A Question of Inheritance Read Free

he’d known him as Gregor Orlov. A major in the MGB, the Soviet Ministry of State Security. One of Hugo’s contacts, and one who, as far as Hugo knew, hadn’t had dealings with any other of the Western intelligence officers who were in Berlin with the Army of Occupation.
    Hugo said, ‘I’ll get on to it first thing in the morning.’
    Sir Bernard said, ‘No, I want you to start right away. Brief Mrs Clutton and she can get straight on to it. Tell her you want every scrap of information relating to Zherdev.’
    Hugo was annoyed. ‘I’d hoped to get away early today. The new Earl will be arriving at the Castle, and I feel I should be there.’
    Sir Bernard looked up at that. ‘Lord Selchester? He’s coming today, is he? You’ve met him, of course. And that’ll mean you and that sister of yours will have to move out of the Castle, I suppose.’
    Sir Bernard had lodged Hugo and Georgia at the Castle in September, when Hugo came to Selchester to take up his job at Thorn Hall. Accommodation was scarce in the town, and as a trustee to the missing Lord Selchester’s estate, Sir Bernard had no qualms about billeting the Hawksworths there.
    ‘We’ll move out after Christmas. I don’t suppose you’ve heard of anything in the accommodation line?’ Hugo said.
    ‘People in the town know that if anything becomes available, we always have people working at the Hall who need a place to live. You’ll find something; don’t worry about it. In one of the outlying villages, if not in Selchester.’
    And wouldn’t that be fun. Hugo, to whom England had always meant London, had got used to living in Selchester. At least Selchester was a town. But digs in some rural hamlet in the depths of the countryside? No. That was a step too far, and Georgia would hate it.
    Sir Bernard tapped his blotter with the base of his pen. ‘I think I might come along and welcome Lord Selchester myself. Tell you what, you go along and get started on that stuff and we’ll drive together to the Castle.’
    Scene 5
    By three o’clock in the afternoon, it was getting dark. A mist was rising from the river, and on this day of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, sunset was early.
    Freya Wryton and Dinah Lindsey were sitting at the desk in Dinah’s little bookshop in Selchester, sorting out paperwork.
    ‘You’ve come back looking the picture of health, while the rest of us are beginning to take on our normal English winter, living-under-a-stone appearance,’ Freya said, as the pool of light from the desk lamp illuminated Dinah’s face. ‘In your shoes, I’d have stayed in Egypt longer. The warm climate obviously suited you.’
    ‘That’s all very well, but I have a business to run,’ Dinah said. She waved an arm at the shelves that lined the walls from floor to ceiling. The shop was tranquil and comforting, the bright colours of the book jackets contrasting with the small black panes of the bay window. ‘I’m so grateful to you for helping out here while I was away.’
    Freya said, ‘I enjoyed it.’ Which was true, although she’d be glad to get back to her writing. She opened another box file and started leafing through a stack of invoices. ‘These are all in order. Everything’s up to date, and the ones that need dealing with are clipped together. I’ve added comments if there are any queries. Some of the bills need to be paid, but there’s nothing urgent.’ She looked at the clock that was attached to one of the beams. ‘I can’t stay much longer. I need to be back at the Castle before they arrive.’
    Dinah didn’t need to ask who ‘they’ were. ‘How strange to discover that you’ve a cousin you knew nothing about. Although not half as nerve-wracking for you as for Sonia to discover she has a half-brother she didn’t know existed.’
    Freya said, ‘Sonia’s not taking the news awfully well. Of course, there’s nothing she can do about it. Her half-brother inherits, and that’s that.’
    Dinah thrust the