Mr. Ferdinand's Fate

Chapter One: June 29, 1914

 

Lord Dumphries stood that morning looking out the bay window of the library of his estate upon so many things: upon the cloudless morning sky and the glowing sun to his right, upon the twisty laneway leading from his estate to the main road (upon which he could see the newspaper delivery boy approaching on bicycle), upon the Dumphries Oak with its eighty-foot trunk in the fullest power of early summer, upon the grasses and hedges kept in such perfect order by the gardener, Mr. Ferdinand, and finally upon the bloody and mutilated corpse of the already-mentioned Mr. Ferdinand off to the right.

The body had been discovered (with some screaming) by Linda the milkmaid while she had been travelling upon her daily duty to the small fowl-flock that provided Lord Dumphries, his wife, and his two daughters with their breakfast meat. The house flew into a disorder not seen since circa the sixteenth century or so. The body was left lying undisturbed in its ghastly condition while Connigsbay the driver sped into town in the automobile in search of Constable Eddings.

Lord Dumphries watched the delivery boy navigate the twists of the laneway. Nothing untoward had taken place the previous evening. Lady Dumphries, Lady Helen, Lady Margaret and himself had played a rubber of bridge before retiring en masse at nine and a half or so. The servants--Linda, Mrs. Jones (head housekeeper), Mr. Anders (butler), Geoffrey and Kent (valet and footman), Trudy, Mary, and Nancy (ladies maids all)--had all accounted for their whereabouts. There had been talk of a gypsy seen on the commons recently....

The delivery boy got off his bicycle and was met by Mr. Anders. The boy had obviously not seen the body, nor did he see the body as he rode off.

Mr. Ferdinand. What was known about Mr. Ferdinand? Perhaps a run-through of his references was in order, for nothing sprang to mind. He was liked by all, and his roses won prizes. A jealous competitor? If so, why such a bloody mess of a murder? Was it a warning? Why shout: "Here is a murder"?

There was a polite knock. "Yes?" It was Mr. Anders with the newspaper, who said, "Something's happened on the continent." Lord Dumphries took up the newspaper. The heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire had been assassinated in Sarajevo. His name was (or had been) Franz ... Ferdinand.