Garth of Tregillis (22 page)

‘But why?’ I faltered. I was conscious that shocked and with my defences down after my near drowning I had betrayed myself. It would be useless now to deny it.

‘You mustn’t let yourself fall for him, Judith,’ she said earnestly,

‘because—Oh, I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing in telling you this, but I’ve grown fond of you since you came here. You’re the only person who takes the least notice of me or considers me in any way. I simply can’t stand aside and let you throw yourself away on a murderer.’

‘A what?’ My voice was no more than a whisper.

‘I didn’t tell you this before, but I witnessed the whole thing through my binoculars from my study up there in the top storey, and I distinctly saw Garth throw Giles overboard.’

‘It can’t be true,’ I cried out. ‘Garth wouldn’t do such a thing. I know he wouldn’t.’

‘You know nothing of what happened,’ she said sharply. ‘You won’t believe me because you’re in love with him: it’s easy to deceive oneself when one’s in love.’

The fear that Eunice might be right in this held me silent.

‘You can believe me: why should I lie to you?’ she said, as though reading my thoughts. ‘I saw Giles trying to defend himself: he struggled, but Garth was younger and stronger and he pushed him overboard.’

‘No, no!’ I cried, covering my face with my hands.

‘As you know yourself,’ she went on inexorably, ‘once in those waters there’s hardly any chance of being saved—no chance at all for a person who can’t swim—and remember everyone here at Tregillis knew Giles couldn’t swim.’

‘But surely Garth made some attempt to save him,’ I protested.

‘He didn’t just turn the boat back to land and leave Giles to drown?’

‘The next thing I saw was the boat capsizing,’ Eunice answered.

‘The sails, of course, were neglected while they were struggling, but remember Garth is an expert yachtsman. It’s my belief that he deliberately allowed the sloop to capsize so that he would be spared any blame for not going to Giles’s rescue.’

‘But it could have been an accident,’ I wailed.

‘Not the way I saw it,’ she replied grimly.

It was an accident—it must have been an accident, I whispered to myself when at last Eunice had gone. And yet she had seemed so certain of what she had witnessed!

That night I tossed and turned in an agony of confusion. Had I really fallen in love with a man as evil as Eunice made Garth out to be? I couldn’t believe it. But, as Eunice had said, ‘when one is in love it’s easy to deceive oneself,’ I told myself.

I had asked Verity to help me choose a dress for the ball. I knew her artistic judgment would be a great help to me and I was firmly determined to look my best. Armanell had done her utmost to prevent me going and, out of feminine perversity, I resolved to appear as attractive as I possibly could.

Verity seemed delighted when I suggested we drive into Plymouth and that she should help me select a dress suitable for the occasion.

We set off on one of my free afternoons. I had seen no sign of Armanell or Garth and I concluded that they were out.

We hadn’t much trouble in selecting the dress, as it transpired.

Somehow as soon as we had both seen it we knew it was the right dress for me, a froth of aquamarine silk chiffon over an underskirt of peacock blue taffeta, the bodice encrusted with tiny crystals and seed pearls. Verity drew in a breath of dismay when we inquired the price. ‘What a pity,’ she said sadly, ‘it would have looked perfect on you.’

I could see that she had immediately assumed that it would be beyond my resources. I hesitated, then said lightly, ‘Oh, I’ve saved up. I think I’ll splurge just this once.’

She looked at me in surprise. ‘It’s certainly a very beautiful dress and it seems a great pity that you couldn’t buy it, but it does seem dreadfully expensive, doesn’t it, and after all, it’s not the type of dress you could wear very often. I mean, it’s so spectacular.’

I nodded. ‘All the same, I’ve my heart set on it. And I haven’t bought anything new since I came here.’

It was strictly true, of course, but I refrained from telling her that I had arrived with a pretty big selection of clothes. But I could see that after her initial surprise that I could afford such extravagance, She had been delighted that I had decided on the frock and she was prepared to accept my rather lame explanation without suspicion. I was to find however that when I returned to Tregillis, my explanation was not accepted with such naivete.

After a lush tea in Plymouth, Verity and I had driven home through the dusky light of a summer’s evening. We both felt gay and expectant and extremely satisfied with ourselves. Verity, both for my sake, and also because I had insisted she approach the shops that might show interest in her work. At first she had demurred and with her usual self-deprecation had refused to display any of her work. But I had insisted and had almost frog-marched her into some of the shops that I thought might be interested in her jewellery and, to her surprise and delight, she had received several substantial orders.

‘Do you know, Judith,’ she said confidently, as I dropped her off and she took her tiny box of samples from the glove compartment, ‘I’ve the strangest feeling that this is going to be the beginning of wonderful things for me. This will sound strange to you, but actually I’ve never really liked being housekeeper to Paul. It’s placed me in a false position in relation to him, meant that we were never on equal terms. But if I could get sufficient work to make my jewellery a full-time occupation then I’d be independent and I wonder if he’d feel differently towards me too.’

She met my eye a little shyly and with her usual quiet perspicacity, said, ‘Well, perhaps what I really mean is that I’d feel differently towards him. Do you think I’m right?’

I nodded. ‘Yes, indeed I do. All you need is confidence, Verity.

Once you realize you count for something in your own right you’ll find that your attitude towards Paul will change.’

Her eyes glowed. ‘You’ve been wonderful, Judith. Somehow today has transformed everything for me. Isn’t it amazing that in such a short time one’s outlook can change so drastically? I just know things are going to turn out well and if it hadn’t been for your coming to Tregillis—’

‘That’s right,’ I laughed. ‘Send in your problems to Aunt Judith : she knows all the answers.’

But as I drove off I thought dismally that I didn’t know all the answers—not at least as far as Garth Seaton was concerned.

As soon as I entered the hall, bearing my big ornate box, I knew I was in for trouble. As I went through the hall the door of the library was open and Armanell, alone for once and obviously very bored, called out affably, ‘Don’t tell me you’ve been shopping! What is it you’ve got in that interesting-looking box? A new dress? And if my eyes don’t deceive me it’s from Marsden’s too. Do slip it on and we’ll have a little fashion parade on our own before Garth comes back.’

I was wary of her enthusiasm and attributed it mainly to acute boredom: she was trying to pass away the wearying time until Garth should rejoin her. But I caught a hint of just how charming she could be when she wished to get her own way and realized what power she would have over any man whom she had set her heart on.

I had to remind myself that this was all artificial and that I had seen her in too many crudely selfish and barbarously rude moods to be bewitched by her flattery. Yet, in spite of this, I found as I made my way upstairs that I had promised to put it on and come down in my full glory.

When I had changed and returned to the library, I kept telling myself grimly that I had been a fool to fall for her blandishments.

Why on earth did I feel I had to justify myself to this lovely sophisticated woman, Who never made the mistake of appearing in anything unbecoming just because it was fashionable but always adapted the styles to flatter her dainty petite beauty? I knew that I was desperately trying to show her that I understood how to dress and that I had chosen a dress that suited me perfectly. As I stood in the doorway of the library, the light from the long hall windows outlined the chiffon, aqueous and translucent over the rich blue green shimmer of taffeta, and glittered richly on the crystals and seed pearls on the bodice of the dress.

As I saw Armanell’s expression, startled and disconcerted I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my dress was a success. Had she expected me to appear in shining mauve satin? I thought dryly. It was not in her nature, I knew, to be pleased at another woman’s success and I saw her eyes narrow. As she regarded me her face seemed subtly to alter and she seemed to appear older. For a few seconds she was silent: I knew she was casting about in her mind to find words and with a little flash of contempt I thought she was desperately trying to force herself to say something civil, or perhaps she was casting about in her mind for some belittling remark that would make me feel small and spoil my pleasure in my purchase.

But I had been mistaken there. When at last she spoke she mentioned all the little points that a discerning woman would note and I felt rather ashamed of my suspicions. It wasn’t until she said,

‘Of course you bought it with an eye to the ball, didn’t you?’ that I felt a hint of change in her attitude. For an instant I was about to deny it, then told myself that I was growing absurdly suspicious where Armanell was concerned. Anyway, she would see me wear it at the ball: it would be absurd to deny it.

‘Yes, of course. It’s much too elaborate for anything else. Dear me, what a pity,’ she said, and into her voice had crept that peculiar cooing tone that I had come to associate with mischief. ‘To think that you must have spent so much money! It must have been outrageously expensive, I’m sure. Marsden’s things always are.’

I listened in silence, feeling doubt creep over me.

‘You see, Judith,’ she continued gently, ‘we’ve changed our plans.’

I tried to hide my disappointment and dismay. ‘You mean—

mean the ball is going to be put off?’ I stammered.

‘Well, no, not exactly, but we’ve decided to make it a fancy dress ball—so much more exciting and colourful, don’t you think, especially if it’s masked.’

I stared at her in silence. Somehow it didn’t ring true. I was convinced she had not thought of such an innovation until that moment. Her purpose, of course, was crystal clear. Garth had invited me to the ball and she intended to exclude me by any means in her power.

I realized I was not mistaken in her motives when she went on still in that silky tone she used when she was at her most dangerous.

‘I know it’s a dreadful pity you didn’t know before you purchased your new dress, for you’ll hardly be able to afford a really decent costume for the ball—not, that is, unless you’re even richer than you appear to be. I must say it’s unusual to find girls who are as rich as Cleopatra employed in the capacity of governess.’

It flashed through my mind that perhaps I might thwart Armanell by procuring a costume for the ball, but of course her words now made that impossible. To have indulged in further extravagance would have left me open to the suspicion of being at Tregillis under false pretences. People opulent enough to indulge in such luxuries didn’t apply for positions as governesses in a remote part of Cornwall.

But if she had only that moment dreamed up the idea of the fancy dress ball she showed no concern when Garth joined us in the library. He looked slightly surprised as he found me standing in my finery in the middle of the library floor and I hoped I didn’t look as bitterly disappointed as I felt.

‘Look, Garth, isn’t that a simply wonderful dress Judith’s wearing?’ Armanell cooed. ‘But I’ve just been telling her that we’ve decided to have a fancy dress ball instead—masked, of course, so that no one knows who they’re dancing with until the witching hour when we all lay aside our masks and discover who has been whispering sweet naughty nothings to us.’

‘Well, I must say this is the first I’ve heard of it,’ Garth said easily.

‘Nonsense! Don’t say you’ve forgotten we arranged it was to be a fancy dress ball. I mean, the ballroom’s just made for such an affair.’

‘No, I can’t say I remember,’ Garth said slowly. ‘However, if you say so—’

‘But I do say so, Garth. I distinctly remember mentioning it to you.’

‘Does this mean I’ll have to go to the trouble of getting a costume? Anyway, I hate fancy dress. I always seem to turn up as a cavalier and my fine feathers are getting a bit bedraggled.’

‘Well, if you turn up as a cavalier this time I’ll be furious. You must do something more original, Garth. You must come as Essex or, better still, Fersen.’

Fersen? For a moment I couldn’t think whom she meant, then it was as though loose leaves from my school books fell into place.

Axel Fersen, the romantic Swedish lover of Marie Antoinette! He had been unusually dark too, I remembered. Romantic, faithful to the frivolous and doomed queen, following her from gaiety and thoughtlessness of the days of Petit Trianon at Versailles to the dark and gloomy days when she had been a prisoner in the tower of the Gonciergerie in Paris and from which she had been led out to her death before the mob who had once applauded her. Yes, Fersen would certainly be a romantic choice for him to make and in some way suited him.