The Mask of the Enchantress (37 page)

I felt ill next morning. I thought it was the cider. S. came in to see me and was dismayed. t couldn have been the cider,she said. e suffered no ill effects.I reminded her that she had only sipped from my glass. rong!she said sharply. had a glass myself.

It was a month before Esmond wrote in the diary again.

Better today. Less feeble. S. getting ready to go away. She says she must see her father. I think she is upset about Saul Cringle, who was found hanging in the barn soon after I was taken ill. There has been a lot of talk and some hinted that S. had made his life a misery and threatened to persuade me to take the farm away from them. It is not true. She had never done that. But she had often gone to Cringlesfarm. People had seen her riding over there. It was all very unpleasant. I can understand why she wants to get away and she has always been intrigued by her father disappearance.

The entries after that were sparse.

A letter from S. today. Through someone at the solicitors she has discovered her father whereabouts. It is some remote island, she writes, where he is a sort of great white chief. She is longing to see it. Garth was here today. Malcolm yesterday. It was pleasant to have them around.

Feeling a little sick today. It reminded me of the illness I had a few months ago. The same dizziness and cramp. Was to have ridden round with Jeff. Malcolm went instead.

A little better today, but not so well in the evening. I think I shall have to call the doctor.

I wish all the time that S. were here. I wonder when she will come home. Malcolm says that he will come to the castle to live if I would like some help. I can see he thinks I a bit of a weakling. I thanked him for his offer. He staying for a while. When S. comes back wel marry. She won want Malcolm here. Il have to be careful what I arrange.

The next entry was a week later.

Too ill to write before. Too tired to write much now. Think all the time of S. Malcolm and Garth are both very good. I wish I could shake off this listlessness.

That was the last entry. I saw by the date that he died soon after he had made it

I shut the book and lay back thoughtfully. It explained little, and I was no nearer to solving the Cringle mystery; but I had a more complete picture of Esmond and Susannah.

I remembered what Cougabel had said of her. She was a witch. She was a spell woman. Perhaps Cougabel was right.

I could not sleep. I was thinking what a dangerous role I had taken on.

Where will it end? I asked myself.

Letters from the Past

The next morning Jeff Carleton came to the castle. He had his own house about half a mile from the castle walls. It had been the residence of the estate manager for generations and it was very pleasant, for Jeff knew how to make himself comfortable. He was a bachelor with a very efficient couple to look after him. Janet said he lived better than we did at the castle, for he didn have to put up with so many drafts.

Jeff was a man well satisfied with life. He was deeply involved in the castle but not to the point of idolatry. If he had gone to another such estate, in a very short time he would have been as absorbed by it as he was by Mateland. The fact was that Jeff was a very normal man who liked to arrange life to his taste and live it accordingly. We were lucky to have such a good manager.

He had come over to say that he was arranging for the thatcher to call on Granny Bell the following morning. I said I would ride over to tell her.

hatl please her,he said. hell appreciate your telling her. They like to know someone interested in them.

It was on occasions like this that I felt almost happy. I wanted to do the best I could for these people, to make life easier for them. I wanted to be able to say to myself: I may be masquerading as someone else but at least I am doing more good than she would.

It didn excuse me, I knew, but it was something in my favor.

So I rode out in high spirits and almost felt like bursting into song as I looked at the hedgerows and green fields and felt the soft breeze on my cheeks.

I came to Granny Bell cottage, tethered my horse and knocked at the door. There was no answer so I walked in, for the door was on the latch.

I stepped into the living room. Everything was quiet. The table was covered with a woolen cloth; the clock ticked solemnly on the shelf over the fireplace with the old cloam oven at its side.

rs. Bell,I called, re you at home?

This room led into the bedroom. I knew the layout of these cottages now and that Granny Bell used the back room on the ground floor as her bedroom as she could not easily manage the stairs.

I knocked on the dividing door. I heard a low sound and, pushing open the door, went in. Granny Bell was lying on the bed; she looked white and strained and was clutching at her chest.

rs. Bell,I cried, hat wrong?

She turned her eyes on me and I could see that she was in pain.

getting the doctor at once,I said, and was gone.

I rode as fast as I could to Dr. Cleghorn. I knew where it was, for I had passed his residence many times. Anabel and my father had both talked of that house; it was the one where he used to practice all those years ago. By good fortune I found Dr. Cleghorn in and we rode back to the cottage.

Granny Bell was out of pain now. He made her lie very still and said she was not to move. He was going to get the district nurse to come and see her.

s there anything I can do?I asked.

othing really. Just make sure she doesn try to get up. She must not move. The nurse will come to her and, if everyone keeps an eye on her, that the best thing to be done.

When we were outside he said: ot much chance of a recovery, I afraid. She had a heart condition for a long time. And she an old woman. I give her a few months at most and shel not get up from that bed.

oor old lady,I replied. e must make sure she does not lack anything.

The doctor looked at me strangely. t good of you, Miss Mateland,he said. t will help her if people call. She needs attention. We want a hospital badly. The nearest one I know is twenty miles off. There was talk of having one here once.

Yes, I thought, I know. But that hospital was built on an island miles away and destroyed by the Grumbling Giant.

I went back into the cottage and waited for the district nurse. When she came I left and went back to the castle for luncheon. Malcolm was there and I forgot to be nervous. We talked of Granny Bell.

leghorn told me you called him,said Malcolm. e said she would be dead if you hadn.

I felt immensely gratified.

shall go along to see her this afternoon,I said. heyl have to leave the roof now until she a bit better. We can have them doing it while she ill.

l pass the news to Jeff and he can hold up the work,said Malcolm.

h, please do,I replied.

That afternoon I set out for the Bell cottage and I had not gone far when Malcolm came riding up to me.

just going to see Granny Bell,I explained.

shall come with you.

s you wish,I replied, trying not to appear too enthusiastic.

oue certainly taken what I said to heart,he commented.

hat did you tell me?

hat people need the personal touch. They need to know you think of them as human beings.

was well aware of that before,I retorted.

ou gave no sign of it before you went away.

e grow up, don we? Even you were a little careless when you were young.

He looked at me searchingly. often wonder what happened while you were away,he said.

saw something of the world. Travel broadens the mind, they say.

nd changes the character, it seems.

ou do bear grudges, don you?

ot in the least. I ready to forgive the new Susannah all the sins of the old.

I thought then: He suspects. He must.

He was looking at me closely and I knew I flushed under his scrutiny.

I said quickly: omething will have to be arranged about Granny Bell.

ever fear,he said, smiling. el put our heads together.

We arrived at the Bell cottage where Granny Bell was too ill to notice us, yet she seemed comforted by our presence.

The district nurse looked in. She said she thought someone ought to be in the cottage all day. erhaps the Cringles could spare Leah,she added.

h yes, that a good idea,I cried with enthusiasm. I noticed Malcolm was watching me intently. on you agree?I asked to hide my embarrassment

xcellent idea,he said.

f the Cringles make any difficulties tell them Leah will be paid for her services,I went on. he can come to the castle for her money.

hat a great relief,said the nurse. can look in twice a day, but in her condition she needs someone here at least throughout the day. Thank you, Miss Mateland. Il go straight to Leah.

l stay here till you return with her,I said.

el stay,corrected Malcolm.

When the nurse had gone I said: here no need for you to stay.

want to,he replied. interested.

I burst out: wish you wouldn keep looking at me as though I some freak.

ot a freak,he said. t just the miraculous change that I can get over. I like it, of course. I like it very much, but it just puzzles me.

I shrugged my shoulders with assumed impatience. have responsibilities now,I said.

Leah came shyly into the cottage. I liked her. She was different from the rest of her family. I had previously sensed she was in what was called roubleand now I was sure of it.

I said: ome in, Leah. You know what we want you to do.

She looked from me to Malcolm and I could see she was more in awe of him than she was of me, which pleased me.

urse told me,she said.

o you know we want you to stay here and give Mrs. Bell the medicine Dr. Cleghorn has prescribed. If she takes a turn for the worse you can get help quickly. Have you some needlework you can do?

She nodded and I laid a hand on her shoulder. I was longing to ask her to confide in me. I gathered that few people would have confided in Susannah but there were times when I forgot who I was supposed to be, which was foolish, for with every day Malcolm was growing more and more suspicious. I was aware of the manner in which he kept looking at me. Very soon he would be asking me questions which I should be unable to answer. He gave the impression sometimes that he knew I was deceiving everyone and he was biding his time, waiting for me to betray myself utterly.

ell,he said as we came out of the cottage, ou handled that rather well. It was as though you have been managing estates all your life.

glad you think so.

He took my arm as we went towards the horses. I stiffened and would have withdrawn myself but I thought I could not do so without making the incident seem too important.

he ground is rough here,he said, explaining the affectionate gesture. t easy to slip.

I did not speak and when we reached the horses he gave my arm a little squeeze and as he helped me mount he was smiling warmly but the puzzlement in his eyes was as strong as ever.

Malcolm dined with us that night. So did Jeff Carleton.

The conversation dwelt on castle matters, which bored Emerald. She tried to engage one of us in conversation about her interesting illnesses and Dr. Cleghom treatment of them, but when each of us was buttonholed by her it was easy to see we listened with only one ear.

r. Cleghorn says Mrs. Bell can possibly survive,said Jeff. he would be dead already but for your timely arrival at the cottage, Miss Susannah. You brought him just in time. However, he says she has been a creaking door for a long time and she can last more than a few months with all the care in the world. Her cottage will be vacant. There will be the question of who is to have it.

ho do you think is the most deserving case, Jeff?asked Malcolm.

ell, there are the Baddocks. They want to get away from her father place. There not enough room there for them. The cottage would come in handy for them and Tom Baddock is a good worker.

ave you said anything about it to him?asked Malcolm.

o, but I know he wants it. No one can say anything until Granny Bell has gone.

ertainly not,I said. t would seem as though we were trying to shuffle the old lady out of the way.

he cottages are really meant for the workers,Jeff reminded me.

ell, Mrs. Bell husband worked for us. It seems hard that they have to lose their homes as well as their husbands.

t a matter of business,Jeff pointed out. he cottage is part of the wages. Mr. Esmond let Mrs. Bell stay and so she stayed.

t was quite right,I said somewhat hotly.

f course.Malcolm supported me.

hat all right,said Jeff, ut it couldn do the estate much good to have all the cottages occupied by women who had lost their husbands.

ell, according to the doctor, poor Mrs. Bell won be here much longer,said Malcolm, nd the question is are the Baddocks going to have the cottage?

et leave the matter until the cottage is really vacant,I said firmly. don like this talking about Granny as though she is dead already.

I was flushed, I knew, and a little vehement. I kept thinking of being poor and old and rather a nuisance to everybody.

nd,I went on, on say a word to the Baddocks. Theyl talk and I don like it. Wel shelve the matter of the cottage until it is really ready to be handed over to someone.

We talked of other matters. Once or twice I caught Malcolm eyes on me. He was smiling and I felt a brief moment of happiness.

I called on Granny Bell the next day. Leah was there sewing. She hastily pushed what she was doing under a garment on her lap and pretended to be working on that She was blushing deeply and I thought how pretty she was.

ow has she been?I asked.

he does nothing, miss. Just lies there.

l sit with her for a while,I said. ut your needlework down and go to the farm. You could bring some milk. Tell them to charge it to the castle. Itl stretch your legs a bit.

Leah rose obediently and put her sewing on the table. She went out swiftly and silently. She reminded me of a fawn.

Granny Bell lay still, with her eyes closed. I looked about the cottage and thought of her coming there with Mr. Bell years ago newly married, starting a new life, rearing two children who had in time married and gone far away. The clock ticked noisily and Granny breathed heavily. I rose and went to the pile of needlework which Leah had laid on the table. I turned it over and saw what I had expected. She had pushed the little garment she had been stitching out of the way as I came in.