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First published in Great Britain by
Hodder & Stoughton 1971
Copyright © Francis Durbridge 1971
All rights reserved
Francis Durbridge has asserted his right under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
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A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Source ISBN: 9780008125721
Ebook Edition © June 2015 ISBN: 9780008125738
Version: 2015-07-24
Paul Temple had returned to the real world after ten long weeks of concentration on death, disruption and deduction. He found to his relief that the world was not at war, he wasnât being sued for libel and his wife was still radiantly attractive. All good reasons for a celebration.
âDarling, how nice,â Steve murmured as they went into LâHachoire, âI havenât been here before.â
âThey do the best pigsâ trotters in London,â said Paul. âThey were recommended to me by my publisher.â
âAh, Scott Reed. Was he pleased with the new novel?â
It was one of those exclusive little restaurants that achieve rustic simplicity at conspicuous expense, with genuine décor and furnishings from Provence and genuine Provençal chefs and waiters. There was a lot of unvarnished wood, an oven range squandered space that could have been occupied by three tables and a dog replaced three possible diners. The place was crowded with rather trendy Londoners and a few slightly surprised French tourists. The head waiter showed them to a table in the corner marked âReservedâ.
âNo no, we havenât booked ââ Paul began.
âA cancellation, Mr Temple. Please be seated. Madam.â
The pigsâ trotters were called pieds de porc Sainte Menehould on the menu, and Paul felt obliged to order them. The wine waiter brought the sherries they asked for at once and later produced a 1953 vintage Burgundy which they hadnât asked for. Paul hoped that Steve wouldnât notice the celebrity treatment they were receiving. It would have made her suspicious.
âYou didnât answer my question, darling,â she said. âDid Scott rub his hands together with joy at the book?â
âHe hasnât read it yet, but I suppose heâll call it a classic story of its kind. He always does.â
âYou sound jaded.â Steve laughed mischievously. âWhen you finish a novel you always become like a woman who has just made love, rather tired and slightly depressed. The only remedy is to begin again or take a holiday. Darling, thatâs a good idea â why donât we take a holiday?â
Paul raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. âDo you feel depressed after â?â
âItâs a dangerous mood. Youâre inclined to become involved in other peopleâs crimes or contemplate writing a heavyweight psychological study of murder. Letâs go away while you still have your mind on me.â
âYes, why not?â He paused thoughtfully and then said, âHow would you like to go to Switzerland?â
âGstaad?â
âGstaad, or Geneva, wherever you like.â
âIâll think about it.â Steve quickly refilled their glasses. âYes! Iâve thought about it. But if we go to Switzerland ââ
Paul finished the sentence for her. âYouâll need an awful lot of new clothes, darling.â
âWell,â Steve laughed, âitâs true, isnât it? You wouldnât want me to look twelve months out of date.â
âA fate worse than death,â Paul agreed. But he knew as he spoke that he was being tiresomely male in joking about her clothes. âI want you always to look as elegant as you do tonight,â he added gallantly.
They discussed Switzerland for the next half hour. Steve wanted to book a hotel and arrange a flight immediately and Paul was reluctant to go before Friday. He was being interviewed on Friday by a lady from one of the posh Sunday papers, and Paul didnât want to postpone it. She was bound to talk about symbolism in his work and the place of good and evil in the English detective novel. She would produce the kind of article that pleased Scott Reed.