Minette Walters - The Devil's Feather

I made some banal remarks in agreement, while wondering if he thought I was the only person Madeleine had told. I had the impression that it was he who had divulged the secret, and not Lily, which is why he was so uncomfortable. I found his question about whether I’d repeated the story to Jess particularly strange. Did he think she was unaware that Madeleine knew about it? Or was he worried that reminders of suicide might push her into trying again? I thought of the casual way she’d referred to my interest in her wrists and her indifference to rebutting accusations of “knifing strangers.”

“You’re living in cloud-cuckoo-land if you think Jess doesn’t know the secret’s out,” I said abruptly. “I didn’t mention it but she did. She talked about the scars on her wrists, and Madeleine spreading her poison, and how she’s given up trying to convince people that she has no plans to knife them.” I paused. “I expect Madeleine’s worked her version up to put Jess in a bad light, but she was bound to gossip about it. There’s no love lost between them.”

“What else did she tell you?”

“Jess or Madeleine?”

“Madeleine.”

“That Jess’s family was poor…that her grandmother immigrated to Australia to get away from her son…that Jess is a lesbian.” I watched the anger gather in his face again. “She also said she was a stalker…that she makes threatening phone calls and takes revenge when she’s rejected. Oh, and she’s appalled that you didn’t warn me how disturbed Jess is.” I smiled slightly. “Should you have done?”

“No.”

“ Does she take revenge? Madeleine told me to check with Mary Galbraith at Hollyhock Cottage.”

Peter gave a frustrated shake of his head. “Well, you’ll certainly get confirmation from Mary,” he said. “She’s convinced Jess is out to get her and her husband.”

“Why?”

Another frustrated shake of the head. “Ralph Galbraith drove into the back of Jess’s Land Rover in the middle of the village, and Jess called the police when she smelt drink on his breath.” He nodded at my questioning look. “Three times over the limit, lost his licence and was ordered to retake his test at the end of the ban. Mary was very upset about it. She said there was no reason for the police to be involved-it was a small shunt and no one was hurt-and it’s only because Jess is vindictive that they were called.”

I remembered her confiscation of my car keys. “She has draconian views on dangerous driving.”

“She has draconian views on everything,” he said. “Compromise doesn’t exist in her vocabulary. In this case, a blind eye would have been kind. Ralph Galbraith’s over seventy and never drove more than twenty miles an hour, or farther than Tesco’s and back, so he was a hardly a danger to other drivers. Plus he’s unlikely to pass the test again at his age, so he and Mary have to rely on friends and taxis to take them shopping. I’m afraid most people thought Jess behaved badly…me included. She could have left them their independence.”

I decided to keep out of that argument. Everyone’s feelings would have been very different if Ralph had run over a child at twenty miles an hour when he was three times over the limit. “Why would Jess be out to get them? Shouldn’t they be out to get her?”

He gave an abrupt laugh. “You can’t apply logic to it. The Galbraiths are one of the couples who found Lily in their bed, and Jess accused them of cruelty because they drove her home and abandoned her without offering to help. The car incident was the icing on the gingerbread-gave her the chance to shop Ralph to the police-or that’s how it’s viewed in the village at least.”

“When did it happen?”

“Four or five months ago.”

“How long have the Galbraiths lived here?”

“Eight years. Why do you ask?”

“Just trying to understand where stalking fits in.” I repeated as nearly as I could what Madeleine had said about Jess’s fixations and her vindictive reactions when she was rejected.

“I’m surprised you went to see her,” Peter said with heavy irony. “Weren’t you afraid of being her next victim?”

“I might have been if I’d believed Madeleine. I’d have given her the cold shoulder…which is what everyone else seems to do.” I watched him. “Except you. Is that because you’re her doctor or because you’re better informed?”

“About what?”

I shrugged. “Nathaniel? Does anyone else know he used to be with Jess?”

He moved back to his chair and folded his tall frame on to the seat. “Presumably anyone who was around at the time does…but it was a fairly private thing. If Jess had worn her heart on her sleeve, it might have created a few waves, but she couldn’t have shown less interest at losing him. Which is why you shouldn’t place too much weight on Lily’s remark about value…or not where Jess is concerned at least. Boyfriends come and go at that age. Do you even remember the names of the ones you had at twenty?”

“I do, as a matter of fact, even though none of mine lasted longer than three months. I’d certainly remember a man I spent two years with.” I eyed him with amusement. “Your experience might be different, though. Perhaps you never knew the girls’ names in the first place.”

“Ouch!”

“What other reason is there for Jess and Madeleine to hate each other?”

He rested his chin on his hands. “I’ve no idea, but whatever it is existed long before Nathaniel jumped ship. He was just a bone in an endless dogfight. It’s Lily they’ve been squabbling over…not Nathaniel.”

“Perhaps it’s sibling rivalry,” I suggested ironically. “They’re not half-sisters, are they? Could Lily have slept with Jess’s father?”

Peter gave a snort of laughter. “Not unless she was drunk. His mother was her maid, for God’s sake. It’d be like touching pitch.”

“It happens.”

“Not in this case,” he said positively. “Frank Derbyshire wouldn’t have done anything so crass. He was far too fond of his wife.”

“What about the other way round…Madeleine’s father and Jess’s mother?”

He shook his head. “Jenny Derbyshire had better taste. In any case, it would only be sibling rivalry if Lily was Jess’s mother…and she wasn’t. I can guarantee that Jess is a Derbyshire through and through.” He said it firmly, as if the idea of anything else offended him. “The jealousy’s mostly on Madeleine’s side. She had no time for her mother until Jess took an interest, then suddenly she was all over her…and Lily wouldn’t play. I’m sure the remark about value was in reference to herself. Madeleine was never so fond of Lily as when Jess took to visiting Barton House after her parents’ death.”

“Why wouldn’t Lily play?”

“She knew it wouldn’t last. As soon as Madeleine was top dog again, she’d have dropped her like a hotcake. I think Lily felt she’d be better off setting them against each other.”

“She was probably right.”

Peter shook his head. “She enjoyed stirring too much…and it backfired on her. She used to refer to Jess as her ‘little stalker’ in front of Madeleine, and to Madeleine as her ‘little parasite’ in front of Jess. It wasn’t very clever of her. If they’d liked each other, they’d have treated it as a joke, but as they didn’t”-he smiled rather bitterly-“it just added fuel to the flames.”

“So how did the lesbian rumours start? I mean, if Jess had a relationship with a man, why does everyone assume she’s a dyke? Has she had affairs with women?”

A look of distaste crossed Peter’s face. “I don’t think that’s anyone’s business but hers.”

“Why on earth not?” I asked in surprise. “It’s perfectly legal…and she’s told me about your affairs. You’re not homophobic, are you?”