Voices in a Haunted Room

“That’s what Mademoiselle d’Aubigne is worrying about. He didn’t see her when he returned, which was rather strange. Do come up.”

Aunt Sophie was lying in that room with the blue velvet curtains. My eyes went immediately to that spot where I knew the speaking tube to be.

“Madame Claudine is here,” said Jeanne.

Aunt Sophie looked as melancholy as I remembered her from long ago, and I realized how much she had changed since she came to Enderby. Dolly Mather was seated by the bed, a book in her hand; she had obviously been reading to Aunt Sophie.

“Stay with us, Jeanne,” said my aunt.

Jeanne nodded, placed a chair by the bed for me and took one herself some little distance away.

“Did you enjoy your trip?” asked Aunt Sophie. ‘ “Yes, it was very interesting.”

“I’m worried about Alberic,” she said.

“Oh?” I answered faintly.

“Yes, he went to London on some business for me. You know he is good at that.”

“I know he goes up quite often for you.”

“Well, he returned yesterday. Apparently he looked in briefly and then went out again.

He hasn’t been back since.”

“Then you have no idea ...”

“He might have left something in London and gone back for it.”

“Without telling you?” put in Jeanne.

Sophie smiled fondly. “He took such a pride in those London missions of his. He always wanted to do something for me and if he had forgotten something I asked him to get, he would not want me to know it. He would have gone straight back to get it. That’s the only thing I can think of. I thought you might help, Claudine.”

“I?”

“Well, you came to see him yesterday, didn’t you, as soon as you arrived back. Why?”

I was caught. I had not expected this.

“You did come yesterday, didn’t you?” insisted Aunt Sophie.

They were all watching me-Sophie and Jeanne questioningly and Dolly with an unfathomable expression on her face.

“Oh ... I remember now. It was something about my horse. She seems to have a little colic. I had heard Alberic say something about a cure they have in France. I was so worried that I came to him without delay.”

“You should have gone to the stables,” said Jeanne. “They might have known.”

“No ... It was a French remedy. However, the mare is better I-now.”

“When you came, you didn’t see him, did you?”

“No. They told me he had gone out.”

“I heard Billy Grafter is missing too,” said Jeanne. “He must be with a Alberic.”

How quickly news travelled in the servants’ world. They already knew that Billy Grafter had disappeared-and it was only natural that they should connect it with that of Alberic.

“I thought you might have seen him,” said Aunt Sophie.

“No, he had already gone.”

“It’s not like him,” said Aunt Sophie. a “He’ll be back,” Jeanne assured her. “He has too good a post here to want to leave Enderby.”

“I shall scold him, when he comes,” said Sophie. “He should have let me know he was going back.”

I kissed her cheek and said that I would come again soon to see her.

“Yes, do,” she said.

Jeanne walked down the stairs with me.

“She misses him,” she said. “He could always cheer her up. He has e that merry nature and she loves talking to him. Fortunately Dolly is here. She teaches her French, you know. The girl does quite well. She surprises me. She’s quite intelligent although it is not always apparent. I just hope Alberic comes back soon. I shall give him a piece of my mind. He has no right to stay away like this.”

“It is strange,” I said, “that she should be so taken by a young servant. He hasn’t been here so very long.”

“She always took fancies. I was so glad that there was someone at last in whom she could take an interest. He responded to her, being of our nationality. He seemed to know just how to behave towards her. She took to him from the start.”

I said goodbye to Jeanne and came away very sad. I seemed to have caught Aunt Sophie’s melancholy. Poor Aunt Sophie! She would never see Alberic again.

The Suicide’s Grave

The next day David came home from Clavering.

He was delighted to see me and I was filled with great tenderness towards him. I felt that having been so happy on the day of the royal wedding, I had been unfaithful to him. I wanted to make up to him because I was so fascinated by Jonathan.

It seemed to me that there was another barrier between us: the secret of Alberic’s death, which I could not stop myself thinking of as Alberic’s murder.

It was not as difficult to keep my secrets as I had imagined it would be. I seemed to have become adept at deception. But perhaps David was not as perceptive as his brother. I was sure I should never have been able to hide so much of myself from Jonathan.

I told him about the wedding and what my mother had told me about the ceremony. He said that the current rumour was that the Prince had been so intoxicated that he had spent the greater part of his wedding night lying in the fireplace of the bedchamber, whither he had fallen in a drunken stupor-and his bride had been content for him to stay there.