“You misjudge me. Moreover I suspect you of evading the question. You do not dislike me?”
“You must know that I do not.”
“I believe you enjoy these encounters, these verbal fireworks. Do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Ah. I have wrung an admission from you. I have the impression that you continually seek to evade me which can only be because I am not free to make an honourable proposal of marriage to you and your upbringing would not allow you to accept any other. That’s true, is it not?”
Once more I hesitated too long.
He said: “You have answered me.”
We cantered back to the castle side by side.
IV
“Cousin!”
The voice floated down to me, light, scarcely audible in the evening air. I had taken a short walk out of doors in the castle gardens.
Looking up, I saw the Comtesse stretched out on a chaise-longue on the balcony above me.
“Madame?” I said, standing still and gazing up.
Her pale face looked down at me.
“Could I interrupt your walk? I should like to speak to you.”
“Certainly.”
“Come up. The steps will lead you right up to the terrace.”
I did as she bid me, feeling a little disturbed which was understandable considering the attitude her husband had taken towards me.
I mounted the stone steps. She was right. They did take me to her terrace which jutted out from her bedchamber. This was of course not the medieval part of the castle, but part of the comfortable, luxurious later addition.
“It has been warm today,” she said.
“I thought a little air would be good for me.” She smiled at me.
“It must seem odd to someone as healthy as you are to hear people speak continually of their health.
Do sit down. “
I sat.
“I suppose when one has good health one is inclined to take it for granted and forget about it,” I answered.
“Exactly. How fortunate not to have to worry all the time what effect things are going to have on you. It is easy to see you enjoy good health. Cousin. Tell me, how are you getting on here? Does it seem strange to you after your school? I am grateful for what you are doing for my daughter.”
“It is what I am paid to do, Madame.”
“But may I say you are doing it very well indeed.” She shifted on her couch.
“I think the air has given me a headache. I shall have to ask Nou-Nou to prepare a poultice to lay across my forehead. She has an excellent one made from Jupiter’s Beard. You look puzzled. You are wondering what that is. One can’t live with Nou-Nou without learning about these things. It’s one of her special plants and like so many of them it is said to be a talisman against evil spells. I can see, Cousin, that you are sceptical. Do you not believe in evil spells?”
“I don’t think I do.”
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that a witch is involved with weird incantations and so on. Evil spells can come about in the most natural ways. There are some people who never bring good to anyone. They could be said to give out evil.”
“I suppose that could be true.”
“It is always well to avoid such people. Don’t you agree, Cousin?”
I wished she would not call me “Cousin’. She did it with a certain irony. There was something behind it; something behind her desire to see me.
“Certainly it would be,” I agreed.
“I knew you would share my view. You are such a sensible young woman.
Margot talks a great deal about you. She thinks you are the fount of wisdom. gather that my husband has quite a good opinion of your capabilities. “
“I was unaware of that,” I said.
“Unaware of my husband’s opinion? Is that really so?”
“I… I did not know his opinion of me.”
She smiled slowly.
“I felt sure he had made it clear that he finds your company interesting. He does like the society of women … if they are young, handsome and not without some intelligence. They become flattered and forget his position and that with him it is but a fleeting interest.”
“I could never forget the Comte’s position … nor my own,” I said sharply.
She looked down at her delicate hands.
“He is my husband, after all,” she said.
“That is something he cannot forget, though others might.”
’ should never forget that, Madame;’ I retorted. I was uncomfortable, embarrassed and angry. I wanted to convey that her husband was perfectly safe from me.p>
“I can see you are sensible,” she commented.
Thank you. I shall shortly be returning to England. “
“Ah!” It was a long-drawn-out sigh.
“I think that is very wise of you.” She was silent for a few moments and I had the impression that she regretted having spoken so frankly. She went on conversationally:
“From what Margot tells me it is rather different in England.”
“Yes indeed.”
“I scarcely move from here,” she went on.
“With my husband it is different, of course. It is rarely that I have known him stay in the chateau for such a long time. He is restless. Moreover, it is necessary for him to spend a great deal of time in Paris … while I stay here with NouNou.”
“Who, I know, is a great comfort to you.”
“I can’t think what I should do without her. She is my friend, my companion, my watchdog.” She waved her hand.
“When darkness falls I feel afraid. I always did in the dark. Do you. Cousin?”
“No,” I replied.
“You are brave. I knew you would be. I have often watched you in the garden … you and Margot together. And I have seen you come in from riding with my husband. Well, Margot will soon be married and you will go back to England. That is for the best. Cousin. I am glad you see it so. I should like your adventure in my country to bring you happy memories when you go back to England.” She was looking at me steadily.
A moment ago she had been warning me to keep away from her husband as any jealous wife might. That was reasonable. After all, he was her husband. Now her warning was of a different kind. What had she meant about Nou-Nou’s being her watchdog? The Comte is a dangerous man, she was telling me. Be wary of him. She had no need to tell me that. “Yes,” she repeated, ‘you should go back to your own country. There is nothing good for you here. Oh dear! ” She put her hand to her head.
“My head throbs so. Go into the room and find Nou-Nou. Ask her to make up the Jupiter’s J Beard poultice, will you?”
” It was dismissal. I went through the glass doors into the room.
Nou-Nou came bustling in and I gave the order.
She tut-tutted.
“Called you up, did she? She knows it tires her to talk. And she would go out. I knew it was not good for her. Headache, is it? My Jupiter’s Beard will soon put paid to that. You came up by the garden stairs, I suppose?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Well, you can go back that way if you like. Tell her I’ll have her poultice in next to no time, and first I’m going to bring her in.”
I went out on to the terrace. The Comtesse was lying back with her eyes closed. It was an indication that she had nothing more to Say to me and I was dismissed.
I was still smouldering with anger and humiliation. When I was with her I had not realized the enormity of what she was hinting. First she had warned me to keep off her husband because he was married to her and not free to dally with me. How insulting I As if I were not aware of that! Then she had changed her mood and warned me against him, which had seemed quite sinister, as though there were some dark forces in him of which I was unaware.