There was a rustle in the bushes. We all turned in that direction from whence it came.
“Some animal,” said Jefferson.
“Perhaps a fox?” suggested Kitty.
“I hardly think so,” said Jefferson.
“We were talking of those opals,” continued Kitty.
“Some people say they are unlucky. I’ve never liked them since. They certainly brought bad luck to Lucian and poor Adeline.”
There was a sudden movement from the bushes and Adeline was running across the lawn to the house.
“It must have been Adeline, not a fox, we heard in the bushes,” said Kitty.
We watched her go into the house.
“She is a strange child,” went on Kitty.
“So absolutely childish at times. Then she will astonish you with her knowledge. Her memory is prodigious. Sometimes she will make a remark about the past which astonishes me. Of course, she did live through that terrible time like the rest of us. It must have left its mark on her.”
“She is so happy to be with you.”
“Oh yes. There is no doubt of that. At first, when she came here, she was really disturbed. All she needs is understanding.”
Then we went back to talking about the great problem, and I was longing for the time when Lucian would join us.
He arrived in the early afternoon of the next day. Both Kitty and Jefferson greeted him warmly and told him how pleased they were that he had come. Jefferson said right away that I had explained his problem to them and he was looking forward to discussing it.
Adeline cried out when she saw him: “It’s Lucian! Lucian, I’m Adeline.
Do you remember me? “
Lucian said that he did and was gratified that she remembered him.
“You’re bigger,” she said.
“A lot bigger.”
“You haven’t changed much.”
She smiled to herself.
It was not long before Kitty contrived for the four of us to be alone together, and we sat under the same tree where we were yesterday, and we were soon in deep discussion.
Jefferson listened intently to Lucian’s version of the incident, and when he came to the conclusion, he told them that he had made up his mind that he must confess and he wanted Jefferson to tell him how it should be done.
Jefferson waved his hand, then said he was not sure that it would be wise. He then set forth his reasons and brought forth the points he had made to Kitty and me yesterday. It was not good enough, he said, to say that Grace Marline had died because the pills had been mixed. We had to think of the publicity there would be if this new theory was put forth, and it was by no means conclusive.
Lucian listened with great attention. There might have been a difference in the pills. He could not remember. His one objective had been to get them back into the bottles.
“The more I think of it, the less I like of this idea of making it known,” said Jefferson.
“Then I must go through my life not knowing whether I was responsible for that woman’s death,” said Lucian.
“A crime for which her husband went to the gallows.”
“You would do that in any case,” Jefferson pointed out.
“For how does your confession alter the fact that it can only be a possibility? In fact, it is only just remotely possible that she died because the pills were mixed. You must not blame yourself. You had no intention of doing anyone any harm.”
I was watching Lucian closely. I should have to make sure he did not go on blaming himself. But I knew it would always be there . to haunt us until the end of our lives.
He thanked Kitty and Jefferson for taking such an interest in what Jefferson called his dilemma.
“It is ours, too,” said Kitty.
She was right. How strange it was that we were all caught up in this tragedy. It had affected the lives of every one of us and it seemed as though it could go on doing so for the rest of our lives. We could not escape from the tragic consequences of the events of yesterday.
Kitty said that Lucian must stay the night. The train service was not ideal and they had another spare room which Annie could easily make up. It was no trouble at all. They enjoyed his company. There was so much to talk of, and talking helped in cases like this. That was when ideas came and they could be studied from all points of view. That, said Jefferson, was the way to arrive at the right solution.
So Lucian stayed.
He and I went for a walk in the evening. It had been Kitty’s suggestion. She was aware of our feelings for each other and she guessed we should like to be alone.
Lucian and I walked down to the village and then beyond. I slipped my arm through his and he pressed it against him.
“It is good to be here with you,” he said.
“I couldn’t wait to get here. What delightful, interesting people they are.”
“You look better already,” I told him.
“I should have talked to you before.”
“It is they who have lifted your spirits. You do feel better now, I know. You realize that it is as Jefferson says-just a possibility.
There was nothing you could have done. “
“I’m not sure.”
“But you can see what they mean about the publicity it would raise.”
“It might clear his name.”
“Only if it proved to be true, and how could anyone ever be sure of that? Jefferson is right. It would only bring the case to the fore again. Most people will have forgotten the Marline case by now. Oh, Lucian, don’t you see? We have to leave it. It would only revive it all, and then not many would believe that it was because the pills were mixed. Don’t you see? We can do nothing. We have to forget. In any case, it was an accident. If you could have told what had happened before Dr. Marline died, it would have been different. But you can’t bring back yesterday. It has to be forgotten.”
“I don’t think I can forget that I may have caused the death of two people-and one of them hanged for the murder of the other.”
“You will forget, Lucian, because I am going to make you.”
“You will take that on, then?”
“Most joyfully.”
“A little while ago you were so uncertain.”
“I am no longer so.”
“You have changed suddenly.”
“I don’t altogether understand myself. You were the one I always loved since you found my pendant, took me to tea with the others and repaired the clasp of the chain. I remember every minute of that day.”
“It was nothing much. What about Lawrence Emmerson’s gallant rescue at Suez?”
“It must have been something more than the lost pendant. Of course it was. You have changed everything for me. When my father died, I thought I should never be happy again. You showed me that I can be.
Perhaps that’s it. You ask me why I changed so suddenly. I think it was when I saw you so unhappy with this great burden. You seemed young then not the grand fellow I used to think you. You needed help. Oh, I suppose there are a hundred reasons why one suddenly knows one is in love. “
“Carmel, I know too that I can be happy. I believe I can forget this thing. In any case, I can convince myself that it was an accident and there is nothing I can do about it now. It was the best thing that could have happened when you decided to get in touch with Kitty. I suppose I shall have my dark moments when the sense of guilt overcomes me, but you will be there, Carmel. I have to keep reminding myself of that. You will be there.”
“I shall be there,” I repeated.
“We shall be together.”
“Then we should plan to marry … soon.”
“What will your mother say?”
“She will say. Glory Be! For some time she has wanted me to marry. She is the sort of woman who would like to have a hand in choosing her son’s bride, and I have been receiving hints for some time that she has chosen you for that questionable honour.”
“Don’t laugh at it. It is an honour and
I want it more than anything.”
“When, then?”
“I think we should discuss that with your mother.”
“I shall talk to her as soon as I return, and next weekend you must come down so that plans can go ahead.”
I was happy, as I had thought I should never be again. I would go on mourning Toby all my life, and Lucian would remember that, because of an accident, he might have been responsible for the death of two people. That could not be changed. But we had each other. He would comfort me for my loss and I would be beside him when his fears were with him.
We should be happy. We would build our lives together. We knew what we wanted and we were going to do all in our power to attain it.
When we returned there was some consternation in the house. Adeline was agitated. She was saying: “It is dangerous. People could fall over. You know what happened to that lady at Garston Towers.”
“That was different,” soothed Kitty.
“That was the castle ramparts.”
She turned to me.
“It’s nothing much. One of the stakes on the balcony has worked loose. Adeline has only just noticed it.”
She smiled at me, her eyebrows raised to imply that Adeline could be unnecessarily excited over such things.
She went on: “Tom from the stables will be coming over at any minute.
He’ll soon fix it. “
“Shall I look at it?” asked Lucian.
“No need to bother,” replied Kitty.
“Oh, I’ll have a look.”
We went up to my room. The balcony in question was the one shared by Adeline and me.
“Where is it?” said Lucian.
“Oh, I see.” He knelt and examined the faulty stake. It moved as he touched it.
“Tom can usually fix these things,” said Kitty.
“It’s dangerous,” cried Adeline.
“People could fall over. There was that lady at Garston Towers.”
I heard Edwina calling Adeline, who seemed to forget the stake and went off to her.
Kitty said: “Adeline gets disturbed about things that make an impression on her. The Garston Towers affair really caught her imagination. She often refers to it. Tom will soon mend that thing.
The best thing in the meantime is to keep well away from it. “
Tom arrived. He examined the balcony and agreed with Lucian. He said the best thing to do would be to put a new stake in. He’d get Blacksmith Healy to make one. He would have it shipshape in a few days. Meanwhile, he’d patch it up a bit.
While I was dressing for dinner that evening, I again had that feeling of being watched. This time I was not surprised to see Adeline at the balcony door.
“Hello,” she said.
“Are you having a nice time here?”
“Yes, thank you, Adeline.”
“You were away a long time.”
“Yes, I was.”
“Why did you come now? Was it to tell Kitty something?”
“Well, just to be with her again. We were always good friends. Don’t you remember?”
“Yes. I remember it all. Do you know about Lady Garston?”
“Only what I heard you say.”
“It was at Garston. Garston is a castle … very big. She used to walk along the battlements. Do you know what battlements are?”
“Yes.”
“It was dangerous there and they had put up a railing. People used to stand up there and throw boiling oil down on invaders.”
“My goodness! That must have been a long time ago!”
“One day Lady Garston went up there. She leaned over the railing and it broke. She fell down … down … and then she was dead.”
“Poor Lady Garston!”
“She didn’t know the railing was loose.”
“Well, we know ours is, so we have to be careful until it is mended.”
“It would kill us just the same.”
“Oh, let’s be more cheerful. That’s a pretty dress you are wearing.”
Her expression changed to one of pleasure.
“Kitty chose it for me.”
“It suits you.”
“Kitty says I ought to wear pretty clothes.”
I smiled at her.
“You love Kitty dearly, don’t you?”
“I love Kitty more than anything else in the world … more than anyone ever loved anyone. I love Kitty.” She looked at me very steadily.
“No one must ever take Kitty away from me.”
“I am sure no one would want to. Oh, look, it’s time we went down to dinner.”
After dinner, when Lucian and I were alone with Kitty and Jefferson, we returned to the subject which was uppermost in the minds of us all.
Jefferson had not changed his opinion. He still believed that at this stage the mixing of the pills should be kept to ourselves.
“I’d like to go on mulling it over,” he said.
“You don’t need to go tomorrow, do you?” he asked Lucian.
“Could you stay another day? There is nothing like talking something over, even if you do go over the same ground again and again. It helps one to come to a conclusion.”
Lucian said: “The offer is very tempting.”
“Sometimes it is good to give way to temptation,” said Kitty, ‘and I am sure this is one of them. “
“Well then, thank you for your hospitality and your interest in my problem.”
“It is also ours,” replied Kitty.
I lay in bed. Sleep was evasive. I was not surprised. I was thinking of Lucian and how much I loved him, and how wonderful it was to have made contact with Jefferson, who was so positive in his thinking and had already done a great deal to ease Lucian’s mind.
I heard a faint sound and opened my eyes. Adeline was at the door which opened on to the balcony.
“Carmel,” she cried in alarm.
“Come … quick … please hurry.”
I leaped out of bed.
“What is it?”
“Please … please come.”
I followed her on to the balcony. She stopped suddenly.
“It’s here,” she said.
She held my arm and was gripping it very firmly. She took me to the balcony railing. There was a wildness in her eyes.
I cried out: “Adeline! Be careful! Remember …”
She held me firmly by both my arms. Her face was distorted. She looked quite different from the Adeline I knew. She was forcing me against the balcony, and I knew then what she was trying to do. The balcony was faulty. The stake was loose. And she was trying to push me over! I felt the railing move. It had fallen. I heard it rattle to the stone patio below.
Now, I thought. Now! And with all my strength I tried to free myself.
But she was strong and her grip was firm. There was a menacing look in her face.
I was saying: “Why … why?”
She was still gripping me firmly and then she suddenly began to sob.
We swayed a little. In vain, I made every effort to free myself, and then suddenly she was pulling me away from the balcony.
She was still holding me in that vice-like grip while she went on sobbing bitterly.
“I can’t do it,” she was whimpering.
“I can’t kill Carmel. Not Carmel”
I felt this must be a bad dream. It could not be real. But she had meant to kill me. Why? It was for this reason that she had been obsessed by the faulty balcony. She had meant to push me over, and if she had . well, that would have been the end for me. What was in her poor troubled mind? Why had she turned against me?
She went on sobbing.
“Adeline,” I said, ‘what does this mean? What are you trying to do?”
“I couldn’t do it,” she said.
“I couldn’t kill you, Carmel. But I won’t let anyone take Kitty away from me.”
I managed to get her into my bedroom. We sat side by side on the bed and I put my arm round her.
“Adeline,” I said
, ‘please tell me what is troubling you. I dare say it can be explained. “
“You hate me now,” she said.
“You know, don’t you?”
“I don’t hate you. I never could. I’m very fond of you. We were always good friends in the past, weren’t we?”
She nodded.
“You came to tell her,” she said.
“You know. I heard you talking. I know what it’s all about. It’s about her … my mother … my wicked mother. She was going to send Kitty away. She wouldn’t have let me see her any more.”
“Adeline,” I said, ‘suppose you tell me exactly what this is all about.”
“They’ll take me away from Kitty,” she said.
“They won’t. Kitty loves you. You’ll always be with her.”
“I won’t let them take me away from her. I won’t.”
“No, of course. But why did you want to hurt me’ ” You were going to find out. You brought Lucian down here. I heard you talking about it. You were going to tell Kitty to prove it all. You were going to tell them all . the newspaper men . the police . and all of them. “
Tell them what, Adeline? “
That I did it. I killed her. You came down to tell them. “
“You killed your mother?”
“She was going to send Kitty away. She was cruel. Nobody loved her. It was better without her. She frightened me. She caught me in her room.
I only wanted to show Lucian the opal when the drawer came out . and then Kitty came for me, and my mother was so angry she said Kitty was to go. I went into her room when she was lying in her bed. She was gasping and couldn’t breathe very well. She said: “Pills … pills.”
Just that. So I put a lot of them in a glass and gave them to her. She drank it. And then she was dead. But they took us off to Aunt Florence, and I wouldn’t stay there, and after a time they sent me to Kitty. Then I thought you had come to spoil it all. “
“Oh, Adeline, my poor, poor Adeline.”
She leaned against me, sobbing.
“I came back to Kitty,” she said.
“It was lovely here. It’s the best place in the world. I can’t go away from Kitty. And you came here, and I listened and you were always talking to them about … what you knew and you were going to tell them and when they knew they would take me away from Kitty. I can’t go away from Kitty. It’s safe here. It’s my home. I didn’t really want to hurt you … but I had to … and then I couldn’t do it, because I like you too much.”
The Black Opal Page 32
