The Silk Vendetta (46 page)

“Would you like some, Uncle Charles? But don’t let that greedy one get it.”

“I am going to leave the feeding to you, dear Katie. I know that in this matter of feeding the ducks you have the wisdom of Solomon.”

Katie thought his conversation very funny.

“I have an idea,” he went on. “Your mother and I will sit on that seat and watch justice being meted out.”

He drew me back to the seat and I had no alternative but to sit down beside him.

“An enchanting child, your daughter,” he said.

I was silent.

“She is very bright,” he added. “I wonder what she will make of this horrid scandal when it breaks upon the world.”

With an almost uncanny precision he had interpreted exactly what was in my mind.

“But of course,” he went on soothingly, “she will never hear of it for you are going to be sensible.”

“Charles, I wish you would go.”

“But I am enjoying this so much. Katie is a charmer. I am proud of my little niece. It would really hurt me to have her thrust into a welter of unpleasantness.”

“But nevertheless you would take a delight in it if it came to pass.”

“But it need not—though you have to make up your mind quickly. I have spoken to Julia. She is wavering at the moment. She fluctuates according to her liquid intake. But now that I have the evidence, I think she will need little persuasion.”

“What evidence?”

“Of the little love nest.”

”What are you talking about? “

“Number 12 Parsons Road.”

I was numb with shock.

”I see my revelations have upset you. I have had you watched, dear Lenore. For some time I have been doing this and now vigilance has borne fruit. You and Drake were seen to arrive separately at Number 12 Parsons Road and after a sojourn of about two and a half hours you were seen to depart separately and in a most discreet manner. It is all recorded.”

I felt sick with horror. I remembered now the man who had alighted from his cab just as I had from mine. He must have followed me to Parsons Road, and he had stood about waiting while I was there. He would have seen Drake arrive and have witnessed our departure. I could imagine the construction which Charles intended should be put on this.

He was watching me closely. “There is an easy way out,” he said.

“You are absolutely wrong.”

He raised his shoulders. “You are not going to deny that you were there together.”

“You who are so knowledgeable must be aware that it is the home of Drake Aldringham’s nurse.”

”Old nurses can be very accommodating and are well known for indulging their charges’ whims.”

“Are they?”

“Oh yes … particularly when the charges are such little angels as Drake must have been.”

Katie ran to me. “There’s no more bread,” she said.

”We must go home,” I told her.

“So soon, Mama?”

“Yes, we must. I have certain things to do.”

“I shall escort you,” said Charles.

Katie prattled all the way home and Charles responded in a lighthearted manner. But I sensed that was no reflection of his mood. He was deadly serious.

I was very quiet. In fact I was overcome by apprehension.

What could I do? I did not want to worry Grand’mere. Already she was very uneasy; even though she did not know how far this matter had gone.

It occurred to me that if I could see Julia I might make her

understand that in harming Drake and me she was hurting herself. If she were in a reasonable mood, if she really loved Drake—as I thought she did—surely she would not want to lose him.

I chose an afternoon. Perhaps she would be resting, but it was a quiet time of the day and I wanted as few people to know of our meeting as possible. She might refuse to see me but if she did I might get a chance to talk to her and if she were in a mellow mood perhaps I could make some progress. I might hint at Charles’s motives. So much would depend on how I found her.

I felt great trepidation as I rang the bell and I was ushered in by a parlourmaid. Mrs. Aldringham, I was told, was in her room. The maid would see if she were sleeping or if she could receive me.

After a few moments I was taken to Julia’s bedroom. She was sitting on a chair by the window and she smiled when she saw me.

“Do come in, Lenore.”

“I hope you are not resting.”

She shook her head. “I was going to lie down … but it doesn’t matter.”

She was in a peignoir of her favourite violet which matched the colour in her cheeks. She may have been drinking but she was by no means drunk.

I saw the inevitable decanter and a used glass on the table near her bed.

“I’m glad you came,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you. I have been so worried about you … and Drake.”

“Julia, there is nothing to be worried about. Drake and I are good friends … that’s all.”

She shook her head. “He thinks a lot of you, I know.”

“He’s married to you, Julia. If only you …”

“Yes,” she said, “what?”

My eyes had strayed to the decanter.

“I know what you mean,” she cried. “Stop drinking. I try. I do … for a time and then I have to go back to it. I can’t help it. I just have to.”

“If only you could. …”

“Do you think that would make any difference?”

“I think it would make all the difference.”

“How can it when he is in love with you?”

“You’re his wife, Julia. That’s important.”

“No. It was always you … even when we were children it was you he liked.”

“But he married you. It was what you wanted. You ought to be happy. If you would only try … stop drinking … do all you could to help him in his career instead of. .

She began to cry. “I know. It was a terrible thing I did. He will never forgive me. You won’t either.”

“I do understand your distress, Julia, but if you would only be reasonable … try to understand him… . He’s ambitious. He could go far. Everyone seems to think so … and all this is spoiling his chances.”

“Charles says I should divorce him.”

”If you did that you would lose him.”

“I know.”

“Surely that’s the last thing you want.”

She hesitated. “I don’t know. Sometimes I get angry and it all seems different. I hate him then. I want to hurt him … as I’ve been hurt. Charles says I should be happier if I did.”

“It’s for you to decide what you want… not Charles.”

“Charles has always influenced me. I’ve admired Charles. Philip was so gentle. But Charles was the man of the world. He married Helen. They are not even good friends but he doesn’t care in the least. He’s quite happy with the arrangement. He is blatantly unfaithful to her and yet he seems to enjoy life. I wish I were like Charles … not caring.”

”You wouldn’t want to be like that.”

“Oh, I should. I couldn’t care then whether Drake loved me or not … I’d be like Charles. I’d take lovers. He doesn’t care in the least. He’s having a love affair with that Italian woman now.”

“Do you mean Madalenna de’ Pucci?”

“Yes, that’s her. He sees a great deal of her. She’s always in and out of this house. And she’s in his rooms. I believe he has given her a key so that she can come in when she pleases.”

“Really … but it’s your house.”

“It’s Charles’s home when he’s living here. Oh, he’s deeply involved with her. Charles is so sophisticated. He’d never get hurt like this. I wish I were like him.”

“You must not let him influence you, Julia. Your life is in your own hands.”

“Sometimes I think Charles is right. Then sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I think I don’t care. I just want to hurt Drake as he has hurt me … and then at others it all seems different.”

I said: “You would ruin his career and your life at the same time.”

“I know … I know. I say I mustn’t and then I say I will. I’m wretched so everyone else shall be too.”

“Oh, Julia, I wish you’d drink less and be like you used to be.”

“It’s so comforting. You’re miserable and then you feel you don’t care … and after you feel quite merry and that nothing matters. But sometimes you feel so wretched you could end it all… not only for yourself but for everyone else.”

“Julia, it’s not too late… .”

“Isn’t it?” she asked eagerly. “Isn’t it?”

“Really, Julia, it isn’t.”

”I’ll talk to Charles tonight. I’ll tell him I’m going to try. I’ll be a good wife to Drake. I’ll help him. That’s what I always wanted to do. Yes, I’ll tell Charles tonight. I’ll tell him I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to be different. I’m not going to drink … so much. I’ll wean myself from it. You can’t do it quickly … not when you’re as involved as I am with it. Yes, I shall talk to him tonight.”

“Always remember, Julia, I want to be your friend.”

“Oh, I know. I know, Lenore.” She was near to tears. “I’m going to be different. I’m going to tell Charles tonight that I won’t do what he suggests. I’m going to try and be a better wife to Drake. I’m going to make him love me. …”

I rose to go. I went to her and kissed her. I said: “Don’t get up. I’ll let myself out.”

As I came into the street I told myself that the meeting had not been in vain.

But by the next morning Julia was dead.

The days which followed are like a grotesque nightmare in my memory. I kept telling myself that I must wake up and find that I was dreaming.

The cause of Julia’s death was established. She was found in Charles’s sitting room. He had had his own little suite of rooms in the house since the fire; they comprised a bedroom, a dressing room and a sitting room, and although they were part of the main house and were situated at the end of the first floor corridor, there was a back staircase which led only to them. Because of this they were especially private. Julia had given them to Charles so that he could feel a little apart until he was able to make arrangements as to where he would live.

The valet—who had saved him at the time of the fire—had told Julia that Charles had said he would be home round about seven o’clock.

Julia had gone to his sitting room as she wished to talk to him without delay. There she intended to wait for him. She must have seen the decanter and found it irresistible. Julia’s passion for drink had killed her. Her death had been instantaneous. When Charles had come in, he had found her dead. It seemed that she had drunk poisoned sherry which must have been meant for Charles.

When I heard the news I was overcome with shock. I had to get away from everyone to think clearly what this could mean. Someone had tried to poison Charles and Julia had died instead.

Grand’mere came to talk to me alone.

“My dear child,” she said, “what does all this mean?”

“They meant to kill Charles,” I whispered. “They did not mean to kill Julia.”

“Why should anyone want to kill Charles?”

“He must have had many enemies. He is not a good man. He is wicked…mischievous… . He likes to make trouble.”

Grand’mere was looking at me intently. “Tell me everything, Lenore,” she begged. “Don’t keep me in the dark.”

So I told her how he had pursued me, how he had had me followed to Parsons Road, how he had tried to persuade Julia to divorce Drake and cite me as the reason.

“Mon Dieu,” she murmured. “Oh … mon Dieu.”

“Grand’mere, you don’t think… I wouldn’t know how … even if…I have never been in his rooms.”

“There will be an inquest,” she said. “Questions will be asked. You saw her the day she died. You must have been one of the last to see her alive.”

“I talked to her, told her how unwise she would be to divorce Drake. She said she was going to talk to Charles. That must have been why she was in his rooms.”

“When this sort of thing happens there are many questions, there is much probing.”

“Grand’mere,” I said. “I am frightened. I am thinking of Katie.”

“Katie must go to Paris.”

“I can’t go, Grand’mere. It would look like running away. I suppose I might not be allowed to go. Perhaps you could take her.”

Grand’mere shook her head. “My place is here with you. Cassie could take her … and the two governesses with her. That’s the best way. It is wise with something like this to take one step at a time … and make sure that it is the right one. Our first plan then is to get Katie away.”

I knew she was right.

Cassie was greatly upset. She had been fond of Julia and was completely stunned by what had happened.

“I keep thinking of her when we were little,” she said. “All the little things she did. That this should happen! I’m glad Mama is not alive to see it.”

I wondered how Lady Sallonger would have taken the news. Calmly, I should imagine. She had never allowed herself to be much affected by others and Julia would have ceased to play a part in her ladyship’s life.

“Cassie,” I said, “we have to do something quickly.”

I had to explain certain things to her. She was horrified to learn of the part Charles had played but she was not greatly surprised. She knew her brother. In their childhood he had taken a delight in teasing his sisters and had often reduced them to tears. There was—and always had been—a sadistic streak in Charles.

Cassie had grown quite worldly wise when she had left The Silk House. She saw at once the need to get Katie out of London and would make her preparations to leave at once.

Katie was full of questions. “Why can’t you come with us, Mama?”

“I have things to do here. I can come later.”

”Why don’t we wait for you?”

“It’s better for you to go now. You’ll have Aunt Cassie and Mademoiselle and Miss …”

“I’d rather you came, Mama.”

“I know, but it isn’t quite convenient yet.”

“Then …”

But I silenced her with a kiss and said: “You know how you love Paris … and it won’t be long.”

“Shall we go to Grandpapa’s vineyard?”

“I expect so … one day.”

“Will he be in Paris?”

“I don’t know.”

“I hope I go to the vineyard. I want to see Raoul.”

She prattled on and there was a certain speculation in her eyes. I could see that it would have been very difficult to keep the news from her.

I had to attend the inquest. It was an ordeal. Drake was looking pale and strained and the fact that Julia was the wife of a politician who was becoming known to the public meant that there was full press coverage.