'I've just got back and heard what's happened. Was Betty telling the truth?'
'Only half of it. Wait till you hear the rest!'
Mrs. Nichols smiled at her grandson. 'How's my little boy today?'
'Fine, Grandma. Have you brought me a surprise?'
'Little boys who ask don't get surprises.'
'I didn't say I wanted one. I only said, did you buy me one?'
'You've an answer for everything! Well, yes, I did. I'll let you have it after your rest.'
Carolyn folded the comic and laid it on the bed. 'When the large hand of the clock points to six you can get up. But come down the stairs slowly.'
'Margaret said I can't manage on my own.'
'You most certainly can! You're a big boy, and don't you forget it.' She closed the door and walked with Mrs. Nichols downstairs. 'Let's go into the sitting-room, it's cosier.'
They sat at the small table and Betty brought in a pot of tea. Carolyn poured it and handed a cup across the table.
'Lord, I don't know where to begin.'
'At the beginning. It's easier. What is it, Carolyn? I already know Margaret tried to kill him. It can't be worse than that.'
'I'm afraid it can. Much worse.' Carolyn rolled her handkerchief round her sweating palms. 'I don't know how you'll take it, but it's got to be said.'
Slowly she started to tell Mrs. Nichols everything that had happened that morning. It was not too bad until she came to Derek's story, then her voice faltered and the words were barely audible. Resolutely she swallowed some scalding tea and continued, not omitting one single detail.
At the end she leaned back exhaustedly in her chair. 'And that's the lot, I'm afraid. I wish like hell I could have spared you this.'
Mrs. Nichols's face was pale, but otherwise there was no indication of her feelings. 'I suppose you're sure Derek isn't lying?'
'There'd be no point. He gave me the date when the adoption was made. I can go to Somerset House and check it myself, but it will be a waste of time.'
'So Piotr isn't my grandson after all.' Mrs. Nichols rubbed her hand across her face. 'It's incredible! Everything has been for nothing. All the recriminations, the way I fought against your bringing him here, fought against loving him…' She began to cry. 'I can't believe he isn't Rosemary's son. I can't!'
'In a way he is her son. She brought him up, and she loved him as if he were her own. Try and think of it that way.' Carolyn rose and walked to the door.
'Where are you going?'
To put a call through to Mr. Arnold. There's no need for him to bother altering the will; it's invalid now, anyhow. Afterwards I'll start to pack.' She smiled faintly. 'You and Jeffrey get the money after all, so at least one good thing has come out of it.'
'Money!' Mrs. Nichols said sharply. 'Do you think I care a jot about the money? It's Piotr I'm thinking about.'
'Piotr?' Carolyn stammered.
'Of course. You surely don't believe that learning he's Rosemary's adopted son has made any difference to my feeling for him? As you said yourself, she brought him up, looked after him, loved him.' Mrs. Nichols' voice broke. 'I couldn't turn him out now. I love him, Carolyn. I want him to live with me and grow up here.'
Carolyn sat down shakily. 'I'm almost glad I've learned the truth about the whole business. You really want Piotr here because you love him!'
'There must be no question of his going away,' Mrs. Nichols said firmly. 'Or you either.'
'I can't take it all in,' Carolyn stammered. 'I haven't given a thought to my plans—it's all happened so quickly I'm still in a daze.'
'When you come out of it you'll see there's no reason why everything can't go on exactly as before.'
'Except that you and Jeffrey have the money. That'll make me feel a hell of a lot better!'
'My share will eventually go to Piotr.' Mrs. Nichols smiled. 'And somehow I don't think Jeffrey will get unduly excited.' Her smile became even broader. 'Listening to me talk, you'd think I was the most altruistic of women. Heaven alone knows how that's happened. Do you think I could have changed so much in six months?'
Carolyn's smile was bitter. 'If you love someone, it can change you in six weeks.'
'I wish I could help you.' Carolyn made no reply and Mrs.
Nichols sighed. 'Now remember, my dear, not a word of this to Piotr. Eventually he'll have to know the truth about his birth, but—I don't suppose we could find out who the real parents were?'
'Not a chance. Except that they were Polish.'
The door burst open and Piotr ran into the room. 'It was time for me to come down.' He hoisted himself up on to Mrs. Nichols's knee. 'Will you paint with me this afternoon, Grannie?'
'I think I might find the time. Have you got a painting book?'
'I don't need a book,' the child said scornfully. 'I want to paint real pictures, like Uncle Derek.'
There was a startled silence and suddenly Carolyn and Mrs. Nichols burst out laughing.
'What's the joke?' Piotr said. 'Have I been funny?'
'And how!' Carolyn replied.
During dinner that evening the talk revolved around the happenings of the day, and only Ella appreciated the invidiousness of Carolyn's position and sympathised with her desire to stand on her own two feet.
'I can't go on living here,' Carolyn said passionately, 'and accepting your charity. It's out of the question.'
'We've been doing it for the last six months,' Jeffrey observed slyly, 'so I don't see why you shouldn't.'
'Carolyn doesn't mean that,' Ella put in. 'I understand exactly how she feels.'
'Then the only solution,' Jeffrey said, 'is for you to find yourself a rich husband. What about Colonel Burridge? He's a very young eighty with pots of cash!'
'I don't think his three daughters would approve!' Carolyn laughed. 'Although I could probably offer my services as his nurse!'
'There's no reason for you to do anything of the sort,' Mrs. Nichols said. 'If you'd take notice of an older woman instead of these young things here, you'll let matters rest for the time being and discuss it in a few weeks.'
'That's a good idea,' said Ella. 'Alvin will be back by then and he may have some suggestions. He'll be pretty furious when he hears about Romaine.'
'Where is he?' Mrs. Nichols asked.
'I don't know. He just said he was going away.'
'Talking about going away,' Jeffrey interpolated, 'how about having a drink to celebrate the departure of the de Mancys? If they haven't left the district by tomorrow I'm going to set the police on them regardless of what Carolyn says. I never did like Derek.'
'Who could be as perceptive as you?' Ella said fondly.
Jeffrey handed round the drinks. 'To the future! Long may it be ahead of us!'
Because she had promised Mrs. Nichols to let matters rest for a few weeks, Carolyn forced herself to live from day to day. But she was in an invidious position. She did not want to leave Piotr, yet at the same time she could not be dependent on anyone for her livelihood. Though she was Piotr's legal guardian and could take him away, she knew it would be a selfish solution. Here he was assured of a position, assured too of having a grandmother and an uncle who cared about his well- being. To take him back to Canada would defeat her original purpose in bringing him here. It was important for a child to have a family.
Unbidden, the thought of Alvin came into her mind. His attitude towards her, more than anyone else's, would determine her future plans. She could not live here and go on seeing him—however infrequent his visits might be—if he still persisted in treating her like a leper. She loved him too much to bear it. If only she could analyse herself out of this emotional situation! Alvin had never shown any fondness for her: only desire. And what did a few kisses mean to a man? Perhaps he had believed that, like Romaine, she could be bought? Her cheeks burned as she remembered the way she had deliberately thrown herself at him the night of Jeffrey's musical. No doubt he thought her crazy and irresponsible, but at least that was better than his realis
ing she was in love with him. Whether she decided to stay here or not, she would have to make every effort to forget Alvin Tyssen.
The house was quiet during the week-end. Jeffrey and Ella went flat-hunting again in London and Mrs. Nichols took Piotr to see a pantomime and was spending the night with them in Alvin's flat. Carolyn had refused to go and on Sunday morning she strolled along the shore road to the beach, suppressing a shudder as she saw the large 'To Let' sign outside the cottage with the pink shutters. The beach was deserted and she sat down on the fine white sand to watch the breakers rolling in. A gust of wind blew the small grains of sand against her face and she sprang up. The air had the deceptive warmth of spring, but it was still too early to remain still for long, and she walked back briskly to the house.
She took off her coat in the hall, pulled the scarf away from her head and went into the drawing-room.
Alvin stood up.
'Good afternoon,' he said politely. 'I've been waiting for you.'
'I was out for a walk.' She came over to the fire and bent to warm her hands. 'Did you have a nice trip?'
'Yes.'
She glanced at him and saw that his face was extremely pale while his hands, long and thin, tapped restlessly on his cigarette case.
'I'm afraid Mrs. Nichols is in London. So are Jeffrey and Ella.'
'I came to see you.'
'That makes a change.' She essayed a smile at him but there was no change in his expression.
'I'm afraid what I have to say is extremely unpleasant, Carolyn.' He took out a cigarette and lit it 'I'll be as brief as I can. My trip,' he said stiffly, 'was a very interesting one.'
'I'm delighted.' She held out her hand. 'Would you mind giving me a cigarette? I've run out of them.'
He proffered his case and had to move nearer to light her cigarette for her. Close to him she saw that he was breathing quickly and that a small blue vein was pulsing in his temple.
'I don't know how you can be so calm,' he said savagely. 'My God, Carolyn! Don't you know what I'm going to tell you?'
'Where have you been the past week?'
'In the north of England.'
She caught her breath. 'Cleethorpes.'
His eyes glittered. 'So you know the game is up?'
'Yes,' she said slowly. 'In fact I'm just beginning to realise something that should have been obvious to me since—-'
'Since you came here.'
'I was going to say since last week.' She sat down on the small humpty in front of the fire. 'What a fool I've been! Holy smoke, you gave me enough hints! All the things you said—the innuendoes, the sly digs—it was all leading up to one thing, wasn't it?'
'Yes.' He began to pace the carpet. 'Don't think I'm enjoying this, Carolyn. I'd give anything not to say it'
'Then don't,' she pleaded.
'I must! No, don't look at me like that Nothing can dissuade me from my duty. Not even your beauty or the way I feel about you. I—I…' He stopped speaking and clenched his hands tightly together. With a great effort at calmness he crossed over to the mantelpiece and with one elgantly shod foot resting on the curb began to talk again.
'I suspected you from the first moment you arrived—even before that; when you first wrote to Ate. Nichols.'
'Why?'
'Because Rosemary and I—this is embarrassing, but I must say it. When Rosemary and I were engaged she became ill. She appeared to recover, but I was uneasy about her and insisted she went to a specialist. She made light of the whole thing and wouldn't even tell her mother. Rosemary was like that, carefree and irresponsible, emotional and impulsive.' He straightened his shoulders. 'However, I went with her to the specialist and he told me later that she could never have any children.'
'What did you do?'
'Nothing,' he said coldly. 'I would have married her just the same.'
'Did you love her so much?'
He paused. 'If you had asked me at the time I could have said yes, but now… now I find that what I felt for her was nothing compared————————— '
He turned his head away and a strange excitememt stirred in Carolyn. 'Compared with what, Alvin?'
'We're digressing. You can't stop me from what I'm going to say.' He turned round, his eyes glittering behind his glasses. 'This deception has got to cease. You came here to perpetrate one of the vilest crimes it was possible for anyone to commit. You weren't only playing for money, Carolyn, somehow I could forgive you that, but you were playing on the emotion of a grandmother. I've seen the way Mrs. Nichols has fallen for your stepson, seen it and pitied her, yet I was powerless to warn her until I had proof!'
'Alvin, no! Don't go on. You're wrong, wrong!'
'I'm right!' he shouted, 'but it doesn't make a pretty story, does it? How innocently you came through that door last September with Piotr clinging to your side. It was all I could do then not to expose you. But I had to bide my time because I needed proof. I had to find out which orphanage Piotr had come from. So I waited and watched you exert your gentle spell over everyone with whom you came in contact—Jeffrey, Mrs. Nichols, my own sister. God! How could you be so vile?'
As Carolyn listened, shock turned to horror. She tried to speak, but no words came, and Alvin smiled unpleasantly.
'You're not as glib now as you were the night we danced at the Savoy.' He laughed harshly. 'And you had the audacity to tell me you were no longer engaged to de Mancy—your fellow crook! That's where you made your mistake, the three of you. If you'd come down here alone, you might have been able to fool me that you hadn't known about Piotr's adoption. But from the minute I knew de Mancy and his sister were here, the whole jigsaw fell into place. When I heard Margaret had been matron of an orphanage it suddenly became the most important lead I'd had. From then on it was easy.' He stared down at her. 'Well, aren't you going to say anything in your defence?'
'There doesn't seem much for me to say. How cynical and bitter you must be, to have so little faith in humanity! Did you never give me the benefit of the doubt or think I mightn't have been in league with Derek and Margaret?'
'Nothing you could say would ever make me believe you didn't know. It was a lot of money, Carolyn, but it isn't for that I despise you. It's for trying to foist Piotr on Mrs. Nichols.'
'She loves him.'
'That's what you scheemed for!'
Nausea welled up in her. She threw her half-smoked cigarette into the fire and dug her hands in the pockets of her dress.
'What do you intend to do?' she asked.
'By rights I should hand you over to the police, but I can't do that.'
'Don't tell me you're faint-hearted?'
'Don't sit there and joke about it! I mean every word I've said. I might not call in the police, but I'm certainly going to tell Jeffrey and Mrs. Nichols about you.' He began to pace the carpet again. 'But before I do so, I wanted to tell you, to give you a chance to get away. I know you haven't any money, so I've made out this cheque for you.' He took out an envelope and laid it on the table. 'You'll find enough here to pay for your expenses and keep you until you can find something to do. My advice is to keep away from de Mancy and his sister.'
'It's kind of you to worry about my going straight!' Carolyn said stiffly. 'At least it shows you have a little regard for me. But it won't be necessary to tell Mrs. Nichols or Jeffrey. I've already done so.'
He wheeled round.'You've what?'
'Told Mrs. Nichols a week ago. A lot of things have happened since you've been away, Alvin. You weren't the only one to discover things. When I—————————— ——'
She had no chance to say any more, for he pulled her roughly to her feet and shook her violently back and forth.
'Will I never stop learning how devilish you are? How cunning and diabolically clever?' His hands pressed deeper. 'I can see it all now! You weren't as blind to my riddles as you'd have me believe. That's why you tried to make me fall in love with you. Why you flung yourself at me at the Savoy. And then there was the night at the fl
at…' His voice went strangely quiet. 'In the flat I think you would have succeeded if that phone call hadn't come…'
She fought against the memories his words invoked.
'Thank heavens it did!' she said, and wrenched away from him. 'If we'd gone any further I'd have hated myself for ever!'
'You bitch!'
She laughed. 'Poor Alvin—foiled again! And you'll be even more pleased to know Mrs. Nichols is going to make Piotr her heir. So I've beaten you after all, haven't I? I'm safe, Alvin, and there's nothing you can do to harm me.'
'How did you manage it?' he grated.
'I told her the truth about Piotr. But she doesn't care—she loves him.' Carolyn's laugh was wild. 'Love, Alvin. It's an emotion you'll never be able to understand, and it's beaten you!'
He threw her so violently away from him that she stumbled and fell to the ground. 'I'll never come to this house as long as you're here,' he said. 'Don't come to Ella's wedding either, or I'll walk out.'
Her moment of triumph disappeared and all she was aware of was the look of scorn on his face. The anger left and she said soberly, 'There's something else you should know. It's about Derek and Margaret. I never—————'
'Don't tell me any more lies. You disgust me!' He strode to the door and swung round to look at her. 'Rosemary gave me my first lesson about women, and you've completed my education.'
'Let me explain,' she begged.
'I don't want to listen to you—you dare to talk about Romaine when you're just as bad—worse even. She at least gives something for the money she gets.'
'You're wicked,' she sobbed. '1'm sorry for you, sorry, do you hear? You won't be able to live your life without love.'
'Love!' he grated. 'Love is something I can buy.'
The door closed quietly and with finality behind him and Carolyn buried her head in her hands and gave herself up to tears.
That night Mrs. Nichols and Piotr returned home. At dinner Carolyn's face was swollen from crying, and Mrs. Nichols looked at her in alarm.'
'Whatever's the matter? Are you ill?'
'Let's have dinner first,' Carolyn said with an effort. 'If I start talking about it now I'll not eat a thing. I haven't eaten all day as it is.'
Rachel Lindsay - Mask of Gold Page 22