Voices in a Haunted Room

She nodded, smiling slyly, and my heart started to beat uneasily. What was she hinting?

“Oh,” she went on, “there’s a lot of secrets in life. Things happen ... and you wouldn’t believe it unless you knew they were true.”

“What things?” I said sharply.

She leaned towards me. “One of these days I’ll explain. Then I think you would want to do all you could for my Evie.”

My mother was calling me and I said: “You’ll have to excuse me, Mrs. Trent.”

“Of course I will. Don’t forget what I said though, will you? Do all you can for my Evie. I think you’ll be rather glad that you did.” I escaped.

“I could see that awful woman was bothering you,” said my mother. “I thought I’d rescue you.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m glad you did.”

I could not get her out of my mind; and that night she seemed to haunt my dreams.

The Farringdons left on the day of the funeral, but the Pettigrews stayed with us for a few days.

It could only have been two days after we had buried Sabrina that the news broke about the execution of Georges Jacques Danton, one of the prime movers in the revolution.

Dickon was grimly amused. “Ironical,” he said, “that the very Revolutionary Tribunal which he set up should be the one to condemn him.”

“It is clear,” commented Lord Pettigrew, “that the revolution is corning to an end.”

“There is still Robespierre.”

“Wouldn’t you say his days are numbered?”

“It would be wonderful,” said my mother sadly, “if they all stopped making this trouble and life returned to normal in France.”

“Life in France will never again be what it was,” said Jonathan.

Everyone agreed with that.

“Heads are falling fast,” was David’s comment. “Just imagine Danton’s living only six months after the execution of the Queen. It shows that this is a struggle for power. I daresay some of them started out with ideals. Perhaps they did want to fight for the rights of the people. Then they grasped power ... and they struggled for more and when they had destroyed those they thought of as the enemy, they began to fight among themselves. This is the struggle of the giants. Danton could not have believed it possible that this could happen to him.”

“Robespierre has rid himself of Danton, but his turn will come,” prophesied Dickon.

“And when that happens the revolution will be at an end.”

“Their successes with the army are just amazing,” said Lord Pettigrew. “There is talk of a young soldier ... Napoleon Bonaparte, I think he is called ... He seems to be making a name for himself in the army.”

“I’ve heard of him,” said Dickon. “He’s hand in glove with Robespierre. If Robespierre falls, that could be the end of this enterprising young soldier.”

“Events are moving fast,” put in Lord Pettigrew. “I think we are going to see changes.”

“Which will be very pleasant for us all,” said my mother. “The talk at this table is of nothing else but the French revolution.”

“I thought it was apt to centre on these blessed infants who are shortly to join the family circle,” said Jonathan.

“A much happier subject,” admitted Dickon.

“I think it is perfectly wonderful,” added Lady Pettigrew.

My mother and I used to rest immediately after the midday meal for an hour or so and then we would feel refreshed until the evening. We often spent the time together.

We would lie on the big bed chatting, and we both looked forward to those sessions.

Sometimes one of us dozed and the other would lie quietly. Even though we did not always talk we liked to be together.

On this afternoon, she said to me: “So it has come at last. They were going to announce it, but it did not seem an appropriate time because of the funeral.”

“Who and what?” I asked.

She laughed. “Oh ... Jonathan and Millicent.”

“Yes?”

“Well, we always knew it would happen. I am so glad. It will take Dickon’s mind off his mother’s death. He feels that so deeply, far more so than you’d think. He always wanted a link with the Pettigrews.”

I said faintly: “Banking interests?”

“They were in a sense rivals. Together they’ll be supreme, the most influential in the country, I imagine. It is what they both want, the Pettigrews as much as Dickon.”

“I see.”

“You took David ... and that left Jonathan.”

“Dear Maman,” I said, “how wordly you have become! You talk as though marriage were just shifting counters on a board. This one is taken so the other will bring in the banking interest.”

“It’s not like that at all. you can see Jonathan and Millicent like each other. I assure you neither of them had to be persuaded.”

”I suppose Jonathan would always be aware of the advantages. Millicent too. They seem to be ideally matched.”

She laughed. “You and David were so much in love and I’m glad of it. That can’t happen so idyllically to everyone. But that doesn’t mean that things can’t be worked out very satisfactorily.”

“Will they live here when they are married?”