Page 53 of Marble Hall Murders

‘In Salisbury.’

‘That’s the one. When no relatives stepped forward to claim me, I was put up for adoption, but that didn’t happen. It may have been my ethnicity. Back then, in the fifties, down here in the West Country attitudes were different. Anyway, I was the lucky one. Mrs Crace was a patron of the orphanage. I’m sure you’re aware, she did an enormous amount for children throughout her life and we all knew her.The Little Peoplewas the first book I ever read – and the second, and the third, and the fourth. When she came swooping in in that Bentley of hers, I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was like a fairy story.’

‘Were you happy at Marble Hall?’

‘How could I not be?’

‘Did you fit in with the family?’ He looked puzzled, so I added: ‘Eliot suggested to me that you all had quite separate lives.’

He laughed and poured tea for both of us. ‘Forgive me for saying so, Susan, but if you’re going to work with Eliot, you really mustn’t trust everything he says. I was one hundred per cent happy here and Mrs Crace couldn’t have been kinder to me.’

‘You don’t call her Miriam.’

‘I wouldn’t have dared when she was alive and it still seems wrong now that she’s dead. She was one of the most famous writers in the world. Margaret Thatcher loved her work and invited her to Downing Street. There were Hollywood stars queuing up to meet her. Faye Dunaway, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep. She was a powerhouse of a woman and there were many people who were intimidated by her. I never thought of her as a mother. To me she was simply the person who saved my life.’

‘Did you go to the same school as Edward and Jonathan?’

He frowned. ‘Why are you asking me that?’

‘I’m sorry.’ I backtracked quickly. ‘I don’t mean to be personal, but Eliot has told me very little about his father – about either of his parents – and I suppose I feel a little protective towards him. Publishing a book can be a tough business and it’s part of my job to make sure he’s looked after.’ This seemed to make some sort of sense to Frederick, although I wasn’t sure it made any to me. Yes, I tried to support my writers, but this didn’t usually involve digging into their family history. ‘I’m sure you’re aware that Eliot has had a few problems,’ I added confidentially.

‘I haven’t really spoken to Edward since he went to America,’ Frederick said. ‘And since you ask, Susan, I did not go to the same school as Edward or Jonathan. They were educated privately and I went to a comprehensive in Devizes. That was fine as far as I was concerned. Mrs Crace had done enough for me. Why should she and Kenneth have to pay for my education? Maybe that’s what Eliot meant by separate lives. All three of us were very different. Edward was the quiet one, interested in art and art history. Jonathan couldn’t wait to take over the estate and build on what his mother had created. He’s the one who employs me now. I was the oldest of the three of us, but of course things were different for me. I kept myself to myself. I moved to London in my twenties and qualified as an accountant. Mrs Crace paid for everything. I was thinking of going to America, but then I had my accident.’

‘I’m sorry. What happened?’

‘It was entirely my fault. I was driving to the airport. I had a bad head cold and I wasn’t concentrating. I drove through a red light and my car was hit by a truck.’ He paused and drank tea. ‘I was quite badly injured and I came back to Marble Hall to recuperate.

‘Jonathan was extremely helpful. By now he was running the family business and he suggested I take over the accounts. Once I was back on my feet, I worked in the London office, in Kingston Street. I was there until 2016, when Jonathan decided to open Marble Hall to the public. He asked me if I’d like to manage the house and I leapt at the opportunity.’ He glanced down at his leg, stretched out beside the table. ‘At least in so far as I was able.’

‘So, as far as you were concerned, it was all one big, happy family?’

I’d done my best not to sound sarcastic, but I could see that Frederick was becoming impatient with me. ‘Mrs Crace certainly liked having her children and grandchildren around her,’ he said. ‘There was plenty of space. Jonathan and Leylah were in the Lodge House with their daughter, Jasmine. You can see it as you drive out of here. It’s set back among the trees, past the old swimming pool, on the left. Edward and Amy had a whole suite of rooms at the back of the house. That included a living room and kitchen.’

‘And you?’

‘I was up in the eaves. I loved it there. The roof sloped down over my bed, and lying on my back before I went to sleep, I could see the moon and all the stars. There was an owl in the rafters and sometimes I could hear it hooting. I presume you visited the rooms occupied by Mr Rivers and Mrs Crace on the first and second floors?’

‘They didn’t sleep together …’

‘I’m amazed you’re asking that.’

‘I didn’t mean to be intrusive, Frederick. Eliot told me they weren’t close.’

‘Well, it’s none of my business and certainly none of yours, so I’m not going to make any comment. But I will say this.’ He sighed. ‘Eliot wasn’t completely happy at Marble Hall, but that was his problem. It may be that he resented his grandmother for making him live here, but the truth of the matter is that once he left Marble Hall, his life fell apart.

‘I’m not sure I should be telling you this, but I’m going to take you at your word that you’ve got his interests at heart.Eliot was trouble pretty much from the day he was born. Neither of his parents could control him. He and his father used to have shouting matches when they were here, but once they moved to London, it only got worse. They were at each other’s throats twenty-four seven, and according to Jonathan, Eliot was the main reason Edward Crace and his wife packed their bags and headed off to America. They’d both had enough. Drugs, alcohol, self-harm, theft, vandalism … Eliot even set fire to the house once. It all ended with a big blow-up one Christmas and a few weeks later they left – just like that. Roland tried to sort things out. He was always the peacemaker, a decent soul, but the decision had been made.

‘I’m sorry, Susan. I really hope he manages to find himself with this book of his. Maybe it will act as some sort of therapy. But whatever he tells you about Marble Hall, I think you should take it with a pinch of salt.’

‘He suggested there might have been something unusual about his grandmother’s death.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘He suggested …’ I began.

But I could see I had gone too far. Frederick Turner was looking angry and upset – annoyed with himself for inviting me into the Little Parlour, with its triangular sandwiches and smiling gingerbread men. ‘I don’t know what you’re implying, but it’s complete nonsense,’ he said. ‘I was in the house the night Mrs Crace was taken ill. Actually, it was six o’clock in the morning. She had an alert necklace which she wore all the time and that was when she pressed it. There was a housekeeper living in and she summoned me.’

‘You were the last person to see her alive?’

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