Carolan said: "Where did you hear this... this... gossip?”
"Now, no need to get so worked up, dearie. I heard it from James, who had it from one of her servants. There he was, living in the house like the master of it. It was Darling Clementine and Darling William ... Why, he even changes his name like he changes his women!”
Margery was disappointed; Carolan was flying into no passion; she had sat down at the table and was picking up crumbs off the cloth with a wet forefinger and putting them into her mouth. True, her eyes burned; so did her cheeks; but she was very still. Margery laid a hand on her shoulder, suddenly penitent. She recalled how she herself had felt on discovering the first infidelity of the pedlar.
"I wouldn't take, it to heart, lovey," she said. Then is men all the world over, and there ain't so much to choose between any of "em.”
Carolan said slowly: "So that is where I saw her! I knew I'd seen her before.”
"What's that, dearie?”
"Nothing.”
"Look here, Margery'll get Poll to make us a nice cup of tea.”
"If you think to comfort me," said Carolan harshly, 'spare yourself the trouble. I always knew the kind of man he was.”
"Poll!" cried Margery. It was Esther who put her head round the door.
Poll was doing something in the yard, she said.
"Then you make us a cup of strong tea, will you?" said Margery.
"We've just had bad news.”
"Bad news? Carolan ...”
A smile touched Margery's lips. This girl was in love with him too.
"About your friend, your gentleman friend who come into my kitchen and made so free with his kisses, him that was... er... servant to Miss Clementine Smith.”
"Bad news of Marcus?" said Esther, white to the lips.
"Well, not such bad news of him. He gets his fun out of the whole business and asks for more.”
Carolan could not bear the telling to come from Margery.
"Oh, it's nothing, Esther," she said wearily.
"Do you remember that woman on the ship? A dark woman who was very angry because we had such freedom when we were becalmed. Well, she was Clementine Smith. Either Marcus must have had some arrangement with her before he came out, or she must have taken a fancy to him on the ship.”
"I gathered that he had been lucky. She took him into her household, and was quite a kind woman, I thought.”
Carolan shrugged her shoulders impatiently.
"Oh, Esther, it is( time you stopped being so young and innocent. She was in love with him. She took him into her house as her lover. I do not suppose she would have taken him on any other terms.”
The colour flowed under Esther's skin from the open neck of her dress to the roots of her hair.
She'd be lovely, thought Margery grudgingly, if she had a bit more life in her.
"Poor... Marcus!" said Esther.
"Poor, poor Marcus!" echoed Carolan ironically, and got up.
"And where do you think you are off to. Miss?" demanded Margery, feeling that she had not reaped half the fun she had expected from such promising seed.
"I have work to do for Mrs. Masterman.”
Out she walked, like the mistress of the house, and none would guess, except by her heightened colour, that she suffered anything at all.
Margery set herself to enjoy teasing Esther. She conjured up pictures of the lovers to make the girl blush. But it was poor fun, and she kept thinking of Carolan, angry and unhappy upstairs in the mistress's room.
Carolan was thinking, What a fool I was! I do not seem to learn anything by my experiences. I knew him; I knew what he was, and I believed that it was luck that gave him a soft position in Miss Clementine Smith's household, driving her horses, while for others it was slavery and the lash. What a fool! And he doubtless laughing at me all the time. His affectionate words have no meaning behind them.
He is shameless, graceless. He could come here, speak of marriage to me, when all the time he was living with her, using her for his comfort. All he cares for is his comfort; he will lie, bribe steal for it. What a fool I have been! I should be thankful to have found out in time.
In time? What could ever quell this wild longing she had for him, rogue though she knew him to be? But he should never know how she felt.
Mrs. Masterman had spilt medicine down her satin dress. Carolan took it into the toilet-room and was sponging it when Mr. Masterman came though. He paused in the doorway and said "Oh!" Then he hesitated.
She did not lift her head, for she did not care what became of her now.
She wanted something to happen to take her thoughts from Marcus.
"If you wish me to go, please say so," she said.
There was silence. She went on rubbing the frock, and when she glanced over her shoulder he had taken a few steps nearer to her. She looked at him coldly.
"It is of no importance," he said.
He stood watching her; at any other time she would have thought this strange but she had no thought for anything but Marcus and Clementine Smith ... together.
He ventured: "You ... you like the change of work?”
She stopped rubbing and looked full at him. There was the faintest flicker of warmth in his eyes. She disliked his fairness; he had scarcely any eyebrows, so that he had a look of surprise.
"I hated the kitchen work," she said.
"I can see you have not been used to it, nor work of any kind.”
She was silent, returning to her work; there was insolence in the gesture, as though she were dismissing him, and she was surprised at her own temerity.
"Usually," he began quite angrily, 'with convict servants..." and he laid strong emphasis on the words, but faltered after them, for he had seen a tear drop from her eyes on to his wife's blue satin gown. She too stared at the tear and made to cover it with her hand. She looked over her shoulder and there he was, disappearing through the communicating door.
Marcus looked in at the window. Carolan was sitting at the table, cleaning silver. Margery shrank into her chair. She was frightened; she wished she had not told.
Esther, at the sink, turned, and what she believed to be a carefully guarded secret was written on her face for all to see.
"Carolan!" he said.
"Here I am!" He was laughing; he had good white strong teeth, and never, thought Margery, was a man more sure of a welcome, never was a man going to be so swiftly disillusioned.
Carolan did not rise.
"Carolan!" he said again with a faint edge of fear in his voice, and leaped into the room.
"Jin!" said Margery, her voice sharp with agitation.
"Poll! Go into the bedroom; it's shocking untidy. See you get to work, and don't you dare to stir till I say so!”
They went reluctantly, but Marcus had no glances for them, no smile, no bow. He was looking at the profile of Carolan, turned from him slightly, aloof, those beautiful lashes downcast, hiding the burning fury in her eyes.
"Carolan!" he said once more, and took two paces towards the table.
She picked up a silver dish and seemed very earnest about the polishing of it.
"Are you not glad to see me?" he asked, and laid a hand on her shoulder.
She threw him off imperiously.
"Please do not touch me. And please do not look so surprised that I do not wish you to touch me; I am not one of your Lucys and Clementines!”
It was out. She, who had intended to be so cold and haughty, had been betrayed by that tone of hers. He recoiled as if from an unexpected blow. What had he hoped? That she would never discover? To tell her himself some day ... years ahead?
I shouldn't have told, thought Margery miserably. In a minute he'll want to know who told her, and she'll tell him, and that'll be the end of me as fat as. he's concerned.
"You have been listening to evil tales of me.”