Chapter 45
Up at the manor, over a fabulous buffet which the Oldroyds had prepared, there were many twitterings of displeasure that the mystery owner of Wychwell should disrespect Emelie’s day to claim the focus. He wasn’t doing himself any favours, that was for sure.
Herv wandered over to Marnie in the dining room. She was pale as Emelie’s funeral flowers, he thought. Drained and tired and her green eyes had no shine in them today.
‘Hi,’ he said. He had words crowding in his mouth to offer her but all he could manage was that.
‘Hello,’ she said, struggling to resurface from her thoughts, awful thoughts which had never really left her but she had been able to hold them at bay – mostly. But not on this day. Not the sixth of August.
‘Tomorrow,’ Herv said, after a ridiculously long impasse. ‘Can I . . . can we . . .’
She looked far away, as if she had receded to a small dot inside herself. He wasn’t even sure she could hear him. ‘Marnie?’
‘Sorry . . . yes. What did you say?’
‘Can we talk?’
She nodded but asked, ‘What . . . what about?’
‘I owe you a huge apology,’ he said. ‘I should have . . . I know this isn’t the right time but it couldn’t wait. I’m really sorry. I wanted you to know that.’
Titus blustered past them and out of the door. ‘I’ll be damned if I’m waiting half an hour for everyone to finish their bloody sausage rolls. Wemyss, it’s time for this nonsense to end. Come on, let’s get this over with.’
The Parselows followed him into the drawing room, then the Courts, then everyone else. For once, Titus had spoken for them all.
Johnny and Derek had been quickly moving chairs from other rooms in order for everyone to sit down. Titus claimed a seat right in front of Mr Wemyss who had taken up his position at the desk, the scene almost a direct lift from the last time they had all been here after Lilian’s funeral. It was Titus, powered by his impatience, who called for order. Johnny tapped Marnie on the arm, indicating that he had put a chair behind her. She thanked him. She found herself next to Hilary, whose husband had not thought to secure her a place at his side.
‘So, to business,’ said Mr Wemyss, taking so long to remove his glasses from their case and loop them around his ears that Marnie suspected he was doing it to annoy Titus.
‘The new owner of Wychwell decided that today would be the day—’
‘Oh cut to the bloody chase, man,’ bellowed Titus.
Mr Wemyss glared murderously at him.
‘Very well, I shall indeed cut to the chase, Mr Sutton. The entire estate, ownership and management of Wychwell, manor, lands, residential and commercial properties et cetera belongs to Miss Marnie Salt. That fast enough for you?’
Marnie heard her name but her brain didn’t register anything else because it was all too much to take in. Not even when the babble arose, not even when all eyes were turned to her and the air was so full of déjà vu she could barely pull it into her lungs.
‘I knew it. It was her all along, the duplicitous bitch,’ Titus shouted.
Marnie’s head grew suddenly light to the point of dizzy, as if she had fallen from a great height at breath-taking speed with ten-kilo weights tied to both legs.
‘Let me explain,’ said Mr Wemyss, his booming voice crushing the cacophony. ‘Lilian Dearman left Wychwell to Emelie Tibbs, Emelie bequeathed it upon her death to Miss Salt.’
‘Emelie Tibbs?’ spat Titus with disbelief. ‘Why would Lilian have left it to her? If that doesn’t prove the stupid old cow was not of sound mind, nothing can. Hence the will must be null and void.’
‘Because Emelie was her friend, Mr Sutton,’ said Mr Wemyss, adding with heavy sarcasm, ‘an unknown quantity to you, no doubt.’
‘So Lilian the loon left my forefather’s estate to a bloody foreigner? A Naz—’
‘Don’t you dare.’ Lionel was on his feet, his arm extended. ‘Don’t you dare call Emelie that word or disrespect Lilian’s name again.’
‘Well you would defend her, wouldn’t you?’ laughed Titus. A cruel, derisive sound, totally devoid of humour. ‘You were in love with Lilian Dearman all your bloody life. Strange how Wychwell has ended up with her now, isn’t it?’
As Titus nodded towards Marnie, Lionel lunged at him, his intention clear. Had Herv not thrown himself in the way, Lionel’s fist would have been covered in Titus’s nose.
Mr Wemyss, calling for calm from the front of the room, had no chance. He might as well have been Canute ordering back the sea.
‘Bloody lunatic,’ said Titus, straightening his waistcoat. ‘I’ll be contacting the bishop about your behaviour. Now – and in the past. And you know what I mean by that, Lionel Temple.’
‘You vile man,’ Lionel roared at him and even Herv had difficulty holding onto him.
‘Come on, Hilary,’ Titus strode past them all towards the door and beckoned his wife with a series of finger clicks. But Hilary did not budge an inch, she remained seated with her handbag resting on her knee.
‘Hilary,’ he demanded.
‘No, I’m not going anywhere.’
Titus stopped in his tracks and glared at her.
‘I beg your pardon?’
Hilary stared him straight in the eye and said, ‘You heard me. I’m not going anywhere.’
Humiliation thrown in with nonsense was too much for Titus who made a grab for his wife’s wrist. He was pulling her from the chair until Marnie karate chopped him mid-arm and he was forced to let go with a yelp. She noticed that Herv had moved to her side, ready to wade in, if required.
‘Hilary. Now.’ Titus was grinding the words through his teeth.
She was resolute. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘Then you won’t be coming back at all,’ he snarled and threw open the door so hard that it banged into the wall panelling.
‘You’re right. I won’t. I’m leaving you.’
The room fell silent. A sea of jaws dropped open.
‘Whaaat?’
Hilary, in a cool, quiet voice, with no shake in it whatsoever, repeated every syllable slowly so it sank in.
‘I. Am. Lea. Ving. You.’
Realising she was serious, Titus immediately switched from a bullying track to a face-saving one. He looked his wife up and down imperiously and sneered.
‘Not before time, you ridiculous creature.’ He took a step out of the door but Hilary’s next words arrested him.
‘At least I’m not a thief.’ Then she stood and addressed herself to everyone. ‘I had no idea of the extent of my husband’s corruption. I had no idea he had taken your monies and invested them in idiot schemes, I had no idea he had been stealing from the estate, draining Lilian’s finances, creaming from the very people in whose midst we live until I started my own investigations recently. I cannot bear to think you must all have thought me as guilty as he is and I will make sure, I promise you, that you will get every penny back that he has embezzled from you.’
Titus’s face grew so red, it was a wonder it didn’t burst into flames. He opened his mouth to protest, decided there were no words so turned on his heel and was gone from them.
Hilary didn’t so much sit back down as collapse on the chair as hubbub erupted on a grand scale. Mr Wemyss let it continue for a while, hoping it would burn itself out, but it didn’t so he brought his fist down hard on the desk and said, ‘Now that particular scenario has ended, I’d like you all to bugger off so I can speak to Miss Salt in private.’