He beamed at her and departed into the vicarage. Tuppence glanced at her watch. She stopped at Miss Bligh’s house.
‘Might as well get it over,’ thought Tuppence. The front door was open and Miss Bligh was just carrying a plate of fresh-baked scones across the hall into the sitting-room.
‘Oh! so there you are, dear Mrs Beresford. I’m so pleased to see you. Tea’s quite ready. The kettle is on. I’ve only got to fill up the teapot. I hope you did all the shopping you wanted,’ she added, looking in a rather marked manner at the painfully evident empty shopping bag hanging on Tuppence’s arm.
‘Well, I didn’t have much luck really,’ said Tuppence, putting as good a face on it as she could. ‘You know how it is sometimes – just one of those days when people just haven’t got the particular colour or the particular kind of thing you want.
But I always enjoy looking round a new place even if it isn’t a very interesting one.’ A whistling kettle let forth a strident shriek for attention and Miss Bligh shot back into the kitchen to attend to it, scattering a batch of letters waiting for the post on the hall table.
Tuppence stooped and retrieved them, noticing as she put them back on the table that the topmost one was addressed to a Mrs Yorke, Rosetrellis Court for Elderly Ladies – at an address in Cumberland.
‘Really,’ thought Tuppence. ‘I am beginning to feel as if the whole of the country is full of nothing but Homes for the Elderly! I suppose in next to no time Tommy and I will be living in one?
Only the other day, some would-be kind and helpful friend had written to recommend a very nice address in Devon married couples – mostly retired Service people. Quite good cooking – You brought your own furniture and personal belongings.
Miss Bligh reappeared with the teapot and the two ladies sat down to tea.
Miss Bligh’s conversation was of a less melodramatic and juicy nature than that of Mrs Copleigh, and was concerned more with the procuring of information, than of giving it.
Tuppence murmured vaguely of past years of Service abroad – the domestic difficulties of life in England, gave details of a married son and a married daughter both with children and gently steered the conversation to the activities of Miss Bligh in Sutton Chancellor which were numerous – The Women’s Institute, Guides, Scouts, the Conservative Ladies Union, Lectures, Greek Art, Jam Making, Flower Arrangement, the Sketching Club, the Friends of Archaeology – The vicar’s health, the necessity of making him take care of himself, his absentmindedness – Unformrmte differences of opinion between churchwardens Tuppence praised the scones, thanked her hostess for her hospitality and rose to go.
‘You are so wonderfully energetic, Miss Bligh,’ she said.
‘How you manage to do all you do, I cannot imagine. I must confess that after a day’s excursion and shopping, I like just a nice little rest on my bed – just half an hour or so of shuteye – A very comfortable bed, too. I must thank you very much for recommending me to Mrs Copleigh ‘ ‘Almost reliable woman, though of course she talks too much ‘ ‘Oh! I found all her local tales most entertaining.’ ‘Half the time she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!
Are you staying here for long?’ ‘Oh no – I’m going home tomorrow. I’m disappointed at not having heard of any suitable little property- I had hopes of that very picturesque house by the canal -‘ ‘You’re well out of that. It’s in a very poor state of repair Absentee landlords – it’s a disgrace ‘ ‘I couldn’t even find out who it belongs to. I expect you know. You seem to know everything here -‘ ‘I’ve never taken much interest in that house. It’s always changing hands – One can’t keep pace. The Perrys live in half of it – and the other half just goes to rack and ruin.’ Tuppence said goodbye again and drove back to Mrs Copleigh’s. The house was quiet and apparently empty.
Tuppence went up to her bedroom, deposited her empty shopping bag, washed her face and powdered her nose, tiptoed out of the house again, looking up and down the street, then leaving her car where it was, she walked swiftly round the corner , and took a footpath through the field behind the village which eventually led to a stile into the churchyard.