Sidney Chambers and The Problem of Evil (The Grantchester Mysteries) (35 page)
Read Sidney Chambers and The Problem of Evil (The Grantchester Mysteries) Online
Authors: James Runcie
‘I don’t care what he says,’ Amanda said airily. ‘They can borrow as much as they like but they’ll never be any match for Mozart. So lovely seeing you all. Don’t let me break up the party.’
‘It was so good of you to come,’ said Sidney.
‘Anna’s such a wonderful baby. You must be so proud.’
‘Yes,’ said Hildegard. ‘We are.’
‘I never thought I would see the day.’
‘She is the greatest gift,’ said Sidney.
‘You’d better keep a close eye on her then. I’m tempted to steal her away with me.’
Sidney remembered that he had not told his friend anything about the theft of baby John and was momentarily pleased with his own tact. It was one less thing about which he had to defend himself. He kissed Amanda on the cheek and let the other guests know that this was, indeed, a cue for their departure as well. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to a peaceful night.
However, just after nine o’clock that evening, when all the inhabitants of Grantchester were surely sated by Christmas and watching either
Mr Pickwick
or
Christmas Night with the Stars
, and when Hildegard was giving Anna her last feed and Byron had been settled in his pen, the vicarage doorbell rang. Sidney was told by Hildegard very firmly not to answer it, but after a second ring he thought that, in all conscience, he had no choice in the matter. He was, as he still told anyone who would listen to him, never off duty.
He opened the door to find Grace Carrington standing before him in a dark navy coat with a matching beret. She held a soft package wrapped in white paper with holly and red berries. ‘I brought some things for your new daughter. To welcome her into the world
.
.
.’
‘That’s very kind.’
‘And to say thank you for everything.’
‘I haven’t done very much.’
‘We both know you have.’
‘We had a conversation. That was all.’
‘You saved me from myself.’
‘That may be true. Or, of course, it may not. We don’t need to tell anyone else.’
‘I hope not. Thank you for what you did.’
‘I can’t recall doing anything’ Sidney replied. ‘But I’m glad you stayed for an answer.’
Grace Carrington shook his hand. ‘Happy Christmas, Canon Chambers.’
Sidney picked up the package and thought quietly, yet unavoidably, about desperation, guilt and redemption. It was a brave and risky thing for Grace Carrington to do, appearing at his door and quietly acknowledging her wrong. He would discourage Inspector Keating from pursuing a conviction. He would also try to be a better priest by going to see her and letting her know that he would always be willing to listen. That was something he had to learn so much more about: listening rather than speaking.
He left the package on the table in the hall and went into the kitchen to make some cocoa. He would bring a mug up to Hildegard and reassure her that the call at the door had been nothing serious. There would be no further adventures that night.
‘Thank you, O Lord,’ he prayed as he stirred the milk over a low heat, ‘for your gifts; not least, the gift of life itself.’
Outside the wind began to pick up. There was rain at the window. Byron stirred in his basket, and Sidney knew that he would have to walk him on a loose leash on Boxing Day. It was yet another thing to do, and it would take up more of his time, but then he recalled all the happiness that Dickens had given him and was grateful. There was so much going on in his life, but that, he said to himself, gave it all its fullness. He would be bored without challenge or complexity.
He poured the cocoa into the mugs. Perhaps he worried too much? Sometimes such simple acts, which could not be rushed and took up a fixed amount of necessary time, were a respite from more lasting uncertainties and preoccupations. If he could concentrate more upon such manageable tasks (making this cocoa, looking after his wife, feeding his child, or teaching his dog to fetch a ball) then ideas, and even solutions, might come unbidden; thoughts that could make him a better priest, a kinder husband, and even a more incisive detective; although, as soon as he began this daydream, he acknowledged that he would almost certainly have to put his criminal investigations on the back burner for the time being. There was only so much a man could do.
He picked up the two mugs and went upstairs. Hildegard had fallen asleep. He set the cocoa down by her side of the bed and then his own, not wanting to spill the hot liquid anywhere near the baby. He could not resist another look. He wanted neither his study nor his bed. He only needed to stand over the cot of his daughter.
Anna.
He gazed down at her fine hair, blushed cheeks and soft eyelashes. Above her mouth, between the nose and upper lip, was the beginning of a philtral dimple. Sidney recalled the old wives’ tale that it was the mark left on each newborn child by an angel’s fingertip. He had never mentioned it to Hildegard. Now he would remember to do so; either in the morning or as soon as she woke.
He could not wait to tell her.
J
ames Runcie is the Head of Literature at the Southbank Centre, an award-winning film-maker and the author of six novels.
Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death
and
Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night
are the first two books in ‘The Grantchester Mysteries’ series. He lives in London and Edinburgh.
@james_runcie
The Discovery of Chocolate
The Colour of Heaven
Canvey Island
East Fortune
The Grantchester Mysteries
Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death
Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night
Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death
The first book in ‘The Grantchester Mysteries’ series
‘Inspector Morse would appear to have a rival’
Scotland on Sunday
‘A charmingly effective tale of detection ... evoking oodles of churchy village atmosphere, circa 1953, provides a satisfyingly old-fashioned read’
The Times
Sidney Chambers, the Vicar of Grantchester, is a thirty-two year old bachelor. Sidney is an unconventional clergyman and can go where the police cannot.
Together with his roguish friend Inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney inquires into the suspect suicide of a Cambridge solicitor, a scandalous jewellery theft at a New Year's Eve dinner party, the unexplained death of a well-known jazz promoter and a shocking art forgery, the disclosure of which puts a close friend in danger. Sidney discovers that being a detective, like being a clergyman, means that you are never off duty...
If you have a device with internet, please click for more information
Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night
‘Runcie is emerging as Grantchester’s answer to Alexander McCall Smith. The book brings a dollop of
Midsomer Murders
to the Church of England, together with a literate charm of its own: civilized entertainment, with dog-collars’
Spectator
‘The clerical milieu is well rendered as an affectionate eye is cast over post-war England – a perfect accompaniment to a sunny afternoon, a hammock and a glass of Pimm’s’
Guardian
1955. Canon Sidney Chambers, loveable priest and part-time detective, is back. Accompanied by his faithful Labrador, Dickens, and the increasingly exasperated Inspector Geordie Keating, Sidney is called to investigate the unexpected fall of a Cambridge don from the roof of King's College Chapel, a case of arson at a glamour photographer's studio and the poisoning of Zafar Ali, Grantchester’s finest spin bowler.
Alongside his sleuthing, Sidney has other problems. Can he decide between his dear friend, the glamorous socialite Amanda Kendall and Hildegard Staunton, the beguiling German widow? To make up his mind Sidney takes a trip abroad, only to find himself trapped in a web of international espionage just as the Berlin Wall is going up.
If you have a device with internet, please click for more information
And for more information about ‘The Grantchester Mysteries’ please visit
www.grantchestermysteries.com
Copyright © 2014 by James Runcie
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make
available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without
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otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any
unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil
claims for damages. For information address Bloomsbury USA, 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018.
Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York
Bloomsbury is a trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Runcie, James, 1959–
[Novellas. Selections]
Sidney Chambers and the problem of evil / James Runcie.—First U.S. edition.
(The Grantchester mysteries ; 3)
eISBN: 978-1-62040-646-5
1. Clergy—England—Fiction. 2. Murder—Investigation—
Fiction. 3. Criminal investigation—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3568.U463S64 2014
813’.54—dc23
2013043690
First published in Great Britain 2014
First U.S. edition 2014
This electronic edition published in June 2014
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