Mistress of Darkness (53 page)

She drew a short breath, and took one of Gislane's breasts in each hand, kneading the flesh, feeling the texture. The sponge ceased moving.

'You are heavier than I,' Georgiana said. 'But no doubt, in time, I shall grow heavier.'

She could feel Gislane's breath on her neck.

'Why do you stop? The water is cooling all the time.'

The movements of the sponge resumed, more quickly.

'I am sure you will rub a sore in my flesh,' Georgiana complained. She released the breasts and lay back. 'I have another side.'

Gislane gazed at her, then slowly resumed washing. The sponge coursed over the stomach.

'Tell me.' Georgiana said, watching the door of the bedroom opening. 'Suppose you had me in your power, Gislane. What would you do?'

Gislane was absorbed in her task. 'I would hang you,' she said. 'But slowly. By your hair.'

Georgiana smiled at Louis. 'She is a remarkably frank young woman, is she not, my darling?'

The sponge stopped moving again, resting on her thigh, waiting; she could see the artery throbbing in Gislane's neck, but the mustee would not turn her head.

'I would have her no other way,' Corbeau said. 'She also dreams of killing me, no doubt slowly, but recognizes that it is only a dream. And I must tell you, my sweet, that I have never seen a more magnificent picture than this. And it is the one I have always longed to see. I am delighted. Whose idea was it?'

'Mine, of course,' Georgiana said.

Gislane at last turned her head. 'Why, Louis,' she said. 'You told me to look after the madame.'

Louis smiled, and then laughed. 'I can see,' he said, 'From this moment I shall not understand the meaning of the word boredom. I am delighted. I will have you both with me for breakfast, I think. Make haste now, ladies. I will sit here and watch you dress each other.'

Georgiana sat at the huge desk, dipped her quill into the inkwell, but did not immediately write. Instead she stared at the wall opposite, and waited for the room to settle; Louis had insisted she eat far too much, and drink far too much, at breakfast. Louis had insisted. Equally had he pressed food and drink upon Gislane, but perhaps she was the more used to it. And in any event, she was not the mistress of the house. He sought to make them compete, for his attention, for his favour. It was an insult, which would bring Robert here by the fastest available means, pistol in hand.

If he was to learn of it. She sucked the end of the pen, listened to the silence, felt a bead of sweat trickle down her neck; it was two in the afternoon, and very hot.

Her first afternoon on Rio Blanco, the heaven of which she had dreamed for two years. Or the hell into which she must now delve, for the rest of her life.

Yet had she not considered all this already, yesterday at sea, this morning in a space of seconds? She must investigate some more. Could Louis really have bought Gislane, merely to torment her? He had not known of the mustee's existence before she had told him.

But when it came to the business of setting cats amongst pigeons, of making people prove themselves, she was the equal of anyone. Certainly of Louis or Gislane. She dipped the pen again, and this time she wrote, in great haste, hurling her careless scrawl across the page. To and fro raced the pen. Never had she written with such facility. But then, never had she had such a tale to tell.

She was so absorbed in her task that she covered several sheets of paper without stopping to think, without being aware of the passage of time, without being aware of the growing weariness in her fingers,, until she was alerted by two hands rested on her shoulders.

She raised her head. 'Louis?'

'And you have not been sleeping? I purposely stayed away, that you might be fresh for the fete.'

'I was restless.' She smiled. 'And suffering from indigestion.'

'And you had much to do. A diary?'

How gentle was his voice, how soft his hands. If only she could tell for sure which side of his character was the true one. ‘I have never kept a diary,' she said thoughtfully. 'Although perhaps it would be a sensible idea.'

'Then it is a letter.' He frowned past her shoulder.

'To Robert,' she said casually, although her heartbeat was quickening.

'Already?'

'Well ...' she licked her lips. 'He will wish to know how I am enjoying being a madame.'

'But you do not know how you enjoy being a madame, yet,' Corbeau pointed out. 'Now it is time for the fete. I am afraid you will not have the time to change your clothes. You must come as you are.'

Georgiana hesitated, and then stood up. 'I will finish the letter later.'

He smiled at her; his eyes were cold. 'I would prefer it if you started the letter later, all over again.' He reached past her and picked up the sheets of paper, glanced at them again, and then shuffled them together and tore them into shreds.

'Louis,' she shouted. 'How dare you.'

Corbeau dropped the pieces into the waste basket. 'I told you, I have no doubt that Robert would prefer a more considered opinion on your new situation. Shall we go?'

She glared at him. 'Am I then a prisoner?'

He took her arm. ‘You are my wife. From the day you married me, your priorities changed. You are a Corbeau first, a Hilton second. You are my wife first, a woman second. You have but to remember both of those very simple facts, and also the philosophy I outlined to you, which you would do well to adopt as your own, and you will enjoy a splendidly happy life. Now come and entertain your guests.'

She tried to stop herself moving forward. 'And suppose I refuse?'

He checked as they reached the doorway. 'If you refuse, Georgy, I will punish you.'

Her mouth dropped open, and yet she could not doubt for a moment that he meant it. Her brain seemed to seize up with rage, and she discovered a tremendous hot flush spreading upwards and outwards from her belly to make her cheeks catch fire. But he was urging her on again, and now they were once again at the top of the grand staircase, and at least a hundred eyes were gazing at her as she started the descent.

'You've not had a chance to speak with anyone individually,' Corbeau said. 'It would be good were you to do so. Jules, old friend. Jules Romain, my dear. Jules is my manager. Without him I have no doubt Rio Blanco would grind to a halt.'

Romain, a short, fair man, bowed from the waist. 'Monsieur chooses to flatter me, madame. May I present my wife, Seraphine.'

She was taller than her husband, and surprisingly plump, for a Creole. She did a half-curtsy and gave a nervous smile; being a woman she could tell that all was not well.

Georgiana gave her a cold smile and found herself meeting someone else. But their names and their faces were a blur. She had never been so angry in her life. And she was not going to put up with it. If he thought he could bully her, well... he would have to be taught differently. As he would have to be taught differently about humiliating her, as well.

'Charles, my dear, dear fellow,' Corbeau cried.

They had reached the terrace and some welcome fresh air, and looked down the marble pathway to the gates, where a carriage had recently halted. And these new arrivals were clearly no
petit-blancs.
Georgiana realized; the man, tall and with a distinguished face, was as expensively dressed as Louis, and the woman, also tall, slender, with a plain enough face but incredibly haughty features, her mouth twisted in a perpetual sneer, her eyes darting shafts of silent criticism, wore diamonds in her auburn hair.

'Charles de Morain, Georgy. Angelique, what do you think of her?'

The woman took Georgiana's hands. 'You sweet child. Why, Louis, she is absolutely lovely. And do you know, Georgiana ... I may call you Georgiana, I hope ... I had even supposed that he was no more than a lovesick swain with his talk of you.'

Georgiana stared at her.

'Angelique will be your own special friend, sweetheart,' Corbeau said. 'The Morain estate is our neighbour. Charles indeed is my rival. Eh, Charles?' He threw his arm round his friend's shoulder.

'I owe you a deep apology, my dear,' Angelique de Morain said to Georgiana. 'For not attending your wedding. Alas, little Paulette was not well. She is only three years, you know, and I thought for a moment it was yellow fever. It was not, of course, but then, one cannot be too careful.'

'I thought I did not recognize your face,' Georgiana said. 'But then, there were so many French-speaking people present I really could not keep track of them all.'

'Ah, yes, of course,' agreed Madame de Morain. 'But I really am sorry not to have visited Jamaica. You must tell me all about it, whether it is as barbaric as is claimed.' She smiled as Georgiana's mouth opened. 'But now you are here, my dear child. There is nowhere in the world like St. Domingue, and in St. Domingue there is nowhere quite like Rio Blanco. They have made you comfortable?'

'Oh, yes, indeed, madame,' Georgiana declared at the top of her voice. ‘I am so well looked after, by Louis, and by his housekeeper, Mademoiselle Gislane. You know her, of course? I am surprised she is not present this afternoon. She is present at all other times, apparently.'

The entire assembly had fallen silent, and now Angelique de Morain's mouth drooped open. And then she looked at Corbeau, who smiled, although his eyes were terrible to see.

'She is such an amusing child, Angelique,' he remarked. 'Full of humour.'

'Do you know,' Georgiana remarked, still speaking very loudly, 'when you are all gone, my dear Angelique .. . you do not mind if I call you Angelique, I hope ... he is going to beat me with his belt. So I think you should stay as long as possible.'

'My dear,' Angelique whispered. 'It really will not do.'

But Corbeau continued to smile. ‘I think we should play a game,' he said. 'My wife is a trifle excited, and no wonder, as she has never visited Rio Blanco before. We shall play skittles. What do you say to that, Georgiana? You may work off some of your excess energy.'

'Skittles, monsieur?' Romain asked, some of the colour fading from his face. 'There are children present.'

'Then send them home,' Corbeau suggested.

'Skittles,' Angelique cried, and clapped her hands. 'What a droll idea. I do love skittles. Especially as Louis plays them. Come along, my dear.' She thrust her arm through Georgiana's and escorted her along the terrace.

'I really can find little of interest in children's games,' Georgiana complained.

'This is a game for adults. It takes a steady hand.' Angelique halted where the marble steps led down to the lawn, the crowd of overseers and their wives behind her; all conversation had come to a stop, and Georgiana discovered to her horror that it was not, as she had first supposed, on account of her. For there was a great deal of activity on the lawn, at the far end of which nine pits had been dug in the grass, obviously some time before. Thus Louis must have intended this, some time before. Now she watched the Negro drivers bringing forward nine male slaves, each man wearing manacles on his wrists and ankles, and each man moaning with a peculiar intensity.

'Oh, my God,' she whispered.

'Oh, indeed,' Angelique agreed. 'Louis has a way with him.'

'But...' Georgiana stared at the men, being forced in turn into the pits, while other slaves stood by to pack earth around them and leave them unable to move, only their heads exposed to view. 'They are criminals?' She pulled herself free and ran to Corbeau's side. 'Murderers, who are condemned?'

He looked down at her. 'I do not imagine so,' he said. 'I do not permit my slaves to murder one another.'

'Then ...' she licked her lips. 'What is their crime?'

'They have committed no crime, surely, Madame Corbeau,' de Morain said. 'Or they would be punished.'

'Punished?' she shouted. 'You do not call that, punishment?'

'I am merely using them for sport,' Corbeau said. 'Now - come.' He took her arm. 'You, as the guest of honour, are going to roll the first bowl. And I will wager that you can do no more than knock out a few teeth.'

'You ...' she stared from him to the waiting people some smiling, others vaguely apprehensive, but none, so far as she could estimate, experiencing the nausea which was spreading upwards from her stomach. She turned to stare at the nine slaves, who returned her gaze, mouths open to gasp the breaths which would soon be robbed of them forever, at the gardeners, who waited in a group some distance farther off, at the brilliant flowers in the garden beyond and the cloudless blue of the sky over the ocean. Then she wrenched her arm free again and ran for the house.

Georgiana felt rather than heard someone in the room with her; the pillow was so tightly pressed over her ears she could hear nothing at all. But now she allowed it to relax, just a little, and now too she opened her eyes. She did not even have any idea how long she had lain there, across her bed, her entire mind a seething mixture of indignation and horror. But now it was nearly dark, and she could hear the buzzing of insects. And the house was quiet.

'Are you awake, madame?'

Georgiana sat up.

'Ah.' Gislane held a candle, and this she now took around the room, lighting all the others. 'The master wishes to see you.'

'To see me? Did you see what happened out there?'

'I know what happened,' Gislane said. 'I did not watch it.'

'Were they ...' she bit her lip.

'The men all died, eventually.' Gislane completed her task and returned to place the candle in the holder by the bed.

'Oh, my God,' Georgiana said. 'You speak so calmly.' 'Did I suppose my tears could help those men, madame, then be sure I would weep.' 'It has happened before?'

'Not since I came here. But I have only been here a few months.'

'A few months,' Georgiana said. 'Then ... it was you Louis sought when he left Jamaica.' 'I believe so,' Gislane said. 'To torment me?'

'That I cannot say, madame. If you will get up, madame, I will help you to undress.'

'Undress? To sleep with that... that monster?' 'He is your husband, madame.'

'And your lover.' But Georgiana got out of bed, stared at herself in the mirror, watched the beautiful white-skinned girl moving behind her, felt her fingers on the ties of her gown.

'I am sure that he will prove scarcely less of a lover to you, madame. As you said this morning, you have every advantage over me. Except one of age, I think.'

'Christ, how you can be so easy in your mind ... tell me of his other cruelties, Gislane. I beg you.'

'He has shown no cruelty, before this afternoon, madame. Except with words. He is fond of being cruel, with words. And yet...' she hesitated.

'What. Tell me what.'

'He creates fear, in his people. This much I can feel, madame. So I suppose that he has played skittles before, at the very least.'

'Oh, my God.' She raised her arms, allowed the nightdress to be draped over her shoulders. And then turned, to seize the mustee by the shoulders. 'What am I to
do,
Gislane? What do you do? Do you ... do you feel any afinity for those black people?'

'I would hope to feel some affinity with all people, madame,' Gislane replied.

'But my husband does not.'

'He is a planter, madame. I do not think one can be a planter, and the son of a planter, and the grandson of a planter, without coming to regard slaves as subhuman.' She gazed at the white woman.

Georgiana's hands dropped. 'As I am the sister of a planter and the daughter of another and the granddaughter of another,' she said. 'Yet would I not needlessly kill a dog. To die on Hilltop, a slave must commit a serious crime against a white man. You say I must go to him?'

'No, madame. I said you must prepare for him.' She watched the great doors, which were at this moment opening. Louis stepped inside, wearing a pink and gold undressing robe.

Georgiana turned to face him, but her knees shook.

'Well?' he demanded. 'Have you recovered?'

'I ...' she licked her lips. But she knew now that she could not fight him with open defiance; she lacked that strength. 'I must apologize, Louis. I ... perhaps if you had warned me what to expect.'

'Warnings entirely spoil the effect of any event,' he remarked. 'Do you not agree, Gislane?'

'Yes, Louis,' she said, as quietly as ever. 'Do you wish me to retire?'

'I do not wish you to retire,' he said, and pulled the bell cord. Almost immediately a footman entered with a tray on which there was a flagon of wine and three goblets. ‘I have had my homecoming spoiled,' he said. 'I think all of our guests had my homecoming spoiled.' He gave each of the women a goblet of wine, took one himself. The footman placed the tray on the table, and withdrew, closing the doors behind him.

'I have apologized,' Georgiana said, feeling her determination to be patient and meek draining away. 'Am I then to be punished? Do you mean to whip me, Louis?'

'It would certainly be no more than you deserve,' he agreed. 'But then, as you are expecting it, it would be less than useless. But I certainly wish to be entertained. It is your duty to atone for your misbehaviour this afternoon, in order that you may restore my esteem for you. You understand this, my sweet?'

Oh, God, she thought. What does he mean? What can he mean?

'So drink your wine,' he said. 'And let us retire.' She gulped at the liquid, but relief was starting to seep upwards from her belly. After all, he wanted nothing more than some special attention this night. And after all, no doubt she could provide that, this night.

'Thank you, Gislane,' she said. 'You may leave.'

Gislane watched her master.

Corbeau smiled. ‘I have said that I wish Gislane to stay. Now come, ladies, to bed. And Georgy, take off that nightgown. It is a charming garment, and becomes you enormously, but I prefer the flesh.'

She stared at him, and then at the mustee, and found that her fingers had insensibly wrapped themselves around her own throat.