Page 117 of The House of Hopes and Dreams
‘But she didn’tmeanto hit him, Dad,’ Vicky said quickly. ‘I’d justtold her to take the next left turn when I spotted him and said, ‘That’s Carey Revell there, on that bike, Mum!’ That made her swerve, then she realized she’d almost missed the turn and turned sharply.’
‘And, having sent me flying into a parked car, kept going,’ Carey finished for her.
‘We thought she’d only just clipped your bike. We didn’t think it was serious,’ Vicky said. ‘Honestly, when we found out how bad it was later, we were both really upset.’
‘Well, that’s very consoling,’ Carey said drily. Maybe he was wondering, like I was, if it reallyhadbeen an accident.
‘I knew nothing about all this,’ Clem said, dropping his hands and showing us a harrowed and anguished face. He seemed to have aged ten years almost in an instant.
‘So … we might buy the idea that that one was an accident and Ella didn’t swerve into Carey on a sudden homicidal impulse,’ I said, summing things up. ‘But she certainly tried to dispose of me and I’m wondering if she could have been responsible for the stone ball that nearly killed Carey?’
‘No, that was me,’ Clem admitted shamefacedly, and Carey and I stared at him in astonishment.
‘I’d noticed it was loose the day before, so I’d taken an old beer crate down to stand on, so I could have a look. Then you turned up to see the film crew off and I was just standing there …’
‘Listening?’ I suggested, but he continued as if he hadn’t heard.
‘I lost my balance and the ball slipped and rolled off … and my heart nearly stopped until I heard you both speak,’ he finished.
‘Yeah, ours did much the same,’ Carey agreed blandly. ‘It didn’t occur to you to come and see if we were OK?’
‘No. I panicked, picked up the crate and beat it.’
‘You must have run like hell, because we spotted you on the terraces a few minutes later,’ I said.
‘I should have owned up to it. I’m sorry.’
‘Your family seem to have it in for me,’ Carey said.
‘Ihaven’t,’ Vicky protested. ‘Neither has Dad, really. He’s told you it was an accident. And Mum isn’t responsible for her actions.’
‘Oh, well, that’s all right, then. Let’s just call the whole lot acts of God and forget they ever happened, shall we?’ Carey said sarcastically.
‘You’re sooo kind,’ Vicky said, taking him seriously and giving him a watery smile. ‘Come on, Dad, we’d better go.’
‘Take the buggy down,’ I suggested. ‘We’ll pick it up from the Lodge later.’
It would have been a long hobble down the drive in broken stilettos.
I was afraid to read the rest of Lady Anne’s confession that night, and yet I felt impelled to go on and on to the end …
And what an end! I could hardly believe that the terrible events it described had really happened!
Despite my weariness, all hope of immediate sleep was dispelled. I longed for a hot drink to warm my chilled heart, but did not wish to ring for a maid at that hour, so decided to go downstairs myself.
But I was no more than a pace or two along the passage when I heard a cry from my husband’s room and, without pausing to think, opened the door and looked in.
I don’t think I will ever forget the sight that met my eyes: the firelight cast its glow over the entwined limbs of the two men, naked on the bed.
I must have made some small sound, for Ralph looked round and saw me … I fled back to my chamber where I must have fainted, for I awoke in my own bed, with Honoria and the maid flapping about in a great fuss.
‘Send the maid away, Honoria,’ I said. ‘I must talk to you.’
I could not believe that I had been both so innocent and so blind – but my revelation came as no surprise to Honoria. She said she had hoped marriage would change his ways … until the return of Mr Browne.
‘I suppose he married me because he wanted an heir,’ I said bitterly, and she asked me what I would do.
‘Keep to my room tomorrow, perhaps, until I have my ideas in more order,’ I said. ‘Later – I must see Ralph.’
