And then, she had said, sheer terror, dont you think so?
Sheer terrorthat was what had been on Brendas face. Brenda was not a fighter. I wondered that she had ever had the nerve to do murder. But possibly she had not. Possibly it had been Laurence Brown, with his persecution mania, his unstable personality, who had put the contents of one little bottle into another little bottlea simple easy actto free the woman he loved.
So its over, said Sophia.
She sighed deeply, then asked:
But why arrest them now? I thought there wasnt enough evidence.
A certain amount of evidence has come to light. Letters.
You mean love letters between them?
Yes.
What fools people are to keep these things!
Yes, indeed. Fools. The kind of folly which never seemed to profit by the experience of others. You couldnt open a daily newspaper without coming across some instance of that follythe passion to keep the written word, the written assurance of love.
Its quite beastly, Sophia, I said. But its no good minding about it. After all, its what weve been hoping all along, isnt it? Its what you said that first night at Marios. You said it would be all right if the right person had killed your grandfather. Brenda was the right person, wasnt she? Brenda or Laurence?
Dont, Charles, you make me feel awful.
But we must be sensible. We can marry now, Sophia. You cant hold me off any longer. The Leonides family are out of it.
She stared at me. I had never realized before the vivid blue of her eyes.
Yes, she said. I suppose were out of it now. We are out of it, arent we. Youre sure?
My dear girl, none of you ever really had a sha dow of motive.
Her face went suddenly white.
Except me, Charles. I had a motive.
Yes, of course I was taken aback. But not really. You didnt know, you see, about the will.
But I did, Charles, she whispered.
What? I stared at her. I felt suddenly cold.
I knew all the time that grandfather had left his money to me.
But how?
He told me. About a fortnight before he was killed. He said to me quite suddenly: Eve left all my money to you, Sophia. You must look after the family when Ive gone.
I stared.
You never told me.
No. You see, when they all explained about the will and his signing it, I thought perhaps he had made a mistakethat he was just imagining that he had left it to me. Or that if he had made a will leaving it to me, then it had got lost and would never turn up. I didnt want it to turn upI was afraid.
Afraid? Why?
I supposebecause of murder.
I remembered the look of terror on Brendas facethe wild unreasoning panic. I remembered the sheer panic that Magda had conjured up[134] at will when she considered playing the part of a murderess. There would be no panic in Sophias mind, but she was a realist, and she could see clearly enough that Leonides will made her a suspect. I understood better now (or thought I did) her refusal to become engaged to me and her insistence that I should find out the truth. Nothing but the truth, she had said, was any good to her. I remembered the passion, the earnestness with which she had said it.
We had turned to walk towards the house and suddenly, at a certain spot, I remembered something else she had said.
She had said that she supposed she could murder someone, but if so, she had added, it must be for something really worthwhile.
Chapter 22
Round a turn of the rock garden Roger and Clemency came walking briskly towards us. Rogers flapping tweeds suited him better than his City clothes. He looked eager and excited. Clemency was frowning.
Hallo, you two, said Roger. At last! I thought they were never going to arrest that foul woman. What theyve been waiting for, I dont know. Well, theyve pinched her now, and her miserable boyfriendand I hope they hang them both.
Clemencys frown increased. She said:
Dont be so uncivilized, Roger.
Uncivilized? Bosh! Deliberate cold-blooded poisoning of a helpless trusting old manand when Im glad the murderers are caught and will pay the penalty you say Im uncivilized! I tell you Id willingly strangle that woman myself.
He added:
She was with you, wasnt she, when the police came for her? How did she take it?
It was horrible, said Sophia in a low voice. She was scared out of her wits.
Serve her right.
Dont be vindictive, said Clemency.
Oh, I know, dearest, but you cant understand. It wasnt your father. I loved my father. Dont you understand? I loved him!
I should understand by now, said Clemency.
Roger said to her, half-jokingly:
Youve no imagination, Clemency. Suppose it had been I who had been poisoned?
I saw the quick droop of her lids, her half-clenched hands. She said sharply: Dont say things like that even in fun.
Never mind, darling, well soon be away from all this.
We moved towards the house. Roger and Sophia walked ahead and Clemency and I brought up the rear. She said:
I suppose nowtheyll let us go?
Are you so anxious to get off? I asked.
Its wearing me out[135].
I looked at her in surprise. She met my glance with a faint desperate smile and a nod of the head.
Havent you seen, Charles, that Im fighting all the time? Fighting for my happiness. For Rogers. Ive been so afraid the family would persuade him to stop in England. That wed go on tangled up in the midst of them, stifled with family ties. I was afraid Sophia would offer him an income and that hed stay in England because it would mean greater comfort and amenities for me. The trouble with Roger is that he will not listen. He gets ideas in his headand theyre never the right ideas. He doesnt know anything. And hes enough of a Leonides to think that happiness for a woman is bound up with comfort and money. But I will fight for my happinessI will. I will get Roger away and give him the life that suits him where he wont feel a failure. I want him to myselfaway from them allright away
She had spoken in a low hurried voice with a kind of desperation that startled me. I had not realized how much on edge she was. I had not realized, either, quite how desperate and possessive was her feeling for Roger.
It brought back to my mind that odd quotation of Edith de Havilands. She had quoted the line this side idolatry with a peculiar intonation. I wondered if she had been thinking of Clemency.
Roger, I thought, had loved his father better than he would ever love anyone else, better even than his wife, devoted though he was to her. I realized for the first time how urgent was Clemencys desire to get her husband to herself. Love for Roger, I saw, made up her entire existence. He was her child, as well as her husband and her lover.
A car drove up to the front door.
Hallo, I said. Heres Josephine back.
Josephine and Magda got out of the car. Josephine had a bandage round her head but otherwise looked remarkably well.
She said at once:
I want to see my goldfish, and started towards us and the pond.
Darling, cried Magda, youd better come in first and he down a little, and perhaps have a little nourishing soup.
Dont fuss, Mother, said Josephine. Im quite all right, and I hate nourishing soup.
Magda looked irresolute. I knew that Josephine had really been ht to depart from the hospital for some days, and that it was only a hint from Taverner that had kept her there. He was taking no chances on Josephines safety until his suspects were safe under lock and key.
I said to Magda:
I dare say fresh air will do her good. Ill go and keep an eye on her.
I caught Josephine up before she got to the pond.
All sorts of things have been happening while youve been away, I said.
Josephine did not reply. She peered with her shortsighted eyes into the pond.
I dont see Ferdinand, she said.
Which is Ferdinand?
The one with four tails.
That kind is rather amusing. I like that bright gold one.
Its quite a common one.
I dont much care for that moth-eaten white one.
Josephine cast me a scornful glance.
Thats a shebunkin. They cost a lotfar more than goldfish.
Dont you want to hear whats been happening, Josephine?
I expect I know about it.
Did you know that another will has been found and that your grandfather left all his money to Sophia?
Josephine nodded in a bored kind of way.
Mother told me. Anyway, I knew it already.
Do you mean you heard it in hospital?
No, I mean I knew that grandfather had left his money to Sophia. I heard him tell her so.
Were you listening again?
Yes. I like listening.
Its a disgraceful thing to do, and remember this, listeners hear no good of themselves.
Josephine gave me a peculiar glance.
I heard what he said about me to her, if thats what you mean.
She added:
Nannie gets wild if she catches me listening at doors. She says its not the sort of thing a little lady does.
Shes quite right.
Pooh, said Josephine. Nobodys a lady nowadays. They said so on the Brains Trust. They said it was ob-so-lete. She pronounced the word carefully.
I changed the subject.
Youve got home a bit late for the big event, I said. Chief Inspector Taverner has arrested Brenda and Laurence.
I expected that Josephine, in her character of young detective, would be thrilled by this information, but she merely repeated in her maddening bored fashion:
Yes, I know.
You cant know. Its only just happened.
The car passed us on the road. Inspector Taver ner and the detective with the suede shoes were inside with Brenda and Laurence, so of course I knew they must have been arrested. I hope he gave them the proper caution[136]. You have to, you know.
I assured her that Taverner had acted strictly according to etiquette.
I had to tell him about the letters, I said apologetically. I found them behind the cistern. Id have let you tell him only you were knocked out.
Josephines hand went gingerly to her head.
I ought to have been killed, she said with complacency. I told you it was about time for the second murder. The cistern was a rotten place to hide those letters. I guessed at once when I saw Laurence coming out of there one day. I mean hes not a useful kind of man who does things with ball taps, or pipes or fuses, so I knew he must have been hiding something.
But I thought I broke off as Edith de Havilands voice called authoritatively:
Josephine, Josephine, come here at once.
Josephine sighed.
More fuss, she said. But Id better go. You have to, if its Aunt Edith.
She ran across the lawn. I followed more slowly.
After a brief interchange of words Josephine went into the house. I joined Edith de Haviland on the terrace.
This morning she looked fully her age. I was startled by the lines of weariness and suffering on her face. She looked exhausted and defeated. She saw the concern in my face and tried to smile.
That child seems none the worse for her adventure, she said. We must look after her better in future. StillI suppose now it wont be necessary?
She sighed and said:
Im glad its over. But what an exhibition! If you are arrested for murder, you might at least have some dignity. Pve no patience with people like Brenda who go to pieces and squeal. No guts, these people. Laurence Brown looked like a cornered rabbit.