Best Kept Secret (The Clifton Chronicles, #3)(88)

‘Where’s Seb?’ was Emma’s first question as she climbed out of the car and gave Jessica a hug.

‘He didn’t come back from school yesterday. Perhaps he went straight to Barrington Hall and spent the night with Uncle Giles.’

‘I thought Giles was in London,’ said Harry. ‘I’ll give him a call and find out if they can both join us for dinner.’

Harry climbed the steps and went into the house. He picked up the phone in the hall and dialled a local number.

‘We’re back,’ he announced when he heard Giles’s voice on the line.

‘Welcome home, Harry. Did you have a good time in the States?’

‘Couldn’t have been better. Emma stole the show, of course. I think Feldman wants her to be his fifth wife.’

‘Well, it would have some definite advantages,’ said Giles. ‘It’s never a long-term commitment when that man’s involved, and being California, there’ll be a pretty healthy divorce settlement at the end.’

Harry laughed. ‘By the way, is Seb with you?’

‘No, he’s not. In fact, I haven’t seen him for some time. But I’m sure he can’t be far away. Why don’t you ring the school and find out if he’s still there? Call me back when you find out where he is, because I’ve got some news for you.’

‘Will do,’ said Harry. He put the phone down and looked up the headmaster’s number in his telephone book.

‘Don’t worry, darling, he’s no longer a schoolboy, as you keep reminding me,’ he said when he saw the anxious look on Emma’s face. ‘I’m sure there’ll be a simple explanation.’ He dialled Beechcroft 117, and while he waited for someone to answer, he took his wife in his arms.

‘Dr Banks-Williams speaking.’

‘Headmaster, it’s Harry Clifton. I’m sorry to bother you after the school has broken up, but I wondered if you had any idea where my son Sebastian might be.’

‘I’ve no idea, Mr Clifton. I haven’t seen him since he was rusticated earlier in the week.’

‘Rusticated?’

‘I’m afraid so, Mr Clifton. I fear I was left with little choice.’

‘But what did he do to deserve that?’

‘Several minor offences, including smoking.’

‘And any major offences?’

‘He was caught drinking in his study with a serving maid.’

‘And that was considered worthy of rustication?’

‘I might have turned a blind eye, as it was the last week of term, but unfortunately neither of them had any clothes on.’

Harry stifled a laugh, and was only glad that Emma couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation.

‘When he reported to me the following day, I told him that after some deliberation, and having consulted his housemaster, I was left with no choice but to rusticate him. I then gave him a letter which I asked him to pass on to you. It’s clear that he has not done so.’

‘But where can he be?’ asked Harry, becoming anxious for the first time.

‘I’ve no idea. All I can tell you is that his housemaster supplied him with a third-class single ticket to Temple Meads, and I assumed that would be the last I would see of him. However, I had to travel up to London that afternoon to attend an Old Boys’ reunion dinner, and to my surprise I found him travelling on the same train.’

‘Did you ask him why he was going to London?’

‘I would have done so,’ said the headmaster dryly, ‘if he hadn’t left the carriage the moment he saw me.’

‘Why would he do that?’

‘Possibly because he was smoking, and I’d previously warned him that if he broke any more school rules during term time he would be expelled. And he knew only too well that would mean me calling the admissions tutor at Cambridge and recommending that his prize scholarship be withdrawn.’

‘And did you?’

‘No, I did not. You have my wife to thank for that. If I’d had my way, he would have been expelled and forfeited his place at Cambridge.’

‘For smoking, when he wasn’t even on the school premises?’

‘That was not his only offence. He was also occupying a first-class carriage when he didn’t have the money for a first-class ticket, and earlier he’d lied to his housemaster about going straight back to Bristol. That, on top of his other offences, would have been quite enough to convince me that he was unworthy of a place at my old university. I’ve no doubt I will live to regret my leniency.’

‘And that was the last you saw of him?’ said Harry, trying to remain calm.

‘Yes, and it’s the last I want to see of him,’ said the headmaster, before putting the phone down.

Harry reported the other end of the conversation to Emma, only leaving out the incident with the serving maid.

‘But where could he be now?’ asked Emma anxiously.

‘The first thing I’m going to do is ring Giles back and let him know what’s happened, before we decide what to do next.’ Harry picked up the phone again, and took some time repeating the headmaster’s conversation almost verbatim.

Giles was silent for a few moments. ‘It’s not hard to work out what must have been going through Seb’s mind after Banks-Williams found him on the train.’