So, all the characters are assembled, mid-to-late November, 1940.
Old man Broughton unaware of the six-week affair that would soon begin between his wife Diana and Joss Erroll.
Diana has two constant companions, Hugh Dickinson and Major Pembroke.
Mrs Wilks runs the Broughton household with an iron fist. Knows all the comings and goings.
At the Broughton's big house in Karen, suburb of Nairobi.
On December 18, 1940, Broughton suddenly went to stay with Erroll in his house at Muthaiga, near to the Club, leaving Diana at home for four nights.
December 22nd the party of the year;
- dancing from "sundowners to sunrise"-- page 73
- joint birthday party for Gwladys Delamere and Diana at the Club
- everyone was there including all of Joss' old mistresses and wives (that were still alive)
- Idina was probably there
- Alice de Janzé was there
- everyone was there -- forty-four guests
Romance crystallized over Christmas.
Some acted as accomplices.
June Carberry was a kind of handmaid to the romance. She would have known everything.
Broughton seemed oblivious; he probably wasn't.
By January 3rd, the deception of Broughton began: Diana and Erroll went to June's house at Nyeri for the weekend; June discreetly disappeared to Malinda, on the coast.
On Monday, January 6, 1941, Diana and Joss returned to Nairobi.
Broughton picked up an anonymous note from his rack at the Club:
You seemed like a cat on hot bricks at the club last night. What about the eternal triangle? What are you going to do about it?He showed the note to Diana. They "all" laughed.
No one knows who wrote the note. Could Joss have written that note?
Regardless, Broughton now had to confront the problem head-on.
Broughton and Diana gave dinner party at Karen on January 12, 1941. (Remember, Joss was found dead on January 24, 1941.) At the table:
- Gerald Portman
- Richard Pembroke
- A Miss Lampson
- Erroll
- the Broughtons
- Gwladys, Lady Delamere
At the party, Joss tells Gwladys that he will do whatever it takes to marry Diana.
Gwladys then takes Diana aside and tells her what Joss has just said.
Now this! "What are you going to do about it?" inquired the Mayor. Wow. That was one of Gwlady's favourite phrases.
Diana was wavering but it was Dwladys' official approval that finally persuaded her to go ahead.
Now, having advised the two young lovers, she went to Broughton to deliver the bad news.
Broughton was shocked to learn the affair was public.
Broughton invites Erroll to stay the night.
They went riding together early the following morning with Diana in the Kikuyu Reserve -- read this paragraph later to see the author's analysis of all this -- page 76. Bottom line:
Broughton putting up a good show; trying to save face
Joss Erroll: shoving it back in Broughton's face; Erroll despised "husbands"
They lunched together, the three of them, but then split up.
Diana left Nairobi by train to stay with her best friend June Carberry at Malindi in a house full of air force personnel.
No one knew that Erroll was joining the train at Athi station, just outside Nairobi, with his man, Waiweru, and portable drinks cabinet. Hugh Dickinson would be staying there, too.
Hugh Dickinson moves into Carberry's home for a few days; though he is on active duty. Diana and Josh arrive, saying they are in love. Dickinson took one of the very few photographs of them together, on the Kilifi ferry; Erroll in uniform and shorts, Diana in tight slacks and dark glasses, standing beside an army car.
Broughton, meanwhile, on January 13, 1941, in seclusion with his old friend Soames at Nanyuki. He had gone to Soames for advice; had been drinking heavily for the past two weeks.
Broughton not sleeping well. Soames had given him Medinal -- a form of morphine -- to help Broughton sleep -- not working well. Broughton returns to Nairobi, Saturday, January 18, 1941.
Diana and Errroll had already been back in Nairobi for four nights, staying together at Erroll's house.
June had returned a day earlier, on the 17th.
Erroll phone Gwladys Delamere; June overheard the conversation: Joss and Diana were going to elope.
That same day, Broughton received his second anonymous letter in his Muthaiga rack:
Do you know your wife and Lord Erroll have been staying alone at the Carberry's house at Nyeri together?"Broughton destroyed the note; did not show it to Diana.
Me: sounds like Gwladys is writing these notes. I will have to go back and read early chapters in the book to see how Gwladys felt about Broughton.
At Broughton's request, Broughton and Erroll meet at Erroll's house. Erroll's man Waiweru and Erroll's garden boy recorded the confrontation. Broughton speaking loudly; Erroll quietly listening in sympathy.
Broughton wanted Erroll to persuade Diana to accompany Broughton to Ceylon for three months, to cool off the romance.
Broughton wanted Diana to remain at Broughton's house, not Erroll's house, for appearances -- page 79.
The discussion ended with the arrival of Diana and June. Broughton leaves with June; Broughton is talking as if he is considering suicide.
All went to the Club Muthaiga, but Broughton went home with his driver. So, Erroll, Diana, and June stayed on together, saying goodbye to Broughton.
Broughton dined alone at Karen, for the first time.
Waited up for them.
June and Diana finally return at 3:30 a.m. Diana has new set of pearls.
June said later that she shared Diana's bed with her because she was frightened of creaks in the house. Foreshadowing. Important.
At 3:30 a.m., the only discussion: the pearls. Page 79.
Diana still wearing pearls at breakfast that morning, January 19, 1941.
Pleasant Sunday lunch, according to Broughton.
The whole Derek Erskine's family rode eight miles across country to Karen for the occasion. Also attending: Erroll, June, Broughton (of course) and Gwladys. Gwladys seems to be very, very involved with all this.
Joss Erroll's daughter Petal Allen at the Sunday luncheon. Impossible to find "Petal Allen" in a google search.
After the mid-day luncheon-party, June says she is returning to Nyeri. Diana, said she couldn't stay alone with Broughton at Karen under the circumstances, and says she wants to go with June. Instead, they go to Erroll's house at Muthaiga à deux.
January 21, 1941: Diana seen dancing with Erroll at the club.
While Diana at Erroll's, Broughton reports to police, a robbery: two stolen revolvers; a silver cigarette case, and a small amount of money. Also tells this to his personal servants: Mohammed and Alfred.
January 21, 1941, same day: both Broughton and Erroll went to their lawyers to discuss divorce. Earlier in the day, Broughton had called Erroll; a credible witness only heard Erroll's end of the call, but it sounded like he was getting an ultimatum from Erroll. But, might Broughton have told Erroll to get in touch with lawyer about divorce?
Also learned that some days earlier Broughton had written his friend Soames:
- he had re-booked his passage to Ceylon without Diane
- felt situation was hopeless; had lost Diana to Erroll
- nothing to live for in Kenya
There's no fool like an old fool. What are you going to do about it?Again, sounds like Gwladys; doesn't sound like Erroll.
January 23, 1941:
- Broughton now seems to be wavering
- Erroll tells his friend Julian Lezard that Broughton was being "very difficult. He won't make up his mind where he is going to go"
Broughton back in a good mood. Lunches always cheered him up.
Lezard summoned to Erroll's office that afternoon and was told that Jock had decided to go away, "as a matter of fact, he has been so nice it smells bad."
A celebratory dance scheduled for that evening.
Diana has spent only five nights at the house in Karen with her husband since the beginning of January but Jock wanted Karen home early this particular day because he and she were tired.
At dinner that night, Broughton took Diana on the veranda after the meal and told her that she had nothing to worry about; he was prepared to go away to Ceylon and he would give her the Karne house. Two months later he would be in England, but he hoped she would at least stay at home until he left.
Page 82.
Because the celebratory dinner / dance had only been arranged at lunchtime, Jock had to go back to Karen to get his dinner jacket and a dress for Karen. She would change at Erroll's house.
Between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Erroll drove up with Diana and June Carberry; the two of them went into the club.
As Erroll was getting something out of the car, Broughton came up to him and said he wanted a word with him. Broughton and Erroll talked in the back seat of the Buick for a couple of minutes and then walked in to join the women.
Broughton played backgammon with Mrs Barkas -- a regular in the club; always there; and, a credible personality.
The foursome sat down to this "odd celebration" and ordered more champagne.
Broughton raised a toast, saying the past was past, and now wishing them every happiness.
Author: "The toast was perhaps the measure of his pain."
Or was he clever like a fox?
Page 83.
Dinner ended at 10:15 p.m.
Joss and Diana left the Club; went dancing at the Claremont Road House near by, leaving Broughton and June in the Club.
Broughton had now been drinking heavily for some days, for the first time in his life. He and June began drinking liqueur brandy. Again, foreshadowing Broughton's state of mind at that time.
About 10:30: Broughton passed Richard Pembroke in the hall; small talk.
10:30 - 11:30, one hour, Brought and June Carberry were alone, unobserved apparently, at the Club.
Around 11:30, they sat by the bar in the lounge -- Broughton suddenly became cross and peevish, according to June. Broughton now saying he wasn't going to pay his wife anything when she left him.
Phyllis Barkas, a credible witness, reports Broughton very, very angry how Diana treated him.
Not a good scene. By a credible witness, Mrs Barkas.
Supper together: Mrs Barkas, Captain Llewellin, "Jacko" Heath, and Gerald Portman.
The four invited Broughton and June to join them.
Broughton said he was very tired and "begged" to go home.
But June wanted to cheer him up. They stayed.
Finally agreed to leave a 1:30 a.m. -- early, early morning, January 24, 1941.
Driven home by Broughton's chauffeur; arriving at Karen at around 2:00 a.m.
Mrs Wilks was still up and opens the door for them. June helps the old man up the stairs; at the top of the stairs, June says goodbye to Broughton.
June goes to her room; asks Wilks for quinine for an attack of malaria.
Wilks brought it to her room and stayed talking to June for "some minutes. This would be between 2:15 and 2:30 a.m. probably.
June said later that Broughton came to her door ten minutes later, maybe 2:40 a.m., asked if she was all right, and said goodnight. Apparently not that drunk. So, about 2:30, maybe 2:40 a.m.
Meanwhile, Joss and Diana had left the Claremont Road House where they had been dancing -- around midnight for his house at Muthaiga. Around midnight. They stayed about an hour -- now it would be1:00 a.m.
They drive to Broughton's house in Karen; three suitcases, the accumulation of her travels in the recent weeks.
Once again, the ever attentive Wilks opens the door; they arrive somewhere between 2:15 and 2:25 a.m. The exact time June and Wilks talking; about just the same time Broughton was saying goodnight to June. Was it the entrance of Diana and Joss that "woke" Broughton up; was stopping by to say goodnight to June just an excuse to come out of his room to see what was going on.
June says she heard laughing in the hall, then a car door slamming, and a car driving off.
Diana came upstairs, went to her room, put her dog inside, and walked back along the corridor to talk to June.
June said Diana stayed talking to her for half hour, perhaps more. This would probably be about 3:00 to 3:30 a.m.
Wilks, who had been darting in and out of June's room was now going to bed.
June said that Broughton paid a second call on her at 3:30 to ask again if she was all right. Broughton said he doesn't remember that second visit, just as he couldn't remember the first visit.
June heard Diana's Dachsund bark either just before or just after his visit.
So to summarize:
Erroll departs about 3:00 a.m. Three witnesses -- Wilks, Diana, and June -- all say they saw Broughton in the house at that time.
Broughton is an "old man." Drunk but not too drunk to visit June twice -- which raises all kinds of questions -- why he would visit her twice. What was the real purpose of his visits?
Colombo would want to know if it was Broughton's regular routine to check in on June during the night or if this was something out of the ordinary.
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