The Benevent Treasure (11 page)

It was after dinner the same evening that Miss Olivia began to talk about the Benevent Treasure. Derek was at the piano playing scraps and snatches of whatever came into his head. Miss Cara had said good night and drifted aimlessly down the long room to the door. Her feet made no sound on the carpet, the door no sound as it opened and closed again. She left a vaguely unhappy feeling behind her. The thought that came to Candida was that it was the first time she had seen her take the lead in even such a small thing as going to bed. On every evening until now it had been Miss Olivia who gathered up the embroidery or the knitting upon which she was employed and remarked upon the time. But tonight, and before it was quite ten o’clock, Miss Cara had got up, murmured an uncertain good night, and gone away.

After a short silence Miss Olivia said,

‘Cara is not as strong as I am. She has always required a good deal of care. Certain subjects agitate her and are best avoided. I should really have cautioned you on this matter before, but I thought I would wait until we knew you better. One cannot immediately confide in someone who has been brought up as a stranger to the family.’

This was rather daunting. Candida wondered what was coming next. Miss Olivia continued.

‘You will remember that I mentioned the Benevent Treasure on your first evening here. It would not have been possible to give you even the slightest sketch of the family history without touching on it, however lightly.’

Derek was playing the refrain of ‘Love’s Old Sweet Song’. There was a pile of these sugary old-fashioned ballads on the music-stand. He made fun of them to Candida, and played them as to the manner born. Miss Cara loved them, and Candida suspected that Derek had a soft corner for them himself. He might jest about them, but there was a lingering fondness in his touch. It came to her that the Aunts had had to make do with what they could get in the way of sentiment, and that it didn’t amount to very much.

Miss Olivia said in her clear, precise voice,

‘I should have spoken to you before, but no opportunity presented itself. My sister and I are so seldom apart, and the matter did not appear to be pressing. But when Joseph mentioned that he had found you and Derek at work on the family papers I thought it might be as well to touch on the subject. I do not know whether Derek has said anything or not, but we find it better not to discuss the Benevent Treasure in front of Cara. There are some superstitious tales about it, and it is apt to make her nervous.’

Miss Olivia was sitting stiffly upright in a Sheraton chair whose brocaded seat was quite hidden by the spread of her black taffeta skirt. She wore a handsome spray of diamond flowers to fasten the fine lace ruffle at her neck. Half a dozen pearl and diamond rings were crowded on to the thin bent fingers which held a tambour frame and an embroidery-needle. The embroidery on the frame was jewel-bright. Candida suspected it of being too fine for comfort. Sometimes half an hour would go by without a stitch being taken. One was taken now as Candida said,

‘What tales, Aunt Olivia?’

A second stitch was set beside the first.

‘There are stories of the kind in most old families. It was said that the Treasure brought bad luck with it, but that of course was foolish. Ugo did not have bad luck at all. On the contrary. He used part of the Treasure to establish himself in this country. There were some exceedingly valuable jewels. Some of them were sold to build on to this house and to buy the land that went with it. We have no means of knowing how much was disposed of, but it was necessary for your ancestor to make a good appearance and to keep up his rank. He married an heiress, as I think I told you. Her name was Anne Coghill, and she brought him a considerable fortune. There was therefore no need to have further recourse to the Treasure. When from time to time, however, it became necessary to draw upon it, there grew up this idea that some misfortune would follow. James Benevent was known to have withdrawn some of the jewels in 1740. Shortly, afterwards he was killed by a fall from his horse, which took fright and threw him at his own front door. He lived long enough to charge his son to have nothing to do with the Treasure, but about fifty years later his grandson, Guy Benevent, having lost heavily at cards, was tempted to sell part of the Treasure to recoup himself. He was set upon by a footpad and received an injury to his head from which he died. He was found quite close to the house and carried in, but he never recovered consciousness.’

‘How did they know that it was a footpad?’

‘There may have been a servant with him — I cannot say. I can only tell you the tale as it was told to me.’

‘If it was a footpad, I don’t see how it could have anything to do with the Treasure.’

‘You do not believe in things being lucky or unlucky? You modern young people attach no importance to things of that sort?’

‘I don’t know — I shouldn’t like to have anything that had been stolen.’

Miss Olivia began to fold up her work.

‘I do not care to hear reflections upon our ancestor,’ she said coldly. ‘I believe I informed you that he left Italy for political reasons. I imagine that he had every right to take with him his share of the patrimony which would have been his had he remained. I think I will now say good night.’

Derek left the piano to open the door for her. When she had gone out he shut it again and came back to the fire with a mischievous expression on his face.

‘Feeling snubbed, darling?’

‘You were listening?’

‘Oh, passionately! She prides herself on her articulation, and you may have noticed that I was playing in a whisper. I’m just wondering why you were treated to those old wives’ tales.’

‘So am I.’

He laughed.

‘Well, I got the impression that she was a bit disappointed, but I don’t know why. She may have wanted to scare you off the horrid unlucky stuff, or she may have wanted to get you all worked up and interested in it.’

‘Why should she want to scare me off?’

‘She might want to protect you, or she might want to stop you laying sacrilegious hands on the Treasure.’

‘Then why should she want to get me interested?’

‘More bits and pieces from Anna! She is quite firm about the Treasure being unlucky, but she says of course if someone who wasn’t a Benevent handled it, the curse mightn’t act, or it wouldn’t matter so much if it did! Old Mr. Benevent went a bit childish before he died. He must have been about a hundred. Anna said he talked quite a lot about the Treasure. He told her the thing to do was to get someone who didn’t matter to do the job for you. He said he wouldn’t handle it himself and no Benevent ought to, but it could be done by a stranger.’

Candida had a horrid cold feeling.

‘What did he mean?’

‘I don’t know. She got rather carried away talking, and when I began to ask questions she was scared and dried up. I had to promise I wouldn’t let anyone know that she had talked.’

‘Derek — you’ve just told me!’

He waved that away.

‘Darling, what she meant was the Aunts! She wouldn’t give a damn whether you knew or not as long as you didn’t tell them. Anyhow it’s all rubbish, only — Look here, Candida, you keep out of it! Don’t get interested in it, don’t get scared about it! If she offers to show it to you, say you’d rather not!’

‘Why?’

‘I can’t tell you, because I don’t know. I’ve just got a very strong feeling that it’s better left alone. Part of the feeling is that perhaps Alan Thompson didn’t leave it alone, and that it would have been better for him if he had. Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t go within a mile of the stuff for a million — and I can’t put it stronger than that!’

Candida said,

‘Where is it?’

She got one of his most charming smiles.

‘Darling, I don’t know, and I don’t want to.’

When Candida reached her room she was surprised to find Nellie there. It was no more than half past ten, but that was late for her to be turning down the bed and putting in a hot water-bottle, and when she looked round it was plain to see that she had been crying. Candida shut the door and came towards her.

‘Why, Nellie, is anything the matter?’

Tears started again from between the reddened lips. The girl said angrily,

‘No, there isn’t, nor yet there isn’t going to be! I’m clearing out!’

‘Clearing out?’

Nellie stamped her foot.

‘Yes, I am, and nobody’s going to persuade me different! The money is good, and I won’t say it isn’t, but what’s the good of that if you’ve been scared out of your life or had something happen to you that you’re never going to forget?’

Candida said in a half-hearted voice,

‘Nellie, what do you mean?’

‘I mean I’m catching the 9.25 back to London in the morning, and I don’t care what Aunt Anna says, or whether she ever speaks to me again or not!’

Candida came a step nearer.

‘Has anything happened?’

‘I’m not talking about it!’

‘But, Nellie — ’

‘What you don’t say nobody can’t bring up against you, and that’s flat! I’m not talking and I’m not staying! But I’ll go as far as this — what’s sauce for one of us is just as well sauce for the other!’

Candida said slowly, ‘What — do — you — mean?’

Nellie tapped with her foot.

‘Can’t you take a hint?’ Her voice had remained angry. ‘Here, let me by!’

Candida went back against the door and stood there.

‘Not just yet,’ she said. ‘There isn’t any hurry, and I think you have said too much not to say a little more.’

The girl was shaking.

‘Let me by!’

‘In a minute. Look here, Nellie, don’t be silly. Come and sit down and tell me what has upset you. You say you are getting out, and you’ve as good as told me that I’d better get out too. You can’t say things like that and leave them floating in the air.’

Nellie tossed her head.

‘Well then, I can, and what’s more I’m going to! Least said, soonest mended!’

Candida was silent for a minute. Then she said,

‘Someone has upset you. Who was it? Was it Derek?’

Nellie laughed.

‘Go on! You don’t suppose I couldn’t look after myself with his kind! Anyhow he’s all right is Mr. Derek. I mean he might want to lark about a bit, but — he’s all right. ’Smatter of fact he’s got a girl in Retley — been going with her steady for quite a long time. Only don’t you give him away — there wouldn’t half be a row if it came out. He’s told me all about her. Showed me her photo, too. Not pretty, you know, but ever so nice. And you could tell he was fond of her, the way he looked. A girl can always tell.’

The atmosphere had changed. They were two girls talking about a love affair. Candida laughed and said,

‘Oh, I won’t give him away.’ And then, ‘So it wasn’t Derek who upset you. Was it Anna?’

Nellie said in a scornful voice,

‘She fusses, and I won’t say I haven’t cheeked her, but that’s all in the family. Up in the air one minute and all right again the next — that’s Aunt Anna. Always been like that, she has. I wouldn’t take any notice of Aunt Anna.’

‘Is it Joseph then — your uncle?’

Nellie blazed.

‘He’s no uncle of mine, thank God! What Aunt Anna wanted to marry him for, I can’t think! Twenty years younger than her, and all he thinks about is money! Disgusting I call it! And how Aunt Anna could!’

Candida had a fleeting thought that thumbed its nose and suggested with a giggle that Anna’s savings must be considerable and her family would naturally prefer them to come their way. It was the kind of guttersnipe thought which you repress and dismiss. But Nellie appeared to have caught a glimpse of it, for she said on a defiant note,

‘And you needn’t think we’d have minded if it had been what you could call suitable, and not someone that was young enough to be her son and just to please the Miss Benevents. We all know she’s fond of them — do anything for Miss Cara she would. But you’re not called on to marry a chap that’s after your money just because it suits the people you work for!’

Candida laughed.

‘I suppose not, but I expect it’s been done before now. Well, you don’t like Joseph. Is that why you are going?’

‘It’s reason enough!’

‘But is it the reason?’

Nellie looked her straight in the face and said, ‘No!’

‘Then — ’

Nellie flushed.

‘Why can’t you leave it alone? I don’t like it here, and I’m clearing out! And if you’ve got any sense you’ll clear out too! Let me go!’

Candida shook her head.

All at once Nellie Brown’s resistance broke. She had a temper and it got away with her. She had always hated the place, and now it scared her. It was going to do her quite a lot of good to get some of these feelings off her chest. Her eyes sparkled as she said,

‘All right then, here it is — and don’t blame me if you don’t like it!’ She laughed angrily. ‘How would you like to wake up in the night and hear someone in your room?’

‘Nellie!’

‘Oh, it wasn’t Joseph or Mr. Derek — I’d have known what to do about that! It was something that went crying in the dark, and by the time I’d got a light on it was gone. So I started locking my door, but last night it came again. There was a cold hand that touched my face — it wasn’t half horrible. I wasn’t properly awake for a minute, and by the time I was, there was the crying thing half across the room. My curtains were back, but all I could see was something white, and it walked right into the wall and wasn’t there any more. Well, I put on the light, and the door was locked all right the way I’d left it. It was past two o’clock, and I kept my light on till the morning, and every minute of the time I was making up my mind I wouldn’t stay another day. Only when I was up and dressed and the sun was shining it seemed stupid to go away without my money. There’ll be a month owing me tomorrow, and I thought I’d get it first.’ She stopped abruptly and said with a complete change of voice and manner, ‘Well, I must go.’

Candida said,

‘Don’t you — mind?’

Nellie laughed with an effect of bravado. ‘Mind? What about?’ Then, as Candida only looked at her, she went into a rush of words, ‘If you’re thinking about my sleeping in that room again, I’m not doing it, and that’s flat! I told Aunt Anna I wouldn’t, and I won’t! I’m going in with her, and she’ll be wondering what’s keeping me!’

‘But — Joseph — ’

Nellie tossed her head.

‘She’s got her own room and always has had! And there’s a bolt on the door, what’s more! I’ll be all right in with Aunt Anna!’