Виктория Холт - Time of the Hunter's Moon

"Not now," she said, "I think it's going to be all right now. It is wonderful that we are going to Epping for Christmas."

"I am sure we shall enjoy it."

"Aunt Patty, Violet, you and I ... John and Charles. It's going to be lovely."

"I can't think why, with such a prospect before you, you were looking quite sad a moment ago."

She was silent for a few seconds, biting her lips and looking out on the fields speeding by. "There is something I ought to tell you. It won't matter now. It's over. Perhaps ..."

"You'd better get it off your conscience," I said. "Yes," she said, "it's safe now. There are Epping and John ... and I think he's lovely. He's just right." "Please tell me, Teresa."

"I didn't fend that earring by the ponds." "What?"

"No. It was in Eugenie's room. She had found it in the stables at the Hall and was going to give it back to Mrs. Martindale but forgot. It was in the drawer in her room for a long time. So I took it."

"Oh Teresa ... you lied."

"Yes," she said, "but I think it was a good lie really. He's a wicked man, Cordelia, and we all knew that he wanted you."

"Teresa. How could you?"

"Well, people said he'd got rid of her. And they didn't know about the earring. That was only for you. To stop you, to show you ..."

I was silent.

"Are you very angry with me?" Teresa watched me anxiously. "I did think that you liked him rather ... and he is wicked. There's the devil in him. Eugenie said so. She said that you and he ... That was why I threw my shoe at her. You don't want anything to do with him, Miss Grant. And there are Epping and John ... and Violet says she wouldn't be surprised if he popped the question pretty soon."

I said: "We shall be in Paddington shortly."

"Are you very angry with me?"

"No Teresa," I said. "What you did you did for love. I suppose that excuses most things."

"Oh good. Shall I get the bags down?"

Aunt Patty embraced us with affectionate delight.

"We're going to Epping the day after tomorrow," she said. "I thought you'd want a little time at Moldenbury to get things ready."

"It'll be such fun," said Teresa. "I wish the snow had stayed."

"Not so easy for getting about, my dear. It might have been so bad that we couldn't have travelled," Aunt Patty reminded her.

"Well, I'm glad it's gone."

"Mind you," went on Aunt Patty, "the forest would have looked very pretty."

Violet greeted us with gruff affection and the statement that we must all be gasping for tea.

"There's hot toast over a basin of water so that the butter soaks well in, and keeps it hot at the same time," she explained. "And there's lardy cakes to follow because a little bird whispered to me that they were Teresa's favourites."

The same cosy homeliness. It was hard to believe that it could exist side by side with horrible death.

The next day the letter came. As soon as I saw the Austrian stamp I began to tremble and for a few seconds I was afraid to open it.

It was in a strange hand and it informed me that there had been an accident. Sir Jason Verringer was unable to travel and he was asking for me. His condition was such that I should lose no time.

It was signed with a name I could not decipher but it had the word Doctor underneath it.

Aunt Patty came in. She stared at me and then took the letter from my hand.

I said: "Something terrible has happened. I know it."

She understood at once because the previous night I had told her everything. Now she looked at me steadily.

"You'll go," she said.

I nodded.

"You can't go alone."

"I must go," I insisted.

"All right," she replied. "I'll come with you."

It was a long and tedious journey across Europe and seemed longer than it actually was, because I was impatient to arrive.

It had not been easy getting away from Moldenbury. Violet was nonplussed and said we were mad - and on the eve of Christmas too! Teresa was angry and sullen.

We tried to explain but it was not easy until Violet grudgingly said that she supposed if Patty thought it was right then it must be. Aunt Patty said that Teresa and Violet should go to Epping without us. There was a great deal of argument, but finally it was agreed that that was what they should do.

Aunt Patty was wonderful during that journey. She said little because that was how she knew I wanted it. She left me with my thoughts and they were all for Jason Verringer.

I learned a great deal during that journey, for all the time I was thinking that I might arrive too late and never see him alive again. I knew that he was in danger: the wording of the doctor's letter had told me that, and while I was looking out of the train windows at hills, rivers and majestic mountains I was trying to imagine what life would be like without him. I had avoided him, but what would it be like if he were not there to avoid?

If he were not there I should never want to go back to the Abbey. There would be a deep sadness in my life and memories which I should strive to forget and never be able to.

"I don't think," said Aunt Patty suddenly, "that the doctor would have suggested you make this long journey if there had not been some hope."

She knew how to comfort me. I could not have borne probing questions, condolences, expressions of sympathy. I might have known that Aunt Patty would understand what was going on in my mind and not attempt to divert my thoughts to subjects which I had no wish to think of.

And so at length we came to Trentnitz.

It was a small hotel, halfway up a mountain-one of the lesser-known resorts for winter sports. We were taken from the station halt to the Gasthof in a kind of sleigh. As soon as we entered the wooden chalet-like building and said who we were, we were told that the doctor was with Sir Jason now and he would certainly see us at once. He had taken the precaution of reserving a room for us, which Aunt Patty and I could share.

The doctor came to us. He spoke fair English and there was no doubt that he was pleased to see us.

"This is what our patient needs," he said. "He wants you with him. You are his fiancée, I believe. I am sure that will help."

"How bad is he?"

"Very bad. The crash was ..." He lifted his shoulder searching for words. "It was a great mercy he was not killed with the other. The police will be here. They will wish to see you. But first ... the patient."

I went to him immediately. He was in a room with a window open to the mountain. Everything was very white and clean looking. He himself seemed drained of colour and for a few seconds I hardly recognized him.

"Cordelia," he said.

I went to the bed and knelt down.

"You came," he whispered.

"As soon as I heard. Aunt Patty is with me."

"It must be Christmas," he said.

"Yes."

"You ought to be at Epping."

"I think I ought to be here."

"I'm pretty well smashed up."

"I haven't talked much to the doctor. We've just arrived and he brought me straight to you."

He nodded. "I have to learn to walk again."

"You will."

"I got him though. Fiona's here. You'll have to look after her. She's in a bad state. She's in bed here. We've turned the place into a regular hospital between us."

"What happened?"

"I found him. It wasn't difficult when I knew where. I just came here. Carl and Fiona ... That was all I needed. I saw them together. It made me feel I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands. You see, it was the way he behaved to her, so loving and tender and she ... she was looking at him as though he were some god. I saw them well before they saw me. They were going out skiing and the thought hit me. He could be going to do it then. He might be going to take her out there and stage an accident. The other girl died that way ... now it was Fiona's turn. So I went after them. When Fiona saw me she cried out in dismay. Then he swung round. It was amazing to see his face. She had called out Uncle Jason ... and he knew. I said `You murdering swine ...' and I went for him. We grappled there. I knew what he was. after. He was going to send me hurtling down the slope. He knew the place. He was experienced in the snow. He had the advantage. But I was determined to get him. He had me on the edge ... and I thought, if I'm going over I'm taking him with me. He'll not have a chance to go on with his game of murder. And... together we went ..."