"Are you sure?" said Berthe.
"That it's Madame? Of course I'm not. But-"
"That he's gone," said Berthe.
I stared at her. "What do you mean?"
She gave a little boneless shrug. "It's a big place."
Something crept over my skin like a cold draught. "You mean… he may still be here somewhere… hiding?"
She didn't speak. She nodded. Her eyes, watching me painfully, were once more alive and intelligent.
I said almost angrily: "But he went. People must have seen him go. Bernard said-oh, that's not evidence, is it? But his car's gone. I noticed that when we came through the stableyard this afternoon."
"Yes. He left. I saw him. But he could have come back. There's such things," added Berthe surprisingly, "as alibis."
I said slowly: "Yes, I suppose there are. But that he should be here-hiding-no, it's too far-fetched and absurd."
"Well," said Berthe, "but it's absurd to think Madame would do it, isn't it?"
"Oh God," I said explosively, "it's absurd to think anyone would do it I But I can't believe the thing hinges on Raoul. No"-as she was about to speak-"not only for the reason you think, but because if he is in it, I can't see where I come in at all. That's fantastic if you like."
"How d'you mean?"
"If he was involved in this murder thing, why get involved with me? You know he was, of course?"
"Everybody knew."
I said bitterly: "They did, didn't they? Well, why did he? Surely it was a dangerous and unnecessary thing to
do?"
"Perhaps," she said disconcertingly, "he just can't help it. You're awfully pretty, aren't you, and Albertine says that when they were in Paris she heard-"
“Ah, yes, “I said. “Albertine hears an awful lot doesn’t she? You mean that he automatically turns the power on for every young female he meets? His father’s like that, have you noticed? He's got a technique all his own of disarming you with his affliction and then switching on charm like an arc-light. Well, it could be, but I don't think so. Raoul's not like his father; he's got no need to waste himself where it doesn't matter. And in this case it might have been actually dangerous to get involved with me if he was.… Third Murderer."
"If he's in it with them, and he started to-well, to-"
"To make love to me?"
"Yes, miss. If he did that, and, like you said, it wasn't safe, mightn't that be why Monsieur and Madame were so annoyed about it?"
"I thought they were at first, but they weren't. I told you. Monsieur was awfully nice to me this afternoon."
"Oh, but they were, miss. Albertine said you were to be sent away. Everyone knew. They were all talking about it. And why should they bother to send you away, unless Monsieur Raoul was in with them, and it wasn't safe, like you said. Otherwise you'd hardly think they'd trouble their heads about his goings-on, because-oh, I'm sorry, miss, I do beg your pardon, I'm sure."
"It's all right. 'Goings-on' will do. Well, they might be annoyed even so, because Philippe was in their charge and I-no that won't do. If they're all set to murder the child they won't give a damn about the moral code of his governess. But no, Berthe, it won't fit. It doesn't make sense. I still can't throw Monsieur Raoul in, you know. And not just because of the way I feel either. It went too far, our affair-beyond all the bounds of reason if he was involved in his father's game. He asked me to marry him at the ball."
"Yes, I know."
"You know?"
"Yes, miss. Everybody does."
I don't think I spoke for a full five seconds. "Do they? Second sight or just more gossip?"
"I don't know what you mean. Bernard told Albertine and she told the rest of us."
"When was this?"
She looked uncomfortable. "Well, she'd been saying things about you for quite a time. She'd been saying you were, well-"
"Yes?"
"She said you were out to get him, miss, and that Monsieur and Madame were furious and you were going to be sent away. And then yesterday she was saying it had happened, like."
"Yesterday? You mean after the ball?"
"That's right."
"Did she say she knew for certain?"
"I don't know. She was sounding sure enough about it. She said-oh, well, never mind. She's a nasty one sometimes, that one."
"Yes. Let it pass. I've had my fill of Albertine. But let's think," I said a little desperately, "if she and everyone else were talking about our engagement, then, even if they hadn't been actually told, you'd think Monsieur and Madame would know too?"
"That's right, you would."
"But you said they were genuinely furious before that-when it was known that he and I were, well, interested in each other."
"Oh yes. I'm sure of that."
"But I tell you it doesn't make sense. I told you, I saw Monsieur de Valmy yesterday-when presumably he knew as much about it as everyone else-and he was extremely nice to me. And neither of them sent for me to ask me about it or- or anything. I-I can't work it out, Berthe. My head's spinning ' and it feels as if it's going to burst. If they knew and didn't mind, then Raoul can't be in it, can he? When I saw him, Monsieur Léon must have already laid his plans because he'd already had Hippolyte's cable…"
My voice trailed away into nothing. I swallowed hard. I repeated, unrecognisably: "He'd already had Hippolyte's cable!”
In the silence that followed she stirred and the bed creaked.
I said slowly: "He and Madame were angry with me before; I know they were. I believe they were planning to send me away.
But Hippolyte's cable changed all that. They had to make a plan in a hurry and that plan included me. How does that fit?"
"Well-"
"It does, you know. But how? How? Are you sure Bernard said nothing?"
"I'm sure," she said desperately. "Don't you fret, miss. I’d go bail you'll be in no danger."
"What makes you think I'm worrying about that?" I said, almost sharply. "But we must get this straight, don't you see? It's the only way we'll be able to do anything to help Philippe. What can they be planning to do that includes me? What the sweet hell can they be planning?"
She said: "Maybe you've nothing to do with it at all. Maybe they just think it'd look funny if something happened to Philippe the day you were sent off, so they've decided they'll have to keep you.
"Yes, but marriage is a bit-"
"Maybe they want to make sure you'll hold your tongue if you suspect anything," said Berthe.
"Oh, dear God," I said wearily, "they surely can't imagine that I’d suspect a child was murdered and do nothing about it?"
"But if you were going to marry him, and everyone knew-"
"What difference would that make? They'd never be idiot enough to think I'd help them? No, it's nonsense. They'd never use marriage as a bait to make me hold my tongue. Why, good heavens-"
"I wasn't going to say that." There was some new quality in Berthe's voice that stopped me short. She was still speaking softly, but there was some curious vibrancy in the tones that held me. She said: "Everybody knows you're engaged to Monsieur Raoul. If Philippe died, you'd be Madame la Comtesse de Valmy one day. If the cable really came before the ball-"