Bolt - By Dick Francis Page 0,85

to recover such wits as she had. ‘Well, I mean …’

‘What did he say,’ Litsi asked, not pursuing it, ‘that has so upset you?’

‘I … I … He was so charming when he came to see me in Palm Beach, but I’ve been wrong … terribly wrong.’

‘What did he say just now?’ Litsi asked again.

‘He said …’ She looked at him a shade wildly, ‘that he’d thought Roland would crack when you were nearly killed … he asked me why he hadn’t. But I … I didn’t know you’d been nearly killed. I said I hadn’t heard anything about it, and I was sure Roland and Casilia hadn’t, and he was furiously angry, shouting …’ She shook her head. ‘I had to hold the telephone away from my ear … he was hurting me.’

The princess was looking astounded and distressed.

‘Litsi! What happened? You never said …’

‘Henri boasted,’ Beatrice said miserably, ‘that he organised an accident for Litsi that would have brilliantly succeeded, except that this … this …’ She didn’t know what to call me, and contented herself in pointing, ‘he saved Litsi’s life.’ Beatrice gulped. ‘I never thought … never ever … that he would do anything so frightful … that he would really harm anyone. And he said … he said … he thought Roland and Casilia wouldn’t have wanted any more horses killed, and how had she reacted about her horse called Col… and when I told him I didn’t know anything about it, he flew into a rage … He asked if Roland knew and I said I didn’t know … he was shouting down the telephone… he was totally furious … he said he’d never thought that they would hold out so long … he said it was all taking too long and he would step up the pressure.’

Beatrice’s shock was deep.

’He said the jockey was always in his way, blocking him, bringing in guards and recording telephones; so he would get rid of the jockey first. Then after that, Danielle would lose her beauty … and then no one would stop Roland signing. He said,’ she added, her eyes round and dry again,‘I was to tell Roland what he’d threatened. I was to say he had telephoned here and I’d happened to answer.’

The princess, aghast but straight-backed, said,‘I won’t let you tell Roland anything, Beatrice.’

’Henri put the telephone down,’ Beatrice said,‘and I sat there thinking he didn’t mean it, he couldn’t possibly spoil Danielle’s face … she’s my niece as well as Roland’s … I wouldn’t want that, not for all the money in the world … I tried to make myself believe it was just a threat, but he did chase after her that evening, and he did kill the horses; he boasted of it … and I didn’t want to believe he had tried to kill Litsi … to kill! … it wasn’t possible … but he sounded so vicious … I wouldn’t have believed he could be like that.’ She turned imploringly to the princess.‘I may have been foolish, but I’m not wicked, Casilia.’

I listened to the outpouring with profound disturbance. I didn’t want her late-flowering remorse tangling the carefully-laid lines. I would much have preferred her purposefulness to remain strong and intact.

’Did you ring him back?’ I asked.

Beatrice didn’t like talking to me, and didn’t answer until Litsi asked her the same question.

’I did,’ she said passionately, asking for absolution,‘but he’d already gone.’

’Already?’ Litsi asked.

Beatrice said in a much smaller voice,‘He’d said I couldn’t reach him again at that number. He wasn’t there half the time in any event. I mean …’

‘How many times have you talked to him?’ Litsi asked mildly.‘And at what time of day?’

Beatrice hesitated but answered,‘Today and yesterday, at about six, and Thursday morning, and …’ she tried to remember,‘it must have been Wednesday evening at six, and Monday twice, after I’d found out …’ Her voice trailed away, the admission, half out, suddenly alarming her.

’Found out what?’ Litsi asked without censure.

She said unhappily,‘The make and colour of Danielle’s car. He wanted to know … I had no idea,’ she suddenly wailed,‘that he meant to attack her. I couldn’t believe it, when he said on the telephone … when he told Litsi … saying that young women shouldn’t drive alone at night. Danielle,’ she said beseechingly, turning to her,‘I’d never cause harm to you, ever.’

’But on Thursday you told him Danielle and I were going to Bradbury races,’ Litsi commented.

’Yes, but he asked me to tell