Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence Series) - Agatha Christie [43]
‘I remember. I remember Henty from my own youth.’
‘And in one book my wife was reading we found a passage underlined. The letters were underlined and it made a sentence when you put it together. And–this sounds awfully silly, what I’m going to say next–’
‘Well, that’s hopeful,’ said Mr Robinson. ‘If a thing sounds silly, I always want to hear about it.’
‘It said, Mary Jordan did not die naturally. It must have been one of us.’
‘Very, very interesting,’ said Mr Robinson. ‘I’ve never come across anything like that before. It said that, did it? Mary Jordan did not die a natural death. And who was it who wrote it? Any clue of that?’
‘Apparently a boy of school age. Parkinson was the family’s name. They lived in this house and he was one of the Parkinsons, we gathered. Alexander Parkinson. At least, anyway, he’s buried there in the churchyard.’
‘Parkinson,’ said Mr Robinson. ‘Wait a bit. Let me think. Parkinson–yes, you know there was a name like that connected with things, but you don’t always remember who or what and where.’
‘And we’ve been very keen to learn who Mary Jordan was.’
‘Because she didn’t die a natural death. Yes, I suppose that would be rather your line of country. But it seems very odd. What did you find out about her?’
‘Absolutely nothing,’ said Tommy. ‘Nobody seems to remember her there much, or say anything about her. At least somebody did say she was what we’d call an au pair girl nowadays or a governess or something like that. They couldn’t remember. A Mamselle or a Frowline, they said. It’s all very difficult, you see.’
‘And she died–what did she die of?’
‘Somebody brought a few foxglove leaves in with some spinach from the garden, by accident, and then they ate it. Mind you, that probably wouldn’t kill you.’
‘No,’ said Mr Robinson. ‘Not enough of it. But if you then put a strong dose of digitalin alkaloid in the coffee and just made sure that Mary Jordan got it in her coffee, or in a cocktail earlier, then–then, as you say, the foxglove leaves would be blamed and it would all be taken to be an accident. But Alexander Parker, or whatever the schoolboy’s name was, was too sharp for that. He had other ideas, did he? Anything else, Beresford? When was this? First World War, Second World War, or before that?’
‘Before. Rumours passed down through elderly ancestors say she was a German spy.’
‘I remember that case–made a big sensation. Any German working in England before 1914 was always said to be a spy. The English officer involved was one always said to be “above suspicion”. I always look very hard at anyone who is above suspicion. It’s all a long time ago, I don’t think it’s ever been written up in recent years. I mean, not in the way that things are occasionally for public enjoyment when they release a bit of stuff from the records.’
‘Yes, but it’s all rather sketchy.’
‘Yes, it would be by now. It’s always been associated, of course, with the submarine secrets that were stolen around then. There was some aviation news as well. A lot of that side of it, and that’s what caught the public interest, as you might say. But there are a lot of things, you know. There was the political side to it, too. A lot of our prominent politicians. You know, the sort of chaps people say, “Well, he has real integrity.” Real integrity is just as dangerous as being above suspicion in the Services. Real integrity my foot,’ said Mr Robinson. ‘I remember it with this last war. Some people haven’t got the integrity they are credited with. One chap lived down near here, you know. He had a cottage on the beach, I think. Made a lot of disciples, you know, praising Hitler. Saying our only chance was to get in with him. Really the fellow seemed such a noble man. Had some wonderful ideas. Was so terribly keen to abolish all poverty and difficulties and injustice–things of that kind. Oh yes. Blew the Fascist trumpet without calling it Fascism. And Spain too, you know. Was in with Franco and all that