a suggestion from a friend.’

She picked up the rest of that morning’s post. She leafed through the letters before handing him a formal-looking white envelope with the words Strictly Personal, Private and Confidential across the front. Roger opened the envelope to find it was from Mr Heslop, the solicitor.

His meeting with Heslop some weeks previously had afforded him a fascinating insight into the life of his uncle. Heslop, himself well into his sixties, had acted for McKinnon Marine for many years and had known his uncle well. Roger listened in fascination to the tale of this self-made millionaire. His rise from modest beginnings to vast riches had been the stuff of fiction.

Eustace had been obliged to leave university at the end of his first term after wounding a fellow student in a duel. Considering that this would have been well into the nineteen thirties, duelling demonstrated an appreciation of history to which Roger had immediately warmed. In the years leading up to the Second World War, he had travelled the world in the Merchant Navy. Gradually, he worked his way up the ladder. He borrowed heavily, bought a boat, and set up his own shipping line. He was joined by George Jennings some years later. The war made multi-millionaires of them both, and their shares had continued to grow and grow.

In the nineteen nineties, when both were already old men, a scandal had burst upon the company. It was discovered that old Jennings had been filtering money out of the company and into various private accounts. This had been going on unchecked for decades. Chased out of the company by the legal team, he was finally brought to trial for tax evasion. ‘Like Al Capone,’ as Heslop had put it. As a result, he spent a number of years in prison, in spite of his advanced age.

During his time in jail, he produced a steady stream of hate mail, all aimed at Eustace. He delivered enough threats to have himself thrown straight back into prison after release. However, Eustace chose not to press charges against him. Eustace himself, in his final years, was no longer in a fit state to read the letters, let alone respond to them. The death of Jennings not long before Eustace himself, hopefully, ended the affair. Roger had returned to Toplingham reassured, but this new letter indicated that, unfortunately, all was not well after all.

He glanced at the letter in his hands, expecting a bill for the London meeting. Instead, he was surprised to read the following:

I regret to have to inform you of an annoying development. I am in receipt of a letter indicating in no uncertain terms that the descendants of George Jennings intend to seek redress from the descendants of Eustace McKinnon for the suffering caused to George Jennings and the loss of his share in the company, which they feel is still rightfully his
.

This is, of course, complete nonsense
.
I will be happy to reply, on your behalf, to this gentleman, Kevin Jennings, who claims to be the son and heir of Jennings Senior. I would advise you not to be concerned about this matter which can, I am sure, be nipped in the bud once and for all
.

The rest of the letter outlined the legal points upon which Heslop intended to reply, if so instructed. Oh dear, Roger thought to himself glumly, there had to be some strings attached to such a wonderful legacy, but he found all these legal complications distasteful. The words of his very own St Bernard, in a letter from Italy to those left behind at his beloved Abbey of Clairvaux, came to mind.
…I suffer also from being obliged to move in affairs that trouble the peace of my soul…

Roger definitely felt that Mr Kevin Jennings was troubling his own inner peace but still, Heslop seemed up to the task. Mercifully, the rents from the properties in London were generating far more money than he could possibly spend. Let battle commence, he would tell the solicitor. As long as it did not affect him, or the peace of his soul. The thought of soul mates prompted him to raise his eyes towards Linda, who was looking serene and happy. His own mood immediately improved.

‘So what are you offering me this evening?’

She wanted so badly to reply, ‘Anything you desire.’ But she settled for, ‘Something a bit more straightforward than lobster.’

Chapter 11

Duggie and Tina were also dining together that evening. Both were enjoying the occasion. In fact, to Duggie’s surprise, he and Tina seemed to enjoy most things together. Twice married and twice divorced, he had vowed several years earlier to avoid any further serious relationships. He could barely afford his first divorce, let alone the second. A third would spell total financial disaster. Of course, after Roger’s slice of good fortune, and his own subsequent rise in economic status, things on the financial front were now greatly improved. He leaned across the remains of the Gambas au Cognac and addressed her face, rather than her cleavage. This was a trick he was gradually mastering as the weeks went by.

‘So what do you think?’ She gave him an encouraging smile, so he carried on. ‘In many ways it would make good sense, as long as you are happy with the idea. After all, we are spending so much time together these days, it would seem like a logical step.’ He waited for her reply, while she sipped the Pinot Grigio in her glass.

She looked across the table at him. She knew him so very well by now. Under the self-assured façade, she knew that he was very insecure in so many ways. He had told her enough about the circumstances of his two divorces for her to realise what they had cost him. And not just in financial terms. His proposal that they move in together was a really big deal for him. And for her.