Voices in a Haunted Room

They said she was lucky to get away. But it all came back to me, didn’t it? I was still here. My Andrew was marvellous. He was a good man; and when Richard was on the way he couldn’t have been prouder. I don’t know whether he really believed Richard was his. He was so proud. I couldn’t tell him, could I? There’s a time to keep silent about these things. It would have broken his heart ... so I let him believe and we were all happy. You see what I mean?”

“Yes,” I said faintly.

“What I’m telling you is that my Richard’s father was your mother’s husband.”

“Oh no!”

“Oh yes. That’s the case.”

“Does he know ... ?”

“I reckon he knows all right. It was possible with him whereas it wasn’t with my Andrew, and there wasn’t anyone else it could have been. But it was good for me to say it was Andrew’s child, good for Andrew and good for Mr. Frenshaw.”

“Who knows about this?”

“I know and nothing will convince me that Mr. Frenshaw didn’t know. And now you know.”

“And you let me into this secret which you have kept for years.”

“Only because I want to do what is right and proper. It’s Evie’s right, don’t you see?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Of course, now it wouldn’t matter so much people’s knowing, would it? My poor Andrew went to the grave thinking he’d got a son ... but that’s years and years ago. These things settle in time. It’s just that it’s right ... and I want it for my Evie.

You understand me, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do understand.”

“Then you’ll help my Evie, won’t you?”

I was so relieved that I felt drawn towards her. After all, she was only concerned with the welfare of her grand-daughter, which was very natural.

I said: “I’ll do what I can, Mrs. Trent.”

“I knew you would. You’d be understanding. You know how it is with people. To tell you the truth, if I could see my Evie married into that Farringdon family, I’d die happy, because I know my Evie would look after Dolly-and that’s the two of them taken care of.”

I said I would have to go, and this time, having made her point, she did not attempt to detain me.

It was easier than I had imagined it would be. I said casually to my mother: “I think it is a shame that Evie Mather can’t see Harry Farringdon more often.”

“The romance does seem to be wilting. It wouldn’t have been very suitable. I don’t think John and Gwen would greatly care to be allied with Mrs. Trent.”

“I know she is a rather dreadful woman, but I think she is genuinely fond of Evie, and Evie is quite a nice girl. I do think we ought to help a bit. Harry will be at the christening. Couldn’t we ask just Evie?”

My mother grimaced. “I wouldn’t mind but there’s her grandmother and her sister, who always seems to stand about in brooding silence.”

“Still, I should like to ask Evie. I wonder if we could ask her alone? I know what I’ll do. I’ll say it is just a family affair, but if Evie cared to come ... just as a representative of Grasslands ... or something like that.”

“Oh, I’ve got no objection to Evie,” said my mother.

I said I would ask her.

Then I fell to wondering what Mrs. Trent would have done if I had ignored her request.

Would she have raked up that long-ago scandal, and what would my mother think of her husband’s youthful misdemeanours? She would surely not be very grieved. It was so long ago and these things settle down in time. I had to thank Mrs. Trent for that comforting thought.

I rode over to Grasslands the next day and saw Mrs. Trent. “It is just family, Mrs. Trent,” I said, “so could Evie come alone . ? . just to represent Grasslands, as it were.”

Her face broke into smiles, and I felt very pleased.

“I knew you’d help, Mrs. Frenshaw,” she said.

I was glad to have done this service. She was quite right. If her story were true, Evie certainly deserved some little help-and even if it were not, Evie still deserved it.

The priest who had married David and me presided at the christening, which took place in our own little chapel at Eversleigh. It was a moving ceremony. Jessica looked magnificent hi the christening robes, which had been worn by Eversleigh babies for the last hundred years; and Molly Blackett had done her best to make Amaryllis no less splendid.

Amaryllis behaved impeccably, but Jessica indulged in a screaming fit at the font and refused to stop until she firmly grasped the priest’s rather predominant nose which he recklessly allowed to come within reach of her hands.

Apart from that all went well; the babies were taken back to their nurseries, divested of their ceremonial garments and put to sleep in their cots.

After everyone had had a peep at them and expressed admiration, we went back to the hall, where wine was served with sandwiches and my mother and I between us cut the christening cake.

Aunt Sophie had come over with Jeanne. They had been driven by Alberic, for she had acquired a small carriage, more like a trap which held her and Jeanne comfortably, and there was room for the driver up front. Alberic drove this round and he took great pride in it, I believed.