Виктория Холт - Seven for a Secret

“I suppose I am.”

“And you are intrigued by the secret of those magpies, and you are wondering if it is at the root of what has robbed poor Miss Flora of her wits.”

“I have an idea that it might have been due to some terrible shock.

These things happen. “

“And Miss Frederica Hammond has become a part-time sleuth and is determined to solve the mystery.”

“That is an exaggeration.”

He laughed at me.

“But containing a grain of truth?”

“Well, I suppose anyone would be interested.”

“And particularly some.” He lifted his glass.

“I suppose I should wish you well in your endeavours.”

“If the cause of something is known, there is more chance of putting it right.”

“Might the truth not be too horrifying to disclose? In which case it might make everything worse.”

“I suppose that is a possibility.”

“We’ve talked about others all the time. Tell me about yourself. What do you do when you are not visiting Miss Flora?”

“It is so recently that I left school, I have not really settled to anything yet,” “There will be other occasions like tonight. They will keep you busy.

I believe several events are being planned for my sister, and I dare say you and Rachel Grey will be joining in them. “

“The three of us have been together ever since I came to live here.”

“You have been happy in Harper’s Green?”

“Very happy. My Aunt Sophie has been wonderful to me.”

“I was sorry to hear about your mother.”

“It was sad because she never enjoyed life. My father had gone and she would have liked to go back to her old home, but it had been sold. She wasn’t happy living in a small house where she could see it all the time.”

“So Harper’s Green was a happier place to be in.”

“I was very lucky to have Aunt Sophie.”

“Your father … ?”

“I have never seen him. He and my mother parted.”

He nodded.

“These things happen.”

I wondered if he were thinking of the wife who had left him.

“Well, when you marry I hope you will be as happy as you are now in The Rowans.”

“Thank you. I hope you will be happy too.”

“You know what happened. There are few secrets in Harper’s Green apart from the one which claims so much of your attention. My wife left me.

Perhaps one could not blame her for that. ” He spoke rather bitterly and I felt I should change the subject, but I could not think of anything to say, and we fell into silence.

Then I waved my arm, indicating the room.

“What a lot of trouble it must have taken to prepare all this.”

“We have a very good housekeeper and butler. They are practised in this sort of thing and were glad to have an opportunity to show their skills.” He went on: “She left me for someone else and then she was killed in a railway accident.”

“It must have been a terrible shock for you.”

“What? Her elopement or her death?”

“Both,” I said.

He did not answer. I said rather clumsily: “Never mind. You might find someone else.”

I was thinking of Lady Fiona who was said to be so suitable, and it occurred to me that the conversation was taking a rather unusual turn which was embarrassing us both.

“Oh yes,” he said.

“Had you anyone in mind?”

I had to go on.

“There was some talk about a Lady Fiona.”

He laughed.

“People do talk, don’t they? We are good friends. There was never a suggestion of marriage. She has, as a matter of fact, married recently. I was at her wedding. Her husband is a friend of mine.”

“So it was just gossip.”

“There is always gossip. Depend upon it. If people think a man should settle down they will try to find a wife for him.”

I was amazed at the relief I felt.

People were leaving the tables now and the clock was striking midnight.

“Alas,” said Crispin, ‘this pleasant interlude is coming to an end.

Thank you for talking to me. “

“I have enjoyed it so much.”

“And you did not mind my insisting that you join me?”

“It was the best part of the evening,” I said frankly.

He smiled and, rising, led me to a group who were forming a ring in the centre of the ballroom. The orchestra played “Auld Lang Sync’ and we all joined in the singing, clasping hands and shaking them with fervour.

Archie Grindle drove Aunt Sophie and me home before taking Rachel and her aunt back to the Bell House.

Lily was waiting to greet us.

“I’ve got some hot milk waiting for you,” she said.

“And how was the ball?”

“It was very good indeed,” said Aunt Sophie.

“That hot milk will be nice. It will help us to sleep after all the excitement.

Where are we having it? “

“Kitchen,” announced Lily.

“Come on. It’s all but ready.” So we sat there drinking milk and answering Lily’s questions.

“I reckon they were fighting each other to dance with you,” said Lily.

“That is a slight exaggeration,” Aunt Sophie told her.

“But there were plenty of partners. And what do you think? She was monopolized by the lord of the manor.”

“Get away with you!” said Lily.

“It’s true. He doesn’t go in for dancing much, but it was the supper dance with our young lady and he booked it well in advance to make sure of it. Isn’t that right, Freddie?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Well, I’ll be jiggered,” cried Lily.

“And there he was, plying her with champagne.”

“You don’t say! Champagne! That’s heady stuff.”

“It was all very grand, I can tell you. I remember balls at Cedar Hall. At one time they terrified me. I was always afraid of being a wallflower, till I told myself I didn’t care a jot and if the young men didn’t want to dance with me, well, I didn’t want to dance with them either.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Lily.

“Silly young things. Didn’t know what they were missing, I reckon. Well, it wasn’t like that with Miss Fred by all accounts.”

“By no means. What did Crispin St. Aubyn talk about, Freddie?”

I thought back.

“It was really most about the Lanes,” I said.

“He is interested in them and he wanted to know what I thought about Flora.”

“He really is very good to them,” said Aunt Sophie.

She sat sipping her milk, looking back in her mind to those days at Cedar Hall when, I supposed, the partners came to my mother and not to her.

I agreed with Lily that they were indeed silly young things.

And I loved Aunt Sophie more than ever.

The day after the ball Tamarisk and I were invited to tea at the Bell House. I could never enter the place without marvelling at the change in it. I had the impression that the object had been to remove all trace of its previous occupant. There was only the grim stable door to remind me. It was locked, I saw, and I wondered whether anyone even went in there now.

I was soon immersed in conversation. Tamarisk told us of her triumphs.

The ball had been a great success; her mother was delighted. She had said it was quite like old times and they must do it again.

Tamarisk had danced six times with Gaston Marchmont. Wasn’t it a shame, though, he was going off that very day to Scotland to deal with his estates there.

“Will he ever come back, I wonder?” I said.

Both Tamarisk and Rachel looked at me in amazement.

“Of course he will!” cried Tamarisk.

“He must,” said Rachel.

Daniel came in while we were having tea. He sat down near Rachel and I asked if he had enjoyed the ball.

“I believe it went off very well,” he replied cautiously.

“Everyone seemed to think so.”

“It was a great success,” Tamarisk assured him.

Aunt Hilda came in and I kept thinking of her as she used to be, with that apprehensive look on her face, without the pretty dress and the comb in her hair. How different Mr. Grindle must be from Mr. Dorian.

Crispin was right. What was good for so many people could not be wrong.

I noticed Tamarisk was cool with Daniel. She could not forgive him for paying more attention to Rachel than he did to her.

Jack Grindle joined us. He told us he had driven Gaston Marchmont to the station and had seen him on the train to London.

“He’ll be going straight to Scotland,” he said.

“There seems to be some business up there which he has to settle.”

“He’ll be back,” put in Tamarisk confidently.

“I imagine he’s a very busy man. He says he’ll come again and stay awhile. He enjoyed his stay very much,” went on Jack, ‘and it was fun having him. He livened us all up a bit. “

“He certainly did,” agreed Tamarisk, with a smile.

I wondered if she knew more about Gaston Marchmont’s plans than the rest of us.

Perhaps she did, for three weeks later Gaston Marchmont did return. He went to the Grindles’ farm and asked if he could stay for a bit. If it were not convenient, he could of course put up at an hotel but he had so enjoyed staying with them before, so perhaps for a little while he could be with them.

Jack said they would be delighted and certainly he must stay with them. They would be quite hurt if he did not.

It was some five days since Gaston Marchmont had returned. I had seen very little of him during that time. I was helping Aunt Sophie in the garden when I heard the sound of horse’s hoofs and the next moment Lily came running into the garden.

“Mr. St. Aubyn’s here,” she said.