Seven Lean Years
Page 21
*
It was not until long afterwards, when the shock and horror of that night were beginning to fade; when the truth of Ellen’s guesses as to Leonard’s motive had been amply confirmed; and when the first, tentative awareness of the freedom and possibilities of a life no longer dominated by Leonard was beginning to form in Ellen’s mind; it was not until then that Ellen faced again the question that she had asked herself at the height of her terror that night: Why, having locked her in the chest to die, had Leonard then come and let her out at the risk of his own life—indeed, as it turned out, at the cost of it? Had he, at the last moment, been overwhelmed with horror and remorse at what he had done? Throughout their relationship, had it not been his way first deliberately to hurt her, and then to be unusually kind and charming, as if in compensation? Didn’t they follow exactly the same pattern, these last, terrible actions of his life? However wicked his plans, hadn’t he, in the end, given his life to save her?
Or had he, in those last minutes, suddenly realised that there was one weak point in the plausible story he had prepared? For however violent the conflagration, however many clues it obliterated, one clue would be left: the great iron lock on the chest. Among the ashes it would be found locked; and could only have been locked from the outside.
Copyright
This ebook edition first published in 2014
by Faber and Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House
74–77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
All rights reserved
© Celia Fremlin, 1961
Biographical Sketch © Chris Simmons, 2014
The right of Celia Fremlin to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–31292–4