“Shall I send for Dickon?”
“I think Jonathan will manage it. Wait and see what he has to say.”
“In the meantime… you must take the utmost care. I was thinking all last night of the things that have happened: those people coming to the house pretending to be Dickon’s friends; the kidnapping of Jessica; then returning her and… now this. What does it mean? Where is all this leading? Promise me you’ll take care.”
“I will. I will. Maman, do you think Millicent knows anything?”
“Millicent! I shouldn’t think so for a moment. She’s very preoccupied with the prospect of becoming a mother. Why do you ask? Has she said anything?”
“No, but I just wondered.”
“Well, promise me to take extra special care.”
“I will.”
Within two days Jonathan came back. I saw him arrive and waved from my bedroom window and immediately went down to meet him.
“Claudine!” he cried and kissed me.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’ve come.”
“I want to know everything… now… at once. He’s here… in this neighbourhood?”
“He must be.”
We went into the parlour which led out of the hall and I quickly told him what had happened.
“Rope across the bushes,” he said. “Whoever would have done that?”
“I think it was meant to catch me.”
“Why? I am quite sure that Grafter and his associates would want to do such a thing—but if they did, how came it that one of their own fell into the trap?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It was somebody who wanted to harm you. I can’t believe that those people would use such a method.” He paused thoughtfully. “It would seem that there are two plots in progress.”
I looked at him steadily and said: “There are some who know that you and I once met in Enderby. Someone was in the house when we were there… someone who spoke through the tube. Do you think it possible that that person could have told someone… someone who hates me for my part in it?”
“Millicent?” he asked.
“I can’t think that she would do such a thing… but she does love you deeply and possessively, I think. She is an intense person. It is quite reasonable to suppose that she would therefore hate me… if she knew.”
“All that was before my marriage.”
“But she watches you… she watches me. I think we betray something.”
He was silent for a few seconds, then he said: “The first thing is to get Grafter. He’s here all right. He’s in this neighbourhood. You saw him on the bridle path. How badly hurt was he?”
“I couldn’t see exactly. He was lying there. He must have been unconscious.”
“And then he was removed, but you had already let them know that you had seen Grafter.”
“I thought there was no need to hide the fact as they would all know when he was brought in.”
He nodded. “Then there is this ghostly theory. That’s good. That helps. You must take special care, Claudine. I don’t understand why this clumsy attempt was made on your life, but I don’t think it could have been Grafter’s friends, for if it were they would never have gone into the trap. There is something very odd afoot, and I want you to be careful. I want you to watch everything with the utmost attention. But don’t appear to be doing so. I’ve got to get Grafter. He’s here. He can’t be far away and he’s useless to them now in London. They know we’re looking for him. When I get him I’ll find out where the rest are. Now don’t forget, behave as though nothing had happened and appear to believe that you have had an experience of the occult.”
“I will,” I said. “Now you must wash the stains of your journey from your person, and it is nearly time to eat.”
“I’m hungry,” he said, and smiling at me with the mischief in his eyes which I knew so well, he added: “For many things.”
As we came out of the room Millicent was in the hall.
“Hello, Jonathan,” she said.
“Ah, here is my devoted wife.”
She ran to him and embraced him. Over his shoulder she looked at me and I could not understand the expression on her face.
I was determined to carry out Jonathan’s instructions and behave normally.
He himself was very merry and few would have guessed that he was engaged on an important mission. He chided me for seeing a ghost.
“Really, Claudine, I should never have believed it of you.”
“It was an extraordinary experience,” I replied.
“I wonder if you were looking into the past or the future. I believe that is how these things are supposed to work.”
Then he began telling ghost stories and in such a manner as to make them ridiculous.
David was a little put out because he thought Jonathan was mocking me; but I smiled at him to assure him that I did not mind in the least.
“Perhaps,” I said, “Jonathan will see a ghost himself one day. Then he won’t be so sceptical.”
The next day I went to see Aunt Sophie.
She had heard the story of what was now called “Mrs. Frenshaw’s vision” and was very interested in it.
“It was the ghost of that poor young man who was murdered with Alberic,” she said. “They were both murdered, poor innocent boys. Those are the people who come back… those who die violently. And they come back because they want their revenge.”
Dolly Mather was there listening intently. Aunt Sophie addressed her now and then: “Dolly, bring another cushion for me, dear child. Just put my footstool a little nearer and ring and tell them we want some coal on the fire.”
Dolly obeyed these instructions willingly, even eagerly.
I asked about her grandmother and Dolly said she was not really well. She just wanted to be by herself all the time.
“It’s very sad,” said Aunt Sophie, with that relish she always had for misery. “But Dolly comes to me very often, don’t you, child?”
Dolly answered: “I don’t know what it would be like if I couldn’t come here.”
I left at the usual time and when I came to the bridle path I dismounted and walked my horse. There was a deep silence and the darkness gave the place an eerie aspect. If I had not known that Billy Grafter was at large and that he had certainly fled from London, I could easily have been convinced that I had seen a ghost.
On the second day when I was about to call on Aunt Sophie I met Dolly on the way and I had a feeling that she had been waiting for me, which proved right.
“Oh, Mrs. Frenshaw, I was hoping to see you. Mademoiselle d’Aubigné is not well today.”
“Oh, isn’t she? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing much. She’s just tired and wants to sleep all the afternoon. Jeanne said if I saw you would I tell you not to call this afternoon. I haven’t seen Mademoiselle today. When I went Jeanne said come tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Mrs. Frenshaw, I’d like to talk to you. Would you… come for a little ride with me?”
“But of course, Dolly.” I was rather pleased. I had always found it difficult to talk to her. I was sure she brooded a great deal, and I had often said to David that if only she would talk we might be able to help her. So now I welcomed the opportunity.
We turned our horses away from Enderby and I said: “Where shall we go?”
“Evie and I used to love to ride by the sea.”
“Perhaps you’d rather not go that way now then.”
“Oh, I would, I would. I often go there.”
So we turned our horses in a southerly direction.
“It’s wonderful for me to be able to go and see Mademoiselle.”
“It’s good for her, too. I think she’s really fond of you, Dolly.”
A flush suffused her cheek. “Oh, do you really think so, Mrs. Frenshaw?”
“I do indeed.”
“She’s taught me a lot. French… and everything. It has been wonderful to go there… especially after I lost Evie.”