Chapter 20

That afternoon they were called to the Belgravia police station. Samantha, accompanied by Ian gave her statement first. Henry gave her the final two notes from The Rover.

Inspector Black introduced himself. "Miss Cavendish we are aware of Mr Metcalfe's friendship with Mr Morgan and we have all the details of the Morgan case and of your slander action against him so there is no need to tell us about that; merely about the alleged stalking."

Samantha nodded. "About a month ago a note was put through my front door from someone calling himself The Rover indicating that he intended to have sex with me. I put the date on it. Mr Frobisher has it. Two days later another note arrived in the same way. This one also promised what he called 'fun'. Mr Frobisher has that note too. Then there was nothing for two or so weeks. The next note came by post and was post-marked Southampton, which covers the area where my parents live, and referred to the size of my father's land and added 'See you one weekend'. Mr Frobisher has it. Then two days ago a note was dropped in my shoulder bag on my way to or from lunch. That one boasted about how close he was getting to me. In fact it wasn't him that put it there but someone he persuaded to do it for him as a joke. I have that one with me. Then this morning we got another one which said that playtime was almost over. He was caught putting it through the letter box."

Ian reached out a hand and she gave him both the final notes.

"Thank you, Miss Cavendish," said Inspector Black. "Is there anyone else that you think we should take a statement from apart from Mr Cavendish and the escort team?"

Samantha thought. "My secretary helped with naming people from their descriptions but I doubt that's really relevant."

"Probably not but may I have her name just in case we need to contact her?"

"Of course. It's Miss Jean Simkins and her telephone number is the same as mine."

"Thank you, Miss Cavendish."

Henry's statement was almost the same but Inspector Black asked him about the escorts.

"I don't really know," said Henry. "My father rang me up and told me it was going to happen. It was very touching that my old troop would turn out for me and Samantha."

Inspector Black did not pursue it. He could get the information from the escort team themselves.

The escorts had been well briefed by Mr Ellis and all told the same story of their reason for being involved. The Orderly Corporal had told them that Mr Cavendish and his fiancée were having a problem and they wanted to help. Drew had approached Mr Ellis who had obtained leave for them and given them permission to act as escorts with strict orders to use minimum force if they had to detain someone and to call in the police immediately they had done so.

Jean was not invited to make a statement.

Metcalfe appeared in the Magistrate's Court the following morning and was remanded in custody pending further police investigations.

Raids on Metcalfe's home and office revealed that he was an aficionado of SM and young girls. His home computers held the originals of all his notes to Samantha. The address in Fulham turned up a brothel specialising in SM. The escort team's description of the girl he'd taken home led to her identification which in turn led to the police busting a sex slave ring.

Metcalfe appeared again at the Magistrate's Court and was remanded in custody to appear before the Crown Court. There was minor media interest at the Magistrate's Court hearing but the trial at the Crown Court produced a rehash of Samantha's slander case and plenty of speculation including innuendo about her possibly leading Morgan and Metcalfe on. That these two were of the same ilk and that one had taken over from the other was lost in the possibility that Samantha might not be the innocent, after all she was a divorcee and possibly there was some truth in the allegations of adultery.

Henry and Samantha particularly were distraught. They could not understand such suspicion and innuendo.

Ian did his best to calm them. He told them that it would all wash over and to realise that if the media could not find sufficient celebrity misbehaviour to feed on they would try to find something to trash the 'aristocracy'. He applied for and obtained injunctions against the worst offenders. Veronica's paper, for once, did nothing but report the facts.

Henry became worried about Samantha. She had never had any weight to spare but over the last month she had lost even that and became skeletal and haggard. Her performance at work fell off. Her director was worried but retained his faith in her. Jean fretted and tried her best to cheer her up but the allegations of immorality hurt Samantha deeply, hitting her mentally and physically. She started taking it out on Henry. Nothing she said to him had foundation in fact, as he immediately realised, but it was immensely hurtful. Then she would turn to him for comfort only to reject that.

The nadir came one evening when she arrived home looking even more haggard and unhappy than usual. She refused a drink.

"We need to talk, Henry," she said and led the way into the sitting room without even taking off her coat. She sat in a chair rather than on the sofa where she normally sat with him. Henry sat on the sofa and waited.

"I want to call our engagement off," she said tonelessly.

Henry's heart lurched but he managed to contain himself. "Why?"

"Because I'm not worthy of you."

"Why aren't you?"

"Because I'm a whore."

Henry's mind raced as to which way to counter this. Rather than refute it he chose to question her but not too seriously.

"Oh? Since when?"

"Never in fact but mentally and in any case everybody thinks I am."

So?"

"I can't drag you down. I ... I've got to let you go."

"Do you still love me?"

"Yes. Of course I do and that's why I've got to let you go. You mustn't be tainted with me. I'd ruin your life."

"OK, so let's go back to the beginning. Since when have you mentally been a whore?"

"Since I married Marty without your consent."

"What?" Henry was incredulous.

"I should have asked you before I did."

"Why for Heaven's sake? You didn't ask Mum or Dad."

"No but I've ... always ... loved you. I committed adultery."

"Rubbish! OK, you did love me but you weren't in love with me."

"Yes I was but I didn't dare say so because I wasn't sure you felt the same way and that anyway it might be incestuous."

"Oh, my darling Sams!"

He moved across to her.

"No, Henry!"

He sat back on the sofa.

"Go on then."

"Well, then came the slander about my committing adultery."

"Did you?"

"NO!"

"So?"

"I thought about it. I wanted to make love again rather than just being treated as a bitch in season but I realised that however gentle and loving someone else might be it would just be sex. And then ... and then I'd be cheating on you."

"But you didn't whatever your way of thinking."

"But I was still being unfaithful to you."

"No, my Sams. You were a free agent."

"No I wasn't. I'd already been unfaithful to you once and now I was thinking about it again."

"Sams, my sweet, darling Sams, think again."

She shook her head.

"Listen to me, my Sams, because I'm not going to give you any flannel. You were in love with me but because of your fear of incest you bottled it up. I loved you but it was never a physical love just a hopeless love recognising that some day you would get married. Mum's probably told you about my bouts of Samanthaitis. I never realised that it was anything more than desperately missing you but I know now what it was. Sams, my sweet, my precious darling, neither of us can live without each other and you know it as well as I."

Samantha smiled wanly. "Yes, sweets, I do know so I must be the one to die because I'm the one who let you down."

"If you die I'll follow you. Oh, Sams, don't be so stupid. I want to live and I want to live with you and nobody else ever. Ever!"

"You mean you don't mind living with a whore who even after she's become engaged continues to egg men on?"

"Don't be a poop, Sams. All this press and internet stuff is salacious drivel and, if you think about it, you know it. I love you, my darling, and always will. Please stay and return that love."

Samantha stared at him. Henry found it a most disconcerting stare. There was almost something manic about it. Then her eyes softened and she leapt across the space between them landing on her knees before him.