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She stopped.
"You wanted it to be true?" said Craddock gently.
She looked at him gratefully.
"Yes, I wanted it to be true. I would be so glad if Edmund had left a son."
Craddock nodded.
"As you say, the letter, on the face of it, sounds genuine enough. What is surprising is the sequel; Martine Crackenthorpe's abrupt departure for Paris and the fact that you have never heard from her since. You had replied kindly to her, were prepared to welcome her.
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Why, even if she had to return to France, did she not write again? That is, presuming her to be the genuine article. If she were an impostor, of course, it's easier to explain. I though perhaps that you might have consulted Mr. Wimborne, and that he might have instituted inquiries which alarmed the woman. That, you tell me, is not so. But it's still possible that one or other of your brothers may have done something of the kind. It's possible that this Martine may have had a background that would not stand investigation. She may have assumed that she would be dealing only with Edmund's affectionate sister, not with hardheaded suspicious business men. She may have hoped to get sums of money out of you for the child (hardly a child now - a boy presumably of fifteen or sixteen) without many questions being asked.
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