Виктория Холт - Time of the Hunter's Moon

Eugenie lay in her bed, ready for what seemed to be becoming a bedtime chat - a mark of our new relationship.

"Charlotte was all right during the day before she was so ill, and she was laughing and joking. She said she was going to see if she could jigjag the toboggan down the slopes the next day and to see if we could skate on the fish ponds. They were frozen then."

"I hardly think Miss Hetherington would allow that."

"We were sure she wouldn't."

"And you wouldn't be so foolish as to attempt such a thing without first asking permission."

"Oh no, Miss Grant, we shouldn't have done that."

"You do realize it could be very dangerous."

"I think that was why Charlotte liked the idea. She was laughing about it. She was so well. She had a second helping of soup. She said it was too salty and it made her thirsty, so later on she drank my milk as well as her own. I didn't want mine. So it didn't matter."

I had been thinking of the girls' attempting to skate on the fish ponds and was pulled up sharp.

"What did you say? She drank your milk?"

"Yes. She was so thirsty. The soup was too salty."

I felt myself turn cold. Charlotte had drunk the milk intended for Eugenie and she had been ill as Eugenie had previously ... when presumably Eugenie had drunk her own milk.

"Are you asleep, Miss Grant?"

"No ... no," I said faintly.

I was thinking of the milk which was served to the girls. Milk and two plain biscuits ... the last thing before they retired to their rooms. I visualized the maids going round the tables and the tin of biscuits. The maids took it in turn to do this duty.

I heard myself say: "So ... Charlotte drank your milk?"

"Yes. It shows she was all right because she drank her own as well."

"Who gave you the milk? Do you remember?"

"No ... It was one of the maids. I wasn't noticing because Charlotte had this idea about skating on the ponds.

"I wish you could remember."

"Well, you don't always notice the maids, do you? They all look alike in their black dresses and white caps.

I was thinking: Am I dreaming this? Eugenie sick three times ... and when Charlotte drinks the milk intended for Eugenie she is ill. I wished Eugenie would stop chattering inconsequentially and would concentrate on this.

"She's good fun and she's clever. It did come out all right though we thought of it as a joke at first." "What?" I said absently.

"Oh, she knows a lot about old legends." I realized then that she was talking about Elsa. "Do you believe in them, Miss Grant? She said if we went into the wood at full moon time one of us would meet our future husband ... and it happened to Fiona."

"What?" I cried, sitting up.

"What's wrong, Miss Grant?" asked Eugenie.

I must be careful, I thought. This is becoming frightening.

"Tell me more about that," I said.

"It was May Day. That's a special night for the old religions. Druids and all that, I think. Elsa said all sorts of things could happen on certain days and if we waited till the moon was full and went into the forest even in daytime, which was the only time we could go anyway, we'd meet a man ... We laughed and didn't believe it and we said we'd go into the woods and when we got back tell Elsa we had met a man, but when we went into the woods, there he was..."

My mouth was dry and I found it difficult to speak. I said at last, "So you met this man and Fiona ran away with him."

"Yes. It was so romantic."

"Eugenie," I said, "what was the name of the man you met in the woods?"

"It was Carl."

"Carl What?"

"I never heard his other name. Fiona talked about him as Carl."

"And you and Charlotte helped her to elope." "Yes, we did. On that night when we went to the Hall."

"And you found a monk's robe so that he could come to the pageant?"

"It was so exciting. He had to see her that night to tell her what time she was to meet him. They were going to London first. We thought it was the most fantastic thing."

"Eugenie," I said quietly. "Miss Eccles says you have a real talent for drawing."

"Oh does she? I love it. It's my favourite subject. I wish I could do it all the time."

"Could you draw me a picture of Fiona's husband?"

"Oh ... I could try. I'll do it in the morning." "I want you to do it now."

"Now, Miss Grant? When I'm in bed?"

"Yes," I said. "Now. I want to see it now."

I got out of bed and found a pencil and paper. She sat up in bed and using a book as a prop, started to draw, screwing up her face in concentration.

"He's very good-looking: It's hard to do. It's a bit like him though. Yes, he's very good looking. His hair is fair. It curls a bit ... like that. His face .. . well, it's different from other people's faces. There's a look in his eyes ... I can't get that."

"Go on," I said. "It's coming."

And so it was. The face that looked back at me bore a strong resemblance to that of the stranger in the forest.

I took it from her and put it carefully in a drawer. I was not sure what I was going to do now. I had made a discovery so startling that it numbed me.

I could not think what it meant.

"It's funny you should want it now," began Eugenie.

"It's getting late," I said. "I think we ought to go to sleep."

She lay back and closed her eyes. "Good night, Miss Grant."

"Good night, Eugenie."

I was saying to myself, Fiona's husband was Lydia's husband. Lydia died skiing and he is teaching Fiona to ski. I was sure now that someone was trying to poison Eugenie, and that someone must be Elsa who was deeply involved in this macabre affair.

I must act quickly. But how?

I did not sleep at all that night, and the first thing in the morning I went to see Daisy. I had decided that I must lay the whole matter before her and I began by my account of my meeting with the stranger in the forest. She listened in silence.

Then she said: "I think that you and I should go immediately to the Hall and tell Sir Jason this fantastic story. It seems that Eugenie may be in danger."

I agreed and felt considerably better than I had during the night.

Early as it was, we rode over to the Hall. Sir Jason was out riding, which he apparently did before breakfast, and when he returned was astonished to see us.

Miss Hetherington said: "You had better tell the story, Cordelia, just as you told it to me."

So I did.

"It seems clear," said Daisy, "that this maid of ours is connected in some way with the man who makes a practice of meeting girls in the forest and presumably sweeping them off their feet."

"Clear enough," said Jason. "It is obvious that he intended the same fate for you, Cordelia."

"I think I know now why he disappeared so suddenly. It was when he learned that my aunt was selling up the Manor. He then went to Lydia and now Fiona. Is there any reason why there should be this attack on Eugenie?"

"I can think of one," said Jason. "Fiona inherits the entire fortune which was left to the girls if her sister dies."

"So Elsa is trying to dispose of Eugenie. How diabolical!"

"It will be Fiona's turn next."

"The man is a mass murderer!" said Daisy turning pale.

"I believe that is what is emerging," I said. "His accomplice works at fashionable schools where wealthy young ladies will be. She selects the most desirable, tells them of legends and gets them to a spot where the man can emerge, sets out to charm and decide who shall be his next victim. Lydia had a small fortune. She died on the ski slopes. Do you realize he is teaching Fiona to ski?"

"My God!" said Jason. "We've got to find her."

"How?" I asked. And we were all silent.

"He told me that he lived in a place in Suffolk," I said. "I went to this place and discovered that a family named Dowling had lived there. There was a son and a daughter and this man might have been the son. He told me his name was Compton, but the Comptons had been dead for twenty years. I imagine he gave me the name at random, but the fact that he chose that name and place shows he must have had a connection with it at some time. I think we ought to find out more about that family. In the meantime what are we going to do?"