Page 19 of Old Girls Behaving Badly

I found Dorothy in the music room, sitting on a sofa by the open doorway with a book in her hands. She glanced up when I walked in and smiled.

‘Ready to get lost in Leonard’s maze?’ she asked me.

‘I feel like I already am,’ I replied, in a whisper, looking about for the man in question.

‘Don’t worry – he’s already down there, preparing, apparently. Have you managed to find anything out yet?’

‘Only that he’s not a very likeable person, but don’t be downcast,’ I said, sitting down next to her. ‘I do feel that there’s something going on with him and I will do my best to find out what that might be.’

I didn’t want to start repeating what Caroline had told me until I could see it was relevant. And also it sounded very much like Rufus had some dirt on Leonard that he wasn’t prepared to divulge. It wouldn’t be right to start speculating; this was Dorothy’s extended family after all, and I needed to tread quickly, but carefully.

‘I have decided that I will look for the painting, but only while I feel comfortable about it. If I think I’m in any danger, I will stop.’

‘Of course, but you won’t be in any danger,’ she said, smiling and going back on everything she’d said previously. She’d definitely used the words unhinged and dangerous yesterday. ‘I have every faith in you.’

‘Shall we take a slow walk down to the maze? I assume you’re up for the challenge,’ I asked, and Dorothy rolled her eyes.

‘After this wedding is over and whether the painting is found or not, I will never set foot in this house again, so I may as well take a look at that loathsome man’s maze.’

I laughed and took her arm and then we walked out onto the patio and slowly down towards the garden.

The maze was behind the orangery on the other side of the house to the walk that I had taken earlier and Dorothy wanted to stop and see where the wedding breakfast was going to be held. It was a white-painted building with huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Some of the citrus trees that would normally be grown inside had been removed and now lined the outside of the building, the lemons and limes looking luscious in the sunshine, just as Caroline had envisaged. The place was a hive of activity, with a team of people lifting tables and chairs out from the back of a truck and carrying them inside the vast space. The ceilings were high and I noticed, as I poked my head around the door frame, that the back wall hosted a number of trailing passionflowers in full bloom – a riot of white and pink and lilac.

The chandeliers that Caroline had talked about were in position and the florist, whom I had encountered in the house earlier, was walking around with a book and taking notes.

‘It’s going to be lovely,’ I said.

‘It is a reminder of why we’re really here,’ Dorothy replied with a grim smile. ‘Not that I will let my grandson’s wedding distract me from the other matter in hand. They will be married, it will be lovely and we will be victorious.’

Dorothy stepped back outside and I followed her, wondering how she could be so confident. Then I remembered that all that confidence hinged on my own performance and my stomach rolled at the thought. I had told Dorothy that I would do my best, but I realised I hadn’t had that conversation with myself.

We met the others at the entrance to the maze and Leonard was already holding court. He was wearing a costume that I assumed was supposed to be the white rabbit from the book Alice in Wonderland. He had an odd combination of maroon trousers and a white waistcoat. His top hat had rabbit ears sticking out from either side and he had an oversized pocket watch in his hand.

‘Come along, you’re late,’ he said, tapping the watch with a smug smile.

I noticed there was a fake rose tree next to him with bright red plastic roses stuck into the foliage. He was clearly setting a scene, but with his own very beautiful rose garden in view over to the right, it did rather fall short.

He began explaining that there was a list of riddles and that not only would we have to work out the answers we would also have to navigate the maze itself, but that the answers would show us the way to the middle and the winners would find a prize there – namely dinner.

A couple of the group were looking restless and Juliet rolled her eyes.

‘Dinner is the treasure?’ she said in a scathing voice. ‘Hardly worth the bother.’

‘If you would like to fend for yourself and cook your own meal, then I will congratulate you on your resourcefulness, Juliet,’ Leonard said and even I had to smile at that.

Caroline and Toby rallied, then, and encouraged the others out of their afternoon slump.

‘God, it’s only the first day. I’ll be dead by the end of the week at this rate,’ Miles said to Lavinia, and she gave him a playful but warning slap on his arm.

‘Not the man we want dead,’ Dorothy breathed, and I looked up to see if anyone had heard. Luckily the group had all surged forward for the first clue.

‘Dorothy, you cannot give yourself away,’ I whispered and she gave me a grudging nod of acknowledgement. ‘Do you want to go in the maze?’ I asked more loudly.

‘Just for a slow wander maybe. I don’t really fancy worrying about those clues. We can just have a chat as we go, if you like.’

I quite liked the idea of going back to the house and curling up in an armchair with a book, and wondered if I wasn’t cut out for being a companion, certainly not one that required a particular set of skills.

‘That sounds perfect,’ I said, anyway, and we followed the others.