Changeling

“Then you would have been with your family …” His face lightened. “You are usually at Pencarron about six o’clock.”

“Yes, but …”

I felt myself go limp with fear.

“But last night you were not?” insisted my grandfather.

“No. I went to see a friend before I left college. It made me late.”

“And what time did you get home?”

“It must have been about seven thirty.”

There was a terrible silence in the room.

“So … you were much later than usual?”

“Yes … about an hour and a half.”

I knew what my grandparents were thinking. It was just after six when Belinda came running into the house.

“And you came later … because you were with a friend. I’m sorry, Pedrek, but would your friend be able to corroborate this?”

Pedrek was growing more and more angry. Could it be the anger of guilt? “This has become an inquisition. Am I in the dock? Do I have to prove alibis?”

“This is a very serious charge. It would be in everyone’s interest if we could clear it … absolutely.”

“I know nothing about it. The child is mistaken. She must have confused me with someone else.”

“It’s the best way, Pedrek. If this friend of yours will confirm you were with him … you see everyone will realize that you could not possibly have been at the pool.”

“I was not with him. He was not at home.”

“So you did not see him … and you came back later …”

“Yes, because my visit had delayed me.”

We all sat quiet, frightened by the implication of his words.

“So,” he cried, “I am judged guilty, am I? Rebecca, how can you believe this of me?”

“I can’t believe it, Pedrek, I can’t …”

He would have approached me but I shrank back and my grandmother said: “We are all very upset. I think we should do nothing at the moment. Belinda … fortunately … escaped what could have been a terrible experience for her. Understand, Pedrek, we have to think about this. Perhaps when the child has recovered from the shock a little we can discover more … but frankly, I should hesitate to question her at the moment.”

“I think you had better leave us, Pedrek,” added my grandfather. “We must have time to think about this.”

He turned abruptly and left us. Through the window I saw him striding to the stables. Something told me that the Pedrek I had known till now had gone out of my life.

The talk continued. Leah was very anxious about Belinda. She said the child was quiet and thoughtful. She kept her in her room for she had nightmares and Leah had to be there to comfort her.

“We should be very grateful for Leah,” said my grandmother. “No mother could be more caring for her child.”

We had tried very carefully to question her, but when we attempted to she would shrink from us and a look of terror would come into her face.

“It is very important that this should not arouse all sorts of fears in her,” said my grandmother. “She is so young and the young are impressionable. It is a dreadful experience for a child to undergo.”

“Granny,” I said, “I do not believe that Pedrek would do this.”

She shook her head. “People do strange things. Nobody really understands another person completely.”

We could think of nothing else. The sordid matter took complete possession of our minds. We should take some action, we knew.

I could not eat; I could not sleep; and my grandparents were as worried as I was.

That evening, after I had gone to bed, but not to sleep, my grandmother came to me.

“I guessed you’d be awake,” she said. She drew her dressing gown about her and sat down close to the bed.

“We have to do something, Rebecca. We can’t go on like this.”

“No,” I said, “but what?”

“For one thing, Belinda ought to get away. Leah says she keeps talking about the pool and that time they drained it because they thought you were there and they brought up a murderer.”

“Where does she hear such tales?”

“People talk. They don’t realize that children hear these things. You know there is that superstition about the pool. They get garbled versions. However, what I think is that Belinda should get away from here, and—much as I hate it—you go, too.”

“Go away …” I repeated.

“Yes. In London or Manorleigh, Belinda will be far away from the scene. Leah thinks she should not go to the pool again. I can’t imagine that she will want to … but sometimes that sort of thing has a strange effect … and the thing is to put it behind her as quickly as possible. In London or Manorleigh life will be entirely different. She will forget. She is only young. But here … she never will.”

“I can see some reason in that.”

“And you, my dear, what of you and Pedrek?”

“I don’t believe …”

“You don’t want to believe … but half of you does. Tell the truth, Rebecca. You know you can tell me.”

“Yes … I think you are right.”

She nodded. “If you got away for a while, I think it would be good for you. You were so fond of Pedrek. I know how you feel. And now … you are beset by doubts. You are trying to force yourself not to believe … and in your heart you do.”

“I don’t know.”

“Time may help. If you stay here you might do something you would regret for the whole of your life.”

“What?” I asked.