Miss Cranleigh, I can see that. You’re an understanding sort. “
“I hope so. I find it very interesting here … the house and the people.”
“That’s so. As you was saying, I’ve seen some changes. People don’t come to this part of the house much. You know what they’re like round here, as we were saying … Sir Ed ward died here. They think he’ll come back and haunt the place. There’s talk about it. They’ve seen lights. They say it’s Sir Edward looking for something because he can’t rest.”
“I saw a light once,” I said.
“I thought it was a candle.. It flickered … and then I didn’t see it any more.”
She nudged me.
“I can tell you what that was. That was her.” She jerked her head towards Lady Perrivale’s room.
“She does that sometimes. Gets up in the night. She’ll light a candle. I’ve told her many times. I said, ” You’ll set the place alight one day . your own nightdress perhaps. ” She said, ” I have to look. I have to find it. “
“Find what?” I say. Then she gets a funny look in her eyes and shuts her mouth and won’t say a thing. “
“Do you think she is really looking for something?”
“People get notions when they get old. No … there’s nothing. She’s just got this notion in her head. Time after time I’ve told her, ” If there’s something you’ve mislaid, tell me what. I’ll find it for you.”
But no . it’s just some fancy that comes to her in the night. I have to watch out, though. She could start a fire and there’s a lot of wood in a place like this. What I do is hide the matches. But that don’t stop her. I’ve heard her groping about in the dark. “
“In her room?”
“No, in his room … Sir Edward’s. They had separate rooms, you know.
I always think there’s something amiss with separate rooms. “
“You must be kept busy here, looking after Lady Perrivale.”
“Oh yes. I do everything. Keep the place clean … cook her food.
It’s not often she goes down to parties like she did the other night.
But she’d been better for the last week or so. They lead their own lives and she’s very content with the present Lady Perrivale. She wanted her to marry one of the boys. “
“Yes, I heard that she knew her mother.”
“Yes, school friend, she was. She wanted the Major to come here; she found Seashell Cottage for them and before long Miss Mirabel was engaged to Mr. Cosmo.”
“He died though … didn’t he?”
“Murdered. I can tell you, that was a time. It was that boy Simon.
They’d always been against each other. “
“He went away, didn’t he?”
“Oh yes. Ran off. He was a sharp little fellow when he was little, even. It was the only thing he could do … or hang by the neck. I reckon he’ll fall on his feet. He was that sort.”
“What do you think happened?”
“It’s plain as the nose on your face. Simon had had enough. He had his eyes on Mirabel. Not that he had a chance.” She lowered her voice.
“Perhaps I’m speaking out of turn, but I always thought she had her eyes on the title, so she took Cosmo. I think Simon shot him in a temper.”
“But why should he have the gun handy like that?”
“Now you’re asking me. Looks like he took it there for a purpose, don’t it? Eee. You never know. There’s nowt so queer as folk, as we say in Yorkshire. And by gum, we’re right. Well, everyone seems to have made up their minds it was jealousy … and jealousy’s a terrible thing. It can lead anywhere.”
“So then Lady Perrivale married Tristan.”
“Yes. Well, they always had a fancy for each other, those two. I’ve got a pair of eyes in my head. I’ve seen things. And I’ll tell you this: I said to myself, more than once, ” Ho, ho, there’ll be trouble when she marries Cosmo because Tristan’s the one she wants. ” I’ve seen a thing or two.”
She stopped abruptly and put her fingers to her mouth.
“I’m talking out of turn again. It’s so nice to have a chat with someone who’s interested.”
“I am certainly interested,” I assured her.
“Well, you’re one of the family now, I suppose. And, after all, it happened some time ago. It’s all over and done with now.”
I could see that she would need but little prompting to overcome her qualms of conscience, and I continued to prompt her.
“Yes, of course,” I said.
“And I dare say everyone was discussing it all at one time.”
“My goodness yes. That’s a fact.” , “You were saying you’d seen a thing or two.”
“Oh … I don’t know. It was just that I noticed one or two things … so it didn’t surprise me at all when she turned to Tristan. People said it was on the rebound … and poor things they comforted each other. Well, you know what people say …”
She was frowning slightly. She was, I think, trying to remember how much she had said.
“Her ladyship and me … we used to have some fun together. She’d tell me everything … two girls together, that’s what we were like and then of course she’s changed since Cosmo’s death. You wouldn’t believe how it’s aged her. It’s a long time since I’ve had a chat like this. Well… I’d better take a look at her. Catnaps, that’s what she takes. Then she’ll wake up suddenly and want to know what’s going on.”
She rose and went to the door. I was hoping that Lady Perrivale would not have woken up, for the conversation with Maria had been very interesting and illuminating. I had always been aware that servants knew as much as anyone did of the family’s secrets perhaps even more.
I heard a peevish voice: “Maria … what’s happened? Wasn’t someone coming?”
“Yes, you wanted to have a chat with the governess. She’s been waiting here for you to wake up.”
“I am awake.”
“Now you are. Well, here she is. Miss Cranleigh …”
Lady Perrivale smiled at me.
“Bring a chair, Maria, so that she can sit down.”
The chair was brought.
“Close to me,” said Lady Perrivale, and Maria complied.
We talked for a while but I could see that her mind wandered. She was not nearly as lucid as she had been on
the night of the party, and was not sure which of the governesses I was; and then suddenly she remembered I was the successful one.
She talked about the house and told me what a state it had been in when she came and how she had repaired it and given it a new lease of life.
After a short while I saw her head nodding and she fell into a doze.
Quietly I rose and looked for Maria.
She said: “It’s not one of her good days. She had a bad night. I’ll bet she was wandering about in the dark … looking for something which isn’t there.”
“Well, I must go now, and I did enjoy talking to you.”
“I hope I didn’t say too much. Got carried away by having someone to talk to for a bit. You must come again. I’ve always enjoyed a bit of a gossip.”
“I will,” I promised.
I went back to my room. It had not been a wasted afternoon.
A message from Lucas was sent to the house.
He was back and wanted to see me as soon as possible. I could not wait for the meeting and soon after I received the message was in the parlour at The Sailor King with him.
“Well,” he said.
“I’ve made some discoveries. I think Miss Kate must be romancing.”
“Oh, I’m glad of that. I should have hated to think Lady Perrivale had murdered her first husband.”
“It seems that this Thomas Parry was a sailor.”
“That’s the one.”
“He married a Mabel Tallon. She was a chorus girl.”
“Lady Perrivale, a chorus girl!”