The Captive (42 page)

“And what happened after that?”

She wrinkled her brows.

“My mother went away.”

“Went away? I thought she married Tristan.”

“She did … but at first she went away.”

“Where did she go?”

“I don’t know. She was ill.”

‘ll1? Then why did she go away? “

“She was very sick. I used to hear her. She looked very white. Once when she was ill and she didn’t know I was there, she looked in the glass at herself and said, ” Oh God, what now? ” I was little then. I thought God might say and I’d know what was the matter. Now I know

people only say ” Oh God” when they’re frightened or angry. She was frightened because she was ill. Then Gramps said, ” Your mother is going away for a while. ” I said, ” Why? ” Gramps said because it would be good for her.

And she went. Gramps went with her to the station. He was going with her just at first. I was to stay with Mrs. Drake for two days. Then Gramps came back and I went back to Seashell Cottage with him. I said, “Where’s my mother?” He said, “She’s visiting friends.” I said I didn’t know we had any. Then he said, “You’ve got me, my darling. I’m your friend.” And he hugged me and I felt all right. It was great fun in Seashell Cottage with Gramps. He used to do the cooking and I helped him and we laughed a lot. ” She began to laugh at the memory.

“What happened after?” I asked.

“My mother came back and she was better then. Her friends had done her good. Then she was engaged to Stepper and they were married and we went to Perrivale Court. I wished Gramps could come with us. But he went to the Dower House. He said it wasn’t far away and I’d know where he was.”

“And you never met the friends your mother went to?”

“Nobody ever talked of them. I know they lived in London.”

“Did your mother or Gramps tell you that?”

“No. But it was the London train they went on. It always is at that time. I know they got on that one because Mrs. Drake took us to see it off. Gramps had taken me to her the night before. I said I wanted to see them off so Mrs. Drake took me to the station and I saw them get on the train.”

“They might have got off somewhere along the way.”

“No. I heard them talking about going to London.”

“And Gramps came back and left your mother there.”

“He was only away one night. But she was gone what seemed like ages. It might have been about three weeks. I

don’t remember much about time. But I know how ill she was when she went. she didn’t smile at all. “

“She must have been very ill.”

She nodded and started to tell me about the shells she and Gramps had found on the beach.

I had been up to see the Dowager Lady Perrivale on two or three occasions. Our chats were not very rewarding. I had hoped to discover something as she rambled on about the past and the days of opulence in her native Yorkshire.

I was always hoping for an opportunity to talk to Maria, and as Maria hoped for it too, it was inevitable that one day it should come about.

One day when I went up, I was greeted by Maria who put her fingers to her lips and said with a wink: “Her ladyship is fast in the land of nod. But come in. Miss Cranleigh, and we’ll wait for her to wake up. I never like to rouse her. Another bad night, you see. I always know by the look of her. Roaming about, I expect … looking for something that’s not there. In any case she can’t get at the matches, I see to that.”

We sat opposite each other.

“My word,” she went on.

“You and Miss Kate are getting on better than ever. Thick as thieves, you two are.”

“I think we understand each other. She’s not a bad child.”

“Eee. I wouldn’t go as far as that, but she’s better since you’ve been here. That’s for certain sure.”

“And how has Lady Perrivale been?”

“Up and down. One day she’s clear enough … all there, you might say and the next she’s a ha’porth missing. Well, she’s getting on in years can’t last much longer, I shouldn’t wonder. When I think of her in the old days. Mistress of the house, she was. And then, hey presto! overnight, she’s like a different person.”

“Perhaps she was very fond of Sir Edward and the shock of his death was too much for her.”

“Quite the reverse, I should have said. They weren’t exactly what you’d call a Darby and Joan. Oh dear me, no. There was differences between them … right up to the end, I can tell you. I heard them arguing something shocking. She was in tears. He was laying down the law. I couldn’t quite catch …”

I thought that was a pity, and so clearly did Maria.

“He died about the time of that shocking affair, didn’t he? I mean the killing in the farmhouse.”

“Oh yes … the murder. He was on his deathbed then. I don’t think he knew much about that, though. He was too far gone. Well, you wouldn’t go to a man on his deathbed and say, ” Your son’s been murdered and by the boy you brought into the house. ” I mean to say, nobody would tell him that. He didn’t know anything about it. Passed away soon after.”

“It’s a very strange case, don’t you think, Maria?”

“Well, murder’s murder whichever way you look at it.”

“I mean it was a very mysterious affair.”

“Jealousy, that’s what it was. He was jealous of Cosmo. Some said he was sweet on the present ladyship. Well, you’ve got to admit she’s a handsome body.”

“Very handsome. You told me that Sir Tristan was fond of her before his brother died.”

She winked and nodded.

“A funny business. But then love is a funny thing. She seemed all right with Cosmo. Well, she would be, wouldn’t she? But I reckoned it was all pretence. I could see there was something between her and Tristan. You feel it, you know. That’s if you know anything about such things.”

“I heard someone say she was very ill and went away for a few weeks and when she came back she was her old self.”

“I think that was just before the murder … just before. I noticed

she was beginning to look a bit… well, if she’d been married, I would have said she might have been expecting …”

“And when she came back … ?”

“Well, then it happened. It must have been a week or so after, as far as my memory takes me.”

“And then she married Tristan.”

“Well, it was some months after. They couldn’t rush into it quite as fast as that. It was fast enough, though.”

“Do you think she was relieved because she could have Tristan and the title and everything?”

Maria frowned. I thought: I’m going too far. I must be careful. Lucas warned me of this.

“Oh, I couldn’t say that. Mind you, I believe there was something between her and Tristan, so I suppose she’d rather have had him. Cosmo was one for throwing his weight about. He was the great Cosmo. He’d be Sir Cosmo one day … only he didn’t live long enough for that. The tenant farmers didn’t like him much. They liked Tristan better… so she wasn’t the only one. It was a quiet wedding. It had to be, didn’t it? Her ladyship was chuffed when they married, though. She thought such a lot of Mirabel. She’d wanted her for a daughter-in-law. You should have seen her and the Major together. Well, she’d always had a soft spot for him, hadn’t she?”

“Yes, I believe you said she had.”

“I knew that. Her ladyship’s mother was supposed to be her best friend but there was a bit of jealousy there. It was over the Major .. only he wasn’t a major then. I didn’t hear what he was … but he was always a bit of a charmer. Her ladyship was Jessie Arkwright then.

She used to talk to me while I brushed her hair. She was sweet on him just like her friend was. “

“You mean the schoolfriend who married him?”

Maria nodded.

“There was a time when I thought it would be Jessie who married him. But old Arkwright put his foot down, thought the charming young man was

after Jessie’s fortune. 1 thought it was the schoolfriend he really wanted, but of course, like a lot of them, he had his eyes on old Arkwright’s money. Well, Jessie had had a lot of her own way, but where his money was concerned, old Arkwright had his own ideas. Jessie was not going to throw herself away on an adventurer who was after his money, he said. If she did marry him, there’d be no money. Poor Jessie was heartbroken, but she married Sir Edward, became Lady Perrivale and came down here. And the Major married the schoolfriend. That’s how it was. And then all those years later, when his wife was dead and he had a daughter herself married with a little girl, and he wrote renewing his friendship with her ladyship. She was over the moon with joy and wanted him to come down here. Seashell Cottage was found for them… and ever since, she’s looked on Mirabel as her daughter.”

“She wasn’t jealous because the Major had married her friend?”

“She’d got over that. The friend was dead and the Major was here.

She’s pleased to have Mirabel now as her daughter-in-law . and the Major’s always in and out. “

“And young Lady Perrivale’s fond of her?”

“Oh yes … well, it’s nice for the old lady. I remember how upset she was when Mirabel went away … that was before the marriage. She was really worried. I remember seeing a letter from young Lady Perrivale to her.

“Darling Aunt Jessie …” She had called her Aunt Jessie when she first came down and it never changed. I can see that letter now. She was staying at a place called . what was it? Oh, I remember. Malton House in a place called Bayswater in London. I remembered Malton because I was born close by. It’s near York. That’s why it stuck in my mind. When she came back, her ladyship made such a fuss of her. And then soon after that there was the murder . “

“It must have been a terrible shock for Lady Perrivale to lose her son like that.”

“Oh, it was … and Sir Edward dying at the same time. It was enough to finish her off. We were all surprised that she came through as well as she did. But it did something to her … her mind started wandering then, and there was all that prowling about at night.”

She went on to talk about the difficulties she had with Lady Perrivale and gave examples of her strange conduct, to stress the change in her after the tragedy.

While we were talking the Major arrived.

“Oh, hello. Major,” said Maria.

“Her ladyship’s fast asleep. Been prowling in the night again, I’m afraid.”

“Oh dear, dear. Nice to see you. Miss Cranleigh. You haven’t been over to see me lately. I must speak to Kate about that. I’ve told her to bring you any time you’re passing. You’re almost certain to find me in the garden.”

“Thank you. Major. I should like that.”

“Maria takes such good care of Lady Perrivale. What we should do without Maria, I do not know.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without her ladyship,” said Maria.

“We’ve been together so many years.”

I said that I would go as I guessed that when Lady Perrivale awoke she would be delighted to see the Major and would not want another guest to spoil her teteatete with him.

He said politely that he was sure she would be most disappointed to miss me.

“Oh, I can easily look in tomorrow.”

He took my hand and said: “Now, don’t forget. I shall expect to see you soon.”

When I went downstairs it was to find a message awaiting me.

It was from Carleton. It told me briefly that Lucas’s operation was to take place on the following Wednesday. It was then Friday.

A Visit to London

I had made up my mind that I was going to London. I wanted to be there when Lucas had his operation. I wanted to see him before it took place, so that I could assure him that I should be thinking of him all the time; and that I was praying that the operation would be successful.

I could stay with my father, where I should not be very far from the clinic. I must be close at hand and I wanted Lucas to know that I was there.

I approached young Lady Perrivale.

I said: “I am very sorry, but I have to go to London. A very dear friend of mine is having an operation and I want to be there.

Moreover, it is time I saw my father. I haven’t seen him since I left with my friends Professor and Mrs. Grafton for Cornwall, and I really owe it to my family to explain a few things. “

“Oh dear,” she said.

“I’m afraid Kate will be most upset. You two have got along so well together.”

“Yes, but I have to go. I’ll talk to her. I’ll see that she understands.”

I did talk to her.

“Why can’t I come?” she said.

“Because I have to go alone.”

“I don’t see why.”

“I do.”

“What about me while you’re away?”

“You managed before I came.”

“That was different.”

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll find some books for you to

read and you can tell me all about them when I get back. I’ll set you some lessons, too. “

“What’s the good of that?”

“It’ll pass the time.”

“I don’t want the time to pass. I don’t want you to go unless I go with you.”

“Alas. That is another lesson you have to learn. Things don’t always turn out the way we want them to. Listen, Kate. This is something I have to do.”

“You might not come back.”

“I will. I swear it.”

She brought a Bible and made me take an oath on it. She seemed a little more satisfied after that.

I was deeply moved to see that I meant so much to her.

My father was pleased to see me. Aunt Maud was cool and disapproving as I had expected her to be.

My father said: “This was a strange decision for you to take, Rosetta.”

“I wanted to do something.”

“There were so many more suitable things you could have done,” said Aunt Maud.

“I could have found you something at the Museum,” added my father.

“That would have been far better,” said Aunt Maud.

“But a governess . and in the wilds of Cornwall.”

“It is a very important family. They are neighbours of the Lorimers.”

“I am so glad you are near them,” said my father.

“What are you teaching?”

“Everything,” I told him.

“It’s not difficult.”

He looked amazed.

“In any case,” said Aunt Maud.

“No matter what you teach and to whom, I think it is a very foolish thing to have done. A governess indeed!”