Agatha Christie - Yowards Zero

Mary looked out of the open window. Lady Tressilian's house was situated on a steep cliff overlooking the river Tern. On the other side of the river was the newly created summer resort of Easterhead Bay , consisting of a big sandy bathing beach, a cluster of modern bungalows and a large hotel on the headland looking out to sea. Saltcreek itself was a straggling, picturesque fishing village set on the side of a hill. It was old-fashioned, conservative and deeply contemptuous of Easterhead Bay and its summer visitors.

The Easterhead Bay Hotel was nearly exactly opposite Lady Tressilian's house, and Mary looked across the narrow strip of water at it now where it stood in its blatant newness.

"I am glad," said Lady Tressilian, closing her eyes, "that Matthew never saw that vulgar building. The coastline was quite unspoilt in his time."

Sir Matthew and Lady Tressilian had come to Gull's Point thirty years ago. It was nine years since Sir Matthew, an enthusiastic sailing man, had capsized his dinghy and been drowned almost in front of his wife's eyes.

Everybody had expected her to sell Gull's Point and leave Saltcreek, but Lady Tressilian had not done so. She had lived on in the house, and her only visible reaction had been to dispose of all the boats and do away with the boat-house. There were no boats available for guests at Gull's Point. They had to walk along to the ferry and hire a boat from one of the rival boatmen there.

Mary said, hesitating a little: "Shall I write, then, to Nevile, and tell him that what he proposes does not fit in with our plans?"

"I certainly shall not dream of interfering with Audrey's visit. She has always come to us in September and I shall not ask her to change her plans."

Mary said, looking down at the letter: "You did see that Nevile says Audrey — er — approves of the idea — that she is quite willing to meet Kay?"

"I simply don't believe it," said Lady Tressilian. "Nevile, like all men, believes what he wants to believe!"

Mary persisted: "He says he has actually spoken to her about it."

"What a very odd thing to do! No — perhaps, after all, it isn't."

Mary looked at her inquiringly.

"Like Henry the Eighth," said Lady Tressilian.

Mary looked puzzled.

Lady Tressilian elaborated her last remark.

"Conscience, you know! Henry was always trying to get Catherine to agree that the divorce was the right thing. Nevile knows that he has behaved badly — he wants to feel comfortable about it all. So he has been trying to bully Audrey into saying everything is all right and that she'll come and meet Kay and that she doesn't mind at all."

"I wonder," said Mary slowly.

Lady Tressilian looked at her sharply.

"What's in your mind, my dear?"

"I was wondering — " She stopped, then went on: "It — it seems so unlike Nevile — this letter! You don't think that, for some reason, Audrey wants this — this meeting?"

"Why should she?" said Lady Tressilian sharply. "After Nevile left her she went to her aunt, Mrs. Royde, at the Rectory, and had a complete breakdown. She was absolutely like a ghost of her former self. Obviously it hit her terribly hard. She's one of those quiet self-contained people who feel things intensely."

Mary moved uneasily.

"Yes, she is intense. A queer girl in many ways …"

"She suffered a lot … Then the divorce went through and Nevile married the girl, and little by little Audrey began to get over it. Now she's almost back to her old self. You can't tell me she wants to rake up old memories again."

Mary said with gentle obstinacy: "Nevile says she does." The old lady looked at her curiously.

"You're extraordinarily obstinate about this, Mary. Why? Do you want to have them here together?"

Mary Aldin flushed. "No, of course not."

Lady Tressilian said sharply: "It's not you who have been suggesting all this to Nevile?"

"How can you be so absurd?"

"Well, I don't believe for a minute it's really his idea. It's not like Nevile." She paused a minute, then her face cleared. "It's the 1st of May tomorrow, isn't it? Well, on the 3rd Audrey is coming to stay with the Darlingtons at Esbank. It's only twenty miles away. Write and ask her to come over and lunch here."

"Mrs. Strange, m'lady."

Audrey Strange came into the big bedroom, crossed the room to the big bed, stooped down and kissed the old lady and sat down in the chair placed ready for her.

"Nice to see you, my dear," said Lady Tressilian. "And nice to see you," said Audrey.

There was a quality of intangibility about Audrey Strange. She was of medium height with very small hands and feet. Her hair was ash blonde and there was very little colour in her face. Her eyes were set wide apart and were a clear pale grey. Her features were small and regular, a straight little nose set in a small, oval, pale face. With such colouring, with a face that was pretty but not beautiful, she had nevertheless a quality about her that could not be denied nor ignored and that drew your eyes to her again and again. She was a little like a ghost, but you felt at the same time that a ghost might be possessed of more reality than a live human being …

She had a singularly lovely voice; soft and clear like a small silver bell.

For some minutes she and the old lady talked of mutual friends and current events. Then Lady Tressilian said: "Besides the pleasure of seeing you, my dear, I asked you to come because I've had rather a curious letter from Nevile."

Audrey looked up. Her eyes were wide, tranquil sad calm. She said: "Oh, yes?"

"He suggests — a preposterous suggestion, I call it — that he and — and Kay should come here in September. He says he wants you and Kay to be friends and that you yourself think it a good idea?"

She waited. Presently Audrey said in her gentle, placid voice: "Is it — so preposterous?"

"My dear — do you really want this to happen?"

Audrey was silent again for a minute or two, then she said gently: "I think, you know, it might be rather a good thing."

"You really want to meet this — you want to meet Kay?"

"I do think, Camilla, that it might — simplify things."

"Simplify things!" Lady Tressilian repeated the words helplessly.

Audrey spoke very softly: "Dear Camilla. You have been so good. If Nevile wants this — "

"A fig for what Nevile wants!" said Lady Tressilian robustly. "Do you want it, that's the question?"

A little colour came in Audrey's cheeks. It was the soft, delicate glow of a sea-shell.

"Yes," she said. "I do want it."

"Well," said Lady Tressilian, "well — "

She stopped.

"But, of course," said Audrey. "It is entirely your choice. It is your house and — "

Lady Tressilian shut her eyes.

"I'm an old woman," she said. "Nothing makes sense any more."

"But, of course — I'll come some other time. Any time will suit me."

"You'll come in September, as you always do," snapped Lady Tressilian. "And Nevile and Kay shall come, too. I may be old, but I can adapt myself, I suppose, as well as anyone else, to the changing phases of modern life. Not another word; that's settled."

She closed her eyes again. After a minute or two she said, peering through half-shut lids at the young woman beside her: "Well, got what you want?"

Audrey started. "Oh, yes, yes. Thank you."

"My dear," said Lady Tressilian, and her voice was deep and concerned, "are you sure this isn't going to hurt you? You were very fond of Nevile, you know. This may reopen old wounds."

Audrey was looking down at her small gloved hands. One of them, Lady Tressilian noticed, was clenched on the side of the bed.

Audrey lifted her head. Her eyes were calm and untroubled. She said: "All that is quite over now. Quite over."