one.’
‘Please.’
‘No one.’
‘I should feel honoured if you confided in me.’
‘The silly things you say!’ Fenella laughed.
‘Please.’
She threw up her hands. ‘What a pest you are! Oh very well. I have an aunt who is difficult. I don’t love her, though of course I wouldn’t dream of killing her!’
‘Who said anything about killing her?’ He gave Fenella a look out of the corner of his eyes. ‘So you hate your aunt?’
‘All right, yes, I hate her. She is difficult.’
‘How difficult?’
‘Difficult enough. Very difficult. All right, extremely difficult.’
‘Go on.’
‘My aunt is unpredictable and can be unpleasant.’ Fenella swallowed. ‘She is volatile and, well, completely irrational. She enjoys saying terrible things, hurtful things, spiteful things. She is poison. Especially after she’s had a drink. She enjoys intimidating me – humiliating me –’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, that’s it. That’s what she does. That’s why I find her difficult. She wants to see me fail. As a matter of fact,she’s been trying to sabotage my work,’ Fenella suddenly blurted out.
‘Oh? That sounds serious.’
‘It is serious, yes … It’s extremely serious … It’s my life!’
He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I am interested in your aunt. I want to hear all about the old horror. You are in some way dependent on her, aren’t you?’
‘Well, yes. Aunt Clo-Clo started this place – this nursery school – she and I – we set it up together – we were business partners –’
‘Aunt Clo-Clo? What kind of name is that?’
‘That’s what I used to call her when I was a child. “Aunt Clo-Clo”. Her name is Clotilde.’
‘What’s her second name?’
‘Why do you want to know? Lemarchant. Clotilde Lemarchant. She was the headmistress here before me – she is the one who owns this place officially – the Sylvie & Bruno Nursery School. Then she retired. Everything was OK for a bit – she was difficult but I could live with it – but then she decided to withdraw her financial support – I thought I could still manage but then she told me it was time for me to close down – close down – I couldn’t believe my ears – she said she needed the building – Jevanny Lodge – for other purposes – she said she was planning to turn it into kennels!’
‘She likes dogs?’
‘She hates dogs. She detests dogs. She loves cats.’ Fenella passed her hand across her face. ‘It’s sheer bloody-mindedness –– she’s doing it out of spite – she said I’d become too big for my boots – she said I needed to be taught a lesson – she told me to start getting rid of the “kiddies” –’ Fenella’s voice shook.
‘Did you say she drank?’
‘She drinks, yes – each time she rings, she sounds inebriated–– it’s done something to her brain – she told me she’d always hated my mother, her late sister – my mother’s been dead for years – she started referring to past injustices, most of them, I am sure, imaginary. I don’t know what to do!’
‘You sound at your wits’ end,’ Charlie said quietly.
‘I am at my wits’ end, yes – you are absolutely right – it’s my life’s work, you see – everything I care about is here – I can’t just get rid of the children – we have some very exclusive parents – I have no life outside the school – I don’t really know what to do!’
‘Don’t you?’ He gave her another look out of the corner of his eyes. He looks like a corrupt cherub, she thought.
She took a deep breath. ‘Aunt Clo-Clo told me to expect to hear from her solicitors very soon. Next week, in fact.’
It was at that point that Charles Eresby had come up with his idea. He had told her they were going to join forces. He had explained exactly what they were going to do and how it was going to work. Fenella Frayle had been unable to believe her ears – yet, what he said had a kind of mad logic about it – she believed
‘Please.’
‘No one.’
‘I should feel honoured if you confided in me.’
‘The silly things you say!’ Fenella laughed.
‘Please.’
She threw up her hands. ‘What a pest you are! Oh very well. I have an aunt who is difficult. I don’t love her, though of course I wouldn’t dream of killing her!’
‘Who said anything about killing her?’ He gave Fenella a look out of the corner of his eyes. ‘So you hate your aunt?’
‘All right, yes, I hate her. She is difficult.’
‘How difficult?’
‘Difficult enough. Very difficult. All right, extremely difficult.’
‘Go on.’
‘My aunt is unpredictable and can be unpleasant.’ Fenella swallowed. ‘She is volatile and, well, completely irrational. She enjoys saying terrible things, hurtful things, spiteful things. She is poison. Especially after she’s had a drink. She enjoys intimidating me – humiliating me –’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, that’s it. That’s what she does. That’s why I find her difficult. She wants to see me fail. As a matter of fact,she’s been trying to sabotage my work,’ Fenella suddenly blurted out.
‘Oh? That sounds serious.’
‘It is serious, yes … It’s extremely serious … It’s my life!’
He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I am interested in your aunt. I want to hear all about the old horror. You are in some way dependent on her, aren’t you?’
‘Well, yes. Aunt Clo-Clo started this place – this nursery school – she and I – we set it up together – we were business partners –’
‘Aunt Clo-Clo? What kind of name is that?’
‘That’s what I used to call her when I was a child. “Aunt Clo-Clo”. Her name is Clotilde.’
‘What’s her second name?’
‘Why do you want to know? Lemarchant. Clotilde Lemarchant. She was the headmistress here before me – she is the one who owns this place officially – the Sylvie & Bruno Nursery School. Then she retired. Everything was OK for a bit – she was difficult but I could live with it – but then she decided to withdraw her financial support – I thought I could still manage but then she told me it was time for me to close down – close down – I couldn’t believe my ears – she said she needed the building – Jevanny Lodge – for other purposes – she said she was planning to turn it into kennels!’
‘She likes dogs?’
‘She hates dogs. She detests dogs. She loves cats.’ Fenella passed her hand across her face. ‘It’s sheer bloody-mindedness –– she’s doing it out of spite – she said I’d become too big for my boots – she said I needed to be taught a lesson – she told me to start getting rid of the “kiddies” –’ Fenella’s voice shook.
‘Did you say she drank?’
‘She drinks, yes – each time she rings, she sounds inebriated–– it’s done something to her brain – she told me she’d always hated my mother, her late sister – my mother’s been dead for years – she started referring to past injustices, most of them, I am sure, imaginary. I don’t know what to do!’
‘You sound at your wits’ end,’ Charlie said quietly.
‘I am at my wits’ end, yes – you are absolutely right – it’s my life’s work, you see – everything I care about is here – I can’t just get rid of the children – we have some very exclusive parents – I have no life outside the school – I don’t really know what to do!’
‘Don’t you?’ He gave her another look out of the corner of his eyes. He looks like a corrupt cherub, she thought.
She took a deep breath. ‘Aunt Clo-Clo told me to expect to hear from her solicitors very soon. Next week, in fact.’
It was at that point that Charles Eresby had come up with his idea. He had told her they were going to join forces. He had explained exactly what they were going to do and how it was going to work. Fenella Frayle had been unable to believe her ears – yet, what he said had a kind of mad logic about it – she believed
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