"Yes, quite all right, Elgin," Clarissa replied."The taxi has come for us," the butler explained. "Supper is laid all ready in the dining-room." He was about to go, but then turned back to Clarissa. "Do you want me to shut up in here, madam?" he asked, keeping an eye on Costello as he spoke."No, I'll see to it," Clarissa assured him. "You and Mrs. Elgin can go off for the evening now."
"Thank you, madam," said Elgin. He went to the hall door and turned to say, "Good night, madam."
"Good night, Elgin," Clarissa responded.
Costello waited until the butler had closed the door behind him before he spoke again. Then, "'Blackmail' is a very ugly word, Clarissa," he pointed out to her somewhat unoriginally. "You should take a little more care before you accuse people wrongfully. Now, have I mentioned money at all?"
"Not yet," replied Clarissa. "But that's what you mean, isn't it?"Costello shrugged his shoulders and held his hands out in an expressive gesture. "It's true that we're not very well off," he admitted. "Miranda has always been very extravagant, as you no doubt know. I think she feels that Henry might be able to spare her a much larger allowance. After all, he's a rich man."Clarissa went up to Costello and faced him squarely. "Now listen," she ordered him. "I don't know about Henry, but I do know about myself. You try to get Pippa away from here, and I'll fight you tooth and nail." She paused, then added, "And I don't care what weapons I use."Apparently unmoved by her outburst, Costello chuckled, but Clarissa continued, "It shouldn't be difficult to get medical evidence proving Miranda's a drug addict. I'd even go to Scotland Yard and talk to the Narcotic Squad, and I'd suggest that they keep an eye on you as well."Costello gave a start at this. "The upright Henry will hardly care for your methods," he warned Clarissa."Then Henry will have to lump them," she retorted fiercely. "It's the child that matters. I'm not going to have Pippa bullied or frightened."At this point, Pippa came into the room from the hall. Seeing Costello, she stopped short and looked terrified."Why, hello, Pippa," Costello greeted her. "How you've grown."Pippa backed away from him as he moved towards her. "I've just come to make some arrangements about you," he told her. "Your mother is looking forward to having you with her again. She and I are married now, and – "
"I won't come," Pippa cried hysterically, running to Clarissa for protection. "I won't come. Clarissa, they can't make me, can they? They wouldn't – "
"Don't worry, Pippa darling," Clarissa said soothingly, putting her arm around the child. "Your home is here with your father and with me, and you're not leaving it."
"But I assure you – " Costello began, only to be interrupted angrily by Clarissa. "Get out of here at once," she ordered him.
Mockingly pretending to be afraid of her, Costello put his hands above his head and backed away."At once!" Clarissa repeated. She advanced upon him. "I won't have you in my house, do you hear?"Miss Peake suddenly entered through the French windows, carrying a large garden fork. "Oh, Mrs. Hailsham-Brown," she began, "I – "
"Miss Peake," Clarissa interrupted her. "Will you show Mr. Costello the way through the garden to the gate onto the golf links?"Costello looked at Miss Peake, who lifted her garden fork as she returned his gaze."Miss... Peake?" he queried."Pleased to meet you," she replied robustly. "I'm the gardener here."
"Indeed, yes," said Costello. "I came here once before, you may remember, to look at some antique furniture."
"Oh, yes," Miss Peake replied. "In Mr. Sellon's time. But you can't see him today, you know. He's dead."
"No, I didn't come to see him," Costello declared. "I came to see... Mrs. Brown." He gave the name a certain emphasis."Oh, yes? Is that so? Well, now you've seen her," Miss Peake told him. She seemed to realize that the visitor had outstayed his welcome.
Costello turned to Clarissa. "Goodbye, Clarissa," he said. "You will hear from me, you know." He sounded almost menacing."This way," Miss Peake showed him, gesturing to the French windows. She followed him out, asking as they went, "Do you want the bus, or did you bring your own car?"
"I left my car round by the stables," Costello informed her as they made their way across the garden.
CHAPTER SIX
AS SOON as Oliver Costello had left with Miss Peake, Pippa burst into tears. "He'll take me away from here," she cried, sobbing bitterly as she clung to Clarissa."No, he won't," Clarissa assured her, but Pippa's only response was to shout, "I hate him. I always hated him."Fearing that the girl was on the verge of hysteria, Clarissa addressed her sharply, "Pippa!"Pippa backed away from her. "I don't want to go back to my mother, I'd rather die," she screamed. "I'd much rather die. I'll kill him."
"Pippa!" Clarissa admonished her.
Pippa now seemed completely hysterical. "I'll kill myself," she cried. "I'll cut my wrists and bleed to death."Clarissa seized her by the shoulders. "Pippa, control yourself," she ordered the child. "It's all right, I tell you. I'm here."
"But I don't want to go back to Mother, and I hate Oliver," Pippa exclaimed desperately. "He's wicked, wicked, wicked."
"Yes, dear, I know. I know," Clarissa murmured soothingly."But you don't know." Pippa now sounded even more desperate. "I didn't tell you everything before – when I came to live here. I just couldn't bear to mention it. But it wasn't only Miranda being so nasty and drunk or something, all the time. One night, when she was out somewhere or other, and Oliver was at home with me – I think he'd been drinking a lot – I don't know-but – " She stopped, and for a moment seemed unable to continue. Then, forcing herself to go on, she looked down at the floor and muttered indistinctly, "He tried to do things to me."Clarissa looked aghast. "Pippa, what do you mean?" she asked. "What are you trying to say?"Pippa looked desperately about her, as though seeking someone else who would say the words for her. "He – he tried to kiss me, and when I pushed him away, he grabbed me, and started to tear my dress off. Then he – " She stopped suddenly, and burst into a fit of sobbing."Oh, my poor darling," Clarissa murmured, as she hugged the child to her. "Try not to think about it. It's all over, and nothing like that will ever happen to you again. I'll make sure that Oliver is punished for that. The disgusting beast. He won't get away with it." Pippa's mood suddenly changed. Her tone now had a hopeful note, as a new thought apparently came to her. "Perhaps he'll be struck by lightning," she wondered aloud."Very likely," Clarissa agreed, "very likely." Her face wore a look of grim determination. "Now pull yourself together, Pippa," she urged the child. "Everything's quite all right." She took a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Pippa. "Here, blow your nose." Pippa did as she was told, and then used the handkerchief to wipe her tears off Clarissa's dress.
Clarissa managed to summon up a laugh at this. "Now, you go upstairs and have your bath," she ordered, turning Pippa around to face the hall door. "Mind you have a really good wash – your neck is absolutely filthy." Pippa seemed to be returning to normal. "It always is," she replied as she went to the door. But, as she was about to leave, she turned suddenly and ran to Clarissa. "You won't let him take me away, will you?" she pleaded."Over my dead body," Clarissa replied with determination. Then she corrected herself. "No – over his dead body. There! Does that satisfy you?"Pippa nodded, and Clarissa kissed her forehead. "Now, run along," she ordered.
Pippa gave her stepmother a final hug and left. Clarissa stood for a moment in thought, and then, noticing that the room had become rather dark, switched on the concealed lighting by a switch near the hall door. She went to the French windows and closed them, then sat on the sofa, staring ahead of her, apparently lost in thought.