The Shadow of the Lynx (39 page)

I came out of my reverie to hear Lueie say: “Oh, Maud, you know you spoil her. She’s getting quite arrogant.”

“She’s such a darling,” Maud insisted, ‘and so bright. “

“I can hear you are talking about my little sister,” said Minta. Then she told a story illustrating the intelligence of the absent Druscilla; and soon afterwards the ladies were conducted to the drawing-room and the men left at the table with their port. There Maud dominated the conversation, which seemed to be mainly about the proceeds of the coming sale of work which would help in the repair of the inevitably beetle-ridden church roof. It would be held in the grounds of Wakefield Park, which Sir Everard and Lady Wakefield had kindly placed at their disposal.

“It used to be Whiteladies,” Minta explained to me, ‘but the Park is so much more suitable. “

“Is it?” I asked.

“I should have thought…”

“Oh, we’re ancient, but the Park gardens are so much better than ours nowadays. We only have two gardeners. In my

grandfather’s day there were six. It means that quite a lot of the place has gone wild, and the flowers at the Park are superb. “

Another indication of poverty, but she seemed quite unperturbed by it.

I wondered how Stirling was getting on at the table.

Later the men joined us and after coffee Minta said she knew that Stirling and I wanted to see the house, so she would show us now.

“Be careful of the bartizan if you go up there,” warned Lucie.

“I will,” promised Minta. She explained to us as we went out of the room.

“The stonework is beginning to crumble in some parts of the house.”

“What is this bartizan?” asked Stirling.

“It’s a sort of battlemented overhanging turret on the top of the tower. Lucie’s afraid it’s going to collapse.”

“Shouldn’t it be put right?”

“It will be one day when we can afford it.”

“But if it’s dangerous …”

“Oh, there’s so much that needs to be done. You’ve no idea.”

“Yes, I have,” said Stirling.

She smiled at him as though she thought he was clever.

“Most people never think that a house like this needs constant expenditure if it’s to be kept in order. And if this is neglected for some years …”

She raised her eyebrows.

“But surely it shouldn’t be neglected,” insisted Stirling.

“If the money isn’t available it has to be.”

“I’m sorry …” began Stirling.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“All my life people have been saying that Whiteladies would fall about our ears if necessary repairs weren’t done. I get used to it.”

“But a house like this is a sort of trust.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“A sort of trust. This is the entrance into the old part. These were really the convent walls. You’ll be able to see how thick they are in a minute. Mind these stairs. They’re rather dangerous.”

We mounted the spiral stone staircase, holding the rope banister. The steps were steep and worn in the middle.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Stirling, and there was a lilt of excitement in his voice.

“I’m glad you find it exciting,” said Minta, who hadn’t

EOticed the acquisitive gleam in Stirling’s eyes.

Through the old part of the house we went, Minta had picked up a lantern from the walls and Stirling carried it. We followed her up winding flights of steps into alcoves that were like cells. It was very cold.

We sometimes use this for storing things,” said Minta.

“When I was young I can remember venison and great hams being kept here. That was when we entertained a good deal and there were more servants.”

She took us back to the inhabited part of the house.

This section was built a little later than the main part. It was in the time of Elizabeth Tudor so it is built in the shape of an E. This is the main block; there are two projecting wings on either side and this short section in between. “

“One could get lost in such a house,” I said.

“I was lost once,” Minta told us.

“They searched and searched for me.

I was in what we called the studio. There’s an enormous cupboard there and for some reason no one thought of looking in it. The studio was given the name when my mother had drawing lessons there. “

“I’d like to see it,” I said.

“You shall, though there’s nothing special about it except that it has a good north light.”

Nothing special! When he had sat there with her, instructing her, falling in love with her!

“My mother, you know, waa the daughter of the house-the only child.

When my father married her he came to live here. “

“So there weren’t always Cardews at Whiteladtes.”

“No. We haven’t been able to keep the family name going. There have been several family names. They’re inscribed on that wall in the Ubrary. There have been six changes of name in three hundred years. It seems to be a feature of the family that every now and then a woman inherits. She marries and the family name is changed. That’s what happened to my mother.”

“And it will to you.”

“Well …” She laughed with an insouciance which implied that she was completely unconcerned as to whether Whiteladies came into her possession or not.

“Before Drusdila was born we thought she might be a boy. In which case”

“But she would not have been in the direct line,” insisted Stirling.

“Your father married into the family and his

present wite is nottiing to do with it, so . “

“Oh no,” said Minta quickly.

“When people marry they become the family. It has always been like that. Whiteladies is my father’s now . ,” “You could have lost Whiteladies 1’ cried Stirling, ‘and you don’t seem to care.”

“I should like to have a little brother. My father would love to have a son. He was so proud when Druscilla was born.”

“But if there was a son it seems you could lose Whiteladies.”

^1 don’t think of Whiteladies as a possession exactly. It’s the family home. Whoever owned it, it would be home, always. “

“Unless,” suggested Stirling, ‘it passed out of the family. “

I flashed him a warning glance. He was going too far too fast.

“That couldn’t happen,” she said with & look of surprise.

“It’s always been the family’s house.”

“But if it were a burden …”

“A burden! Oh, I see what you mean … financially.” She laughed almost merrily.

“It’s always been a financial burden.”

“If it became too heavy a one …”

“It’s always been too heavy a one. Now this is the way to the studio I was telling you about. We have to get up the narrow flight. It’s at the top of the wing … to get the light, you see.” She threw open a door.

“There! Look at the dust. It’s not used nowadays and I suppose the servants don’t often come up here. There’s far too much for them to do. My mother used to come up here a lot. Oh, there’s the cupboard.

It’s enormous . one of those you can walk about in. I think I must have come up here to look for her; then I wandered into the cupboard and shut myself in. “

The room was plainly furnished. There was a big table, some chairs and an easel.

“I was never any good at drawing,” went on Minta.

“Perhaps Druscilla will be. Then we can use the studio again.”

She opened the cupboard door. It was the size of a small room and down one side were shelves on which were a few pencils, crayons and two drawing-boards. Minta picked up one; on it were several sketches of a horse. That was Lynx’s work. I would know it anywhere. Oh Lynx, I thought, how could I ever have imagined that I would be able to forget!

“Not much to see here,” said Minta and I felt angry with

her, which was stupid. How could she guess at the turmoil in my heart?

She took us to the library after that and showed us the crest and the coat of arms and the names of the family very artistically inscribed on the branches of a fig tree— Merrivale, Charton, Delmer, Bemngton, Dorian and Cardew. Stirling was staring as though fascinated. I knew he was adding a new name: Herriek.

We climbed more stairs.

“This is the east wing of that E. We don’t use this part now, but my mother was fond of it. When Lucie married my father she decided it would be economical to close this part of the house. Lucie is wonderful at managing things. I am sure our affairs are in better shape since she started looking after them.”

I could well believe that.

“This was my mother’s room. Lucie had the furniture covered in dust sheets. The servants don’t like to come up here.”

“Why?” asked Stirling.

“You know how it is when there has been a recent death … or perhaps you don’t. Servants get superstitious. My mother died rather suddenly.”

“I thought she had been an invalid for some time,” I said.

“Well, a sort of invalid. We all thought she rather imagined her illness and then she died of a heart attack. We felt we’d misjudged her—and Lizzie, who had been her maid, started imagining things.”

Things? “

“Oh, that my mother wouldn’t rest and she believed she was still in the house … her ghost, she meant. Poor Lizzie, she had been with Mamma since she was a girl. She was so sensible and practical, but Mamma’s death seemed to unnerve her. Lucie is taking her in hand, though, and she’s getting better.”

I looked round the room. Her room! Here she would come after the drawing lesson to dream about him. It was in this room that they had found him with jewels in his pockets. I believed I could sense the great drama which had taken place there.

Minta was ushering us out and leading the way along the corridor.

“There’s a staircase at the end of this landing,” she was saying. I was still thinking of that room. It happened

forty years ago, 1 reminded myself. And I could teel the frustration and agony of Lynx when he was caught, trapped;

and he knew be could not hope for justice. And because of this Stirling and I were here now. Poor innocent Mintal She did not know that the apparently courteous guests whom she was graciously showing round were two harpies planning to take Whiteladies from her.

I wanted to see that room again. I wanted to be in it alone. I wanted to sense the atmosphere of that tragic night when Lynx’s pride was humbled. Minta and Stirling had turned a corner. I hastily slipped back into the room. It was different now. Without the lamp I could just make out the humps of furniture under the dust sheets because light from a half moon shone through the windows.

Oh Lynx, I thought, I understand your misery, but it’s all over. It must be forgotten. Well have the Mercer’s House, Stirling and I—and Minta and Franklyn will be our friends. Your grandchildren shall play on the lawns of Whiteladies. That’s how your dream will come true.

No! I could almost hear his scorn. He wanted revenge. I could hear his voice in my mind thundering: No!

Then my heart began to beat fast because there was something in the room. I sensed a presence. Someone was watching me.

“Lynx!” I breathed.

“Oh, Lynx, come back.”

A shape materialized in the doorway and moved towards me.

“You’re Mrs. Herrick.” A human voice. Not that of Lynx.

“You startled me,” I said.

“I’m sorry, madam, I’m sure. I wasn’t expecting anyone in Miss Arabella’s room.”

“Miss Cardew is showing us the house.” Understandably she looked round for Miss Cardew. They went on without me and I wandered back in here.

”

She peered at me as though I were of rather special interest to her.

“You’re Mrs. Herrick” ‘ she said. There was someone here long ago . of that name. “

“You must have been here a long time.”

“I was two years older than Miss Arabella. I was under-nurse when I was fourteen. Because there wasn’t much difference in our ages we were together … a lot.”

“You’re Lizzie,” I said.

She nodded.

“I was there … all the way throuah. And nr>w

‘><

she’s dead and tn ere anoiner Laay cardew. “

It was eerie in this room with nothing to light it but the moon, and the odd shapes of furniture seemed as though at any moment they might take on life. I knew instinctively that this woman had known and loved him. It was impossible for anyone to be unaffected by him. She reminded me of Jessica.

“You come from Australia and that was where he went … this man who was here once. I know you were his wife but he had another before you.

That’s his son. There’s a likeness, though he’s not the man his father was. There’s some thing in the air. I can feel it. It’s as though he’s come back. “

“He’s dead,” I said sharply, ‘so he can’t come back. “

“He could if he wanted to. He could do anything. Don’t make any mistake about that. Something’s going to happen. It always does where he is … and he’s here. I’m sure of it. I knew him well.”

I shivered. She was so like Jessica and I felt that I was caught up in some intricate pattern which kept repeating itself.

“The others will be wondering what has happened to me,” I said.

She ignored that.

“Lady Cardew died suddenly,” she said.

“We weren’t expecting it. It was very strange. Sometimes I think

..”

Fortunately I heard Minta’s voice calling me.

“I’m here,” I called.

She stood in the doorway, Stirling holding the lamp behind her.

“Oh, Lizzie!” she said rather reproachfully.

“I’ve been talking to Mrs. Herrick,” said Lizzie almost defiantly.

“Well, now we’ve found you we’d better continue with the tour,” said Minta. She added gently: “Lizzie, I should get back to your room if I were you. It’s rather chilly to hang about here.”

“Yes, Miss Minta,” said Lizzie meekly.

Minta turned and we all followed her. On the next landing Lizzie disappeared and Minta took us to show us the carved banisters which led up to the minstrels’ gallery.

“I hope Lizzie didn’t scare you,” said Minta.

“She’s been rather odd since my mother died.”

“Like Jessica,” said Stirling. And to Minta: “She’s a cousin of my mother’s and she went a bit queer when my mother died. They were always together.”