Lonesome Road

Chapter Twenty

Rachel went down to breakfast as the lesser of two evils. If she shared the family meal she would get all the family questions over at once, whereas to stay upstairs was to invite separate visits from Ernest, Mabel, Ella, Cosmo, and Richard, with the same solicitous inquiries from each visitor in turn. She put a little color in her cheeks and hoped for the best.

Everyone certainly did ask an inordinate number of questions. Ernest Wadlow’s chief preoccupation appeared to be a desire to establish the exact spot where she had fallen. He arranged spoons and forks to represent the line of the cliff, with a breakfast cup for Nanny’s cottage, and lumps of sugar to simulate the broken wall.

“If you came out here you would switch on your torch at the gate-I suppose you did switch on your torch?”

“The battery had run down,” said Rachel.

Ella Comperton coughed.

“Well, Rachel, I should have thought you would have made sure of having a good battery before attempting that dangerous path.”

Ernest transferred his attention to Ella.

“I do not think one can fairly describe the path as dangerous-not with a good torch.”

“But it wasn’t a good torch, and nothing would induce me to attempt it, Ernest.”

“I can’t imagine why you didn’t let the car fetch you,” said Mabel Wadlow in her fretful voice. “It could perfectly well have met Miss Silver’s train and then picked you up.”

Rachel felt her color rise.

“But I like walking,” she said, and wondering how many of them would guess that she liked walking because Gale Brandon sometimes walked with her.

“But without a proper torch!” said Ernest. “Do you mean to say that the battery was quite run down?”

“It wasn’t much use.”

Richard looked over the top of the Daily Mail.

“But I put a new battery in for you yesterday morning.”

Rachel said, “Yes.”

Cosmo Frith lowered the Times and observed genially,

“In that case, my dear, you must have taken the wrong torch.”

One of those arguments peculiar to families developed. The condition of the battery became the subject of a heated debate which culminated in Cosmo bursting out laughing and declaring that the culprit should be allowed to give evidence on its own behalf. He went out into the hall for the torch, and came in switching it on and off.

“Nothing much wrong with it, my dear, to my mind. A good thing you didn’t lose it when you fell. Of course it’s not so easy to tell in daylight, but the battery seems pretty hearty to me. I’ll try it inside the china-cupboard.”

A moment later he was calling from behind a half closed door.

“Here, Richard, come and see! Rachel, I’d like you to take a look. I’ll swear there’s nothing wrong with this battery.”

Rachel looked, and saw a bright beam and a brilliant ring of light. Over her shoulder Miss Silver saw them too.

“Nothing wrong with it-eh, my dear?”

Rachel said in a puzzled voice,

“It wasn’t like that last night.”

She drew away from the cupboard door and back to her place, to be immediately pounced on by Ernest.

“Now let us suppose that you had walked as far as this-the first lump of sugar represents the beginning of the wall-how much farther had you gone before you fell? I am allowing a yard to each lump of sugar.”

“I really don’t know, Ernest.”

He gazed reproachfully over the top of the crooked pince-nez.

“But, my dear Rachel, you must have some idea. I do not expect complete accuracy-we are not in a court of law-but you must surely be able to hazard a guess.”

“I don’t know that I want to, Ernest. I would really so much rather not have to go on thinking about it.”

“Or talking about it,” said Cosmo Frith. “And you shall not, my dear. We’re all much too thankful you weren’t hurt to worry about might-have-beens.”

Ella Comperton pushed back her chair,

“Well, it all seems to me to be a good deal of fuss about nothing. I’m sure I had a nasty tumble myself the other day, and nobody made any fuss about it. I don’t know what everyone is going to do, but I am going to write letters, and then later on I shall take a little constitutional. Caroline, you look as if you would be none the worse for some fresh air and exercise.”

“Caroline is coming into Ledlington with me,” said Richard.

But if there was relief on Caroline’s face, there was no gratitude. The defenceless look which had brought Richard to her rescue sank a little deeper into her eyes, but it was still there.

He spoke to her for a moment as they came out of the dining-room together.

“You needn’t come, but-I won’t worry you-”

She took a quick breath.

“It’s not that. I’ve got to pack.”

She walked off towards the stairs, but he caught her up.

“How do you mean, you’ve got to pack?”

She took hold of the banisters and stood half turned from him.

“I think-I’ve got-to go away-”

“What do you mean? You needn’t-I’ll go.”

She said “No” in a heart-broken voice, and ran from him up the stairs.

When Rachel came up after seeing the housekeeper she found Richard in her sitting-room. He turned from the window as she came in and said without any preamble,

“Why is Caroline going away?”

Rachel felt an acute distress. It seemed to flow to her from Richard. It took hold upon her heart. She said quickly,

“But I didn’t know she was going. Have you quarrelled?”

He was very pale.

“Listen, Rachel. You must have known-what I feel- about Caroline! Everyone must have known. I’ve never tried to hide it-never wanted to. She’s been everything to me as long as I can remember. I was only waiting-till I was in a position-”

“I know. What has gone wrong?”

“I don’t know-I tell you I don’t know. I asked her to marry me-yesterday-after tea. We went out for a walk on the cliffs-it was dark. I didn’t mean to do it, but I found myself telling her-asking her. And she said ‘No.’ ”

“Richard!”

“It was damnable. I don’t know what made me choose an idiotic place like that. I couldn’t see her face. I couldn’t get any sense out of her. she was all frozen up, and when I tried to take hold of her she ran away. I tell you I don’t know what to make of her. And this morning-she’s just told me-she’s going to pack-”

Rachel took him by the arm.

“Wait a minute-I want to ask you something. You say you were on the cliffs. What time were you there, and what part of the cliff were you on?”

He said impatiently, “I don’t know! Does it matter? I got back about six. We went by the upper path, and after Caroline left me I came back along the edge. I must have just missed you, I suppose.”

He felt her grasp tighten.

“Did you see anyone-meet anyone?”

“No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“And you’re sure you did change the battery in my torch yesterday morning?”

“Quite sure. Rachel, what is all this about?”

She said in a low, steady voice, “Richard-” and before she could say any more the door opened and Miss Silver came into the room with her head a little on one side and a pleasant if somewhat foolish smile upon her face.

“I do hope I don’t intrude, but you did say in a quarter of an hour’s time, and I make it exactly the quarter. My watch keeps excellent time. A twenty-first birthday gift from my parents, and I do not think it has ever been out of order-but that was before the days of cheap watches. Dear me-what a charming room this is. And what a delightful view. It reminds me of a picture which I remember seeing in the Royal Academy-well now, it would be quite twenty years ago. That headland, and the rocks, and the peculiar greenish grey color of the sea-”

As she tripped to the window for a nearer view, Richard turned a face of barely suppressed fury upon Rachel. It inquired, “Is she going to stay?” and a flicker of Rachel’s eyelids replied, “She is.”

She went with him to the door and squeezed his arm.

“I won’t let her go if I can help it,” she said in a whisper.

They were both looking across at Caroline’s door.

Richard said, “Thank you” in a stifled voice and made off.

Rachel went back into her sitting-room and shut the door.