Changeling

The servants were all laughing together as we arranged ourselves in the chairs, Mrs. Emery, hands folded in bombazine lap next to me with Leah and Miss Stringer on the other side.

I felt a twinge of alarm when the children burst in, for Belinda was wearing a top hat and a morning coat which had obviously been taken from Benedict’s wardrobe. She really did look incongruous. I was wondering what was coming next and whether we should have to put a stop to this intrusion into people’s rooms.

And there was Lucie, her hair pinned up on top of her head, strangely unlike herself in one of Celeste’s elegant gowns which trailed along the floor and hung on her like a sack.

There was silence.

“I am your Member of Parliament,” announced Belinda. “And you have to do what I say … I have a big house in London which would be too good for any of you, because I have grand servants there … and we have important people coming. The Prime Minister and the Queen sometimes … when I ask her.” Lucie came forward. “Go away,” went on Belinda. “I don’t want you. I don’t like you very much. I like Belinda’s mother. I go to see her in the locked room. That’s why I don’t want you.”

Miss Stringer half rose in her seat. Leah had turned pale. Mrs. Emery was staring open-mouthed and I heard Jane mutter something under her breath.

I was terrified of what Belinda would say next.

I stood up and went to her.

“Take those things off at once,” I said. “Both of you. Go and put them back where you took them from. You are never … never to take clothes from other people’s wardrobes. You have some things which you have had given you for dressing up. You may use those … and those only.”

Belinda looked at me defiantly.

“It was a good play,” she cried. “It was a true play … like the Queen at her wedding.”

“It was not true,” I said. “It was very silly. Now take them off at once. Leah …”

Leah hurried forward. So did Miss Stringer Leah took Belinda by the hand. Miss Stringer took Lucie’s and they were gone.

There was silence in the kitchen. I turned and followed them upstairs.

I went to see Mrs. Emery in her private sitting room.

“It’s that Miss Belinda,” she said. “There’s no knowing what she’ll do next. She’s got to be watched. She’s got her nose into everything.”

“How does she know about that room?”

“Well, how do they know anything? Little pitchers have long ears and that Miss Belinda’s are ten times as long as normal. Eyes on everything. What’s this? What’s that? And she talked to the maids. I can’t stop the gossiping. They don’t dare do it in front of me but I reckon it’s chitter chatter all the time behind my back.”

“I’m only thankful that Mrs. Lansdon was not here.”

“Yes. That would not have been very nice.”

“Mrs. Emery, how could she have known?”

Mrs. Emery shook her head. “There’s not much that goes on in a house that the maids don’t know about. They see little things … we know how different it is with the French lady than it was with your mother. He worshipped her. They was like one … the two of them. The whole house knew it and when she went it broke him. Then he kept that room.”

“I don’t like it, Mrs. Emery.”

“You’re not the only one, Miss Rebecca. There’s bound to be talk. They’re already saying her ghost is in that room. Orders is that I’m the only one that’s to go in. That’s all very well, but to tell you frank like, I’d never be able to get any of the others to go in … not alone by any road. I reckon if we had that door open and things moved out and changed round a bit … it would be a lot better. It’s like a shrine, Miss Rebecca … and people gets ideas when there’s that sort of thing in a house.”

“You’re right, Mrs. Emery, but what can we do about it?”

“Well, it’s up to him. If only he’d try to forget her … make a normal life for the present Mrs. Lansdon … you see what I mean.”

“I do see what you mean.”

“If someone could tell him …”

She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. “You’d be the only one who could, I suppose. But I know how it is between you. You’re not what you might call loving father and daughter.”

I thought: Our lives are exposed to our servants. They are aware of everything that is going on. They know in this house that Celeste is passionately in love with a husband who rejects her because he is still so deeply in love with his dead wife that he makes a shrine to her and spends nights in that room from which the present Mrs. Lansdon is shut out.

“We’ll have to wait and see,” I said. “Perhaps if the right moment comes it might be possible to say something.”

She nodded.

“While that room stays locked it’s unhealthy. That’s what I’ve always said and I’ll go on saying it. I don’t like it, Miss Rebecca, I don’t like it at all.”

I agreed with her. I did not like it either.

Belinda was very sullen after that. She hardly spoke to me and Miss Stringer said she was more difficult than usual.

Lucie was also in disgrace. She was a sensitive child and what upset her most was that she thought I was angry with her.