Lynda La Plante - The Legacy

She pressed back against the leather as the chauffeur walked up the path, rang the bell and waited. Her heart was beating rapidly and her lips felt dry. She licked them and tasted her rose-coloured lipstick. Her heart lurched as the door opened and Mrs Darwin stood framed in the doorway. She was nodding and speaking to the chauffeur. The years hadn’t been kind to her either, she was much fatter and more flushed than Evelyne remembered her. Her chins wobbled as she nodded her head up and down, and she looked past the chauffeur towards the car. She was trying to see inside, and Evelyne pressed even further back against the seat.

The chauffeur gave Evelyne no hint of what had been said as he walked back to the car and opened the passenger door.

‘The housekeeper said for you to go straight in, Miss.’ Evelyne was grateful for the chauffeur’s firm, white-gloved grip on her elbow. She walked slowly to the door. It had been left ajar, but Mrs Darwin had vanished from sight. There was no sign of Minnie either. The comforting grip on her arm withdrew as the chauffeur returned to the car. She was alone, and instead of being full of confidence she could feel her body trembling.

Mrs Darwin stood at the bottom of the stairs. She gave a small bob and gestured for Evelyne to enter the drawing room. The smell of the house — the strange mixture of polish and medical spirits — sent a shudder through Evelyne, and she was again the gawky girl who had come here with Doris Evans. Mrs Darwin didn’t recognize her.

‘It’s me, Mrs Darwin, it’s Evelyne, don’t you remember me?’

The big woman squinted, stared at her, and then her jaw dropped and she slapped her hands to her fat cheeks in total amazement. She went to give Evelyne a hug, then stopped, flustered. She flapped her apron, stared, turned away and stared again, and then her huge face crumpled into a strange, half-laughing cry.

‘Lord above, oh God Almighty, gel, if you don’t look like visiting royalty, then … can I kiss you?’

It was all right suddenly, and Evelyne bent right down and felt the plump, wet lips kiss her cheek.

Mrs Darwin ushered her into the drawing room. From below stairs came a terrible clatter, and Evelyne turned.

‘Is Minnie here?’

Mrs Darwin shook her head and laughed. Minnie now had three little ones and lived over in Carlisle Road. She turned and thudded out, yelling at the top of her voice to someone called Muriel.

Evelyne stared around the room. It was just the same, but smaller, not so overpowering. There was even a bowl of roses exactly as there had always been, except that they were dead, the petals fallen around the bowl. She went to the bookcase and looked at the titles; she had read all these books in the years since she had last been here, while Doris was alive.

Mrs Darwin came back in, carrying a tray with cake and biscuits.

‘Will you be moving in, Miss Evelyne? Only, we don’t know what to do, like? Not since he passed on.’

Evelyne, turned afraid.

‘What did you say?’

Mrs Darwin busied herself laying out the teacups.

‘The Doctor, miss, terrible it was, him a doctor and to be so poorly, couldn’t do a thing for himself at the end, you know, shocking. We had to make up a bed down here for him, I mean, I couldn’t carry him up and down them stairs, even though he was all skin and bone.’

Evelyne had to sit down, for a terrible moment she had thought it could possibly be David.

‘When did he pass on?’

‘Oh, it must be a year or more … now, I’ll just get that ruddy girl downstairs to bring up the tea. Shocking time you know, now, can’t get a good girl. Mind you, we’ve not been paid our wages, not a penny for months now, I was getting to me wit’s end, I was. I really was.’

When she had gone out, Evelyne looked at the tea tray. The biscuits were stale, soft, and a slice had been cut off the cake where it had gone mouldy. She heard the basement door slam and went to the window. She could see Mrs Darwin hurrying down the road, wrapping her shawl around her fat shoulders. Evelyne jumped as a thin, dreadfully scruffy girl stood in the doorway and sniffed.

‘I’ve mashed the tea. Mrs Darwin says she won’t be long.’

She hovered, watched as Evelyne poured the tea.

‘You bein’ here, does that mean we’ll have our wages?’

Evelyne stirred sugar into her cup.

‘I don’t know — Muriel, isn’t it? I’ll obviously have a lot of things to arrange.’

‘I’ll be downstairs if you want me, the bell don’t work so you’ll have to holler.’

Evelyne wanted to ask about David, but she couldn’t get the words out. She began to wander from room to room. The house smelt musty, dank, and there was a thick film of dust on everything. Ghosts of the past crept with her as she quietly looked into each of the ground-floor rooms. Then she mounted the stairs. They creaked, and even the banister was dusty. On all the walls were dark, empty spaces where pictures had been. The house had been stripped of every valuable ornament and there was an air of desolation to the place.

She went into the silent room she had shared with Doris. Nothing had changed but the mounting dust. She closed the door and went on to the bathroom, the memories flooding through her. Then she was standing on the landing looking towards David’s room. She remembered his half-naked body, bending over to untie his boots, remembered his silky hair. There was even now a faint smell of lavender …

Downstairs, David walked into the hall with Mrs Darwin. She took his arm, whispered.

‘Her name’s Evelyne.’

David nodded, looked up the stairs. He rested his arm on the banister rail and shouted.

‘Evelyne … Evelyne, come down!’

Evelyne dropped her comb and ran to the top of the stairs. She stood staring down at him, he hadn’t changed, he looked just the same if not even more handsome … and he was smiling up at her.

David thought she was lovely, just lovely. Turning to Mrs Darwin he gave a slight shake of his head, and she looked sadly up at Evelyne. Then David leapt up the stairs two at a time.

‘Evelyne … Evelyne, how are you?’ Catching her in his arms he swung her up in the air. Close to she could see that he had grown a small moustache and he was much thinner, but his hair, oh, his lovely, silky blond hair was just the same.

‘You remembered me? Oh, David, you remembered me?’

Taking her hand he bowed and led her down the stairs.

‘And who could forget such a beautiful gel? Come along, I refuse to let you out of my grasp … my hat, Mrs Darwin.’

Mrs Darwin held out his brown bowler.

‘Sir, don’t you think you should tell her …’

‘Now, Mrs Darwin, not another word.’

‘It’s litde Evelyne, Doris’ girl from the valley.’

David tossed his bowler in the air, ducked, and it landed right on his head. He gestured with both hands like an acrobat.

‘Can I take her away from you for a while, you great, fat, horrible woman, eh? I want to show this creature off… come along, dear heart, your chariot awaits.’

Bursting with happiness, Evelyne was ushered outside while Mrs Darwin blinked back her tears. For a moment David’s face changed as he looked at Mrs Darwin, hard.

‘Not a word.’

Her fat face wobbled as she nodded. ‘She danced with Lloyd George at the Warners’ ball, sir, when Miss Doris was here.’

David snapped, his face looked pinched.

‘Yes, yes, you said, we won’t be long.’

Evelyne stood on the steps as David danced down them two at a time, took off his bowler hat and bowed low, opening the door of his sports car, bright red with snazzy upholstery. After helping her in, he tucked a rug round her knees just the way he used to, then he leant over her, his face so close she gasped.