The Floating Admiral - Agatha Christie [108]
Holland had been an innocent party all the time. Elma had known the truth, but Holland did not yet know who had killed the Admiral; he had, quite simply, taken Fitzgerald’s word that he had not done so. The matter of the typewritten consent to the marriage had arisen in this way. Holland had met Fitzgerald in the East, seen that he was drifting, and liked him enough to try to pull him together. Walter, without telling him about the Hong Kong affair, had divulged that there was a charge hanging over him—
“The warrant out against you for forgery?” interposed the Superintendent.
“You know about that? Well, then, yes.”
This charge prevented him from making himself known in England, and consequently from obtaining his inheritance. Holland promised to see what he could do. He interviewed the firm in Hong Kong, who undertook, in view of the time that had elapsed, to withdraw the charge if Walter repaid the money. This he could not do until he had received his inheritance, and he refused to allow Holland to lend him the money, a considerable sum. Holland had therefore undertaken to get in touch with the Admiral in England and try and bring about a reconciliation, so that the money could be advanced by the family; at the same time he promised to see Elma and assure her that everything was coming right at last.
While abroad Walter had always kept in touch with Elma, and when the Admiral tried to stop her communicating with him, Mrs. Mount had gone to the house as Elma’s maid, both to keep a roof over her head and to act as a liaison.
The Admiral received Holland with suspicion, as a friend of Walter’s, and at first would have nothing to do with him. Holland saw that it would take time to make him change his attitude, and settled down to play him as patiently as he could. In the meantime, having seen Elma, he promptly fell in love with her.
It was now Walter’s turn to do Holland a favour. He had arrived in England, and taken lodgings in London. Mrs. Mount hurried up too, and he installed her near him, under the name of Arkwright. Walter was delighted to hear of Holland’s feeling for Elma, for knowing himself, he had always feared that Elma, unless she became attached to somebody of strong character, might become a drifter too. He had strongly urged Elma, who was by no means in love herself, to accept Holland. Finally, seeing how much her brother wished it, Elma consented to do so. The Admiral, however, still proved an obstacle. He would not give his consent to Elma’s marriage with any friend of Walter’s. Holland had already improved his standing, but the Admiral was by no means won over.
In the meantime Elma too was trying to do something for Walter. He and Mrs. Mount had always wanted to get married, but the Vicar would not divorce her. Elma had fancied that Mr. Mount had shown signs of being interested in herself. She deliberately set about strengthening this interest in order to be able to use her influence with him to persuade him to agree to the divorce. It was for this reason that she always took particular trouble with her appearance whenever she was to meet him. Walter did not know of this at the time, but Holland observed with pain his fiancée’s decided set at the Vicar, the reason for which she did not give him. He therefore told Walter that he had come to the end of his patience; he was going up to London to get a special licence, and he was going to use it, consent from the Admiral or no consent. He went.
Walter knew that this would put the Admiral’s back up more than ever, and Elma would certainly lose the control of her money. He was aware, from his sister, of his uncle’s obsession with regard to the Hong Kong incident, and resolved to use this in order to obtain consent to the marriage. He therefore typed out the form of consent and, taking his courage in his hands, went to see his uncle shortly after tea on the day of his death, lying in wait for him in the garden, so as to keep their meeting secret.
It was the first time he had