Patricia Wentworth - Danger Point

THE two big drawing-rooms at Tanfield Court looked out upon a very low terrace from which wide, shallow steps descended to the famous Italian garden. Lisle Jerningham hated it – a couple of acres of arabesques and geometrical patterns, hard, formal, set with cypresses and statues, and flowers which looked too tidy to be real. Beyond its confines Nature, though still dragooned, had been permitted to produce turf and trees – at first the more carefully clipped varieties, but as the distance from the house increased these gave place to spreading branches and unchecked growth. Dale’s grandfather had been a lover of trees, and the beeches, coloured sycamores, oaks, and maples of his planting had grown and flourished. There were tall conifers too, gold-tipped, deep emerald and blue – cypress, cedar, and deodar.

Lisle walked among them and waited for Dale to come home. Yesterday was yesterday and a long way past. Her colour had come back, and enough courage to make her think very slightingly about yesterday’s panic flight. The sense of shock having passed, she considered her own behaviour with amazement and some shame. Dale had sent her down to the Cranes for the weekend, and she had run away after a single night. He was going to be angry about that, and he was going to want an explanation.

She walked between the trees and wondered what she was going to say. Easy enough if you didn’t mind telling lies. She could say that she felt suddenly ill and didn’t want to be laid up away from home. Rafe and Alicia, horrified at her yesterday’s looks, could very well be trusted to bear her out. But she hadn’t been brought up to lie her way out of a fix. Lies were – rather horrid, and lies to Dale unthinkable. The truth then? Unfortunately the truth was rather unthinkable too. How was she going to say to Dale, “I stood behind a hedge, and two women were talking – I don’t know who they were. They said that Lydia had an accident because you wanted her money, and they said perhaps I would have one too?”

All at once she was shuddering with the recollection of how cold the water had been coming up over her chin, over her mouth, over her eyes – ten days ago – only ten days ago. She steadied herself against the thought and went out from the trees to get the warmth of the sun. She couldn’t tell Dale a lie, and she couldn’t tell him the truth.

She turned to see him coming towards her, and at once the whole thing slipped from her and was gone. It always gave her such a quick pleasure just to see him. Right from the first time there had always been a sense of being warmed and lifted up. It was something to do with the way he looked, the way he held his head, the confidence in his voice, the smile which his eyes kept just for her. Dark eyes, but not as dark as Rafe’s; a brown skin too, but not as brown as either Rafe’s or Alicia’s; and where they were lightly and gracefully built Dale had a tall, hard strength. When he put his arms round her she felt how easily their strength could have crushed her, and always until today the feeling had thrilled and pleased her. Now she felt something else. Even while he kissed her and she gave him kiss for kiss there was a small cold tremor of fear which nothing would still. She was glad when he let her go – glad and rather breathless.

“Dale – I didn’t stay-”

“I see you didn’t.”

He wasn’t angry yet. Perhaps he wouldn’t be angry at all. If only she could think of the right thing to say – But she could only stammer out,

“I wanted to come home. ”

His hand was on her shoulder. She felt its pressure there.

“Why?”

“Dale-”

She was half turned away, and he pulled her round. His voice was rather rough as he said,

“What’s all this about? I rang up last night, and Marian Crane said you’d rushed off after breakfast. When I said “Why?” she said she thought you’d had a telegram. I suppose that’s what you told her?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have a telegram?”

“No – Dale-”

She wouldn’t lie to him.

“Then why did you come away?”

She had not looked at him till then. Now she raised her eyes. They were steady and sorrowful.

“I don’t want to say. ”

“That’s nonsense! You’ve got to!”

“Dale-”

He laughed angrily.

“What’s come over you? The Cranes are my friends. You go down for the weekend, and you run away next day. You can’t do a thing like that and make no explanation. Did you have a row with Marian?”

Her colour rose – with relief, not embarrassment.

“Of course I didn’t! I don’t have rows with people.” She stepped back, and he let her go. “It was nothing to do with Mrs. Crane. I’ll – I’ll tell you what I can. It was -after breakfast. I went into the garden, and I – overheard two of the other women talking. I don’t know who they were – it was a very big house-party-”

“What did they say?” His tone was scornful.

She had a moment of sick wonder as to what he would say if she told him. But she couldn’t tell him. Her breath failed her at the thought.

“I don’t know who they were-”

“You said that before. I want to know what they said.”

Good heavens – why couldn’t she tell him and have done with it? Some stupid bit of scandal about his friendship with Marian! He had at no time a patient temper. The thought that Lisle had run away from some rubbish of that kind stirred it sharply. She saw his face darken, and said, hurrying over the words,

“It was stupid of me, but I didn’t feel as if I could meet them afterwards – I didn’t want to know who they were. Oh, Dale, can’t you understand that? It was a horrid thing to hear, and I didn’t want to know who had said it, or – or – to meet them. But if I had stayed I should have had to, and as soon as I heard them speak I should – I should have known who they were. Oh, don’t you see?”

The dark look settled into a frown.

“Not yet, but I’m going to. You haven’t told me what they said. You heard something which made you treat the Cranes with a good deal of discourtesy. Well, just what did you hear?”

Her colour had all gone again.

“It was something about Lydia. Dale, please don’t be angry. I wasn’t expecting it – and it was a shock. I couldn’t stay.”

“ Lydia?” said Dale Jerningham. “ Lydia ”. It was something about Lydia that stampeded you? That doesn’t make sense! What did you hear?”

Lisle’s voice fell low.

“They said she had – an accident-”

His eyes considered her from under those frowning brows.

“But you knew that.”

Her hand went up to her cheek.

“Yes. It was the way – they said it-”

How little could she tell him? How much would she have to tell him? He was waiting, and she forced herself on.

“They said – it was – a lucky accident – for you-”

She had meant to go on looking at him, but she couldn’t do it. Her eyes dazzled. She looked away and a pulse beat hard in her throat.

He was very still for a moment. Then he said in a controlled voice,

“So that was it? A pretty old story! I should have thought they’d have done with it by now. I don’t really think you need have run away.”

She looked at him then, and was frightened. She had seen him angry, but not like this. This was anger iced over with contempt. Most terrifying was the thought that the contempt was for her. Because she had first listened to calumny and then run away from it. Her only comfort was that he asked for nothing more. If he had gone on questioning her she would have had to tell him everything, and her very inmost heart fainted with fear at the thought. Because if he once knew just what shock had sent her on that panic flight, there would be an end between them. She did not think this. She had not yet come to the place where she could think. She only knew it with a deep, unreasoning conviction.