“Yes. I think it’s a good idea,” Joss said. There’ll be a lot of detail to discuss. ” He turned to me: ” Ezra Bannock is our manager-in-chief. He lives not far from hereabout five miles, actually, but that’s close out here. They have a homestead . he and his wife Isabel Isa. “
“So it will be for tomorrow then,” said Mrs. Laud.
That will do very well,” Joss told her.
“Oh,” cried Lilias, ‘we haven’t told Mr. Madden about Desmond Dereham.”
"What? “
Everyone seemed to be leaning forward in their seats . I with the rest.
“It came from the Trants,” said Mrs. Laud.
“Yes,” went on Jimson, ‘someone came to stay there just before me place was burned down. He had recently arrived from America and he said he had been with Desmond Dereham out there and’ that Desmond had died. They’d become friends and gone into business together, which was buying and selling precious stones, mainly opals.
Desmond was ill for some time, he was dying of some disease of the lungs and he told this man an extraordinary story about: the Green Bash. “
“What story?” demanded Joss.
“He swore he’d never stolen it. He said he had been tempted to and had been caught in the act of trying to take it by Ben himself. Ben had forced him either to face exposure or leave immediately, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. If he didn’t, Ben had said, he’d have him arrested for theft because he’d caught him red-handed. Ben told him that there’d be no future for him in Australia, he’d see to that. So he went to America.”
“And of course,” said Joss, ‘this story is being repeated all over the town. “
“People are talking of nothing else,” agreed Jimson.
“Apparently Desmond Dereham had said he had had nothing but bad luck since the night he had tried to steal the opal. He said that for a few minutes he had actually owned it because he held it in his hand and if Ben hadn’t come in and caught him, the stone would have been his … and that was why he had been unlucky ever since.”
“In that case,” said David, ‘where is the Green Flash? “
“According to Desmond Dereham it never left Ben’s possession,” said Jimson.
“In which case ifs either in England or here …” He was looking at Joss, “Unless you know …”
“I haven’t seen the Green Flash since the night it was sup posed to have been stolen,” said Joss.
“I hope people are not making too much of this story about opals being unlucky. It’s bad for business. Stop it when you can’ The Green Flash has had rather a history,” said David Croissant.
Well, don’t let’s dwell on it, “retorted Joss, ” I wonder if that fellow was telling the truth,” went on David.
“If so, it’ll be a matter of finding where Ben has hidden the Green Flash.”
“Would you like a little more of this apple pie, Mr. Madden?” asked Mrs. Laud.
“I made it especially, knowing it was one of your favourites.” , Joss said he would and began to talk about our journey out from England. It was clear that he was dismissing the subject of the Green Flash.
Coffee was served in a small parlour close to the dining room.
Tomorrow,” said Joss to me, ” Mrs. Laud will show you round Peacocks while I go into the town to see what’s been happening during my absence. Later on I’ll take you in and explain a few things to you.”
“That will be very interesting,” I said.
The bedroom looked very different by candlelight. He had called it the bridal chamber and the four-poster bed was overpowering. Of course it had never been a bridal chamber. The house had been built by Ben, and he had never married.
I sat down at the dressing-table and took the pins out of my hair letting it fall about my shoulders. Images passed in and out of my mind-scraps of conversation came back to me. The Lauds, so meek and unassuming, interested me. There was something I didn’t understand about them . secretive, was it? I thought of Lilias who seemed to watch me so intently. Was she emotionally involved with Joss? Jimson was meek enough but when they had talked about how he was conducting the department since Tom Paling’s accident, had I detected something. ? I wasn’t sure what.
It was clear that I myself was a little strung up emotionally. It had been such a strange day. Too much had happened and my imagination was running amok.
I took off my dress and put on a dressing-gown part of the trousseau which my grandmother had insisted that I have. It was made of red velvet and was I thought becoming.
I sat down at the mirror and started to brush my hair. My reflection looked back at me-wide-eyed, a little apprehensive, watchful, waiting.
I could see the room reflected behind me . the posts of the bed, the curtained window, the shadowy furniture and I thought of my room at the Dower House where my naughty ancestress Margaret Clavering looking down at me was supposed to provide a lesson. I thought how safe it was. Safe! That was the word which occurred to me.
Then suddenly I was so startled that I caught my breath and listened.
It was a footstep in the corridor. Someone was out there stealthily coming towards my room. Whoever it was had paused outside my door.
I half rose and as I did so there was a quiet knock.
“Who’s there?” I cried.
The door was opened and Joss stood there holding a candle in a silver candlestick.
“What do you want?” I cried in alarm.
To talk to you about the Flash. I think we ought to find it’ Now? “
The household is asleep. I was going to wait until Croissant had gone, but I’ve changed my mind. I can’t wait to see it. Can you? “
“No,” I answered.
Then there’s no time like the present We’ll go down now and see it.”
“And when we’ve found it?”
“We’ll leave it where Ben put it until we decide what to do about it.
Come on. “
I wrapped my dressing-gown more closely round me and he led the way to the drawing-room. He locked the door and lighted more candles. Then he went to The Pride of the Peacock, took it down and laid it face down on a table.
The spring Ben talked of would be somewhere here,” he said.
“Not easy to find, of course. That would have defeated the object if it had been. Hold the candle higher.”
I obeyed. Some minutes passed before he cried: “I have it. The back comes right off.”
He took it off and there in the right-hand corner of the picture was the cavity large enough to hold a big opal. Eagerly he explored the cavity.
“Jessica,” he whispered with a note of excitement in his voice, ‘you’re going to see the most magnificent thing you ever saw in your life . ” He stopped and stared at me.
“It can’t be … There’s nothing here. Look. Feel it. I put my fingers into the cavity. It was empty.
“Someone has been here before us,” he said briefly.
It was then, as we stood there looking at each other that I was sure I saw a shadow pass the window. I turned sharply but there was no one there.
“What’s wrong?” asked Joss quickly.
“I thought there was someone at the window.”
He took the candle from me and looked out. Then he said:
Wait a minute. ” He unlocked the door and hurried through the hall and out of the house. I saw him pass the window. I looked furtively over my shoulder, expecting, I did not know what.
In a short tune he was back.
There’s no one about. You must have imagined it I suppose mats possible,” I admitted.
“But I was almost sure…”
“Who could have known … ?” he murmured. Then he became brisk. The point is, what are we going to do? It looks as if someone discovered the hiding place before we did. We’ve got to find out who. and where the opal is. “
“How?”
That’s what I’m not sure of. There’s nothing to be done now but put the picture back and go to bed. I’ll decide tomorrow how we’ll tackle this. “