Read Online The Herring in the Library by L. C. Tyler - Free Book Online

went
round the table pouring drinks. Mrs S ostentatiously declined. Anyway, having stuck to lemonade, I was probably the only member of the party who was entirely sober when Robert scraped back his
chair and began to address us.
    He explained that he and the gold-digger intended this as some sort of house-warming and that we were a specially selected group of chums. I wondered briefly whether Shagger had
slept with all the women and his wife with all the men – but that would have ruled me (and Ethelred) out, so possibly not. I got the impression he might be drunk enough not to hold back on
little details of that sort, so I continued to listen with interest.
    ‘Will there be fireworks?’ asked Clive.
    ‘Fireworks? Of a sort, maybe. For the moment, however, I merely wish to drink the health of everyone here round the table.’
    So, nine of us drank each other’s health in wine, one in lemonade. Robert burbled on a bit longer and then, quite abruptly, took his leave.
    I’d had a chance to watch Annabelle’s face during all of this, and it had changed from mild puzzlement to genuine concern. Whatever Robert had in mind, she had not
been let in on it. On the other hand he might have just gone to the loo. It was reaching the stage in the evening when a number of bladders were realizing that they were not as young as they once
had been.
    We talked amongst ourselves for a bit. Annabelle left and came back. Felicity was the next to depart, and returned complaining that the facilities were almost impossible to
find. Gerald and Jane made a family outing of the same trip, which also took some time. They came back separately, having mislaid each other in the labyrinthine corridors of Muntham Court. In the
meantime Fiona McIntosh had also excused herself.
    A good fifteen, maybe twenty, minutes had elapsed when Mrs Shagger’s patience finally wore out and she suggested that, since Robert had deserted us, we should take the
opportunity of touring the ground floor with her to admire the various treasures, and so on and so forth, that Muntham Court had to offer.
    Everyone decided to go except Ethelred, who seemed to have had a row of some sort with Felicity Hooper. So I stayed back with him and the others departed. Annabelle went with the
Smiths and Felicity Hooper, then Clive Brent drifted out on his own, followed by the McIntoshes, each clutching a glass.
    Ethelred was morose and untalkative. I was wondering whether I shouldn’t after all go for a wander round, when I noticed John O’Brian, wheeling his now-empty barrow
in the very last of the fading light, back to wherever barrows get put when darkness falls. He disappeared round a hedge and was, sadly, lost to sight.
    I was just wondering how soon I could get Ethelred to drive me home, when Annabelle returned and announced Shagger had kicked the bucket.
    Fair enough. It was only later that things started to get really interesting.

 
    Five
    So, then there was one.
    Annabelle had whisked Ethelred off with her, leaving me alone at the table. Since all the action was clearly going on elsewhere, I wandered out into the corridor.
    The weird thing was that people were obviously rushing around in a blind panic elsewhere, but here all was silence and calm. I could hear the ticking of a large clock somewhere
nearby, but that was all. I decided to go left, but all of the oak panelling looked much the same. I wasn’t sure if I was heading for the front door or the kitchen. Like I say, it was a
reasonably big house.
    Then I turned a corner and collided with Clive Brent, who was hurrying in the opposite direction.
    ‘Do you know where the others are?’ I asked.
    ‘Others?’ he said.
    ‘The other guests. You all cleared off, then Annabelle came back saying something had happened to Robert.’
    ‘Robert?’
    He wasn’t really being much use. I wondered if I should give him a good shake and start again. It works with Ethelred sometimes.
    ‘Haven’t you been with the