“Yes?”
“You must be feeling very lonely.”
“I have my daughter … my grandmother.”
“But missing Philip?”
“Of course.”
“I always envied him.”
“Envied him? Why?”
“I envied him you.”
”I think I should go in.”
“Not yet. Lenore, why are you so stubborn?” He pulled me towards him and held me firmly.
“I want to go back to the house,” I said.
“Not yet.” He smiled and kissed me. “Still a bit of a spitfire, eh?”
I struggled free. “Charles, I will not tolerate …”
“You must be lonely. I could change that.”
“I told you long ago. You know what happened then.”
His brow darkened. He was remembering Drake Aldringham, the magnificent friend whom he had been so proud to bring home and the manner in which Drake had left the house.
“You give yourself airs,” he said. “Who are you, anyway?”
“I am Lenore Sallonger, your brother’s widow.”
“You managed to catch him. He was easy prey, wasn’t he?”
“How dare you say such things!”
“Oh?” he said looking about him. “Do you think I’m afraid of ghosts? This is where they found him. Why did he do it, Lenore? What did he find out about you? Why? You must know if anyone does.”
I turned to go but he caught me again. “I have always had a fancy for you,” he said. “There’s something deep in you. I want to find it. I want to know what caught Philip and what made him take his life. I know it was because of you,”
“It was not. It was not,” I cried.
There was a struggle. He was pulling at my blouse. Suddenly my rage gave way to terror. He had a distorted mind. I knew what was in it. He wanted to make love to me here … where Philip’s body had been found. There was something macabre about it; something which appealed to his warped notions. I fought wildly. He was stronger than I. I prayed to myself: Oh God, save me. Help me escape from this evil man.
“You’re not getting away now,” he said. “Why should you? You come to our house … you live in luxury… . You have to earn it, Madam Lenore. Don’t be a little fool. You and I were made for each other. We are two of a kind.”
My strength was failing. He had thrown me to the ground and was ready to leap upon me.
“Lenore!” The voice broke in on my terror like a sign from heaven.
It was Cassie. She had come to look for me. Oh God bless Cassie, I thought.
Charles stood back abashed, furious. I scrambled to my feet trying to adjust my torn clothes.
Cassie came into view.
“I guessed you’d be here. Why, Lenore … Charles …”
“Cassie,” I said, “thank God you came. I’m going back to the house now. Come with me.”
Together we walked back through the forest, Charles standing there, staring after us.
Cassie was horrified.
“He … he was attacking you?”
“Cassie, I shall never cease to be grateful to you for coming when you did.”
“I’m …so glad. It was horrible. Charles …”
”I think Charles has always hated me in a strange way. I can’t talk about it.”
We reached the house.
“I have to see Grand’mere right away,” I said. “You come with me.”
Grand’mere was in the workroom. When she saw me she gave a little cry of horror. I fell into her arms. I was near hysteria. I stammered: “It was Charles. Cassie came in time or I think he would have … He was vicious. It was at that spot … where Philip was found. I think he found some satanic satisfaction because it was there.”
“He did this to you? He tore your clothes?”
I nodded.
“You must tell me all about it.”
“Cassie saved me,” I said.
“I went to look for Lenore,” said Cassie. “I know she goes there often. So I went and I saw …”
Grand’mere poured one of her concoctions into three glasses.
She said: “We have all had a great shock and what we have to do is think of what our next action will be.”
Cassie looked from one to the other of us.
”I cannot stay in this house,” I said. ”It is his house. I would never feel safe again.”
Grand’mere was nodding. “I have been thinking of this for some time,” she said. “I have always known that we could not stay. Katie is now a year old and we are ready. We must be ready now.”
I looked at her expectantly and I wanted to weep. She had always been there to solve my problems for me. Silently I thanked God for her as I had a short time before thanked Him for Cassie.
“You have your settlement,” went on Grand’mere, “the money Philip settled on you. It is a tidy sum and I have saved a little. Perhaps it is enough.”
“What is your plan, Grand’mere?”
”That we start our own establishment. We will have our dress salon. We will go to London and find the premises. We can work together. It is what I have always wanted … Independence. None could say I have not the experience.”
“Oh, Grand’mere,” I cried. “Could we?”
“We will, man amour. We will.”
Cassie was watching us intently. She said suddenly: “I want to come with you.”
“My dear child,” said Grand’mere, “it will be a venture. There are hazards.”
“I believe in it,” cried Cassie. “I have my little income. I can sew very well. You said so, Madame Cleremont. You won’t have to pay me. I just want to be part of it.”
“We shall have to see,” said Grand’mere.
Cassie stood up and ran to the dummies. She embraced Emmeline. “I am sure they know,” she said. “And they are very happy about it.”
We found that we could laugh. And I thought: It is what I want. I cannot stay here any longer than need be. I must get right away … soon.
Life which had gone on in the same pattern since the birth of Katie was filled with events.
In the first place we had to see the lawyers about the settlement and to our satisfaction learned that it would be quite in order for me to invest it in a business. That was the first step. Charles conveniently and characteristically left the very day of our encounter in the forest. I think he might have been ashamed. I was glad of it. I did not know how I could have confronted him; and the thought that I was living in his house was irksome.
First we had to find premises. We had decided that we would say nothing to Lady Sallonger until this was done, for we should certainly have opposition from that quarter.
Grand’mere and I went up to London leaving Cassie in charge of Katie. She was quite capable and was given instructions to get into touch with me at Cherry’s Hotel, where we were staying for two nights, if I should be needed.
We found the shop, just off Bond Street. It was smaller than we had visualized, but there was a sizeable room which would be suitable as a workroom, and a showroom. Moreover there was small but adequate living accommodation. The rent to us seemed exhorbitant, but after looking around we realized that we should have to pay highly for accommodation if we wanted it in fashionable London, which according to Grand’mere—and I agreed with her—was of vital importance.
So we had our premises. We bought some materials but Grand’mere had numerous remnants, left over from the bales which had always been regarded as her perquisites. She had been hoarding them for years with such a venture in mind. So we had some stock to start with.
We returned to The Silk House where Cassie was eagerly waiting to hear the result of our visit. Katie had behaved impeccably and there were no problems there. So we seemed set fair.
The next afternoon I decided to tell Lady Sallonger. Cassie was with me.
I said: “Lady Sallonger, I have some news. Grand’mere and I are going to set up in a shop.”