Arian

by Iris Gower

  He didn’t reply and Arian went up to Mac and hugged him. ‘I want you and I need you, Mac,’ she said earnestly. ‘You take care of me, you make me feel safe.’ She kissed his cheek and felt the bristles hard against her mouth.

  ‘I’m sorry if I was angry, Mac. Please stay, please?’

  For a moment it seemed he would refuse then his craggy face broke into a smile and he nodded slowly.

  ‘Right, I’ll stay. I don’t see why I should miss the “do” the city fathers are putting on for us, do you?’

  ‘Mac,’ Arian hugged him and tutting, he unwound her arms from around his neck. ‘Mac, I love you.’

  ‘Stuff and nonsense!’ he said gruffly. ‘Now get on and sort out that Frogmore person. There’s real work waiting for you instead of placating silly women – waste of time, I call that.’

  With lightened spirits, Arian let herself out of the offices of the Times and hailed a cab. The sooner she spoke to Sarah Frogmore, the better. Arian had no doubt she’d convince Sarah to drop her foolish notion of taking the matter to court. Once the disadvantages were pointed out to her, she’d see reason.

  From the outside, Frogmore Hall was imposing and within the huge arched doorway, the real splendour of the old house was evident. Domed ceilings were deeply corniced and the frieze above the picture rail was decorated with Greek urns and swags of olive leaves.

  Arian became aware that the door of the sitting room had opened and Sarah appeared in the hallway. It was clear from the mutinous look on her face that Arian’s presence was not welcome.

  ‘You’ve got the cheek of the devil himself coming here to my house,’ she said, her face flushed. ‘Go away, I don’t want to talk to you. If you’re going to beg for mercy, forget it.’

  ‘No, I was going to ask you to reconsider, though.’ Arian moved closer. ‘I think it better if we talk privately, don’t you?’

  Sarah led the way into the sumptuous drawing room where Geoffrey Frogmore was seated in a chair. He was a sad-looking man, Arian thought afresh, his sallow complexion not flattered by the dun-coloured smoking jacket, and the knotted cravat around his neck of a green and gold pattern gave him a definitely foppish appearance. Still, his personal tastes were no business of hers.

  ‘What’s this about, Sarah?’ The question could have been aggressive but the mildness of his voice belied the words. Sarah shrugged and took a deep breath.

  ‘There was a silly story about you and … and Chas, in this woman’s rag of a newspaper.’

  ‘I thought you said it would be all right.’ His pale skin took on a pink flush and Arian bit her lip.

  ‘Mr Frogmore,’ she began but Sarah interrupted her.

  ‘It was slanderous, Geoffrey. That woman shouldn’t have written about you like that.’

  ‘Libellous, I think you mean, Mrs Frogmore,’ Arian corrected absently. She turned to Geoffrey. ‘The article, I’m afraid, hinted at your preference for your gentleman friend. I’m sorry.’

  ‘It’s absurd and untrue.’ Sarah put her arm around her husband’s shoulder as he seemed to diminish in his chair. ‘Indeed, it might interest your readers to know that I am with child by my husband for the second time. Does that sound like the sort of man you make him out to be?’

  Geoffrey Frogmore’s look of surprise was not lost on Arian, she realized Sarah’s story was an attempt to cover up but it didn’t really matter one way or another.

  ‘I’ve come to ask you not to take any action of this sort.’ She took the summons out of her bag. ‘I think it would cause more problems than it would solve.’

  ‘For you, yes, and for your newspaper,’ Sarah said venomously. ‘You might find you have to pay us some money for the hurt you’ve caused.’

  ‘If our story was proved to be the truth then Mr Frogmore could face a prison sentence, have you thought of that?’

  Sarah was silent and, after a moment, Geoffrey rose to his feet. His dignity was impressive.

  ‘We will leave well alone.’ He looked at Sarah. ‘It was foolishness to take this course of action and if I’d been consulted about the matter, I’d have forbidden you to do it.’

  ‘But Geoffrey …’

  ‘No buts, Sarah. Leave it.’ He moved to the door. ‘I think that brings our discussion to a close, Miss Smale.’ Arian inclined her head.

  ‘I can only apologise, Mr Frogmore,’ she hesitated for a moment, ‘I take full responsibility for what appears in my press and I assure you, nothing like this will ever be used again.’

  Geoffrey Frogmore didn’t reply. He appeared white and strained and Arian realized how much grief he was suffering over the loss of his friend.

  It was a relief to be out in the air once more. Her cheeks were hot and yet a sense of having averted disaster washed over her as she set out along the drive. She had learned a lesson today, that vulnerable people were to be protected. Mac might be a hard-headed reporter, a brilliant reporter but from now on, he would be careful not to aim his barbs at people who could not strike back.

  He was bent over his desk when she entered the office and he looked up, his eyebrows raised in question.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Arian took off her hat and hung it on the stand, running her hands through her hair wearily. ‘Geoffrey Frogmore doesn’t want to proceed.’ She sank down into a chair and leaned on the ink-stained desk. ‘He’s a pitiful sight, Mac. He’s so cut up about the loss of his friend.’

  ‘Shouldn’t go about doing unnatural things then, should he?’ Mac spoke in a surly voice, clearly he was on the defensive.

  ‘If we all were saints there wouldn’t be much to write about, would there?’

  Mac smiled and his craggy face was transformed. ‘Point taken, boss.’ He rose to his feet and thrust his hands into his pockets.

  ‘Glad you solved one problem because we have another one. The typesetter’s had an accident.’

  ‘Oh, God, not on the premises?’

  ‘No. Silly fool fell over after a session down at the Mexico Fountain and broke his arm. Can’t operate the damn machine.’

  He paused and Arian knew there was worse to come. She wasn’t wrong.

  ‘He tried, mind, when he came into work this morning. Daniel pied two lines and all hell’s been let loose down in the print room.’

  Arian groaned, one line pied – the printers’ term for dropped type – caused a great deal of confusion but two lines to reassemble with the separate letters, not to mention spaces and punctuation marks meant hours of work.

  ‘Why didn’t I stay in the leather business?’ She put her hand to her forehead. ‘It was not such hard work as a newspaper, believe me.’

  ‘But you were no good at it,’ Mac pointed out reasonably. He was nothing if not blunt but then Mac saw no merit in dissembling.

  ‘Right, let’s go and see if we can help sort the mess out, then.’ Arian rose to her feet and stood looking at Mac who remained at his desk.

  ‘Not me, boss. I got a leader article to write, remember?’

  ‘I remember.’ Arian moved towards the door of the office. ‘But thank you, Mac, for reminding me.’

  It was later that Arian left the office and made her way towards the hospital. She’d had a note from Eddie Carpenter asking her to call to see him and she wondered what was wrong. She had a nasty suspicion it was something to do with Gerald Simples.

  It was a long walk from the centre of town up the hill towards the yellow-stoned institute. The hospital was set well out of the way of other buildings, along a seemingly endless drive and then, the imposing structure came into sight, sprawling and somehow intimidating.

  Within the walls, there were many doors, all of them locked. It needed the company of an orderly to lead the way to the hospital wing where Eddie was working. Eddie himself met her at the door to his office. He looked sombre as he invited her inside and offered her a chair.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘That bastard! Do you know what he’s done?’ Eddie sat on the edge of the desk, his arms fol
ded, his shoulders tense.

  ‘He’s seduced my daughter!’ He gestured helplessly. ‘She’s visiting him at some hotel, she won’t tell me which one. Whatever I say, I’m wrong, I’m trying to thwart the course of true love. True love – the man doesn’t know the meaning of the word.’ He didn’t wait for Arian to comment.

  ‘It’s against my express wishes. I’ve told Candida the man’s dangerous but she won’t listen. Simples has somehow managed to fool everyone about his condition. His acquaintances have even spoken up for him and my daughter is the one protesting his sanity most loudly.

  ‘He’s been examined by our top man here. He came in voluntarily and to all intents and purposes he’s as sane as I am.’ He stood up and ran his hand through his hair. ‘But he’s cunning. It’s an act. I’m not quite sure how he’s getting away with it but that’s what the man’s doing.’

  Arian clasped her hands in her lap and tried to think rationally. ‘Is your daughter in danger, then?’

  ‘Everyone he comes in contact with is in danger; one wrong word and the whole thing could blow up into a disaster.’

  ‘Is that a possibility or is it a likelihood?’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘I just don’t know, Arian. I don’t know anything any more. Perhaps I’m wrong, God I hope I am for all our sakes.’

  ‘Perhaps he’s cured.’

  ‘Perhaps hell will freeze over.’

  ‘I’ll go to see him,’ Arian said decisively. ‘Tell him to give your daughter up. He might just listen to me.’

  ‘I hoped you’d say that. Normally I wouldn’t advise it,’ Eddie shook his head, ‘but Candida is so young, so headstrong. I’m frightened for her, Arian.’

  Arian patted Eddie’s cheek. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll speak to him, try to make him see reason and I’ll take Mac with me, he’s a tower of strength.’

  It wasn’t difficult for Arian to find out where Gerald was staying. In the event, she didn’t involve Mac but decided to see Gerald alone.

  He was sitting in a chair close to the window. He was clean-shaven and fully dressed and he appeared well, if a little tired. His eyes were heavy, almost as though he’d been sedated.

  ‘Gerald?’ she hesitated at the door of the room and he smiled slowly when he saw her.

  ‘Arian. I presume you’ve come to ask me to come back to you.’ Gerald moved from the bed and leaned a little heavily on the cabinet at his side.

  She sifted her words carefully, aware he might still be dangerous. She trusted Eddie’s judgement above that of the other doctors.

  ‘I’m not sure about that. I didn’t think you’d want to give up the full life you seem to be leading without me.’

  ‘I’ve always wanted to be with you, Mrs Simples, you know that.’ He spoke quietly, as if his throat was a little sore.

  It was a long time since she’d been called Mrs Simples and Arian shuddered. ‘Does that mean you’re growing tired of your young lady?’ she said, taking a deep breath.

  ‘If I say yes, you will arrange for me to come home, after all. You are doing very well now, aren’t you, and don’t you think you owe it to me to share some of that success with me?’ He was not letting her off the hook, she could see he was determined to make her commit herself.

  ‘Gerald, there’s a lot has happened to the both of us in the last months. We can’t pick up the threads, not just like that.’

  ‘You don’t want me, that’s it, isn’t it?’ He was making an effort to control himself, she could see by the set of his jaw. ‘Don’t try to side-step the issue.’

  ‘There’s a lot to think about,’ she said desperately. ‘I think you should break off the relationship with this young lady before we talk again. It’s up to you. I can’t solve anything for you, Gerald. It’s not as easy as that. You were the one to go off. You’ve had other women since we married. You must put all that behind you, prove you can be faithful to me before we can think of starting again.’ She had no intention of starting again but at least if he thought she would he might break off his affair with Eddie’s daughter.

  ‘You never loved me, did you?’ He was growing angry, she could see beads of sweat on his brow, he was frowning, his eyes were boring into hers and she was afraid. She rose to her feet and glanced at the door. Gerald made a move towards her and she held up her hand.

  ‘We’ll talk again, Gerald. Don’t excite yourself, it isn’t good for you.’

  He sank back into his chair. ‘All right, I’ll think about what you’ve said.’

  With a sigh of relief, she left the room and hurried down the stairs, almost colliding with a young nurse. She recognized the girl at once, she was Eddie’s daughter.

  ‘You’re Candida.’ Arian saw how very young the girl was with a pang of pity, she was just the right age to be taken in by a man like Gerald.

  ‘So, and who are you?’ The girl was on the defensive and Arian shook back her hair. ‘I’m Gerald’s wife.’ She watched the antagonism fade from Candida’s face. ‘He’s not cured, he’s holding himself in check; somehow he’s managing to control his anger but it’s there, it’s still there, all right, I’ve just seen a touch of it.’

  ‘You’re just saying that because you’re jealous of me.’ Candida lifted her chin defiantly.

  ‘I’m not jealous. I don’t want to ever see Gerald again. He can be brutal, I know that and if what your father says is right, he could be downright dangerous.’

  It was a mistake to mention Eddie. The girl’s eyes sparkled. ‘I see, so Daddy’s been talking to you, has he? Well I won’t listen to either of you, why should I? I know Gerald better than all of you. I’m the one who cares about him, really cares. I’m the one who gives him the laudanum. That’s all it takes, a small dose to keep him feeling great. The doctors, they look for trouble. What do they know?’

  She hurried away, her shoulders stiff with anger and Arian knew she had lost.

  Later she spoke to Eddie and told him what had happened. ‘Your daughter, she’s giving Gerald laudanum.’ She paused as he looked up at her sharply. ‘Is that bad?’

  ‘Good Lord, we haven’t used the stuff in years. Candida must be stealing it from the hospital’s old stock.’ Eddie rubbed his brow. ‘God, so that’s the answer, that’s what’s keeping the man’s condition more or less stable.’

  ‘Will it help him?’

  ‘For a time, until he becomes so used to it that he can’t live without it.’ Eddie took Arian by the shoulders.

  ‘Keep this to yourself. I will talk to my daughter again. She must stop supplying him with the medication, she’ll get caught sooner or later and then she’ll be in trouble.’

  ‘What will happen if he stops getting the laudanum?’ Arian watched Eddie’s face carefully. He looked levelly into her eyes.

  ‘God help us all.’ His voice was filled with despair.

  Arian left Eddie and made her way back home. Everything seemed to be falling to pieces around her. Would she never be free of Gerald Simples? She lifted her head to look up at the skies but all she saw were the scudding clouds that heralded a storm.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Ellie stared down at her hands. She was flushed and unbelieving. The midwife was rinsing her hands in the ornate china bowl, singing softly to herself.

  ‘You’re sure?’ Ellie lifted her head, a feeling of excitement replacing the disbelief. ‘You’re sure it’s twins?’

  ‘Sure as I can be, lovie,’ Nurse Parnel smiled. ‘Been at this job nigh on thirty years, mind. Should know when I can feel two babbas instead of one.’

  She lifted her strong hands. ‘See these? Brought hundreds of little ones into the world, they have. Fine healthy infants so don’t you fret, now. I’ll look after you when the time comes.’

  ‘I wonder what Calvin will say.’ Ellie spoke her thoughts out loud. ‘I hope he’ll be pleased.’

  ‘Well it’s two for the price of one, isn’t it, lovie?’ The midwife dried her hands and then rubbed them over her clean apron as though to straighten
out any creases. ‘Usually tickled pink are the husbands, think they’re something special to beget twins.’

  Ellie felt a sinking of her heart. She wasn’t a wife, only a mistress, and now she was going to be a mother of twins, illegitimate twins. Calvin would marry her now, he must do, mustn’t he?

  ‘I’ll say good day, then,’ Mrs Parnel smiled cheerfully. ‘I’ll come back again when you need me, right?’

  ‘Thank you, nurse,’ Ellie said. ‘I’m sure Calvin will want you to keep an eye on me.’

  ‘There’s a sensible man for you,’ Mrs Parnel approved. ‘He knows a woman with child needs a lot of care. There’s not many as thinks that way, mind.’

  When the midwife had left, Ellie made her way from the room and sought out Calvin, itching to tell him the news and yet frightened too. Still, the sooner she got it over the better.

  He was reading the paper, looking quite at home in her apartment and he smiled when he saw her in the doorway.

  ‘Am I disturbing you, Calvin?’ She hesitated on the threshold and he gestured for her to come in, closing the Times and setting it down.

  ‘This is your home remember? Now what did the good nurse have to say? Are you fit and well?’

  Ellie nodded. ‘Everything is as it should be, except …’ she hesitated and Calvin frowned.

  ‘Except what? There’s nothing wrong, is there?’

  ‘It’s twins,’ she blurted the words out. ‘Calvin, we’re going to have twins.’

  He smiled. ‘That’s splendid.’ His voice was strained. He didn’t seem to be overjoyed by her news. Ellie felt silly tears come into her eyes, she longed for Calvin to say that they must be married straight away but she knew he wouldn’t do anything of the sort.

  Plucking up her courage, she broached the subject herself.

  ‘Calvin, couldn’t we get married? It needn’t be a fussy service, just something simple, quiet. Nobody would know.’