Page 25 of Old Girls Behaving Badly

‘Do you know much about horses?’ Dorothy asked Gina as they stood together watching as riders were allocated animals and the group organised themselves.

‘I used to ride with my brother. Our neighbour had two horses and we would help look after them and in turn were allowed to take them out. It was a great arrangement for us all.’

‘Does your brother live near you?’

‘No,’ Gina said, seemingly surprised by the question. ‘He still lives in America. I don’t see him very much.’

‘Oh, you lived in the States?’ Dorothy said.

‘After we left Bushy Park, we moved to Seattle when I was nine until I was fifteen. My father was American.’

‘How interesting. What made you move back?’

‘I moved back with my mother only. My brother was older and wanted to stay. It’s a bit complicated and I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,’ Gina said, quietly.

‘Of course, I don’t mind at all,’ said Dorothy, who minded very much indeed.

Dorothy followed Gina back outside and then noticed that Harry was with Leonard while he prepared himself to ride. She was sure he hadn’t been walking with the group. He was saying something to Leonard, which made the man raise his eyebrows in response.

‘Harry turning up when you least expect him again,’ Dorothy said quietly in Gina’s ear. ‘I’ve never seen a chef so often out of the kitchen.’

The horses looked a little restless by the time they were all ready and then they were off in convoy. Dorothy saw that Leonard looked back at them a couple of times before the group rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. His expression was dark.

‘Can I offer you both a lift back to the house?’ Harry said, walking over to them.

Dorothy opened her mouth to say that they would be fine to walk, but Gina got in there first.

‘That would be kind,’ she said. ‘I have an awful headache.’

They didn’t talk in the car even though Dorothy kept forming questions in her head that she wanted to ask Harry. He was the closest person to Leonard, it seemed, and would perhaps know a lot about the goings-on in Walstone Hall. The trouble was, all of her questions seemed too obvious and she could hardly ask him straight out where the painting was. Then they were back at the house anyway and the opportunity was gone. Harry dropped them off at the side door and both women thanked him before climbing out and watching him drive away. Dorothy turned to Gina, her eyes alight.

‘Right,’ she said. ‘I think we have a good couple of hours, so let’s get to it.’

‘Do you really think this is a good idea? I think I’ve lost my nerve,’ Gina said, and it wasn’t lost on Dorothy that she looked a bit pale.

‘If I could do it myself, I promise you, I would, but your mind is sharper. It won’t seem odd that you’re scurrying around on errands for me and to be honest, the stairs are a bugger. We may not get another opportunity like this. He’s out, everyone is out and it’s a great chance to have a look in his bedroom.’

Dorothy suppressed a shudder at that thought. She didn’t want Gina to know how abhorrent the idea of being in Leonard’s bedroom was to her. Hopefully it would be hanging directly above his bed and Gina could just hook it off the wall, job done.

‘His bedroom! You didn’t say anything about his bedroom. I’m not going in there.’

‘You only have to pop your head around the door. He won’t be in there. Please, Gina. You can be in and out in seconds. We may not get another opportunity.’

She watched as Gina mentally tried to talk herself into it and recognised the moment she succeeded when her face hardened. At that point, Dorothy knew how much she was asking of this quiet woman and felt another stab of guilt.

‘Right, well, I think that I’d prefer it if you positioned yourself somewhere with a good view for anyone coming back early and with a fully charged phone this time.’ Gina looked at her pointedly.

‘You’re right – we don’t need a repeat of last time,’ Dorothy said, smiling gratefully.

‘Perhaps if you sit in the drawing room, you’ll be able to see across the kitchen gardens, towards the stables. This is assuming they’ll all take the same route back. I’ll start upstairs and have a poke about, then I’ll come and check in with you. Hopefully the staff will be thin on the ground this morning, but I’ll have to come up with a convincing story if I come across anyone. Harry seems to get about the house quite a bit and the grounds too. Not quite sure why that would be.’

‘I think that Leonard has a team working for him and I don’t just mean to run this house. I think that he has a team supporting all of his criminal endeavours,’ Dorothy said.

‘Do you think that he’s committed more than the crime against your husband?’

‘I think he’s a criminal mastermind,’ Dorothy said.

‘I’d not stretch to mastermind, personally, but like you said, he’s not to be underestimated,’ Gina said. ‘What’s the expression? Believe someone the first time they reveal themselves to you. The first time I saw Leonard, I have to be honest, I felt quite a chill with just one of his looks.’