Voices in a Haunted Room

“Yes ... Evie and me. You were so scared. We laughed about it. And then ... Evie was in love, and she said that when you loved it was the most wonderful thing ... and then she was going to have the little baby. I wanted that little baby, Mrs. Frenshaw. Oh, I would have taken such care of it. And then she killed herself.”

“She should never have done that. We could have done something. We could have helped her.”

“It was you, Mrs. Frenshaw. You started it and he finished it. You betrayed him and he shot him ... and he was drowned. Between you you killed Alberic. Oh, you are puzzled, aren’t you? You thought Evie’s baby’s father was Harry Farringdon. She never cared for him. It was our Granny who wanted that. It was Alberic for Evie. They loved each other and I loved them both. They were going to take me to France with them.

I was going to look after the little baby ... because they would be married and it was all going to be wonderful. Then suddenly it all changed.

He went to London and when he came back in a hurry he told us that you’d seen him and you’d told that wicked Mr. Frenshaw, who was your lover, and Alberic said he had to get away quickly ... because they were after him. He promised to send for us ... Evie and me. He told us we were to go to France. We would have gone. We knew how to get there. We were up here ... hiding when it happened. So we saw it all.

You came along and that wicked man shot Alberic and Alberic drowned and everything was different after that.”

“You must know that Alberic was a spy.”

“Alberic was a wonderful man.”

“It is men such as him who brought terrible trouble to France.”

“That had to be. That was injustice. Alberic talked about it to us.”

“And he was trying to do to this country what he had done in his own. He had to die, Dolly. He always knew that he was taking that risk.”

“And my sister ... my Evie ... she killed herself. She couldn’t face Granny. She was always on about Evie marrying well, telling her she really belonged at Eversleigh and how pretty she was and how she would get a rich husband. She said she didn’t try hard enough for Harry Farringdon.”

“Oh Dolly ... what a tangle of troubles! It need not have been.”

“Evie couldn’t face ... having a bastard.”

“People do ...”

“You did ... perhaps.”

“Dolly!”

“That makes you angry. Of course you’re angry. It makes me angry. Poor Evie had to kill herself and you ... you did the same ... only you were worse because you had a good husband. Evie never had that. She had to die ... and you’re the lady at the big house ... with everyone being respectable while my poor Evie ...”

“Oh, Dolly, I’m so sorry. It’s such a waste of a life .  .a waste of happiness ...”

“Not for you. You get what you want and nobody knows.”

“Did you take the baby from Eversleigh?”

“Yes. I was going to kill it.”

I caught my breath with horror.

“Well, Evie’s baby was killed wasn’t it?”

“Oh Dolly.” I felt quite sick thinking of that terrible time when Jessica had been taken from us.

“I kept her in my room at Grasslands. I was afraid someone might see her, but we managed. Then I knew I’d taken the wrong one. How was I to know which was which? There was all that fuss. I had her with me all the tune. She’s a lovely little baby.”

Her face creased into a smile. “She laughed at me and grabbed my finger and wouldn’t let go. She was a dear little baby. I’m glad I didn’t have to kill that one.”

I said: “And the rope in the bushes?”

She nodded. “You always went that way. Why does everything go right for you? Why did Billy have to come along that path just then?”

“Rough justice,” I said.

“I was watching. I shouted when I saw who it was but I was too late and I didn’t have time to get him away when you came so I had to leave him ... and the rope and everything.”

“So you were watching?”

“I wanted to see you fall.”

“I understand. And then after I’d gone for help you came out and took him away. You removed the rope ...”

“It wasn’t easy. I had to get him on his horse. Then I took the rope away and I took Billy to the boat house and looked after him. He’d cut his forehead but he hadn’t broken anything. He’d fallen into the bushes and they’d saved him. He was all right after a little while.”

“I had no idea that you could be so devious,” I said.

She looked rather pleased with herself. “Billy said I was making a mess of it. He said it was too important to be managed by an amateur. He said he’d help me to do it in a better way. He’d show me how to get you and I’d help him get the man. You’ve both got to die ... for Evie. He knows too much, Billy says. He’s going to finish him and help me with you. When you’re both dead we’re going to put weights on you and throw you into the sea. You’ll just be a mysterious disappearance.”

“And you, Dolly, what are you going to do? How are you going to feel when you know yourself to be a murderess?”

“I’m an avenger. That’s different. We’re not ordinary murderers. I’m doing what has to be done for Evie, and Billy ... he’s doing his duty.”