Best Kept Secret

killed.’
    ‘
Her
name is Agatha Christie.’
    ‘So is William Warwick at last proving a challenger to Hercule Poirot?’
    ‘Not yet, I’m afraid. But then, Miss Christie has written forty-nine novels, while I’ve only just completed my fifth.’
    ‘Perhaps you’ll catch her up by the time you’ve written forty-nine.’
    ‘I should be so lucky. So while I’m gallivanting around the country trying to get on to the bestseller list, what will you be up to?’
    ‘I told Ross I’d drop into the office and see him on Monday. I’m trying to convince him not to go ahead with the building of the
Buckingham
.’
    ‘But why?’
    ‘Now is not the time to risk investing that kind of money on a luxury liner while passengers are rapidly switching their allegiance to aeroplanes.’
    ‘I see your point, though I’d much rather sail to New York than fly.’
    ‘That’s because you’re middle-aged,’ said Emma, patting him on the thigh. ‘I also promised Giles I’d pop over to Barrington Hall and make sure Marsden has
everything ready for him and Gwyneth when they come down for the weekend.’
    ‘Marsden will be more than ready for them.’
    ‘He’ll be sixty next year, and I know he’s thinking about retiring.’
    ‘He won’t be easy to replace,’ said Harry as they passed the first signpost for Bristol.
    ‘Gwyneth doesn’t want to replace him. She says it’s high time Giles was dragged into the second half of the twentieth century.’
    ‘What does she have in mind?’
    ‘She thinks there might be a Labour government after the next election, and as Giles would almost certainly be a minister, she intends to prepare him for the task, which doesn’t
include being mollycoddled by servants. In future the only servants she wants assisting him will be civil.’
    ‘Giles got lucky when he met Gwyneth.’
    ‘Hasn’t the time come for him to propose to the poor girl?’
    ‘Yes it has, but he’s still bruised from his experience with Virginia, and I don’t think he’s quite ready to make another commitment.’
    ‘Then he’d better get on with it, because women as good as Gwyneth don’t come around that often,’ said Emma, turning her attention back to the map.
    Harry accelerated past a lorry. ‘I still can’t get used to the idea of Seb no longer being a schoolboy.’
    ‘Have you got anything planned for his first weekend back home?’
    ‘I thought I’d take him to see Gloucestershire play Black-heath at the County Ground tomorrow.’
    Emma laughed. ‘That will be character building, to be made to watch a team that loses more often than it wins.’
    ‘And perhaps we could all go to the Old Vic one evening next week,’ he added, ignoring her comment.
    ‘What’s on?’
    ‘
Hamlet
.’
    ‘Who’s playing the prince?’
    ‘A young actor called Peter O’Toole, who Seb says is the in thing, whatever that means.’
    ‘It will be wonderful to have Seb back for the summer. Perhaps we should throw a party for him before he goes to Cambridge. Give him a chance to meet some girls.’
    ‘He’ll have more than enough time for girls. I think it’s a crying shame that the government’s ending National Service. Seb would make a fine officer, and it would be the
making of him to take responsibility for other men.’
    ‘You’re not middle-aged,’ said Emma as they turned into the drive, ‘you’re positively prehistoric.’
    Harry laughed as he brought the car to a halt outside the Manor House, and was delighted to see Jessica sitting on the top step, waiting for them.
    ‘Where’s Seb?’ was Emma’s first question as she climbed out of the car and gave Jessica a hug.
    ‘He didn’t come back from school yesterday. Perhaps he went straight to Barrington Hall and spent the night with Uncle Giles.’
    ‘I thought Giles was in London,’ said Harry. ‘I’ll give him a call and find out if they can both join us for dinner.’
    Harry climbed the steps and went into the house. He picked up the phone in the hall and dialled a local number.
    ‘We’re back,’ he announced when he heard Giles’s voice on the line.
    ‘Welcome home, Harry. Did you have a good time in the States?’
    ‘Couldn’t have been better. Emma stole the show, of course. I think Feldman wants her to be his fifth wife.’
    ‘Well, it would have some definite advantages,’ said Giles. ‘It’s never a long-term commitment when that man’s involved, and being California, there’ll be a
pretty healthy divorce