Time for Silence

“We have to have a place in London!”

“What about this ancestral home we have heard so much about?”

“Very grand…oh, yes, very grand indeed. But to tell the truth, it’s too close for my liking.”

“To close to what?”

“My feudal in-laws.”

“Are they so bad?”

“Worse.” She grimaced. “So stiff and formal. My mama-in-law is determined to make me into a model Merrivale…one of the family. An insurmountable task, I am sure, and it is more than I can endure.”

“So you are all for the London life.”

“Yes, I shall see that visits to the ancestral home are few and far between.”

“Sounds like a good basis for a happy married life.”

“Why do you always spar with me, Lucinda?”

“If I do, it is because it seems the natural thing to do.”

“Are you just a little bit jealous?”

“Not the tiniest little bit.”

“Then you ought to be. I suppose you are going to marry Rob.”

“Nothing has been arranged.”

“It will be. Poor darling. They don’t like it much…our parents, I mean…Robert’s having to go out there again. There is this course, though. It could be extended for a week or two, and then I suppose he’ll be properly equipped to go out and do what he has been trained for.”

“I do wish they would stop this fighting.”

“Don’t we all? I’m lucky that Marcus is at the War Office.”

“How does he feel about that?”

“You know how he is about everything! He laughs it off. It’s no life for a soldier, he says, but I think he had enough of fighting at Gallipoli.”

“You must be delighted to have him home.”

“But of course. I’m going to have lots of fun when we get this house. I’m searching for it now. I want something rather like this one. I love the staircase. Can’t you just see Marcus standing up there, with me beside him, receiving the guests?”

“Quite clearly.”

“Oh, this wretched war, surely it can’t last much longer? Just imagine when it is all over.”

“It will be wonderful,” I said, thinking of Robert’s homecoming. “Andrée is here…with Edward.”

“Oh, really?” She looked faintly hurt, and gave me a suspicious look, which she often did when I mentioned Edward.

“Why have you brought them?” she asked.

I replied sharply, “I expect you will be surprised to hear that I hate parting from Edward; and, do you know, I think he misses me, too, when I am away. And as I shall be up here for some little time—though we shall be going to Marchlands for the weekends—I thought he should come with me. Why don’t you come and see him?”

She hesitated, and I went on. “Andrée is always so interested in you. She thinks you are very attractive and she admires you so much.”

She brightened a little and allowed me to take her to the nursery where Andrée was sitting at a table writing and Edward was on the floor with a jigsaw puzzle.

“Mrs. Merrivale has called,” I announced.

Andrée sprang up. “How nice to see you, Mrs. Merrivale.”

“Brings back old times, doesn’t it?” said Annabelinda. “We shall never forget…any of us…that trip across France.”

“That’s true,” replied Andrée, taking in every detail of Annabelinda’s appearance and clearly expressing her admiration.

“It seems ages ago.”

“It does indeed,” agreed Andrée. “A great deal has happened since then…you and the major marrying…”

“It all turned out wonderfully for me,” said Annabelinda.

“I think I was lucky, too,” added Andrée.

“Edward wants to say ‘how do you do,’ ” I said to Annabelinda.

“Hello, Edward,” she said.

He looked at her with curiosity and replied, “Hello,” and added, “Why do you wear that funny hat?”

“Edward’s appreciation of haute couture is not fully developed,” I said.

“It’s not funny, Edward,” chided Andrée. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” said Annabelinda. And to Edward, “I’m sorry you don’t like my hat.”

“I do like it,” he insisted. “I like it because it’s funny.”

“What are you making with your puzzle, Edward?” I asked.

“It’s a cat. His whiskers are on this one…and this is the start of his tail.” He turned to Annabelinda. “At the bottom,” he went on, “it spells cat.”

“So clever,” she murmured.

Edward turned away and said, “Shall I do the elephant?”

“Well, he is your favorite,” I said.

He was not really interested in Annabelinda beyond her hat. I thought how strange it was that he should not know her for his mother. It occurred to me that there might have been some instinct which would show itself; but there was not.

I squatted on the floor and we completed the cat and started on the elephant while Annabelinda chatted with Andrée.

Annabelinda talked mainly about herself, and Andrée seemed quite content to listen. She was explaining that she was going house hunting. “Always such fun.” The major would be giving her a free hand. As long as it was somewhere suitable, that was all he would care about; and she knew exactly what he wanted.

They were deep in conversation about houses while Edward and I finished the elephant and started on the giraffe.

The first week at the house passed very quickly, though fruitlessly as far as any discovery was concerned. I was beginning to be certain that the spy could only have been some visitor to the house.