Lord Edgware Dies

The door was opened to us promptly, and by no aged white-haired butler such as would have been in keeping with the exterior of the house. On the contrary, it was opened by one of the handsomest young men I have ever seen. Tall, fair, he might have posed to a sculptor for Hermes or Apollo. Despite his good looks there was something vaguely effeminate that I disliked about the softness of his voice. Also, in a curious way, he reminded me of someone-someone, too, whom I had met quite lately-but who it was I could not for the life of me remember.

We asked for Lord Edgware.

‘This way, sir.’

He led us along the hall, past the staircase, to a door at the rear of the hall.

Opening it, he announced us in that same soft voice which I instinctively distrusted.

The room into which we were shown was a kind of library. The walls were lined with books, the furnishings were dark and sombre but handsome, the chairs were formal and not too comfortable.

Lord Edgware, who rose to receive us, was a tall man of about fifty. He had dark hair streaked with grey, a thin face and a sneering mouth. He looked bad-tempered and bitter. His eyes had a queer secretive look about them. There was something, I thought, distinctly odd about those eyes.

His manner was stiff and formal.

‘M. Hercule Poirot? Captain Hastings? Please be seated.’

We sat down. The room felt chilly. There was little light coming in from the one window and the dimness contributed to the cold atmosphere.

Lord Edgware had taken up a letter which I saw to be in my friend’s handwriting. 

‘I am familiar, of course, with your name, M. Poirot. Who is not?’ Poirot bowed at the compliment. ‘But I cannot quite understand your position in this matter. You say that you wish to see me on behalf of ’-he paused-‘my wife.’

He said the last two words in a peculiar way-as though it were an effort to get them out.

‘That is so,’ said my friend.

‘I understood that you were an investigator of-crime, M. Poirot?’

‘Of problems, Lord Edgware. There are problems of crime, certainly. There are other problems.’

‘Indeed. And what may this one be?’

The sneer in his words was palpable by now. Poirot took no notice of it.

‘I have the honour to approach you on behalf of Lady Edgware,’ he said. ‘Lady Edgware, as you may know, desires-a divorce.’

‘I am quite aware of that,’ said Lord Edgware coldly.

‘Her suggestion was that you and I should discuss the matter.’

‘There is nothing to discuss.’

‘You refuse, then?’

‘Refuse? Certainly not.’

Whatever else Poirot had expected, he had not expected this. It is seldom that I have seen my friend utterly taken aback, but I did on this occasion. His appearance was ludicrous. His mouth fell open, his hands flew out, his eyebrows rose. He looked like a cartoon in a comic paper.

‘Comment?’ he cried. ‘What is this? You do not refuse?’

‘I am at a loss to understand your astonishment, M. Poirot.’

‘Ecoutez, you are willing to divorce your wife?’

‘Certainly I am willing. She knows that perfectly well. I wrote and told her so.’

‘You wrote and told her so?’

‘Yes. Six months ago.’

‘But I do not understand. I do not understand at all.’

Lord Edgware said nothing.

‘I understood that you were opposed to the principle of divorce.’

‘I do not see that my principles are your business, M. Poirot. It is true that I did not divorce my first wife. My conscience would not allow me to do so. My second marriage, I will admit frankly, was a mistake. When my wife suggested a divorce, I refused point blank. Six months ago she wrote to me again urging the point. I have an idea she wanted to marry again-some film actor or fellow of that kind. My views had, by this time, undergone modification. I wrote to her at Hollywood telling her so. Why she has sent you to me I cannot imagine. I suppose it is a question of money.’ 

His lips sneered again as he said the last words.

‘Extremely curious,’ muttered Poirot. ‘Extremely curious. There is something here I do not understand at all.’

‘As regards money,’ went on Lord Edgware. ‘My wife deserted me of her own accord. If she wishes to marry another man, I can set her free to do so, but there is no reason why she should receive a penny from me and she will not do so.’

‘There is no question of any financial arrangement.’

Lord Edgware raised his eyebrows.

‘Jane must be marrying a rich man,’ he murmured cynically.

‘There is something here that I do not understand,’ said Poirot. His face was perplexed and wrinkled with the effort of thought. ‘I understood from Lady Edgware that she had approached you repeatedly through lawyers?’

‘She did,’ replied Lord Edgware dryly. ‘English lawyers, American lawyers, every kind of lawyer, down to the lowest kind of scallywag. Finally, as I say, she wrote to me herself.’

‘You have previously refused?’

‘That is so.’

‘But on receiving her letter, you changed your mind. Why did you change your mind, Lord Edgware?’

‘Not on account of anything in that letter,’ he said sharply. ‘My views happened to have changed, that is all.’

‘The change was somewhat sudden.’