“That would be even better. Geoffrey will go spare, of course. He thinks I’ve stopped.”

The phrase “go spare” sounded odd with that sight French lilt to it; such a Yorkshire phrase, Banks thought.

“Your husband told me you’re from Bordeaux,” Banks said, accepting a light from her slim gold lighter.

Sylvie nodded. “My father is in the wine business. A négociant. One of la noblesse du bouchon.”

“I’m afraid my French is very rusty.”

“Literally, it means ‘the bottle-cork nobility.’ It’s a collective term for the négociants of a great wine center, like Bordeaux.”

“I suppose it means he’s rich?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Very. Anyway, I met Geoffrey when he was on a wine-tasting tour of the area. It must have been, oh, seventeen years ago. I was only nineteen at the time. Geoffrey was thirty.”

“And Sir Geoffrey fell in love with the négociant’s daughter? How romantic.”

Sylvie dredged up another sad smile. “Yes, it was romantic.” Then she drew deep on her cigarette and let the smoke out of her nose. “You asked if there was anything else about Spinks, Chief Inspector. Yes, there was. Things had been going missing from the house.”

“Missing? Like what?”

She shrugged. “A silver snuffbox. Not very valuable, though it might look antique to the untrained eye. Some foreign currency. A pair of silver earrings. Little things like that.”

“Since Deborah had been seeing Spinks?”

She nodded. “Yes. I’m almost certain of it. Deborah wouldn’t do anything like that. I’m not saying she was a saint-obviously not-but at least she was honest. She was no thief.”

“Did you challenge her about the stolen articles?”

“Yes.”

“And what did she say?”

“She said she didn’t know about the missing things but she would talk to him.”

“Did she tell you what he said?”

“She said he denied it.”

“Did Spinks ever bother either of you after that day you threw him out?”

Sylvie frowned and stubbed out her cigarette. She rubbed the back of her hand over her lips as if to get rid of the taste. “He made threats. One day, he came to the house when both Deborah and Geoffrey were out.”

“What did he do?”

“He didn’t do anything. Nothing physical, if that’s what you mean. If he had, I wouldn’t have hesitated to call the police. I tried to close the door on him, but he pushed his way in and asked for money.”

“Did you give him any?”

“No.”

“What did he say?”

“He said if I didn’t give him money, he would keep on seeing Deborah, and that he would get her pregnant, make himself part of the family.” She shuddered. “He was disgusting.”

“And you still didn’t give him anything?”

“No. Then he said if I didn’t give him money he would start spreading the word around that he had deflowered Sir Geoffrey Harrison’s daughter. That she was nothing but a slut. He said he would spread it around St. Mary’s and get her expelled, and he would make sure people in the business community knew so that they would all laugh at Geoffrey behind his back.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing. I was too shocked. Luckily, Michael was here at the time. He handled it.”

“What did he do?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him. I was so upset I went upstairs. All I can say is that I heard nothing more of the matter after that. Spinks disappeared from our lives just as if he had never been there in the first place. Not without leaving some damage, of course.”

“Did he ever threaten to harm Deborah physically?”

Sylvie shook her head. “Not that I heard.”

“But he certainly seemed capable of acting violently?”

She touched her scar again. “Yes. Do you think…?”

“I honestly don’t know,” said Banks. “But anything’s possible. Did Mr. Clayton know about Spinks from the start?”

“Yes. He dropped by the house that time when they were having the barbecue. He said something to Spinks about the drinking and Spinks was very rude. Michael agreed with me then that Deborah was wasted on the boy. And I told him about…when I found them together in bed. I had to tell someone.”

Clayton seemed to be dropping by Sir Geoffrey’s house an awful lot, Banks thought. Especially when Sir Geoffrey wasn’t there but Sylvie was.

“Does Mr. Clayton have any family of his own?” he asked.

“Michael? No. He and his wife, Gillian, split up three years ago. It was a childless marriage.” She smiled. “I think part of the problem was that Michael is married to his work. Sometimes I think he has his computers wired directly to his brain. He has a girlfriend in Seattle now, and that seems ideal for him. Long-distance romance. He travels there quite often on company business.”

“How long have he and Sir Geoffrey known one another?”

“Since Oxford. They’ve always been inseparable. In fact, Michael was with Geoffrey when we met.”

Banks paused for a moment and sipped some lukewarm tea. “Do you know any of the teachers at St. Mary’s?” he asked.

“Some of them. When you pay as much money to send your child to school as we do, you tend to have some say in the way the place is run.”

“And?”

“And St. Mary’s is an excellent school. Wonderful facilities, good staff, a healthy atmosphere…I could go on.”

“Did you ever get the sense there was anything unpleasant going on there?”

“Unpleasant?”

“I’m sorry I can’t be any more precise than that. But if anyone, or any group, was up to something at school-something illegal, such as drugs-and if Deborah found out about it…She was attacked on her way home from school, after all. Someone could have followed her from there.”

Sylvie shook her head slowly. “The things you policemen dream up. No, I never heard the slightest hint of a rumor of anything wrong at St. Mary’s. And I believe one does hear about these things, if they are going on.”

“Did you have any reason to think John Spinks or anyone else might have introduced Deborah to drugs?”

She sighed. “I can’t say I didn’t worry about it.” Then she shook her head. “But I don’t think so. I never saw any signs. Deborah was a very active girl. She valued her physical health, her athletic prowess, far too much to damage it with drugs.”

“Do you know Patrick Metcalfe?”

“I’ve met him, yes.”

“Did Deborah ever talk about him?”

“No, not that I recall.”

“Did she like him?”

“She didn’t say one way or the other. She did quite well at history, though it wasn’t her best subject. But why do you ask?”

“He’s just part of the tapestry, that’s all. Maybe not an important part. Did Deborah have any contact with the church after you and your husband stopped going?”

“I don’t think so. Geoffrey was quite adamant that we all stay away. But the school and the church remained close. She may have had some contact.” She rubbed her eyes and stood up. “Please excuse me, Chief Inspector, but I’m feeling very tired. I think I’ve told you all I can for the moment. And I hope you’ll be discreet. I’d prefer it if you didn’t let Geoffrey know about what I’ve told you today.”

Banks smiled. “Of course not. Not if you don’t tell him I’ve been here. I’m afraid my boss-”

But before he could get the words out, the front door opened and shut and Sir Geoffrey shouted out, “I’m home, darling. How is everything?”