The Benevent Treasure

Chapter Nineteen

Candida walked away. She had nothing to say to Anna. She had nothing to say to anyone. She was too horrified to be angry. The sudden violence appalled her. It seemed so completely without reason – in such unexplained conflict with Olivia Benevent’s dignity and self-control.

When she reached her room she took off the white dress and hung it up in the gloomy Victorian wardrobe on the right of the door. She wondered if she would ever want to wear it again, because Miss Olivia had chosen it and given it to her. And then it came to her that she would forget that and only remember that she had worn it when Stephen held her in his arms. The shocking feeling began to pass. She began to wonder why the thing had happened. She had said that Miss Cara seemed ill, and Olivia had struck her. There didn’t seem to be any sense in it. Perhaps there wasn’t ever any sense about people getting angry, but as a rule you did know why.

She put up her hand to her face and brought it away with a smear of blood on the forefinger. If there was blood on the dress, she couldn’t wear it again. They said blood never came out, but that was nonsense. But she didn’t want to look and see whether the dress was stained. If it was, let it stay in the dark – she didn’t want to see it. It was the amethyst bracelet that had broken the skin. The stones were large and the gold setting heavy. She held a cloth steeped in cold water to the scratch, but the blood went on starting. It took her some time to stop it.

She put on her dressing-gown and sat down by the fire. There was so much to think about. There was Stephen. She remembered with astonishment that there had been anger between them, that they had quarrelled. It didn’t seem possible that their bond had ever been broken. She could see it bright and strong, always there even from the very first moment when he had called to her from the sea. Perseus coming to rescue Andromeda chained to the cliff. But it wasn’t he who had the Gorgon’s head. It was Olivia Benevent who was Medusa with the eyes which turned to stone. Only instead of the wreath of twining snakes there were the black waves of her hair.

Her thoughts had begun to slip into fantasy, when there was a tapping at the door and without waiting for an answer Anna came in, her hands outstretched, her eyes full of tears.

‘Oh, Miss Candida, what do I say – I am so sorry, so sorry! I would have come before, but I have to put my poor Miss Cara into her bed. She is tired, she is exhausted, she is ill. And she is cold, my poor Miss Cara – she is so cold! There are two hot water-bottles in her bed. I wrap her in a soft, warm shawl, and I bring her hot milk with brandy in it. Now she sleeps. And all this time Miss Olivia shuts her door. I knock upon it and there is no answer. I try the handle and it will not turn – the door is locked. So then I come here to you.’ She drew in her breath with a sound of sharp distress. ‘Oh, there is blood on your face! My poor Miss Candida!’

Candida said, ‘It isn’t anything.’ There was a little bead of blood upon her chin, but it had begun to dry.

Anna clucked over her like a distressed hen.

‘It was the heavy bracelet. She did not mean to do that. It will not leave a scar.’

‘Oh, no – it’s nothing.’

‘She will be so distressed when she sees it. And your cheek – there will be a bruise!’

‘It will soon go. Anna, why did she do it?’

Anna made a wringing motion with her hands.

‘You said something about Miss Cara – I should have warned you. But what is one to do? One says too much, or one says too little. How is one to know what is right? I say nothing, and this happens! I have served them for forty years, and still I do not know what is best.’

Candida looked at her gravely.

‘Why was she so angry?’

Anna threw up her hands.

‘How do I know? You do not tell me what you say. It is something about Miss Cara?’

‘I said that she was tired – I had to help her up the stairs. I said that she was ill.’

‘But that is what no one must ever say. No one – no one must say it. I should have told you. Even I, after all these years – I tell you, you are not the only one. She has struck me before now. No one must ever say that Miss Cara is ill – she will not bear it.’

‘Why?’

‘Do you not know?’

‘How can I? It doesn’t make sense.’

Anna closed her lips and turned away. She moved towards the door. And then very suddenly she came back again, her white hair sticking up in a fuzz and her face working.

‘Miss Candida, do you not know what is on her mind? If Miss Cara is ill – she thinks suppose it were that Miss Cara should die. She is not strong – she has never been strong. If she dies, what happens then – what will there be left for Miss Olivia? Everything belongs to Miss Cara, but only for her life. She cannot leave it to her sister – not one penny of it! Miss Olivia will have enough to live on – in a little house in Retley! What would that be like for her? Do you think she would bear it? But this house and everything in it, and the money, and the Treasure – if there is any of it left, and how do I know if there is or not – all these things will be yours! And you tell her that Miss Cara is ill! Do you ask why she strikes you?’

She turned round and went out of the room.