Her voice was disdainful in its snobbery.
Aristide was wonderful. He said everything would be all right. He said he was lonely. Wed be married at once, he said. It was like a dream. And then I found out he was the great Mr Leonides. He owned masses of shops and restaurants and night clubs. It was quite like a fairy tale, wasnt it?
One kind of a fairy tale, I said dryly.
We were married at a little church in the Cityand then we went abroad.
And the child?
She looked at me with eyes that came back from a long distance.
There wasnt a child after all. It was all a mistake.
She smiled, the curled-up sideways, crooked smile.
I vowed to myself that Id be a really good wife to him, and I was. I ordered all the kinds of food he liked, and wore the colours he fancied and I did all I could to please him. And he was happy. But we never got rid of that family of his. Always coming and sponging and living in his pocket. Old Miss de HavilandI think she ought to have gone away when he got married. I said so. But Aristide said, Shes been here so long. Its her home now. The truth is he liked to have them all about and underfoot. They were beastly to me, but he never seemed to notice that or to mind about it. Roger hates mehave you seen Roger? Hes always hated me. Hes jealous. And Philips so stuck up he never speaks to me. And now theyre trying to pretend I murdered himand I didntI didntV She leaned towards me. Please believe I didnt.
I found her very pathetic. The contemptuous way the Leonides family had spoken of her, their eagerness to believe that she had committed the crimenow, at this moment, it all seemed positively inhuman conduct. She was alone, defenceless, hunted down.
And if its not me, they think its Laurence, she went on.
What about Laurence? I asked.
Im terribly sorry for Laurence. Hes delicate and he couldnt go and fight. Its not because he was a coward. Its because hes sensitive. Ive tried to cheer him up and to make him feel happy. He has to teach those horrible children. Eustace is always sneering at him, and Josephine well, youve seen Josephine. You know what shes like.
I found her very pathetic. The contemptuous way the Leonides family had spoken of her, their eagerness to believe that she had committed the crimenow, at this moment, it all seemed positively inhuman conduct. She was alone, defenceless, hunted down.
And if its not me, they think its Laurence, she went on.
What about Laurence? I asked.
Im terribly sorry for Laurence. Hes delicate and he couldnt go and fight. Its not because he was a coward. Its because hes sensitive. Ive tried to cheer him up and to make him feel happy. He has to teach those horrible children. Eustace is always sneering at him, and Josephine well, youve seen Josephine. You know what shes like.
I said I hadnt met Josephine yet.
Sometimes I think that child isnt right in her head. She has horrible sneaky ways, and she looks queer She gives me the shivers sometimes.
I didnt want to talk about Josephine. I harked back to Laurence Brown.
Who is he? I asked. Where does he come from?
I had phrased it clumsily. She flushed.
He isnt anybody particular. Hes just like me What chance have we got against all of them?
Dont you think youre being a little hysterical?
No, I dont. They want to make out that Laurence did itor that I did. Theyve got that policeman on their side. What chance have I got?
You mustnt work yourself up, I said.
Why shouldnt it be one of them who killed him? Or someone from outside? Or one of the servants?
Theres a certain lack of motive.
Oh, motive! What motive had I got? Or Laurence?
I felt rather uncomfortable as I said:
They might think, I suppose, that you ander Laurenceare in love with each otherthat you wanted to marry.
She sat bolt upright.
Thats a wicked thing to suggest! And its not true! Weve never said a word of that kind to each other. Ive just been sorry for him and tried to cheer him up[80]. Weve been friends, thats all. You do believe me, dont you?
I did believe her. That is, I believed that she and Laurence were, as she put it, only friends. But I also believed that, possibly unknown to herself, she was actually in love with the young man.
It was with that thought in my mind that I went downstairs in search of Sophia.
As I was about to go into the drawing-room, Sophia poked her head out of a door farther along the passage.
Hallo, she said. Im helping Nannie with lunch.
I would have joined her, but she came out into the passage, shut the door behind her, and taking my arm led me into the drawing-room, which was empty.
Well, she said, did you see Brenda? What did you think of her?
Frankly, I said, I was sorry for her.
Sophia looked amused.
I see, she said. So she got you.
I felt slightly irritated.
The point is, I said, that I can see her side of it. Apparently you cant.
Her side of what?
Honestly, Sophia, have any of the family ever been nice to her, or even fairly decent to her, since she came here?
No, we havent been nice to her. Why should we be?
Just ordinary Christian kindliness, if nothing else.
What a very high moral tone youre taking, Charles. Brenda must have done her stuff pretty well.
Really, Sophia, you seemI dont know whats come over you.
Im just being honest and not pretending. Youve seen Brendas side of it, so you say. Now take a look at my side. I dont like the type of young woman who makes up a hard-luck story and marries a very rich old man on the strength of it. Ive a perfect right not to like that type of young woman, and there is no earthly reason why I should pretend I do. And if the facts were written down in cold blood on paper, you wouldnt like that young woman either.
Was it a made-up story? I asked.
About the child? I dont know. Personally, I think so.
And you resent the fact that your grandfather was taken in by it?
Oh, grandfather wasnt taken in. Sophia laughed. Grandfather was never taken in by anybody. He wanted Brenda. He wanted to play Cophetua[81] to her beggar-maid. He knew just what he was doing and it worked out beautifully according to plan. From grandfathers point of view the marriage was a complete successlike all his other operations.
Was engaging Laurence Brown as tutor another of your grandfathers successes? I asked ironically.
Sophia frowned.
Do you know, Im not sure that it wasnt. He wanted to keep Brenda happy and amused. He may have thought that jewels and clothes werent enough. He may have thought she wanted a mild romance in her life. He may have calculated that someone like Laurence Brown, somebody really tame, if you know what I mean, would just do the trick. A beautiful soulful friendship tinged with melancholy that would stop Brenda from having a real affair with someone outside. I wouldnt put it past grandfather to have worked out something on those lines. He was rather an old devil, you know.
He must have been, I said.
He couldnt, of course, have visualized that it would lead to murder And that, said Sophia, speaking with such vehemence, is really why I dont, much as I would like to, really believe that she did it. If shed planned to murder himor if she and Laurence had planned it togethergrandfather would have known about it. I dare say that seems a bit far-fetched to you
I must confess it does, I said.
But then you didnt know grandfather. He certainly wouldnt have connived at his own murder! So there you are! Up against a blank wall.
Shes frightened, Sophia, I said. Shes very frigh tened.
Chief Inspector Taverner and his merry, merry men? Yes, I dare say they are rather alarming. Laurence, I suppose, is in hysterics?
Practically. He made, I thought, a disgusting exhibition of himself. I dont understand what a woman can see in a man like that.
Dont you, Charles? Actually Laurence has a lot of sex appeal.
A weakling like that, I said incredulously.
Why do men always think that a caveman must necessarily be the only type of person attractive to the opposite sex? Laurence has got sex appeal all rightbut I wouldnt expect you to be aware of it. She looked at me. Brenda got her hooks into you all right.
Dont be absurd. Shes not even really good-looking. And she certainly didnt
Display allure? No, she just made you sorry for her. Shes not actually beautiful, shes not in the least clever but shes got one very outstanding characteristic. She can make trouble. Shes made trouble, already, between you and me.
Sophia! I cried aghast.
Sophia went to the door.
Forget it, Charles. I must get on with lunch.
Ill come and help.
No, you stay here. It will rattle Nannie to have a gentleman in the kitchen.
Sophia, I called as she went out.
Yes, what is it?
Just a servant problem. Why havent you got any servants down here and upstairs; something in an apron and a cap opened the door to us?
Grandfather had a cook, housemaid, parlourmaid, and valet-attendant. He liked servants. He paid them the earth, of course, and he got them. Clemency and Roger just have a daily woman who comes in and cleans. They dont like servantsor rather Clemency doesnt. If Roger didnt get a square meal in the City every day, hed starve. Clemencys idea of a meal is lettuce, tomatoes, and raw carrot. We sometimes have servants, and then mother throws one of her temperaments and they leave, and we have dailies for a bit and then start again. Were in the daily period. Nannie is the permanency and copes in emergencies. Now you know.
Just a servant problem. Why havent you got any servants down here and upstairs; something in an apron and a cap opened the door to us?
Grandfather had a cook, housemaid, parlourmaid, and valet-attendant. He liked servants. He paid them the earth, of course, and he got them. Clemency and Roger just have a daily woman who comes in and cleans. They dont like servantsor rather Clemency doesnt. If Roger didnt get a square meal in the City every day, hed starve. Clemencys idea of a meal is lettuce, tomatoes, and raw carrot. We sometimes have servants, and then mother throws one of her temperaments and they leave, and we have dailies for a bit and then start again. Were in the daily period. Nannie is the permanency and copes in emergencies. Now you know.