The Royal Baths Murder Page 30
The three of them went quiet as they contemplated one of the insoluble mysteries of life.
‘Well, on that rather sombre note, I’m going to get off,’ announced Alison, laughing. ‘You’ll have to watch him.’ She pointed to Oldroyd. ‘He has a tendency to melancholic reflection on life’s problems and he’s also a bit of a workaholic.’
‘Well, thanks, Sis. I love you too!’
‘Don’t worry, I think I’ve got the measure of him,’ replied Deborah with a smile. ‘It’s all been very interesting and exciting so far, though I don’t know how many real murders I can witness before I’ve had enough. The fictional kind are good enough for me.’
‘Don’t worry, he has plenty of good points too.’ Alison chuckled as she got ready to leave. ‘Deborah, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.’ The two women hugged each other. ‘And I hope it’s not too long before we see each other again. You must come out to the rectory and see how the clergy used to live.’
‘I’d love to,’ replied Deborah.
Oldroyd gave his sister a kiss and they accompanied her out to her car. She waved to them as she drove off back to Kirkby Underside.
‘Fancy another drink?’ asked Oldroyd as he and Deborah settled back down inside.
‘Why not?’
Oldroyd poured out two small brandies and they talked for a while about what had happened since they met.
‘There is some truth in what Alison said,’ observed Oldroyd. ‘It can be difficult being around me. I don’t follow a regular work pattern and I tend to become very deeply involved in serious cases until they’re solved.’
She looked at him with her head on one side. ‘Being a bit self-deprecating, are we? Let’s just say I like what I’ve seen so far. It’s the liveliest time I’ve had for years. And now,’ she said, finishing her drink and standing up, ‘you need to stop talking and come with me.’
Oldroyd downed his brandy and got up. They held hands as they walked out of the sitting room and towards the bedroom.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family and friends for all their support and encouragement over the years.
The Otley Courthouse Writers’ Group has been a wonderful source of help and inspiration.
The lovely Harrogate Turkish Baths were the model for the Baths in the story. In the novel they are extended and include a swimming pool. The Turkish Baths were originally part of a much bigger complex, which included rooms for the various spa treatments. I have used the original name: The Royal Baths.
The Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate is a fascinating place to visit but, due to Health and Safety regulations, it is no longer possible to sample the waters as Andy did! When I was a small boy, there was an old-fashioned pump on the wall outside the building and I used to enjoy cranking the handle and pumping up the smelly water. The pump is now electric and you push a button. The water still appears but it is nothing like as much fun!
Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival takes place each year at The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate. It has become one of the most important crime writing festivals in the country. The Old Swan Hotel, with its link to Agatha Christie, was clearly the model for The White Swan Hotel in the story. I would like to thank the hotel and Theakston’s Brewery for presenting such a good festival every year.
Brimham Rocks has been a fascinating place to me since childhood, when I enjoyed climbing over the giant rocks and exploring the tunnels. I would like to thank the National Trust for its care in maintaining this unusual landscape.
The West Riding Police is a fictional force based on the old riding boundary. Harrogate was part of the old West Riding, although it is in today’s North Yorkshire.
About the Author
John R. Ellis has lived in Yorkshire for most of his life and has spent many years exploring Yorkshire’s diverse landscapes, history, language and communities. He recently retired after a career in teaching, mostly in further education in the Leeds area. In addition to the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series, he writes poetry, ghost stories and biography. He has completed a screenplay about the last years of the poet Edward Thomas and a work of faction about the extraordinary life of his Irish mother-in-law. He is currently working on his memoirs of growing up in a working-class area of Huddersfield in the 1950s and 1960s.