‘All right, Anna. But what do I do next – walk into the dining-room and say good morning as if nothing had happened?’
Anna nodded vigorously.
‘That will be the best thing. Yes, that will be much the best. I do not think that Miss Olivia will say anything. And if you say nothing and she says nothing’ – she brought her hands together with a clapping sound – ‘well, then there is nothing to be said. You have your breakfast in peace, you eat in peace. There is nothing at all so bad for the digestion as to quarrel when you are eating. No, no, no, for the good digestion there should be pleasant talk with friends, there should be smiles, there should be laughter. And that will do my poor Miss Cara good.’
Candida laughed.
‘A little optimistic, aren’t you, Anna? But I’ll do what I can for Aunt Cara’s sake.’
Anna smiled, nodded, and then turned suddenly grave again.
‘Oh, my poor Miss Cara!’ she said, and was in a hurry to go.
Seen by daylight the mark on Candida’s cheek really did show very little. Still it did show, and so did the scratch on her chin. She did what she could, yet when she met Derek on the stairs his eyebrows went up.
‘Hullo, what have you been doing to yourself? Had a rough house?’
She put her finger to her lip. There were footsteps on the landing above. As they glanced round, Miss Olivia came into sight. She wore a straight black woollen gown buttoned down the front, and a short coat of grey and violet stuff. Her hair shone. Her smooth sallow skin showed no trace of an emotional upset. She came down slowly and with her accustomed dignity to where they were waiting at the foot of the stairs. Arrived, she said good-morning first to Candida and then to Derek, and offered a cool cheek to each of them in turn.
Candida had not known that she would feel so much revulsion. The brief touch of that cold skin was horrible. It took her all she knew not to recoil from it.
Whatever Derek knew or didn’t know, he could always be counted on for a pleasant flow of words. He opined that it was going to be a fine day, and he talked about the party in a very lively manner. It did just occur to Candida that it wasn’t perhaps the safest subject in the world. Miss Olivia didn’t miss much, and she might have seen her step behind the curtain with Stephen. Perhaps she had. Perhaps that was at the back of her anger. Or if she had not actually seen them go, she might have missed them both and guessed that they were together. Impossible to say.
Miss Cara came down, shadowy in a replica of her sister’s clothes. And that was a mistake, for they made her look as if she had shrunk, or as if they really belonged to someone else.
When the little bustle of serving was over the talk went on again. Miss Cara said that it had been a nice evening, and that she had enjoyed seeing Louisa Arnold, but all in a little flat voice and without conviction.
Olivia Benevent sat up very straight.
‘Louisa is just as foolish and as voluble as she always was. She must have been a great trial to the Canon. But then Cathedral circles are always very gossipy, and I suppose he had become used to it.’
‘I always liked Louisa,’ said Miss Cara in a faint, obstinate voice. ‘I was very pleased to see her again. She was telling me that the cousin who is staying with her is really a very clever detective but she does not care about having it known.’
Miss Olivia gave a short scornful laugh.
‘Then how like Louisa to talk about it!’
Miss Cara persevered.
‘Her name is Maud Silver. Louisa says she has solved many difficult cases besides being an extremely expert knitter.’
It was when breakfast was over that Derek found himself summoned to the study. When the ladies had seated themselves Miss Olivia spoke in gracious tones.
‘We are very much pleased that you and Candida are now beginning to work at the family history.’
‘Well, she’s a lot better at it than I am.’
She smiled.
‘You will help each other, I have no doubt. It is not necessary to say who contributes the most. It is enough that you should be able to work pleasantly together. We have been very glad to see that you are making friends.’
Miss Cara echoed her.
‘We are so very glad.’
His attractive smile flashed out.
‘Well, I suppose you can say that we are both friendly people.’
Miss Olivia looked at him.
‘You would call Candida friendly?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘And attractive?’
He said, ‘Oh, very,’ and wondered where this was getting them.
‘She seemed to be a good deal admired last night. May I ask what terms you are on?’
‘Oh, the very best.’
Just as well to be hearty about it, but he did wish that she would stop.
She said in an alarmingly deliberate manner,
‘You would do well to consider whether they might not be even better.’ Then, after a pause, ‘Better – and closer.’
There didn’t seem to be any way out of asking her what she meant.
Miss Cara’s eyes went from one to the other, but she did not speak. He said,
‘I don’t think I know what you mean. We are very good friends.’
‘I mean that you might be something more.’
His ‘I don’t think so,’ set her frowning. She said very deliberately,
‘Candida is a Benevent. She is considered both pretty and charming. She will have a good deal of money.’ She forced her voice and made it say, ‘She will have Underhill.’
There was another pause. He would have to speak now, but just what was he going to say? Enough, but not too much. There was no sense in pulling the roof down over his head – nasty for him, nasty for Jenny, and nasty for Candida. He met Miss Cara’s anxious eyes. Her hands fluttered out a little towards him and drew back. Her ‘Don’t make Olivia angry’ was as plain as if the words had been spoken. He said,
‘Yes – ’
The frown deepened. Olivia Benevent spoke sharply.
‘My dear Derek, you are not really stupid, so why pretend that you are? You have already agreed with me that Candida is a charming girl, that she is much admired, and that you are very good friends. She comes of a family to which, I think we may say, you are already bound by ties of affection, and she will be a very considerable heiress. You are our adopted nephew. Owing to the terms on my grandfather’s will we are not in a position to make the provision for you which we should have wished. In an earlier and more practical age we should simply have arranged a marriage between you and our niece, and I have no doubt that it would have turned out very happily. As it is, all I can do is to point out the advantages of such a marriage.’
It was impossible to let her go on. He said in a protesting voice,
‘But my dears, she doesn’t care for me like that – she doesn’t really.’
Miss Olivia said, ‘Nonsense! You are here in the house with her – you have every opportunity of making love to her. But you are just throwing them away. I have been watching you, and you have simply been wasting your time. It cannot go on.’
He had remainded standing. He backed away now towards the window.
‘You know, you have got this all wrong – you really have. Candida wouldn’t have me if I asked her.’
‘You cannot know that unless you do ask her. She naturally would not make the first advances. She would expect you to let her see that you care for her.’
‘But I don’t. At least not like that.’
Miss Cara pressed a handkerchief to her eyes and spoke in a trembling voice.
‘She would make you very happy, my dear. She has a very kind heart.’
‘Dear Aunt Cara – ’
‘I have grown very fond of her. It would make me very happy.’
Well, there was nothing for it. He put out a hand towards them and said,
‘You know there is nothing I would like better than to please you, but it isn’t any good, because, you see, I am fond of somebody else.’