Seven for a Secret (14 page)

“Hello,” he said.

“I can guess where you’ve been.”

“She seems to like me to go.”

“When Miss Lucy is not there?”

I flushed a little.

“Well,” I repeated, defending myself, “Flora seems to like me to go.”

“Does she confide in you at all?”

“Confide? No, not really.”

“You mean she does in a way?”

“Well, she talks most of the time about the doll as though it’s a real baby.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“You don’t seem sure.”

“Well, she does say odd things at times.”

“What sort of things?”

“I think perhaps about the mulberry bush. She keeps saying something isn’t there.”

“Isn’t there?”

“Yes. She keeps looking at it. I’d say she was a little worried about something there.”

“I see. Well, it is good of you to call on her, being pre occupied as they all seem to be about the ball.”

“Everyone is looking forward to it.”

“Including you?”

I nodded.

“I think it will be fun.”

“And I hear the dashing hero has promised to attend.”

“You mean … ?”

“You know whom I mean. Is that going to make it especially agreeable for you?”

“I think people are pleased that he is coming.”

“People? Does that include you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I see. Well, I must not keep you.”

He smiled at me, lifted his hat and bowed slightly.

Then he went on to call on the Lanes.

It was the day before the ball. I went over to the Bell House to see Rachel.

She looked different. There was a certain radiance about her. I thought she was about to confide in me, but she appeared to hesitate.

I was reminded of that other occasion when she had been so scared and had turned to me. She was very different from Tamarisk; she was withdrawn, diffident, keeping her secrets.

I had another look at her dress. I had looked at my own fifty times.

“You’ll wear it away looking at it,” Lily had commented wryly.

“Take it from me, love. You’ll look a treat in it.”

I was apprehensive. Would anyone want to dance with me? We had practised our steps again and again and we were quite proficient now;

but what worried me was partners. Tamarisk would have plenty, not only because of her charm and good looks, but because the ball was taking place in her home and her mother was the hostess, in spite of all that Aunt Sophie had done to make it possible; people would feel it a duty to dance with Tamarisk. And Rachel would be all right. That helpless fragility had its appeal. But myself ? Perhaps Jack Grindle would ask me, or Daniel. Crispin? I could not imagine what his dancing would be like.

Suddenly Rachel said: “Daniel has asked me to marry him.”

I stared at her in amazement. The thought immediately came into my

mind: she is the first of us to receive a proposal of marriage. Tamarisk wouldn’t like that. She’d think she ought to be the first.

“How exciting!” 1 cried.

“I don’t know. It’s difficult.”

“He is very nice and kind. You’d get on well with him. Have you said yes?”

She shook her head.

“Why? Don’t you like him?”

“Yes, 1 do. Very much. We’ve always been friends, even before his father married my aunt, but of course we’ve seen a lot of each other since. A little while ago …” She stopped and frowned.

“I … er … I do like him very much,” she finished.

“I know,” I said.

“It’s too soon. We’ve only just left school. Of course, some people marry when they are very young. And you have known each other for a long time.”

“Yes, but it’s different…”

“What have you said?”

“I hated telling him I couldn’t. He looked … well, you know, so nice. He’s always been kind to me. I felt safe with him … after ..

”

I knew exactly what she meant. I thought of her in that bedroom, hearing footsteps coming . pausing outside the door most fortunately locked the second time hearing his heavy breathing outside. She wanted to feel safe after that as I did after those terrifying moments in the wood.

“You see,” went on Rachel, ‘he thought it was all right. We’d been such friends. “

“It will be all right. It’s just because it’s too soon. You’re not ready yet.”

She was staring into space.

“I don’t think I ever can now …”

“But you like him a lot.”

“Yes … 1 do … but…”

“You just need time,” I said, thinking that was just the

“5

remark Aunt Sophie would have made.

“Wait till Tamarisk hears!”

“I shan’t tell her. Please don’t say anything about it, Freddie.”

“Of course not. But I should love to see her face. She likes to be the first in everything.”

I was smiling. I was convinced that Rachel would marry Daniel. It would be so right, married to Aunt Hilda’s stepson. I was sure she would be as happy as Aunt Hilda was. It would be a wonderful ending after all they had suffered in a Bell House dominated by Mr. Dorian.

The ballroom at St. Aubyn’s looked splendid. Potted palms and flowering shrubs had been brought in from the greenhouses and scattered around in artistic fashion; the floor had been polished with French chalk;

there was a dais at one end and on this were the musicians in pale pink shirts and black dinner jackets. It was all very grand and awesome.

Mrs. St. Aubyn, miraculously restored to health for the occasion, greeted the guests. There was only one concession to her previous state: she sat regally in an ornate chair which people approached with great deference.

Aunts Sophie and Hilda hovered round her as though to remind people that their protegees were of equal importance to Tamarisk; but of course this was St. Aubyn’s Park and Mrs. St. Aubyn was seen as the main hostess. The ball was one in which Rachel and I had been privileged to join.

Rachel and I sat on either side of Tamarisk; and Aunt Sophie was beside me. Aunt Hilda beside Rachel. I felt much less confident than I had in my bedroom when both Aunt Sophie and Lily had declared that I looked quite beautiful.

“The belle of the ball, that’s what you’ll be,” Aunt Sophie had said.

And Lily commented: “Well, Miss Fred, I never thought a dress could do all that for a girl. You look a real treat, you do.”

However, beside Tamarisk, flamboyant in flame-coloured chiffon, and Rachel in cornflower-blue crepe-de- Chine, I realized that I was far from being the Belle of the Ball, and what looked ‘a treat’ in my bedroom might look less delectable in an elegant ballroom.

As soon as the dancing began Gaston Marchmont was standing before us.

He turned his eyes upwards and said something about a trio of enchantresses. Then he asked Tamarisk if she would honour him. It was what she expected, as the important Miss St. Aubyn; and she was gracefully whisked away as the Grindle brothers came up. Daniel then danced with Rachel and I went off with Jack.

Jack danced well. He commented on the excellence of the floor, the size of the ballroom and that he expected, now that Tamarisk was growing up, there would be more such occasions as this. It was light trivial conversation.

When the first dance was over, Gaston Marchmont danced with Rachel, Tamarisk with Daniel and I with a middleaged friend of the St. Aubyns whom I had met once before.

1 guessed that I should dance next with Gaston. He would have to dance with the three of us, he would decide, and I felt a little irritated.

I did not want to be selected as a matter of protocol, or duty, whatever it was. I knew he would not really want to dance with me.

When my next partner took me back I was surprised to see Crispin talking to the aunts.

He stood up when he saw me approaching and, just at that moment, Gaston Marchmont came back with Rachel. Rachel looked flushed and happy.

“That was very pleasant,” said Gaston.

“I must compliment you, Miss Rachel, on your skill on the dance floor.”

Rachel murmured something and the music for the next

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dance was beginning. 1 saw Gaston’s eyes on me, and he was about to speak when Crispin laid his hand on my arm and said firmly: “This is promised to me.”

We moved on to the floor. I saw Gaston’s startled look as we did so.

Crispin was saying: “I hope I have not disappointed you by snatching you from the arms of the fascinating Marchmont?”

I laughed. I was indeed very pleased and excited.

“Oh no,” I said.

“He was only going to ask me because he thought he ought to.”

“Are you sure that he is so mindful of what is expected of him?”

“In that way, I am sure he is.”

“Are you being a little cryptic? You think in other matters he might not be so eager to carry out his duty?”

“I didn’t mean that at all. I just thought he would always behave as he thought impeccably in social matters.”

“I see you have not been quite so deeply impressed as the others have.

I am glad of that. I am afraid I don’t dance as well as he does. He really is adept. Talking of dancing, I fear you may find me a little clumsy. Shall we sit down? I think that would be more comfortable for you. “

He did not wait for my reply but led me to two seats among the potted palms.

We sat and watched the dancers in silence for a few seconds, and I saw Gaston dance round with one of the guests.

Crispin’s eyes followed him and he said: “Yes, an adept. Tell me, how do you think Miss Flora likes the new doll we found for her? Do you think she has accepted it?”

“At times I do. At others … I’m not sure. I fancy she looks sometimes as if she knew it is only a doll. Her face puckers up.”

“Yes?”

Well, just that. “

“Did it before? I mean, her face pucker up?”

Tm not sure. I think it might have. “

“Poor Flora!” He was silent for a while, then he said:

“You still pay your periodic visits to the cottage, then.”

“Yes.”

“It’s difficult to talk with all this noise. We’ll have supper together. I’ll come for you then. Do you have a card or something?”

I gave him my dance programme and he scribbled his initials on that space for the dance before supper.

“There,” he said.

“You’ll have plenty of chances to dance with people who know how to do it. But that one is mine.”

I was disappointed that he had only asked for that dance, and at the same time his manner was somewhat peremptory. He had not exactly asked, but taken for granted that I should agree. That was typical and reminded me of Tamarisk.

I could not resist saying: “Do you always tell people what they should do?”

He looked steadily at me, raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“It is a way of getting what one wants quickly,” he said.

“Does it always work?”

“Alas, no.”

“Suppose I had already promised the supper dance?”

“You hadn’t, had you? It was not booked on your programme.”

“Well, it’s only just started and …”

“So it’s all right then, isn’t it? I thought we’d have supper together. I want to talk to you.”

I felt pleased about this and I noticed that, when he took me back to my chair, several people looked at us with interest.

I danced once with Gaston. He came up soon after Crispin had brought me back. Crispin had then departed.

1 think he had no desire to dance, which he rather despised, no doubt because he did not do it well. I saw him later in conversation with a man who, 1 think, :

was one of the estate managers, and later with an elderly man who, I had heard, had an estate some miles from St. Aubyn’s and who had brought his wife and daughter to the ball.

Gaston was such a good dancer that he made me feel I was one too.

He told me I looked charming and my dress was his favourite colour. I guessed that when he danced with Tamarisk flame red was his favourite, and when he was with Rachel it would be cornflower blue. Well, he might not be sincere, but he did try to please, which was different from Crispin.

He talked about St. Aubyn’s Park and Crispin. It was a very large estate, was it not? Probably one of the biggest in Wiltshire.

“Tamarisk tells me that you are interested in an odd couple who have a cottage on the estate.”

“Do you mean Miss Lucy and Miss Flora Lane?”

“Is that their names? What is all that about a doll one ;

of them carries around and thinks is a baby? “

“That is true.”

“Strange, isn’t it?”

“It’s been going on for a long time.”

“Thinks the doll is the lord of the manor?” ;

“When he was a baby, she was his nurse.”

“And he looks after these sisters with very special care?”

“They were both his nannies at one time. People feel like that about their nannies. It’s very kind of him to take such care of them.”

“Bountiful indeed. Tamarisk says you get along with the mad one well and that you have a very special interest in it all.”

“I am sorry for them.”

“You have a kind heart, I see, and you visit them often. Tamarisk tells me that you go there when the other sister not the crazy one is away, and you’re hoping to find out what made the poor old thing lose her reason.”

“Tamarisk told you that!”

“Is it not so?”

“Well …”

“Of course,” he said, ‘we all like to get to the bottom of these things. And it must have been something that turned her brain, don’t you think? “

“I don’t know.”

“Perhaps through your research you will discover.”

The dance had come to an end.

“We must dance again,” he said.

“This has been most enjoyable. I expect you are fully engaged.”

“There are one or two,” I said, and he conducted me back to my seat.

After that I danced with several young men and I wondered why Gaston Marchmont was so interested in the sisters. 1 supposed Tamarisk had talked about them in her usual dramatic way. She always exaggerated.

And, of course. Flora and her doll were unusual.