Quest for Alexis (7 page)

Across the table, Freda Aiken smirked at me, as if
we were sharing some private joke. It made me feel
tainted. Obviously, from her expression, she knew all
about where I was going—and why. I wondered
whether Rudi had told her, or if she’d picked it up as
gossip from Jenny next door.

“I’ll try not to be away for long, Madeleine,” I said.
“I’ll be back just as soon as I can.”

“And then you’ll stay for a proper holiday, won’t
you? I expect Alexis will be home when you get back,
and we’ll have a lovely time together.”

* * * *

That night I slept fitfully. After four months in New
York I had forgotten the deep nocturnal silence of the
countryside. Not an empty silence, but filled with tiny
rustlings and stealthy movements. Every twig that brushed another could be heard, every drip of water,
the faint far-off murmur of a passing car. I found myself breathing shallowly, trying to listen. But for what?
I was glad when morning came at last.

I went down early to get myself some breakfast.
While I was filling the kettle for coffee, the back door
opened and Mrs. Cramp came walking in. She was a
thin, shrewish woman in her forties, the latest of a
string of domestic helps. Since Deer’s Leap was rather
isolated, it was difficult to get anyone to come the three
and a half miles from the nearest village. Mrs. Cramp
used a motor scooter, riding it in a curiously awkward, upright fashion.

“Oh, you’re back then!” she said, taking off her coat
to reveal a flowered apron tied tightly around her mid
dle. “It’s a funny business about your uncle, isn’t it?
He didn’t seem the type to me, but you can never tell
with men, can you? I wouldn’t trust any man as far as
I could throw him.” She hung her coat on a hook be
hind the door and patted her mousy hair. “What’s
going to happen to Mrs. Karel, then?”

She would have settled down to a nice juicy chat,
but I had no intention of discussing the situation with
her.

“I’ll be out of your way in a minute,” I said, dropping a slice of bread into the toaster. “I’ve got a plane
to catch, so I’m in rather a hurry.”

Affronted, she went to the broom closet and started
making a clatter. I shrugged and sat down to eat my
breakfast hurriedly at the alcove table, scanning
through the copy of the
Times
that I’d picked up in the
hall. The news about Alexis was played down. But I
wondered uneasily what the popular papers would be
making of it.

There was something I had to do before saying
goodbye to Madeleine—something I found embarrass
ingly difficult in the circumstances.

Caterina was an early riser, and, as expected, I
found her in their small breakfast room, alone. She was
wearing a purple silk housecoat trimmed with gold
and looked very splendid. Caterina, watching her fig
ure, always kept to the light Continental breakfast, just
rolls and butter and fruit conserve, and there was a
delicious aroma of freshly made coffee. She greeted
me with a warm smile.

“Gail, my dear! Will you join me? Ralph won’t be down for at least another half hour.”

She spoke artlessly, too kind to be making a deliber
ate point. But it was just further confirmation that Sir
Ralph’s feelings about Alexis were reflected in his attitude to me. Caterina knew he wouldn’t welcome my company at the moment.

“Thank you,” I said, “but I’ve just had my breakfast.
In any case I mustn’t stop. I’ll have to be off soon to
catch the plane.”

She stopped pouring coffee to glance at me, puzzled.
“The plane?”

“Yes—to Palma.”

“But, Gail, we understood from Brett that you had
given up the idea of going. Rudi told him. Ralph and I
were so relieved.”

“Yes, well
...”
I said uneasily. “I’ve decided I will
go after all. That’s why I’ve come to see you, actually. Caterina, I hate having to impose on you when you’ve
been so wonderfully good already. I know how this
whole business has upset you and Sir Ralph. But, you
see, I shall worry dreadfully about Madeleine while
I’m away.”

Putting down her coffee cup, Caterina stood up and
took my two hands in hers.

“My dear—
of course!
We cannot allow poor Made
leine to suffer any more than she must. I shall watch
over her with the greatest care, Gail. You need have
no fear of that.”

“Oh thank you, Caterina. That makes me a lot hap
pier in my mind. You don’t know what a consolation it is to me, to feel that you are right next door. I am not
much impressed by that new nurse.”

“How are you getting to London Airport?” she
asked.

“By train. I’m going back now to ring for a taxi to
take me to the station.”

“No, no, no.” She shook her head emphatically. “I’ll
drive you.”

“But I can’t allow you to do that.”

She looked at me reproachfully. “We are friends, Gail, you and I, are we not? Please don’t let this terrible trouble change our relationship. It’s true that I think you are unwise to go chasing after your uncle,
but if you have made up your mind, then please let
me do you this small service.”

I capitulated in the face of her gentle persuasion.
“Thank you again. It would be a help not having to
bother with trains and worrying about connections.”

Last night I had not unpacked properly but merely
transferred a few things I thought I might need into an
overnight case. I collected this from my bedroom and
went along to say goodbye to Madeleine. She was still
in bed. Freda Aiken had brought a tray of tea and
toast, and was busy plumping up Madeleine’s pillows.
She was brisk, efficient and strong. No doubt an excel
lent nurse but without the saving grace of human
warmth.

“That will do, that will do,” Madeleine told her petu
lantly. “Leave us now, please. I wish to talk to my
niece alone.”

Freda Aiken withdrew, looking decidedly indignant,
and Madeleine said grudgingly, “She tries, I suppose,
but she is not like Belle.” She sighed, and I thought I
saw tears glint in her pale golden eyes. “And now you
are off, Gail.”

“In a few minutes. I just looked in to say goodbye.
Caterina is driving me to
...
to London.”

“Is she? How nice for you both.”

Madeleine was in one of her difficult moods this
morning, and it made me feel doubly guilty about
leaving her. But I
knew
I was doing the right thing. I need only be gone for a couple of days, and with any
luck Alexis would come back with me. With any
luck Madeleine need never discover what had hap
pened. Surely if Alexis and I could talk for a few
minutes, I could make him understand the full impli
cations of what he was doing. Make him realize the
harm not only to Madeleine but to everything he had
believed in and worked for all these years. I
must
be
able to make him see.

I bent and kissed my aunt on the cheek, but she re
mained unresponsive. I lingered a few moments longer,
trying to win her around, but in the end I had to leave
her without seeing any sign of a break in this bitter,
petulant mood.

Rudi was standing at the foot of the stairs.

“Gail, I wish you weren’t going off like this. It’s still not too late to change your mind.”

“Oh, Rudi, we had all that out yesterday.”

He nodded helplessly. “It’s just that I hate to think
of you being hurt. At least promise one thing—that
you’ll keep in touch. Will you phone me tonight and
let me know what’s happening?”

I felt moved by his concern for me. Tears pricked
my eyelids and I had to blink them away. For a long
time I had known that Rudi was in love with me. I was
terribly fond of him, and if it hadn’t been for Brett,
then perhaps ...

“Yes, of course I’ll phone you, Rudi. I must go now.
Here’s Caterina.”

Through the long hall window I could see the car
coming across from the stable-block, a bright-red Fiat.
Caterina had become quite anglicized since marrying
Sir Ralph, but she still had her Continental breakfast
each morning and chose an Italian car for herself. And
her warm, impulsive, Latin nature—nothing would
ever alter that.

As we drove off, Rudi stood waving from the door
way. Glancing up at the house, I saw a quick move
ment, someone backing swiftly out of sight. Freda
Aiken or Mrs. Cramp, indulging their morbid curiosity.

I sighed unhappily. It wasn’t any longer the Deer’s
Leap I had known and loved these past years.

Caterina’s volatile nature never allowed her to remain
silent for long. She chatted as she drove, commenting
on the traffic, the places we passed through, reminisc
ing whenever something triggered off a memory. But
presently she became serious.

“Gail, there is something I want to say, something it is important for you to understand. In spite of all this
unpleasantness, Ralph still has the greatest feeling of
sympathy for Madeleine. There will always be a home for her at Deer’s Leap. And for you, of course.”

Already, I noted sadly, Alexis was written off com
pletely. But I was going to reinstate him in the minds of
Sir Ralph and Caterina—and of everyone else, too.
How, I didn’t yet know. I had only my own determina
tion to guide me.

I mumbled my thanks to Caterina, which she
brushed aside. Then she shot me a shrewd, appraising
glance.

“Brett is very concerned, Gail.”

“Yes, I know.” I was unable to conceal the bitter
ness I felt. “That film of his is just so much useless junk
now, he says. And of course he’s angry because his
father has been so upset.”

“Oh, but I didn’t quite mean that, Gail. Brett is concerned about
you.”

“Concerned about
me?”
I tried to pass if off with a
light laugh. “That’ll be the day.”

“It was, once,” she said, and her voice sounded sad.
“Neither of you told us very much, but we knew you
were seeing a good deal of each other in London. For
a time Ralph and I thought-----”

“Then you got it wrong,” I said brusquely. “Look,
Caterina, wouldn’t it be better to go through Staines?
There should be less traffic on that road.”

A change of route, a change of conversation. After
that, Caterina began asking how I liked America. In
her singing days before she met and married Sir Ralph, she had traveled all over the world. She had sung Verdi
and Puccini in Chicago and at the Met in New York,
and had given concerts in many other American cities.

We reached the airport in good time. Emerging from
the approach tunnel, we parked the car and went to
collect the ticket I’d booked by phone. The desk was
very busy, and we had to stand around waiting.

Caterina asked if I was sure I had everything I
needed. Did I have sufficient money? She could easily
lend me some.

“Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I brought back my bank
balance from the States in traveler’s checks. It’ll be
enough to cover this trip.”

I was still talking when I felt it, a sharp strong tug at
my handbag. My fingers tightened, too late. The bag
was gone.

I gasped and spun round, my eyes searching wildly
in all directions. But there were so many people milling
about that I couldn’t pick out the thief.

“Gail, whatever is the matter?” asked Caterina, be
side me.

“My bag. Someone snatched my handbag. Did you see who it was?” With a sickening rush, the full extent
of my loss hit me. “Oh, Caterina, what am I going to
do? It’s got my passport and money and everything.”

The girl at the desk was quick off the mark. The
phone was already in her hand. “I’m calling the airport
police. Can you give me a description of the man?”