give him a piece of my mind.’
‘Wouldn’t do any good, James. We’ll need to think of something else.’
He paced up and down the kitchen. ‘I feel frustrated,’ he said. ‘I want to do something now.’
‘That health farm,’ said Agatha. ‘The one Jimmy went to. We could go there and perhaps get a look at the records and see who was there at the same time, pick out the people
Jimmy might have thought of blackmailing.’
James brightened. ‘Good idea. What’s the name of the place?’
‘I’ve got Roy’s notes in the living-room. Look there. They might be cagey about letting us see their records, so perhaps we’d best check into this health farm as guests
and under false names.’
‘We’ll check in as man and wife. Mr and Mrs Perth, that’ll do.’
James hurried off, leaving Agatha to marvel at the sheer insensitivity of men. Husband and wife, indeed, and without a blush!
Agatha went back upstairs to wash and dress. She longed to be in her own home again. Perhaps she should call on Mrs Hardy one more time.
Mrs Hardy answered the door to Agatha half an hour later. She was as muscular and tweedy as ever, and a truculent look lit up her eyes when she saw Agatha.
‘Look,’ said Agatha, ‘I wondered if you would reconsider letting me have my cottage back. I would pay you a generous sum.’
‘Oh, go away,’ said Mrs Hardy. ‘I am working to settle in here and could do without these tiresome interruptions from such as you. I hear you were once a businesswoman. Behave
like one.’
She slammed the door in Agatha’s face.
‘Stupid old trout!’ raged Agatha to James when she returned to join him and told him about Mrs Hardy’s continued refusal to sell the house.
‘Why bother?’ said James. ‘There are other houses, you know. I heard in the village that the Boggles are thinking of moving to an old folks’ home. That means you could
buy their house.’
Agatha gazed at him, aghast. ‘But the Boggles live in a council house.’
‘What’s wrong with that? Some of these council houses are very well built. And the Boggles’ place would be quite roomy once you got the junk out.’
Agatha wondered if he thought a council house was all she was good enough for and then considered in time that James did not know of her low beginnings and was merely being infuriatingly
practical.
‘Buy it yourself,’ she muttered.
‘I might at that. Get packed. I’ve booked us in at the health farm. It’s called Hunters Fields. We’re expected there this evening. I’ll take Roy’s notes with
us. Don’t look so miserable. Forget about your cottage for the moment. We’ll think of something.’
‘What? Snakes through the letterbox?’
‘Something like that.’
Agatha went to call on Mrs Bloxby before they left. ‘So you and James do seem to be getting on very well,’ said the vicar’s wife.
‘The only reason we are getting on well is because James has all the sensitivity of a rhinoceros,’ said Agatha drily. ‘He’s checking us into this health farm as man and
wife.’
‘Perhaps he is using that as an excuse for you to really get together again,’ ventured Mrs Bloxby. She looked at Agatha’s set face and added hurriedly, ‘Perhaps not. He
is a most unusual man. I think he keeps his mind in little compartments. The compartment of romantic Agatha has the door firmly shut on it while the compartment with Agatha as friend is open.
It’s better than nothing, or is it agonizing?’
‘Not really,’ said Agatha. ‘I find I can’t think of him in the old way any more.’
‘Because that would mean hurt?’
‘Yes,’ said Agatha gruffly and her small eyes filled with tears.
‘I’ll make some tea,’ said Mrs Bloxby, tactfully going off and allowing Agatha time to recover.
‘If only I could get my old cottage back,’ mourned Agatha when Mrs Bloxby returned with the tea-tray. ‘James is so well organized, I feel superfluous. I want my own things
about me again.’
‘I
‘Wouldn’t do any good, James. We’ll need to think of something else.’
He paced up and down the kitchen. ‘I feel frustrated,’ he said. ‘I want to do something now.’
‘That health farm,’ said Agatha. ‘The one Jimmy went to. We could go there and perhaps get a look at the records and see who was there at the same time, pick out the people
Jimmy might have thought of blackmailing.’
James brightened. ‘Good idea. What’s the name of the place?’
‘I’ve got Roy’s notes in the living-room. Look there. They might be cagey about letting us see their records, so perhaps we’d best check into this health farm as guests
and under false names.’
‘We’ll check in as man and wife. Mr and Mrs Perth, that’ll do.’
James hurried off, leaving Agatha to marvel at the sheer insensitivity of men. Husband and wife, indeed, and without a blush!
Agatha went back upstairs to wash and dress. She longed to be in her own home again. Perhaps she should call on Mrs Hardy one more time.
Mrs Hardy answered the door to Agatha half an hour later. She was as muscular and tweedy as ever, and a truculent look lit up her eyes when she saw Agatha.
‘Look,’ said Agatha, ‘I wondered if you would reconsider letting me have my cottage back. I would pay you a generous sum.’
‘Oh, go away,’ said Mrs Hardy. ‘I am working to settle in here and could do without these tiresome interruptions from such as you. I hear you were once a businesswoman. Behave
like one.’
She slammed the door in Agatha’s face.
‘Stupid old trout!’ raged Agatha to James when she returned to join him and told him about Mrs Hardy’s continued refusal to sell the house.
‘Why bother?’ said James. ‘There are other houses, you know. I heard in the village that the Boggles are thinking of moving to an old folks’ home. That means you could
buy their house.’
Agatha gazed at him, aghast. ‘But the Boggles live in a council house.’
‘What’s wrong with that? Some of these council houses are very well built. And the Boggles’ place would be quite roomy once you got the junk out.’
Agatha wondered if he thought a council house was all she was good enough for and then considered in time that James did not know of her low beginnings and was merely being infuriatingly
practical.
‘Buy it yourself,’ she muttered.
‘I might at that. Get packed. I’ve booked us in at the health farm. It’s called Hunters Fields. We’re expected there this evening. I’ll take Roy’s notes with
us. Don’t look so miserable. Forget about your cottage for the moment. We’ll think of something.’
‘What? Snakes through the letterbox?’
‘Something like that.’
Agatha went to call on Mrs Bloxby before they left. ‘So you and James do seem to be getting on very well,’ said the vicar’s wife.
‘The only reason we are getting on well is because James has all the sensitivity of a rhinoceros,’ said Agatha drily. ‘He’s checking us into this health farm as man and
wife.’
‘Perhaps he is using that as an excuse for you to really get together again,’ ventured Mrs Bloxby. She looked at Agatha’s set face and added hurriedly, ‘Perhaps not. He
is a most unusual man. I think he keeps his mind in little compartments. The compartment of romantic Agatha has the door firmly shut on it while the compartment with Agatha as friend is open.
It’s better than nothing, or is it agonizing?’
‘Not really,’ said Agatha. ‘I find I can’t think of him in the old way any more.’
‘Because that would mean hurt?’
‘Yes,’ said Agatha gruffly and her small eyes filled with tears.
‘I’ll make some tea,’ said Mrs Bloxby, tactfully going off and allowing Agatha time to recover.
‘If only I could get my old cottage back,’ mourned Agatha when Mrs Bloxby returned with the tea-tray. ‘James is so well organized, I feel superfluous. I want my own things
about me again.’
‘I
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