by Anna Jacobs
The child said nothing, but she didn’t let go. It was comforting, that little warm hand was. Like Lizzie’s kindness.
In the sitting room, Gil was waiting for them, standing in front of a cheerful fire, even though the day wasn’t cold.
Horry was reading a newspaper, but he put this down when he saw Renie. A much older man, who was sitting in an armchair staring into the flames, turned to give her a smile and she remembered meeting him in London a while ago. There was also an older lady, who was the governess.
They all went into the breakfast room and a maid brought in the food. Gil took the trouble of introducing the cheerful young girl as Dolly. Most people wouldn’t have bothered to do that.
Everyone filled their plate and there was mainly silence as they ate.
‘That’s a wonderful apple pie,’ Renie said, when she’d finished the dessert.
‘The apples were grown in our own garden,’ Walter told her. ‘An old-fashioned type of tree, the fruit’s a bit tart, but perfect for cooking.’
Renie didn’t talk as much as the others, but she listened carefully to everything they said.
She especially enjoyed listening to the bright-eyed child, who was chatting to Gil about her day. No one told Beth to be quiet, as some families did when they brought their children to the hotel. How different that was from Renie’s father, who had been such a bully she and her sisters had hardly dared open their mouths at table.
Gil didn’t talk as much as the others, but every time Renie caught his eye, she saw his face soften into a smile. She couldn’t help smiling back, even though it hurt her face. After one horrified glance sideways, she avoided looking in the big mirror over the fireplace.
After the meal was finished, the governess took the child away, waiting for Beth to give everyone a kiss, Renie included.
They began to chat about what Gil had found out in London. She hadn’t thought a man with money would have problems that were hard to solve, but he did. Life was never perfect, was it?
It was only when someone touched her arm gently that Renie realised she’d nodded off.
‘I’m sorry. How rude of me!’
‘Nonsense,’ said Walter. ‘You’re exhausted, lass. Anyone would be after what you’ve gone through. And Gil’s been trying to hide his yawns as well. Why don’t we all have an early night?’
‘Good idea.’ Gil stood up. ‘I’ll walk you up to your bedroom, Renie.’
Renie ran her fingers lightly up the banister rail as they walked up the stairs. ‘I really like your house.’
‘So do I. It was left to me by a very kind lady and it brought me out of an unhappy time after my accident.’
‘I think your niece is lovely, too. She’s a proper little chatterbox, isn’t she?’
‘Nowadays she is. When she came here at first, after losing her family, she was very quiet.’
At her bedroom door, he stepped back. ‘Here we are. I hope you sleep well, Renie. There’s a key on your side of the door, in case you feel nervous in a strange house.’ He hesitated, then stepped forward to kiss her cheek. ‘I haven’t changed my mind about us getting married, in case you’re worrying.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Very. Especially now I’ve seen you with Beth and the others. You’ll fit in well here.’
‘That’s easy to do. They’re all so kind.’ She raised one hand to touch his cheek, then felt shy of even this tiny intimacy and let it fall again. ‘Good night.’
When she’d closed the door, she did lock it, but didn’t move away. Leaning against it, she stared round the beautiful room. She felt as if she’d come to live in paradise.
And he hadn’t changed his mind.
Could life really be so wonderful?
In London, the hotel staff were astonished to hear that Mr Judson had had a bad accident and had to be rushed to hospital. No one believed he’d fallen and cut himself on the shaving mirror because the maid who’d cleared it up said there were no long shards.
So how had he got hurt?
However it had happened, no one felt sorry for him. He was a nasty fellow, that one, not only the way he treated women members of staff, but the way he treated everyone. And no one had seen Irene this morning, had they?
It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
Good for her if she’d hurt him.
Miss Pilkins had been trying desperately to continue working as usual. She hadn’t told anyone that Renie had left permanently and wasn’t sure how to do that. But when the news about Judson broke, she could stand her own guilt no longer.
She knocked on Mrs Tolson’s office door, didn’t wait for an answer and nearly fell into the room. ‘It’s all my fault. I’ve done something dreadful.’ She burst into tears, unable to hold her feelings back any longer.
‘I was hoping you’d come and see me. Sit down and tell me about it.’
‘I betrayed Irene, let that brute trap her and—’ She couldn’t speak for sobbing, rocking to and fro, sure that any decent woman would hate her, sure that she’d lose her job.
It was a while before she could calm down enough to explain the events of the night and Judson’s threats not only to her job, but to her invalid mother’s safety. She sat mopping her eyes, waiting to be dismissed.
‘Irene must have stabbed him,’ Mrs Tolson said, thinking it through. ‘I thought he couldn’t have caused so much damage with a shaving mirror. I hope she wasn’t badly hurt.’
‘She was well enough to run away. How bad is his injury?’
‘The doctor staying at the hotel was worried he might lose the sight in one eye, insisted on him going to hospital.’
‘Judson deserved all he got. He’s a horrible man.’ Another sob escaped Miss Pilkins and she mopped her eyes again. ‘But he’ll sack me when he comes back, I know he will.’
‘Calm down, my dear. You’re not going to lose your job, though I hope you’ll learn from this and never, ever let anyone bully you into doing wrong again. Where do you suppose Irene went?’
‘To that nice Mr Rycroft in number eight. I crept along the corridor after Judson had gone to his room and that was the only room where people were talking. If I didn’t have such good hearing, I’d not have heard them myself. So I packed her things in a suitcase and took it to his room. I didn’t see her. I just gave it him and ran.’
‘So she’s got her things? Good. Now, let me think what to do next.’
After a few moments, during which Miss Pilkins alternately sniffled and looked at her hopefully, she said, ‘I think I’d better go down to Brighton and consult Mr and Mrs Carling about Judson. They’ll understand what to do in this situation better than their son will, because they went through some hard times before they made their fortune. They’ll want us to keep this whole affair quiet, for the sake of the hotel’s reputation, so I’m afraid he’ll get away with it.’
Her companion shuddered. ‘But Judson’s bound to say something. He may even report her to the police for attacking him.’
‘Just let him dare! Hmm. I suppose I’d better speak to him before I leave for Brighton. He definitely ought to be locked away for what he did, but how can anyone prove it? Perhaps we can use the threat of revealing all to stop him laying charges against Irene, though, make him think someone saw everything.’ She looked severely at the other woman. ‘I’m assuming you would be prepared to bear witness to his attack on her, if necessary? Did you see much?’
Miss Pilkins nodded. ‘Not the actual attack, but I heard what he said. I hid nearby and saw him go into the storeroom. Then I heard Irene screaming for help. It was terrible. He taunted her. He’s a wicked creature. Then he yelled in pain and she ran out with her clothing all torn.’
She gulped and mopped her eyes again. ‘I was terrified he might kill her. I waited till they were out of sight and crept after them. I hid in that alcove on the fire stairs landing and saw him come in and out of the stairs. I think he must have searched every floor. But I didn’t see Renie again.’
She bent her head and said in a muffled voice, ‘I’m so ashamed of myself.’
‘No time for that now. Pull yourself together. You’ll have to take over from me at the hotel while I go down to Brighton to see the Carlings. And don’t say a word about what really happened, not a single word to anyone.’ Mrs Tolson got up, then stopped to ask, ‘Oh, what about Irene’s other possessions?’
‘They’re in her trunk in the attic, I suppose. I emptied all the things from her drawers into an old suitcase a guest had left behind.’
‘The others will be quite safe in the attic. We’ll leave them there till she sends for them.’
‘How do we explain her absence?’
‘Did the others know about her sister?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then it’s easy to explain. She’s gone to her sister. I’ll tell Judson I helped her get away. I doubt he’ll ever dare to come back here.’
She looked at her fob watch. ‘I must hurry up and pack now. I doubt I’ll be able to get back from Brighton until midday tomorrow. I’m trusting you to keep everything quiet in the meantime.’
‘I’ll do my very best … unless he comes back.’
At the nearby hospital, to which Judson had been taken, Mrs Tolson was shown to a ward with several beds down each side. He was lying in one of them with a big bandage round his head, covering one eye. She asked the nurse in charge if he could be put in a wheelchair and taken somewhere private, since she had some bad news to tell him and he might make a fuss. To her relief, that was agreed. From the looks they gave him, he wasn’t a favourite patient.
She waited in a side room until he was wheeled in and made sure she was nearer the door than him, in case he attacked her. Though he didn’t look at all well.
He squinted up at her. ‘What do you want, Tolson?’
‘To speak about what happened and arrange what to say.’
‘As soon as they let me out of here, I’m going straight to the nearest police station to lay a complaint about Irene attacking me. There’s no arranging needed. I only have to tell the truth. The bitch has blinded me in my left eye.’
Eunice abandoned any attempt to reason with him. He looked so wild, she was glad there were people within call. ‘If you do that, I’ll lay a few complaints against you on behalf of young women who work at the hotel. Whether the police can prove anything or not, I think my reputation is such that I’ll be able to make sure you never get a job in a decent London hotel again.’
He gaped at her for a moment, anger colouring the pallor of his face suddenly, then he banged his clenched fist on the arm of his wheelchair. ‘I’m not letting her get away with blinding me. I’m definitely going to the police and if they don’t arrest her and charge her with attempted murder, I’ll track her down and see how she likes it with only one eye.’
The chief nurse poked her head round the door. ‘Keep your voice down, if you please, Mr Judson.’ From the look on her face, she’d overheard what he said.
He scowled and waited till she’d gone to continue more quietly, though no less viciously. ‘I meant what I said.’ He plucked at the bandage as if it hurt, then studied her sourly. ‘She came to you for help, didn’t she?’
‘Yes. I helped her leave the country. It seemed best then and you’ve confirmed that for me with what you’ve just said.’
‘What? You interfering old biddy. I’ll remember that and make sure you regret crossing me. And I’ll still find out where she went. See if I don’t. I’m not … not giving up. Not after this.’ He fingered the bandage.
Clearly nothing she said or did would persuade him to change his mind. He was flushed, starting to ramble. She’d done her best, so stood up. ‘I’m going down to see the Carlings. I think you can be sure you’ll lose your job. If they’d still been in charge, you’d not have lasted this long at a Rathleigh hotel.’
She left to a hail of curses, thanked the nurse in charge, then went to Victoria Station and took the train to Brighton. She’d known the Carlings for many years and thought they’d listen to her about Judson, but she also had to protect Irene, so couldn’t tell the complete truth to anyone.
She didn’t know for certain where the poor young woman was now, though she hoped Mr Rycroft would keep an eye on her.
She was going to do her best to convince everyone that Irene had left the country, even the young woman’s own family, if they ever turned up.
Judson was a very dangerous man when crossed. If he went round making enquiries, she had to make sure he got the same answer everywhere.
Renie woke with a start, wondering for a moment or two where she was. Then she remembered and snuggled down again in the big, soft bed. She was safe. With Gil. And he’d said he meant it about marrying her.
Surely Judson wouldn’t be able to get to her here?
She lay there until she heard people stirring, then got up, washed quickly in cold water and went downstairs, following the sound of voices into the dining room. She hesitated in the doorway, still feeling a little shy.
When Gil noticed her, he got up with a beaming smile to kiss her cheek and lead her to the seat next to his. ‘Did you sleep well?’
‘Better than I have for ages. Ooh, something smells wonderful.’
She let him serve her with a plate of fried eggs, bacon and kidneys. ‘Isn’t Beth up yet?’
‘She has her breakfast in the schoolroom, then does lessons all morning.’
‘Oh. I was looking forward to seeing her again.’
He grinned. ‘We can always interrupt them. I do that sometimes on fine days, because I think children should get plenty of fresh air.’
‘Could we interrupt them today? I’d like to make sure I get on with her.’
‘Good idea.’
His eyes were so warm on her face she felt herself blushing. Walter winked at her from across the table.
There was one person still missing. ‘Isn’t Horry coming to breakfast?’
‘He’s been and gone. He’s an early bird, our Horry. He wanted to check the car and then work on an idea he has for an improved motor car engine.’
‘How clever he must be!’
After breakfast Gil took Renie up to the schoolroom, where Beth was reading a poem aloud. She didn’t notice them and they stood in the doorway to listen:
He thought he saw a Rattlesnake
That questioned him in Greek:
He looked again, and found it was
The Middle of Next Week.
Beth stopped reading. ‘That’s silly.’
‘It’s meant to be,’ her governess said. ‘It’s meant to make you laugh. We’ll start reading Alice in Wonderland next.’
‘I love that story,’ Renie said without thinking.
Beth turned round and clapped her hands. ‘Good morning, Miss Fuller. Are we going for a walk, Uncle Gil?’
‘Whatever makes you think that?’
She got up, so sure of her welcome in his arms that Renie’s eyes grew moist. This was how children should be treated.
Beth turned to her. ‘Did you really like the story, Miss Fuller?’
‘Yes, I did. I never did anything that was fun when I was at school, and I went to work in the laundry as soon as they let me leave school. My father wanted the money and he didn’t believe in educating women. Thank goodness for libraries! My sisters and I were always borrowing books. You’re lucky to be able to read stories that are fun.’ She smiled at the governess as she spoke.
‘Well, we have plenty of books here, so if you want to read some more nonsense verse, I can find you several books of it. Miss Bennerden must have had a wry sense of humour.’ Gil turned to the governess. ‘Would you mind if we interrupted for just an hour, Miss Bramber? I promise to bring Beth back then.’
‘Would it matter if I did?’ She waved one hand dismissively, an indulgent smile on her face.
He held out his good hand to his niece. ‘Come along, young lady. We’ll show Miss Fuller the gardens.’
They wa
lked out through the French windows in the sitting room.
Renie stopped almost immediately. ‘Oh! Look at all the flowers! Already! And everything’s so green.’
She followed Gil past flowers, shrubs, through a vegetable garden, with neat rows of young plants, to a swing hanging from a big old tree. There were wooden seats here and there, tempting you to sit.
‘I shan’t recognise all the flowers and plants because I’ve never spent much time in gardens.’
‘Beth and I will teach you. You could bring a book out here this afternoon and sit reading in the summer house. It catches the sun nicely. I’m afraid I have to see someone, so can’t join you.’
After luncheon, Renie did just that, sitting in a delightful little summer house, feeling guilty at not working. She didn’t intend to go into the village until her face got better, though. She didn’t want people to see her looking like this.
She found herself dozing and gave in to temptation, leaning her head back. Just as she was nodding off to sleep, she thought she heard footsteps and jerked awake again. But when she glanced round outside, she could see no one.
That was strange. She was sure she’d heard something in the bushes.
Then Gil called her name. He came across to join her from another direction so it couldn’t have been him she’d heard moving about.
She forgot about the footsteps in the pleasure of chatting to him. They never seemed to run out of things to say.
She was already sure that if he didn’t change his mind, she’d accept his proposal.
He didn’t love her, just wanted to find a wife. But he liked her, felt comfortable with her and maybe he’d grow fonder of her as time passed. She’d grown to love him, though. How could she not, when he was so wonderful? She’d been foolish enough to dream about him since the very first time they met.
As for Beth, she was a delightful child. It would be a pleasure to help raise her, and other children too, perhaps.
Could life really be this good?
If only Renie could find her sisters again, it’d be more perfect than her wildest dreams.