The Benevent Treasure

Chapter Twenty-two

However much Miss Cara might have wanted to stay quietly in her bed, cosseted by Anna and visited by Candida and Derek, she was not permitted to do so. She could stay where she was for the morning, and she could have her afternoon nap, but she must get up and come down for tea. Candida, who had come to enquire, stood unnoticed by the half-open door and heard Miss Olivia dealing with her reluctance.

‘If you do not feel able to get up, I shall be obliged to send for Dr. Stokes.’

Miss Cara said in her mousy voice,

‘He is away.’

‘How do you know?’ said Miss Olivia sharply.

‘Louisa mentioned it.’

‘Then I shall send for his partner. We haven’t met him yet, but I suppose he is competent, and I have no doubt that Louisa has supplied you with his name.’

‘It is Gardiner. She says he is very clever. But there is no need to send for him – I am quite all right.’

‘Then you can come down to tea. I will ring for Anna.’

As she had not been seen, Candida thought it best to slip away.

Derek did not return until it was time to change. The evening dragged. It was Miss Cara who saved the situation by asking for music.

‘Some of those nice old waltzes, and the duets you and Candida were practising.’

Once at the piano, it was easy to stay there. Miss Cara, pleased and relaxed, leaned back in her chair, fingering out the tunes upon her knee or humming a bar or two in a kind of toneless whisper. With yesterday’s late evening for an excuse, she was able to make a move before ten o’clock, and Miss Olivia went with her.

Derek and Candida looked at each other.

‘You got home all right?’

She nodded.

‘Stephen dropped me at the gate. Did you get anything fixed?’

‘I’m practically a garage proprietor. I’ve been going through the books with Mr. Adamson. If he’d any tact he’d have turned me over to Jenny, but not a bit of it! And in between showing me the ropes he told me all about everything that had ever happened from the word go.’

Candida laughed.

‘Where was Jenny?’

‘Sitting behind the counter, and coming backwards and forwards with ledgers and those spiky things you stick bills on, and reminding him about anything he happened to leave out. You know, she really is a marvel. I shall never know half as much about it all as she does.’

They put away the music and went up together with so much friendly feeling that it seemed natural enough when he put an arm about her and kissed her good-night at the top of the stairs.

She was just going to get into bed, when Anna came in.

‘Perhaps if you will come and say good night to Miss Cara – ’

‘Is anything the matter?’

Anna flung out her hands.

‘She is sad – she cries all the time!’

‘But why? She was all right downstairs. Derek played, and we sang – ’

‘Yes, yes – it is because of that – it reminds her of the old days! And then she thinks that Mr. Derek will be going away and there will be no one to play and sing any more – and she thinks that you will go away too! And she thinks that when she loves anyone it is always the same thing – they go away and they do not come back! She thinks about Mr. Alan and she weeps for him!’

Candida said, ‘I’ll come.’

But when they reached Miss Cara’s door it was opened with great suddenness by Miss Olivia in a black velvet wrap. Candida thought she looked like an angry raven. Her foot stamped the floor and she said, whispering fiercely,

‘She is not to be disturbed! I do not know what Anna is thinking of to bring you here! Go to your room and stay there

She stepped back as she spoke, and the door was shut. There was the sound of a turning key.

Anna said, ‘Dio mio!’ And then she had Candida by the sleeve, pulling her away. When they were round the turn where the stairs went down she stopped. Her hand shook on Candida’s arm. She said in a stumbling voice, ‘After forty years – still I am afraid of her – ’