Kingdom of Shadows (69 page)

Kathleen shivered. ‘Do you really have to work on a Sunday?’

Neil nodded grimly. ‘Go back to the flat if you like. I’m going to be here all day. This campaign is taking off tomorrow. I’m going to nail that bastard, Royland. There won’t be a paper in Britain that isn’t going to make his greed a lead story!’ He smiled grimly. ‘If you want to make yourself useful, my love, you get the coffee going. I’ve got some phone calls to make.’

‘What about Clare Royland? Are you going to nail her as well?’ Kathleen was staring out of the window now. In the next yard someone had left an old dishclout on the line. It had been ripped to shreds by the wind. It was 10.50. Above them the sound of shouted commands rang out above the wind, and the pipe band struck up, heading down towards the echoing confines of Castle Hill.

‘She went back to him, didn’t she?’ Neil’s hand tightened on the receiver.

‘She did indeed.’ Kathleen smiled. ‘He’s an attractive man, Paul Royland.’ She glanced round. ‘She never meant a word of all that protestation of innocence, did she? She intended to sell out all the time. Not that she looked capable of having any intentions for any length of time. She’s obviously very unstable. These so-called aristocratic people often are! It’s all in the breeding. Like pedigree dogs!’

Neil suppressed a smile. Even when he agreed with them he found Kathleen’s prejudices amusing. They were so passionately held, so bitter, so all encompassing.

He opened his notebook, looking for the campaign phone numbers. ‘Well, aristocratic or not, and mad or sane, she’s going to wish she’d never been born when I’ve finished with her!’ he said. ‘Paul Royland is just an English shit. She is a traitor to her country!’ From the castle came the resounding crash of the eleven o’clock gun, followed two minutes later by another.

Clare had not slept. She had lain in bed, tossing and turning, afraid to close her eyes for too long in case the nightmares returned. Outside, the night was very quiet. She dozed uneasily for a while, Casta on the bed next to her in the cold room, then abruptly she was awake again. She groped for the clock on her bedside table, but it had stopped. She had no idea what time it was. She lay still for a moment listening. The house was totally silent. It was still dark but some sixth sense told her it was nearly dawn. She rose quietly and dressed, then she tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack. A cold nose touched her hand.

‘Come on, Casta. Let’s get out of here,’ she whispered.

Her shoes in her hand, she crept down the long hall, past her parents’ bedrooms and down the broad flights of the oak staircase, the dog’s paws padding silently after her. The front hall was dark save for a lamp burning on the chest next to a huge bowl of Michaelmas daisies. Slipping on her shoes she opened the glass inner door of the vestibule. Beyond it the air was ice cold. Above the front door she could see the sky faintly outlined in the glass panel. The stars were brilliant. She put her hand on the door handle and cautiously she turned it and pulled. Casta whined with excitement and scrabbled at the oak panelling.

‘It’s locked.’ The voice behind her made her jump violently. ‘And the key is in my pocket.’

‘Paul!’ She turned to face him, her heart thumping with fright. ‘Well, open it then. Casta wants to go out.’

‘The dog can go out. Not you.’ Silhouetted against the lamp he looked very large. He had spent what remained of the night on one of the sofas in the drawing room, from where he could see the front hall and the stairs.

‘This is ridiculous, Paul! I want to go out.’ She had raised her voice now.

Upstairs, doors opened. Her parents appeared at the top of the stairs and peered over the banisters. Antonia’s face was very white.

‘When did you get back?’ Archie strode past his wife and began to descend the stairs, his red striped pyjamas swathed in a tightly-belted camel dressing gown. At the bottom of the stairs he stopped. He peered past Paul into the shadowy vestibule. ‘Clare? Come in, my dear. Your mother is going to get us all some breakfast.’

‘I want to take my dog for a walk first.’ Clare kept her voice even with difficulty.

‘I’ll take her out in ten minutes with the others. No problem.’ Archie gave a falsely hearty smile. ‘Do come in and shut the door. The hall is getting cold.’

Reluctantly Clare stepped back into the hall. She looked up at her mother who was halfway down the stairs clutching the banister for support. ‘Mummy, will you tell Paul to unlock the front door?’

‘I’m sure he will, darling, soon.’ Antonia glanced nervously at her husband.

‘All in good time,’ Archie put in. ‘Let’s go into the kitchen and get some grub, what? Antonia, my dear, how about some coffee as we all seem to be well and truly awake?’ He led the way into the warm kitchen and turned on the lights. Shooing the two cats away from the Aga he put the kettle on himself.

‘Sit down, Clare,’ he said. He pulled out a chair for her.

Clare sat down. She put her elbows on the table. ‘Look, I don’t know what Paul has been telling you, but I warned you something like this was going to happen. As far as I’m concerned our marriage is over.’ She ran her fingers through her hair in agitation. ‘He knows it, and I know it. I don’t know why he wanted to bring me back here. It’s not going to change anything. I’m not going back with him and I am not staying under the same roof with him here.’ She looked at them all in turn.

Antonia glanced away. She pulled her pink dressing gown more tightly around her. ‘I’ll make the coffee,’ she said. Her voice was strained and uncertain.

Paul cleared his throat. ‘Clare, darling, I have brought you back here for your own good. It is important you are with people who love you and want the best for you at this time.’

‘At what time? What do you mean?’

‘While you get better.’

‘Better?’ Clare stood up angrily. ‘Paul, there is nothing wrong with me!’

‘I’m afraid there is, darling. Please, don’t be foolish about this. It will be so much easier if you cooperate.’

‘Cooperate? By doing what? Selling Duncairn? That is what this is all about, isn’t it? You want me to sell up and get you out of trouble in the City!’

Paul raised his hands in exasperation. ‘You see?’ He turned to his father-in-law. ‘She doesn’t even recognise her problems. Archie, Antonia, you have to help me help her. Her sanity depends on it!’

‘Paul dear, are you sure you know what you are saying?’ Antonia stood up uncomfortably. She walked over to Clare and awkwardly she put her arms round her daughter’s shoulders.

‘Quite sure.’ Paul’s face was a picture of concern.

‘There is nothing wrong with me!’ Clare moved away from her mother, irritated. ‘This is crazy! What are you going to do?’ Her voice rose in panic.

‘Help you, darling. Help you to get rid of the nightmares, the spirits, all the unhappiness which is ruining your life. Make you happy again.’ Paul fixed his eyes on her face. ‘That’s all.’

‘That’s all?’ Her voice rose hysterically. ‘Everyone has nightmares, Paul, and a lot of people meditate. It doesn’t mean they need to see a psychiatrist! I don’t need help. I’m fine. I just want some peace. I don’t want to live with you any more.’ Her head was throbbing dully, and she was dizzy with lack of sleep.

‘No one is talking about psychiatrists, Clare darling, and you can live with us, here.’ Antonia had pushed her hands deep into her dressing-gown pockets. ‘We’ll take care of you while Paul sorts everything out. You musn’t worry.’

‘Geoff is going to come up to talk to you, Clare. He can help you. He knows about these things.’ Paul gave her a paternal smile.

Clare turned on him. ‘Geoff? I don’t want to see Geoff! With his platitudes, and his holier-than-thou interference. I refuse to see him! In fact I won’t be here because I am leaving straight after breakfast.’

‘You see?’ Paul said in an undertone. ‘You see what I mean?’ He glanced at Archie. ‘An almost pathological fear of the Church. Darling.’ He turned back to Clare. ‘Geoff can help you.’

‘Like hell he can!’ Clare stood up and moved purposefully towards the door. ‘I don’t think I am even staying for breakfast. I’m leaving now. May I have the key to the front door?’

‘No.’ Paul moved very fast. He reached the kitchen door before her and stood with his back to it. ‘You’re not going anywhere. You will stay here till Geoff arrives.’

‘And how are you going to stop me going?’ Clare was standing in the middle of the kitchen floor. She had gone white. She was fighting back little waves of panic. This could not be happening.

‘I’ll lock you up if necessary, Clare.’ Paul folded his arms. ‘Please be sensible. There is no need for any of this.’

‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this!’ Clare glanced wildly from her mother to her step-father and back. ‘Are you going to stand there and let him threaten me like this?’

‘Clare, darling,’ Antonia cried. ‘We love you, you must believe that –’

‘And so we have to do what is best for you.’ Archie finished for her. ‘Be a good girl and do as your husband says.’ He moved uncomfortably over to the Aga and took the boiling kettle off the heat.

‘Sit down, Clare.’ Paul stepped away from the door. He pulled out a chair for her.

Clare swallowed her fury. Meekly she sat down but her mind was working furiously. She could understand Archie believing anything of her – Paul must have found it easy to win him over, but her mother …! She glanced at Antonia’s face where the grief and uncertainty were plain.

No one but Archie ate the oatcakes and honey and the pile of toast which Antonia produced for breakfast. Clare touched nothing. Paul merely drank two cups of coffee, then he stood up.

‘For your own safety we have decided you must stay indoors, Clare. Once Geoff has arrived he will tell us what must be done to help you. Archie says he will walk Casta with the other dogs, so you needn’t worry about her. The outer doors of the house are all locked, and even if you got outside you would find all the cars locked too, so, please, let’s keep this as civilised as possible and not make a fuss.’

‘You intend to keep me here as a prisoner!’ Clare stared at him.

‘Rubbish. We’d just like you to stay indoors until you are recovered. Just as if you had had flu or something –’

‘But I haven’t had flu!’ Clare shook her head desperately. ‘Just what have you told them is wrong with me, Paul? Nightmares? That’s hardly grounds for locking me up!’ Her hands were shaking. Desperately she tried to keep her voice steady.

Paul smiled. ‘I’ve merely told them the truth, darling. No more and no less. Now, if you will excuse me, I must make some phone calls to London. If I could use your study, Archie?’

As soon as he had gone Clare leaped to her feet. ‘Mummy! Archie! You don’t believe him? For God’s sake, you can’t believe him!’

Archie scowled. ‘Sit down, Clare. You are lucky you have a husband who cares so much about you. In his place I’d have packed you off to an asylum!’

‘Archie, please.’ Antonia put her head in her hands. ‘I think I’m going to have one of my migraines. Oh, Clare, how could you!’ She began to sob suddenly, silent, piteous tears, squeezed from between eyelids still oily with night cream.

‘Look, Archie, how it’s upsetting Mummy. Couldn’t you give me the car keys then I could get out of your way? Please?’

Incongruously Clare felt a sudden uncontrollable urge to giggle, welling up inside her. This was all farcical, it couldn’t be happening! Did they really think they could keep her in the house a prisoner?

She took a deep breath. ‘Go back to bed, Mummy darling, and have a sleep. By lunchtime you’ll feel better.’

‘I think I will.’ Antonia moved towards the door. Outside the garden was beginning to brighten. ‘Archie, can you cope?’

‘Of course I can.’ Archie eyed his step-daughter doubtfully.

Clare looked at Archie as soon as her mother had left the room. ‘Archie, please –’

‘It’s for your own good, young woman.’ He put the cups and plates into the sink and left them there. His wife could do them later when she felt better. He turned to face her. ‘My God, Clare! How you could do this to your mother I don’t know! We brought you up to be a God-fearing Christian! What will people say if this ever comes out? Black masses in Suffolk for God’s sake!’ He shuddered.

‘Is that what he’s told you?’

‘It’s no more than the truth, Clare.’ Paul had appeared in the doorway. ‘I wanted to spare your parents all this heartache, but by coming to Scotland you have involved them. I can watch her now, Archie, if you want to go out with the dogs.’

Clare followed her father into the hall and stood watching as he turned towards the back of the house. With a pang she saw Casta follow, tail wagging as he whistled her after him. She turned and walked into the drawing room which was flooded with cold early morning sunlight, then she swung to face Paul who had followed her. ‘You bastard! What good do you think this is going to do?’

He smiled. ‘It’s going to make you change your mind about selling Duncairn.’

‘Never.’

‘We’ll see. You may not feel claustrophobic now, in the daylight, in a big house, but it will build slowly, and the more upset you get, the more your parents will be convinced about your instability.’ He was enjoying himself, she was sure of it.

‘You’re out of your mind, Paul!’

‘No. Desperate perhaps.’ He folded his arms. ‘If you want to be shot of me, Clare, all you have to do is give me power of attorney over your affairs. Once this business is all over I shall give you a divorce and you need never see me again.’

‘I am not going to give you power of attorney – I am not going to, Paul –’

‘Just as you wish. Then I shall take it. I think you’ll find that if an MP, a doctor and a minister of the Church all swear to your insanity it will be comparatively easy for me to get it, with or without your cooperation.’

‘They wouldn’t –’

‘Ah, but they would. You see they are all desperately concerned about you, Clare. They all know about your visions and the strange things you have been up to. You have told Geoff about them yourself, after all. No one forced you to do that, and David has spoken to someone who actually saw you conjuring ghosts out of the air.’ He smiled. ‘They all care about you, darling. They only want to do what is best for you, and it is best if you have no worries at the moment.’