The next day Roderick went off early. It continued to rain during the morning and cleared up after luncheon, which we took in our rooms. I was glad of that. I did not want to have to face Lady Constance alone.
I was wondering what she would say to Fiona and what Fiona’s response would be. Fiona could be forthright. The outcome would be interesting to me, because in a way Fiona’s case was not unlike my own.
It was my custom to call on Fiona in the afternoon. I very much wanted to hear the result of the interview and I must delay my visit until it was over.
I had seen Lady Constance set out after luncheon. She was walking the short distance from the house to the site. She looked brisk as she set out, as though she were going into battle. She carried a black umbrella. It was not raining at the time, but there could well be another shower or two.
I guessed the meeting would be brief.
I should hear all about it from Fiona. An hour passed while I sat at my window, waiting for the return of Lady Constance. I was surprised that she was so long. The walk would be about fifteen minutes there and fifteen back. An hour had passed. What could they be talking about for the rest of the time?
Could I have missed her return? That was hardly likely. It might be that she had gone on somewhere else. That was not likely, but I supposed just possible.
It was half an hour later when I decided I would call on Fiona. Lady Constance must have left by now and if by some chance she had not done so, I should have to make some excuse and come away.
I put on my outdoor clothes with stout walking shoes and took an umbrella with me.
It was a somewhat bleak day and the countryside looked a little desolate. Everything was damp and there was rain in the air, although it was not actually falling. There was scarcely any wind and dark clouds loured low in the sky.
When I came near the site, it started to rain. I put up my umbrella and took the path which led up to the cottage.
It looked different. There were pieces of loose earth spattered about. They must have been disturbed by the heavy rains, I thought.
I glanced over at the baths and the mosaic floor. They looked just as usual. Then … too late … I saw the yawning gap before me. I tried to stop sharply, but as I did so, the ground beneath me gave way. I tripped forward, my umbrella flew away and I was falling … down into darkness.
I was stunned and bewildered for a few seconds before I realized what was happening. This was one of the spots Roderick had talked about. The soil was giving way beneath my feet. It was in my eyes. I shut them tightly for a few seconds. I tried to clutch at something, but the damp earth came away in my hands.
My fall was not rapid. It was impeded by the obstructing soil which gave way under my weight. And then … suddenly I was falling no longer. I opened my eyes. I could not see much, but the hole through which I had fallen was still there and it let in a little light.
I was standing on something hard. I felt a mild relief because I was no longer falling.
I was able to put my hand down and touch what I was standing on. It was smooth and felt like stone. Fragments of soil were still falling round me and onto the shelf on which I was standing. I listened to the sound of their fall. It was now intermittent and I saw that the hole through which I had fallen remained, so there was still a little light from above coming in.
I felt a great relief. At least I was not entirely buried. Someone must come. But who? They would discover that the land had subsided. But how long could I stay here?
I perceived that it would be impossible to try to climb up. There was nothing but damp loose earth to cling to. Then I began to feel very frightened.
I heard something. A cry. “Help … help me …”
“Hello,” I said. “Hello.”
“Here … here …”
I recognized Lady Constance’s voice.
A thought flashed into my mind. It had happened to her. She had been going to call on Fiona, just as I had been. She would have taken the same path.
“Lady Constance,” I gasped.
“Noelle. Where … are you here?”
“I fell …”
“As I did. Can you move?”
“I … I’m afraid to. It might …”
I had no need to explain. She was in the same position as I was. At the moment we were safe … but how did we know whether the slightest movement might set the earth falling down on us, burying us alive?
My eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness. I appeared to be on some sort of stone floor. There was earth scattered all over it. I could see something dark … a shape moving slightly. It was Lady Constance.
“Can you move very slowly … this way?” I said. “We seem to be in some sort of cave. It’s lighter where I am. The hole is still above. I’m afraid to move because the earth round me is very loose. But there seems to be a sort of ceiling.”
She started to crawl slowly towards me. There was a sound of falling earth. I held my breath. I was desperately afraid that the soil would fall in and bury us.
I said: “Wait … wait.”
She obeyed and all was quiet. I said: “Try again.”
She was close now. I could see her vaguely.
She put out a hand and touched my arm. I grasped her hand.
I could sense that her relief matched mine.
“What … what can we do?” she whispered.
“Perhaps they’ll come and rescue us,” I said.
She did not speak. “Are you all right?” I asked.
“My foot hurts. I’m glad you’re here. I shouldn’t be. But … it makes two of us.”
“I understand,” I said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
We were silent for a while, then she said: “This is the end of us perhaps.”
“I don’t know.”
“What can happen, then?”
“We’ll be missed. When Roderick comes back. Someone will come to look for us. We must keep very still. We must not disturb anything. When they miss us they’ll come to rescue us.”
“You’re trying to comfort me.”
“And myself.”
She laughed, and I laughed with her. It was quite mirthless laughter, a defence, perhaps, against fate.
“Strange,” she said, “that you and I should be here.”
“Very strange.”
“It’s good to talk, isn’t it? I feel so much better now. I thought I was going to die alone. I was very frightened.”
“It’s always good to share something, I suppose … even this.”
“It’s a help. Do you really think we shall get out of this?”
“I don’t know. I think we may have a chance. Someone might come along.”
“They might fall down with us.”
“They might see what has happened in time. They’d get help.”
“Should we call out?”
“Would they hear us?”
“If we heard them, they might hear us. There’s a gap there. You can see the daylight.”
“While that’s there, there is hope.”
“You’re a sensible girl,” she said. “I’m afraid I haven’t been very good to you.”