The changeling

He produced a bottle from his pocket. “There are glasses here,” he said. He went to a cupboard and brought out three. “A little sip of brandy is what we need. Yes, even you, Rebecca. You have had a shock.”

We sat at a table and he poured a little of the spirit into each glass. He gave me his tender smile. “Celeste,” he said. “Rebecca is going to help us sort this out. I aim for you to get back to your husband’s roof, and there will be a happy reunion. Rebecca wants you all to be as one happy family and as we are fond of Rebecca we must give her what she wants if that is possible. Now listen closely. Rebecca is going back to your husband’s house. Tomorrow I shall take you out in a cab and drop you two streets away. You will then walk to the house and ring the doorbell. Rebecca will let the maid answer it but she will be close at hand. She will show great amazement at the sight of you. She will be a little tearful and very emotional ... and certainly bewildered. The house was familiar to you ... you were trying to remember ... you began to recognize it as your home ...”

“I hope this will work,” I said. “It does not sound natural to me.”

“We will make it work. They are not difficult roles to play. It is very important that this should work out. If the press got hold of the truth there would be the most horrific scandal ... and great trouble.”

“Trouble for you?” I suggested. “Goodness knows what the penalty would be for hiding someone whom the police are trying to find.”

“I think I could extricate myself with some plausibility. A lapse of memory leaves everyone innocent. It is the way to get the smallest amount of press coverage.”

“Celeste,” I burst out. “I am so happy to have found you!”

“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do it or not,” she said. “Sometimes I hated him. I wanted to have my revenge on him ... and then I wished I hadn’t. What did the papers say?”

“The police are looking for you, Celeste.”

She shivered.

“Yes,” said Oliver. “And on second thoughts I think we had better leave here at dusk.

We will not trust to a cab. There would be the driver to consider. He might remember something. I hadn’t thought that we might be seen. I will bring my own carriage and drive it myself. Celeste will arrive at the house just as it is getting dark ... this evening. You must go back at once, Rebecca. Tell them you have to stay at Benedict’s house for a night or so and leave as soon as possible. You must be there when Celeste arrives. You have to help her through this. Just get her to bed ... send for Benedict ... and make sure you stay with her. She’ll show that she wants you there. It is imperative that you play your parts right.”

“Then I must go at once,” I said “I have to make arrangements to go to the other house and there is not much time if Celeste is coming back this evening “ He nodded.

I turned to Celeste. “It is going§ to be all right. It must be there. I’ll be there when you come. Don’t worry.”

“Benedict ...”

“He will be so glad to see you.”

“He doesn’t want me.”

“He’s changed,” I said. “He has changed with me and he’ll change with you too. All this has changed him.”

She clung to me and it was some seconds before I could extricate myself. “I’ll take you out now,” said Oliver to me. Then to Celeste: “Be ready. Only a few hours now,” We descended the stairs.

I turned to Oliver and said: “I shan have to tell Benedict the truth.”

“Why?”

“It won’t work otherwise.”

“But ...”

“I must,” I insisted. “He will see that that is the only way to avoid more scandal. There might be holes in the story ... there probably are. It sounds wild to me. if he knew ... he’d realize the need to play it the way we are doing. He’ll help us.”

“And what will he think of me?”

“At least you helped us in the end.”

”So you would put in a good word for me> would you?”

“I would indeed ... and I thank you. In fact, I am most grateful to you.”

“I’d do a lot for you, Rebecca. I know how you wanted this. But at the same time we had to get her back, somehow.”

“So ... I shall tell him.”

“If you think you must. I can see how he would probably probe, and he might find something we’d overlooked which would give the whole show away.” We left The Devil’s Crown and in a short while I was driven back to the Cartwrights’ house.

There was no time to lose. I went to my room and put a few things into a bag. I came downstairs and was relieved to see that Morwenna had returned. I said: “Morwenna, I want to go to the house ... and to my room there. There are a few things I want to get together to take back with me to Manorleigh. It will be easier for me to stay a night or two there.”

“Are you going now?”

“Yes,” I said, “at once. I want to get on with it. I ought to be returning to Manorleigh soon.”

“Will you be all right ... none of the family being there?”

“Yes, perfectly all right.”

So it was easier than I thought.

I arrived at the house and told the servants that I would be there for a night or two.