Mistress of Mellyn

by Виктория Холт

  ” My dear,” she said, ” how happy I am. I have watched you with Alvean and I know what this is going to mean to her.” There were tears in her eyes. ” Alice would be so happy.”

  I thanked her and said: ” You have always been such a good friend to me.”

  ” I was so grateful that at last the child had found a governess who really understood her.”

  I said: “I thought Miss Jansen did that.”

  ” Miss Jansen, yes. We all thought so. It was a pity she was not honest. Perhaps though it was the temptation of a moment. I did all I could to help her.”

  ” I’m so glad somebody did.”

  Peter had come up. He took my hand and kissed it lightly. Connan’s look of displeasure made my heart beat fast with happiness, and I was ashamed of my suspicions.

  ” Fortunate Connan,” cried Peter exuberantly. ” No need to tell you how much I envy you, is there! I think I’ve made it dear. I’ve brought over Jacinth. I told you I’d make you a present of her, didn’t I? Well, she’s my wedding present. You can’t object to that, can you?”

  I looked at Connan. ” A present for us both,” I said.

  ” Oh no,” said Peter. ” She’s for you. I’ll think of some thing else for Con.”

  ” Thank you, Peter,” I said. ” It’s most generous of you.”

  He shook his head. ” Couldn’t bear the thought of her going to anyone else. I feel sentimental about that mare. I want a good home for her.

  You know I’m going at the end of next week. “

  ” So soon?”

  ” Everything has been speeded up. There’s no point in delaying further.” He looked at me significantly; ” Now,” he added.

  1 saw that Kitty, who was serving us with wine, was listening with all attention.

  Celestine was talking earnestly to Connan, and Peter went on : ” So it’s you and Con after all. Well, you’ll keep him in order, Miss Leigh. I’m sure of that.”

  ” I’m not going to be his governess, you know.”

  “I’m not sure. Once a governess, always a governess. I thought Alvean seemed not displeased by the new arrangement.”

  ” I think she’s going to accept me.”

  ” I think you’re an even greater favourite than Miss Jansen was.”

  ” Poor Miss Jansen! I wonder what became of her.”

  ” Celeste did something for her. She was rather worried about the poor girl, I think.”

  ” Oh, I’m so glad.”

  ” Helped her to find another place … with some friends of ours actually. The Merrivales who have a place on the edge of Dartmoor. I wonder how our gay Miss Jansen likes Hoodfield Manor. Finds it a bit dull, I should imagine, with Tavistock, the nearest town, quite six miles away.”

  ” It was very kind of Celestine to help her.”

  ” Well, that’s Celestine all over.” He lifted his glass. ” To your happiness, Miss Leigh. And whenever you ride Jacinth, think of me.”

  ” I shall … and of Jacinth’s namesake. Miss Jansen.”

  He laughed. ” And if,” he went on, ” you should change your mind….”

  I raised my eyebrows.

  ” About marrying Connan, I mean. There’ll be a little homestead for you on the other side of the world. You’ll find me ever faithful. Miss Leigh.”

  I laughed and sipped my wine.

  The next day Alvean and I went riding together, and I was mounted on Jacinth. She was a wonderful creature and I enjoyed every moment of the ride. I felt that this was another of the glorious things which were happening to me. I even had my own mount now.

  The ball was a great success and I was surprised how ready the neighbourhood was to accept me. The fact that I had been Alvean’s governess was forgotten. I felt that Connan’s neighbours were reminding each other that I was an educated young woman and that my family background was passibly good. Perhaps those who were fond of him were relieved because he was engaged to be married, for they would not wish him to be involved in the Treslyn scandal.

  The day after the ball Connan had to go away again on business.

  ” I neglected a great deal during our stay in Penlandstow,” he said. ” There were things I simply forgot to do. It is understandable. My mind was on other matters. I shall be away a week, I think, and when I come back it’ll be but a fortnight before our wedding. You’ll be getting on with your preparations, and darling, if there’s anything you want to do in the house … if there’s anything you want to change, do say so.

  It mightn’t be a bad idea to ask Celestine’s advice; she’s an expert on old houses. “

  I said I would, because it would please her, and I wanted to please her.

  ” She was kind to me right from the first,” I said. ” I shall always have a soft feeling for her.”

  He said goodbye and drove off while I stood at my window, waving. I did not care to do so from the porch because I was still a little shy of the servants.

  When I went out of my room I found Gilly standing outside the door.

  Since I had told her that I was to be Mrs. TreMellyn she had taken to following me around. I was beginning to understand the way her mind worked. She was fond of me in exactly the same way that she had been fond of Alice and, with the passing of each day, the two of us became in her mind merged into one. Alice had disappeared from her life; she was going to make sure that I did not.

  ” Hallo, Gilly,” I said.

  She dropped her head in that characteristic way of hers and laughed to herself.

  Then she put her hand in mine and I led her back to my room.

  ” Well, Gilly,” I said, ” in three weeks’ time I am going to be married, and I am the happiest woman in the world.”

  I was really trying to reassure myself, for sometimes talking to Gilly was like talking to oneself.

  I thought of what Connan had said about altering anything I wished to in the house, and I remembered that there were some parts of it which I had not even seen yet.

  I suddenly thought of Miss Jansen and what I had been told about her having a different room from the one I occupied. I had never seen Miss Jansen’s room and I decided that I would now go along and inspect it.

  I need have no qualms now about going to any part of the house I wished, for in a very short time I should be mistress of it.

  ” Come along, Gilly,” I said. ” We’ll go and see Miss Jansen’s room.”

  She trotted along contentedly by my side, and I thought how much more intelligent she was than people realised, for it was she who led me to Miss Jansen’s room.

  There was nothing very unusual about it. It was smaller than mine. But there was a rather striking mural. I was looking at this when Gilly tugged my arm and drew me close to it. She pulled up a chair and stood on it. Then I understood. There, in this wall, was a peep like that in the solarium. I looked through it and saw the chapel. It was of course a different view from that to be seen in the solarium, as it was from the opposite side.

  Gilly looked at me, delighted to have shown me the peep. We went back to my room, and dearly she did not want to leave me.

  I could see that she was apprehensive. I understood of course. Her somewhat confused mind had so clearly associated me with Alice that she expected me to disappear as Alice had done.

  She was determined to keep an eye on me so that this should not happen.

  All through the night a southwest gale was blowing in from the sea.

  The rain which came with it was driven horizontally against our windows, and even the solid foundations of Mount Mellyn seemed to shake. It was one of the wettest nights I had known since my arrival in Cornwall.

  The next day the rain continued; everything in my room mirrors, the furniture was misty and damp. It was what happened often enough, Mrs. Polgrey told me, when the southwest wind came bringing rain with it, which it invariably did.

  Alvean and I could not go out riding that day.

  By the following morning the skies had cleared a little, an
d the heavy rain gave way to a light drizzle. Lady Treslyn called, but I did not see her. She did not ask for me; it was Mrs. Polgrey who told me she had called and that she had wished to see Connan.

  ” She seemed very distressed,” said Mrs. Polgrey.

  “She’ll not rest until this terrible business is over.”

  I felt sure that Lady Treslyn had come over to talk to Connan about his engagement to me and that she was probably distressed because he was not at home.

  Celestine Nansellock also called. We had a chat about the house. She said she was so pleased because I was becoming very interested in Mount Mellyn.

  ” Not only as a home,” she said, ” but as a house.” She went on: “I have some old documents about Mount Mellyn and Mount Widden. I’ll show them to you one day.”

  ” You must help me,” I told her. ” It’ll be fun discussing things together.”

  ” You’ll make some changes?” she asked.

  ” If I do,” I assured her, ” I shall ask your advice.”

  She left before luncheon, and in the afternoon Alvean and I went down to the stables for the horses.

  We stood by while Billy Trehay saddled them for us.

  “Jacinth be frisky, to-day, M^s,” he told me.

  ” It’s because she had no exercise yesterday.” I stroked her muzzle and she rubbed against my hand to show she shared my affection. I We took our usual ride down the slope, past the cove and Mount Widden; then we went along the cliff path. The view here was particularly beautiful with the jagged coast stretched y out before us and Rame Head lying in the water, hiding Plymouth and its Sound from view.

  Some of the paths were narrow, cut into the cliffs at spots where it had been convenient to do so. Up and down we went; sometimes we were almost down to the sea; at others we climbed high.

  It was not very easy going, for the rain had whipped up the mud and I began to feel a little anxious about Alvean. She sat firmly in her saddle—no novice now—but 1 was conscious of Jacinth’s mood and I expected Black Prince’s was not much different, although, of course, he hadn’t Jacinth’s fiery temperament. At times I had to rein her in firmly; a gallop would have been more to her taste than this necessarily slow careful walk along paths which were a good deal more dangerous than when we had come this way on our last ride.

  There was one spot on this cliff path which was particularly narrow; above the path loomed the cliff face, dotted with bushes of gorse and brambles; below it, the cliff fell almost sheer to the sea. The path was safe enough ordinarily; but I felt a little nervous about Alvean’s using it on a day like this.

  I noticed that some of the cliff had fallen in places. This was continually happening. Tapperty had often said that the sea was gradually claiming the land, and that in his grandfather’s day there had been a road which had now completely disappeared.

  I thought of turning back, but if we did I would have to explain my fears to Alvean; I did not want to do this while she was mounted.

  No, I thought, we’ll continue on this path until we can climb to the top road. Then we’ll go home a roundabout way, but on firm land.

  We had come to that danger spot and I noticed that the ground was even more slippery here, and that there had been a bigger fall of cliff than I had seen on other portions of the path.

  I held Jacinth in and walked her slowly in front of Alvean and Black Prince, for we naturally had to go in single file.

  I pulled up and looked over my shoulder, saying: ” We’re going very slowly here. You just follow.”

  Then I heard it. I turned quickly as the boulder came tumbling down bringing in its wake shale, turf and vegetation. It passed within a few inches of Jacinth. I stared, in fascinated horror, as it went hurtling down to the sea.

  Jadnth reared. She was terrified and ready to plunge anywhere . over the cliff . down to the sea . to escape what had startled her.

  It was fortunate for me that I was an experienced rider, and that Jacinth and I knew each other so well. Thus it was all over in a matter of seconds. I had her under control. She grew calm as I began to talk to her in a voice which was meant to be soothing but which shook a little.

  ” Miss! What happened?” It was Alvean.

  ” It’s all over,” I answered, trying to speak lightly. ” You managed perfectly.”

  ” Why, Miss, I thought Black Prince was going to start a gallop.”

  He would, I thought, if Jacinth had.

  I was terribly shaken and afraid to show it, either to Alvean or Jadnth.

  I suddenly felt the need to get off that dangerous path immediately. I glanced nervously up and said : ” It’s not safe to be on these paths . after the weather we’ve been having.”

  I don’t know what I expected to see up there, but I was staring at the thickest of the bushes. Did I see a movement there, or did I imagine it? It would be easy for someone to hide up there. What if a boulder had become dislodged by the recent rains. What an excellent opportunity if someone wanted to be rid of me. It merely had to be rolled down at that moment when I was on the path a perfect target.

  Alvean and I had made a habit of coming along this path at a certain time.

  I shivered and said: ” Let’s go on. We’ll get on to the top road and won’t go back along the cliff path.”

  Alvean was silent; and when in a few minutes we were on the road she looked at me oddly. I saw that she was not unaware of the danger through which we had passed.

  It was not until we were back in the house that I realised how alarmed I was. I was telling myself that a terrifying pattern was being formed. Alice had died; Sir Thomas Treslyn had died; and now I, who was to be Connan’s wife, might easily have met my death on the cliff path this day.

  I longed to tell Connan of my fears.

  But I was a sensible, practical woman. Was I going to refuse to look facts in the face because I was afraid of what I might see there if I did so?

  Suppose Connan had not really gone away. Suppose he had wanted an accident to happen to me while he was believed to be away from home. I thought of Lady Treslyn at the Christmas ball. I thought of her beauty, her sensuous, voluptuous beauty. Connan had admitted that she had been his mistress. Had been? Was it possible that anyone, knowing her, could want me?

  The proposal had been so sudden. It had come at a time when his mistress’s husband was about to be exhumed.

  It was small wonder that the practical governess had become a frightened woman.

  To whom could I go for help?

  There was Peter or Celestine . only those two, I thought. No, I could not betray these terrible suspicions of Connan to them. It was bad enough that I entertained them myself.

  ” Don’t panic,” I cautioned myself. ” Be calm. Think of something you can do.”

  I thought of the house, vast and full of secrets, a house in which it was possible to peep from certain rooms into others. There might be peeps as yet undiscovered. Who could say? Perhaps someone was watching me now.

  I thought of the peep in Miss Jansen’s room and that set me thinking of her sudden dismissal. Then I was saying to myself : ” Hoodfield Manor near Tavistock.”

  I wondered if Miss Jansen was still there. There was a good chance that she might be for she must have gone there about the same time as I came to Mount Mellyn.

  Why should I not try to meet her? She might have some light to throw on the secrets of this house.

  I was desperately afraid, and at such times it is always comforting to take action.

  Dear Miss Jansen.

  I am the governess at Mount Mellyn and I have heard of you. I should like to meet you. I wonder if that would be possible. If so, I should like our meeting to be as soon as you can manage it.

  Yours sincerely, Martha Leigh.

  I went out quickly to post the letter before I could change my mind.

  Then I tried to forget it.

  I longed for a message from Connan. There was none. Each day I looked for his return. I thought: When he come
s home I am going to tell him of my fears, because I must do so. I am going to tell him of what happened on the cliff path. I am going to ask him to tell me the truth. I am going to say to him: Connan, why did you ask me to marry you? Was it because you love me and want me to be your wife, or was it because you wished to divert suspicion from yourself and Lady Treslyn?

  The devilish scheme whicht I had invented seemed to gain credibility with every passing moment.

  I said to myself: Perhaps Alice died by accident, and that gave them the idea of ridding themselves of Sir Thomas, who was the only obstacle to their marriage. Did they slip something into his whisky?

  Why not? It could not have been merely by chance that the boulder came hurtling down at the precise moment. Now there was to be an exhumation of Sir Thomas and the countryside knew of the relationship between Connan and Lady Treslyn. So Connan became engaged to the governess in order to divert suspicion. The governess is now an obstacle even as Alice was, even as Sir Thomas was. So the governess could have an accident on her newly acquired mare to which it might be said that she had not yet grown accustomed.

  The road is clear for the guilty lovers and all they need do is wait until scandal has blown over.

  How could I imagine such things of the man I loved? Could one love a man and think such thoughts of him?

  I do love him, I told myself passionately. So much that I would rather meet death at his hands than leave him and be forced to endure an empty life without him.

  Three days later there was a letter from Miss Jansen, who said she was eager to meet me. She would be in Plymouth the following day and if I would meet her at the White Hart, which was not far from the Hoe, we might have luncheon together.

  I told Mrs. Polgrey that I was going into Plymouth to shop. That seemed plausible enough since my wedding was due to take place in three weeks’ time.

  I made straight for the White Hart.

  Miss Jansen was already there—an extremely pretty fairhaired girl.

  She greeted me with pleasure and told me that Mrs. Plint, the innkeeper’s wife, had said that we might have luncheon together in a small room of our own.

  We were conducted to this private room and there took stock of each other.