In Rishikesh, Cynthia had felt that John was avoiding her: ‘I was not having the second honeymoon I’d hoped for. John was becoming increasingly cold and aloof towards me. He would get up very early and leave our room. He spoke to me very little, and after a week or two he announced that he wanted to move into a separate room to give himself more space. From then on, he virtually ignored me, both in private and in public.’ Little did she know that John was receiving letters from Yoko Ono almost every day.
Two weeks after they got back from India, John suggested to Cynthia that she should join Donovan, his manager Gypsy Dave, Pattie Boyd’s sister Jenny and Magic Alex on a fortnight’s holiday in Greece. She and John rarely holidayed separately, so Cynthia was reluctant. ‘I’ve got a lot on at the moment and I can’t go, but you should. It might cheer you up,’ said John.
On her return from holiday, Cynthia drove to Kenwood with Jenny Boyd and Magic Alex, arriving at 4 p.m. She straight away knew something was wrong: ‘The porch light was on, the curtains were still drawn and everything was silent.’ Normally her housekeeper, Dot, would have come out to greet her with Julian. Instead, there was silence.
The front door was unlocked. ‘Where are you all?’ she shouted. Were they hiding behind a door?
‘As I put my hand on the sunroom door I felt a sudden frisson of fear. I hesitated for a second, then opened it. Inside, the curtains were closed and the room was dimly lit, so it took me a moment to focus. When I did, I froze. John and Yoko were sitting on the floor, cross-legged and facing each other, beside a table covered with dirty dishes. They were wearing the towelling robes we kept in the poolhouse, so I imagined they had been for a swim. John was facing me. He looked at me, expressionless, and said, “Oh, hi.” Yoko didn’t turn round.’
It was clear to Cynthia that they wanted her to find them like that. She found the cruelty of John’s act hard to fathom. She was so taken aback that she went into a state of emotional paralysis, behaving as if nothing were out of order, and asking him if he’d like to come out to dinner with them.
‘No thanks,’ replied John.
Cynthia rushed out of the room. Jenny was hovering awkwardly in the kitchen, so she asked if she could stay with her. Then she went upstairs to pack a bag. On the landing she stumbled across a pair of small Japanese slippers, placed neatly outside the guest bedroom. She looked inside. The bed was untouched.