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The BOAC Stratocruiser completed its descent from the cloudless blue sky, bounced a couple of times on the runway, and rolled to a halt in front of the terminal building.
Vera Chapman Malloy gathered her possessions together and stashed them in the elegant overnight case she had purchased in New York with Harry Harrigan’s money. A uniformed stewardess helped her into her coat and thanked her for flying BOAC. The main door was open. Steps had been rolled out from the terminal. She paused in the doorway and breathed deeply. Even here the air carried the tang of salt; wispy traces of ozone to remind her that she was home again. Six years ago she had vowed never to return, but here she was. From the top of the steps, she could see the car park and make out the distinctive shape of the black Bentley that had been sent from Southwold Hall.
In the terminal building, she presented her passport and waited while it was stamped. As she turned from the counter, a uniformed chauffeur approached her. His face was only vaguely familiar. She had half hoped that the chauffeur would be someone she had known from school, someone who would be impressed by the change in her fortunes.
“Mrs. Malloy?”
“Yes.”
“I’m to take you to Southwold.”
“Of course.”
The chauffeur looked her up and down. She remembered him now. He was older, and he walked with a limp, but he was Price, the old Earl’s chauffeur restored to his prewar position. Vera looked down at her luggage. She could call a porter, or she could establish her ascendancy over the chauffeur.
“Bring my luggage,” she said.
She followed the chauffeur, threading a path through the throng of passengers and out into the chilly morning. Her new high-heeled shoes, also purchased in New York, made for slow progress, and by the time she reached the Bentley, the chauffeur was well ahead of her. He deposited the luggage on the ground and opened the passenger door with a flourish.
“Southwold Hall.”
Vera chose to treat the chauffeur’s remark as a question rather than an instruction.
“Not yet,” she said. “I have to go somewhere first. There’s someone I need to talk to.”