Read The Clue is in the Pudding for Free Online

her life she’d been really in love, deeply in love.
    Only he hadn’t loved her back. Not enough to put her and the twins above his own wishes. He’d wanted to uproot them all, take them back to London to live. She couldn’t do that to her children. Dan, she’d realized, belonged to a different world—a sophisticated, cultured, toffee-nosed world where she didn’t belong. It hadn’t taken much soul-searching to know where that would have ended up. Oh, but how it had hurt to turn him down.
    Gertie took one last look around the dining room, then with a satisfied nod, headed for the door. Maybe she was destined to spend the rest of her life without a man and a father for her twins. And that was sad.
    *   *   *
    Having risked the wrath of Tucker the Terrible to be alone with Samuel, Pansy was quite disappointed to see his assistant, Gilbert Tubbs, in the stables, helping him wash the motorcars. Tess lay close to Samuel’s feet, her head resting on her paws.
    Samuel gave her his usual greeting—a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “’Allo, luv,” he said, leaving one arm around her. “Whatcha doing here? It’s almost dinnertime, isn’t it?”
    “Yeah.” Pansy snuggled up to him. “I’m supposed to be in the kitchen now, helping dish up the soup and vegetables. Mrs. Tucker would box my ears if she knew where I was right now.”
    Samuel looked worried. “Then you’d better be off with you. I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
    Gilbert straightened up, a polishing cloth in his hand. He was a good-looking man, with dark hair and bright blue eyes that always seemed to be laughing. He was taller than Samuel, and bigger built. When he smiled, like he was doing right now, two dimples dug deep into his cheeks. “Well, look who’s here! If it isn’t the most beautiful girl in Badgers End come to visit us.” He winked at Pansy, making her blush.
    “Take no notice of him,” Samuel said gruffly. “He talks to all the girls that way.”
    Pansy tossed her head. “I know that. He doesn’t fool me for one second.” Secretly she liked the things Gilbert said to her. It made her feel pretty, though she’d never admit as much to Samuel. “I didn’t come here to talk to him, anyway. I came to tell you something.” She looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat when he smiled down at her.
    “All right then, luv. What did you want to tell me?”
    She hesitated, not sure now how to break the news. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea just to blurt it out. Maybe she should have waited and let Samuel find out from madam or someone.
    Both men were looking at her now, waiting for her to speak. Taking a deep breath she said a little unsteadily, “You remember the gentleman that rescued Tess?”
    Gilbert’s grin faded, while Samuel looked puzzled. “Of course I do. How could I forget? He saved my Tess’s life.”
    At the mention of her name, the shaggy dog lifted her head.
    “Yes, I know.” Pansy’s voice wobbled, and she gulped. “Well, he was a famous actor called Archibald Armitage.”
    Samuel looked down at Tess. “You were rescued by a famous actor, Tess. Maybe he’ll put you in one of his plays.”
    “I don’t think he’s going to be doing that.” Pansy bit her lip. “He’s . . . he’s . . .”
    Samuel hugged her tighter. “What’s the matter, pet? What’s wrong?”
    Pansy let a tear slide down her cheek. “He’s dead, Samuel. Gertie found him dead in his bed.”
    The shocked silence that followed was eventually broken by her sob.
    Samuel looked stunned, while Gilbert raised his face to the ceiling.
    “Dead?” Samuel dropped his arm and half turned away from her. “What happened? How did he die?”
    Worried about Samuel’s reaction, Pansy shook her head. “I don’t know. Madam has sent for Dr. Prestwick so we’ll probably know soon. I wanted to tell you before you heard it from someone else.”
    Samuel shook his head. “I didn’t even get a chance to thank him. I was going to do