Mystical Paths Part III

Nick talks to Katie alone. She tells him that the marriage was not happy. Christian found her boring after the initial romance had faded, and he became involved with Marina Markhampton. He was not having sex with her because Marina did not like sex. But Marina amused and pleased Christian, and she and Katie were fond of each other. So it kept the marriage glued together. Katie can't bear to think that Christian might have committed suicide but she does not quite believe he died in an accident. In their emotional conversation, Nick finds himself trying to console Katie by making love to her. Afterwards, he feels disgusted with himself and leaves. Marina takes Katie home and gets her into a nursing home. She tells Nick that Katie uses heroin. Nick goes on with his investigation, talking to Christian's brothers, James and Norman. He also talks to Charley Ashworth, Charles' son who is now a curate in a rural parish, and finds to his shock that Christian had had a brief affair with Nick's own half brother Martin, who is a gay actor. He pursues his brother who does not want to talk about it. But Martin then admits that he was in love with Christian, but that Christian ended the affair brutally. He thinks that he was a self hating homosexual. Nick is not so sure but as they discuss things, he begins to wonder if Christian had indeed faked his own death, with the help of his boating friend Perry, who worked in the Civil service... This begins to seem plausible that Christian, bored with his life and his marriage but lacking the courage to make an open break, had decided to get out of the rat race by disappearing.