Mistress of Elvan Hall (13 page)

She looks so like Francis at times, thought Anne with a pang. It wouldn’t be very easy to make plans objectively.

Anne and Graham had long ago, found their favourite picnic spot and he drove there automatically.

“Come on, young lady,” he called to Judith, handing out baskets and rugs. “We’ll eat first. I’m starving!”

Anne spread a red-checked tablecloth and put out plates of sandwiches and cakes, then began to pour out cups of tea for Judith and Graham, and coffee for herself.

Graham had made a place beside him on the rug for Judith to sit down, and she accepted a sandwich, shyly at first, then becoming more relaxed.

“Another sandwich, love?” asked Graham quietly, then lifted the plate when she didn’t answer.

“Another sandwich, Judith? Take a good drink of that tea, then let me ask you something.”

“What?” asked Judith.

“How long is it since you found it difficult to hear?”

Anne almost felt herself choke on her own sandwich, and gasped a little as Judith’s hand shook, spilling a few drops of tea. Surely ... surely that wasn’t what was wrong! Surely Judith couldn’t be deaf?

“Easy now, poppet,” said Graham soothingly, putting down Judith’s cup and taking her hands in his. “There’s no need to be frightened of being hard of hearing. It could easily be caused by something which could be put right quite simply, so don’t be scared.”

The child raised wide eyes to his face, then glanced fearfully at Anne. Graham had spoken to her slowly and carefully, and she had obviously heard every word.

“I ... I don’t know,” she whispered. “It just started and ... and then got worse and ... and sometimes I didn’t hear things at school and missed bits in lessons. And ... and sometimes I didn’t hear Mummy until she shouted at me and thought I was stupid....”

The last word was choked back as Judith began to cry quietly. A moment later she was in Anne’s arms while the tears came, and Anne’s own eyes were distressed as she looked at Graham.

“Let her cry,” he said quietly. “She’s bottled up her fear for too long.”

After a while the little girl blew her nose and Graham again took her hands.

“You know I’m a doctor, Judith, but there are lots better doctors who know all about ears.”

He pulled out his own ears so that he looked like a monkey and the child managed a watery smile, as she nodded.

“Well, we can get one of those doctors to look inside your ears. It may only be wax hardened on as you can still hear fairly well in both ears. Oh yes, I’ve tested you without your knowing it! So don’t go flying into a panic. Why didn’t you tell Anne?”

“She’d have told Francis,” said Judith promptly, “and ... and...
”

“Maybe I would,” agreed Anne, “but it would have been with a view to helping you, darling. Surely you know that.”

“He’d have worried, and ... and Mummy, too. And I didn’t know it could be made better. I ... I didn’t want you all to know in case you were frightened for me, then I’d have been frightened, too.”

“But you aren’t now?”
ask
ed Graham.

Judith hesitated.

“I am still ... a bit,” she admitted honestly.

“Look! Look there,” he said, and turned her round to see one or two tiny blue tits which had come to pick up crumbs Graham had thrown a short distance away.

“They have courage, haven’t they, Judith? I mean, for all they know, that bread is a trap so that we can catch them. But they take their tiny lives in their own tiny claws and bravely hop within a few feet of us big giants. They have courage, haven’t they?”

Judith nodded.

“All right. I’ll try to have courage, too.”

“Good girl! You’ll be better than your Uncle Graham, then. You should hear me yell at the dentist’s.”

Once again Judith was laughing, this time with more genuine merriment in her voice. She had also regained her appetite and was tucking in, again, to more tea and sandwiches as though a weight had been taken off her mind.

“You can go and play, while Anne and I repack,” Graham told her, and they watched her clamber happily over the rocks while Anne repacked the picnic basket and folded up the tablecloth.

“Oh, Graham,” she said, a small catch in her voice as they loaded the boot of the car, “I’m frightened now. Suppose ... suppose she does lose her hearing? I never suspected that was what was wrong.”

“Now don’t you panic either,” he told her flatly. “I bet you anything you like she’s got wax hardened in. She can go to her own doctor, and he’ll arrange for her to have her ears syringed. No doubt the wax will need to be softened first with oil, if my guess is correct, but even if it’s more than that, isn’t it better to find out while something, can be done?”

“Yes. Yes, of course. I’ll have to tell Francis ... and Mrs. Wyatt.”

“Are you really happy at Elvan?” asked Graham suddenly. “You don’t talk too much about your life there, and very little about Francis. I ... I’d hate to think I let you go, if it was a mistake and you didn’t love him after all.”

“I do love him, Graham, only...”

She hesitated. Not even to Graham could she admit that Francis didn’t love her.

“Only what?”

“Nothing.”

He was silent for a while.

“And you don’t want to tell me anything else?”

She looked at him enquiringly.

“I’m not a doctor for nothing, Anne.”

She coloured guiltily.

“I’m keeping it a secret yet, Graham. I ... I haven’t told Mummy and Daddy.”

“Why not? I would have thought it would be a matter for great jubilation. It could be the son and heir, after all. You haven’t even told ... anybody?”

He emphasised the last word and she shook her head, realising what he meant. He took her hand.

“Nothing worrying you, Anne? Surely you can’t be worried about having a baby? It happens all the time.”

Again she shook her head, unable to explain why she hadn’t immediately told Francis. She had been vaguely aware of other cars passing on the main road, and occasionally one would stop while someone got out to look at the view. Now she felt Graham’s fingers tighten on her own as he looked up, and a moment later Judith rushed past them, scrambling up over the rocks.

“Francis!” she cried. “Francis! How funny to see you here. We ... we all thought you were in the office.”

“Obviously,” he said icily, his arms going automatically round his small sister while his eyes went over her head to burn into Anne’s. She saw that he was furiously angry.

“F-Francis,” she said, rather weakly.
“H
ow ... how did you get here? I mean, we came on a picnic ... with Graham.”

“So I see.”

“Now don’t get the wrong ideas, Wyatt,” said Graham hurriedly. “We’re just doing something we’ve been doing for years. I mean...
”

Francis’ face was hard as granite.

“I called to take you home, Anne. You and Judith.”

“There’s something wrong?”

“Very wrong.”

“
Not ... an accident?”

“No. Everyone is perfectly all right as far as health is concerned.”

“Except one,” interrupted Graham, his eyes going to Judith. “I’m a doctor, Wyatt, and I’d like a word with you.”

“I’ve no wish to discuss my wife, with you, Lord,” Francis said, glaring.

“But you don’t understand,” cried Anne. “We’ve got something to tell you.”

“I’m sure you have,” he said heavily, while Judith looked from one to the other with large eyes.

“We can’t talk here,” Graham said crisply. “I shall have to see you later, Wyatt. I’m due back for surgery anyway.”

“I’ll drive you home, Anne, you and Judith. We’ll pick up your things.”

“I don’t want to come with you, Francis,” she said coldly. “You knew I was coming for two weeks. We’ve only been here for one.”

“I didn’t know then what I know now,” he told her, “though I’d rather not discuss personal matters regarding our family till we’re back in our own home.”

Suddenly she understood, seeing a vision of Helen’s mischievous face as she offered her a bet that she would be engaged by the time Anne got home. She had probably tackled her mother after Anne left, and Francis had just newly been called in. He disliked Roger Baxter, and Anne knew him well enough now to realise his anger was mainly caused by fear. He wouldn’t want his sister messing up her life. Especially when he might have messed up his own, thought Anne miserably.

She knew now why Francis insisted on wailing till they were home before bringing it all out into the open. He couldn’t discuss Helen in front of either Graham or Judith.

“We’ll go back with Francis,” she told Graham, “then you can drive straight on to surgery. Thank you for your help, Graham.”

“Best transfer all your picnic stuff, then,” Graham suggested, and there was almost a truce as they transferred hampers and rugs, and installed Judith and Anne in the other car.

“I’ll sit in the back this time,” said Judith. “Francis is awfully angry. He gets angry sometimes, but he soon forgets that he is angry.”

She grinned and Anne saw that she wasn’t afraid of her brother’s anger. She saw Graham hurriedly speaking to Francis, his hands waving as though he were explaining something. Francis turned white again, as he looked towards them, and Anne suspected that Graham was telling him about Judith.

A moment later he walked over to his car and climbed in.
“Don’t worry, Francis, she’ll be all right,” Anne said gently.

He turned to stare at her, a look of pain in his eyes.

“Is Lord still so important to you,” he asked, “that you should discuss matters with him before me? Does he matter so much to you still, Anne?”

“Of course not ... at least, not in the way you mean. We’ve been friends since childhood, though, Francis. It’s only natural I should consult him.”

He looked at her for a long time, then drew a hand over his eyes.

“I
... I’ve made a mistake somewhere, Anne. I’ve put the wrong things first. But I can’t think ... not till we get home to Elvan. I’m sorry I’ve lost your trust.”

“But you haven’t, Francis!”

Even as she said it, Anne felt her face colour. She
had
doubted her trust in him, especially over Caroline Cook. Somehow he had sensed it. She heard him sigh as she watched the shadows on his face.

“Come on, let’s apologise to your parents. I think we need to take Judith home now in any case. At least Lord offers me some hope for her. He thinks her hearing is only slightly impaired by hardened wax, and there’s no disease. God grant that he’s right. I’m grateful to him, and ... and I’ve apologised.”

He had spoken in a low voice so that Anne could hear, but Judith, sitting back behind them, obviously hadn’t managed to catch, because she leaned forward.

“What, Francis?”

“We’ll sort you out, darling, don’t worry.”

“I know, Francis. I was so afraid you’d be worried, though. You always have so many things to do.”

Anne saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel.

“Too many,” he agreed. “Too many for my own good.”

Anne said nothing. Soon they would be home and she would have to explain their sudden departure without bringing in Helen’s name.

Anne managed to meet her mother’s questioning eyes with a reassuring smile.

“I’m sorry, Mummy darling,” she said brightly. “I’ll have to go home with Francis, and take Judith with me.”

Mrs. Drummond looked disappointed.

“I thought you were concerned for the child’s health,” she said bluntly.

“We’ve got a pointer now,” Anne told her quickly, having sent Judith upstairs to pack her few odds and ends. “Graham has found out she’s having difficulty with hearing. The quicker we see about it the better.”

“Oh, poor lamb!” cried Mrs. Drummond, her suspicions vanishing. “Oh, by all means you must take her home if it means consulting the proper medical authority. Is ... is it serious, Anne?”

Anne’s cheeks were flushed. She hated telling half the truth.

“Graham thinks there’s a good chance it can be put right fairly easily,” she said, and glanced at Francis who had been standing rather aloofly. “I’ll just go up and see to Judith’s clothes, and mine.”

As she ran upstairs, Francis stepped forward rather awkwardly.

“Thank you for having Judith ... and Anne.”

“She looks tired, my dear,” his mother-in-law told him bluntly, and he nodded, a trifle withdrawn.

“I hope that’s only temporary, Mrs. Drummond. I shall see Mrs. Hansett and arrange for more help for Anne.”

Nell Drummond said nothing, but turned with some relief to her husband who had come in from the garden.

“I’m afraid Anne has to take Judith home, dear. Graham says she must have her hearing tested.”

“Of course ... that’s what it is,” said Mr. Drummond. “She listened best when I boomed at her. Well, and how are you, Francis, my boy?”