She realized that to her family Mrs Boynton loomed as a kind of powerful obscene idol. It was Sarah’s object to rob her of her more terrifying aspect.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘There’s a kind of disease of—of grandeur—that gets hold of people. They get very autocratic and insist on everything being done exactly as they say and are altogether very difficult to deal with.’
Carol put down her cup.
‘Oh,’ she cried, ‘I’m so glad to be talking to you. Really, you know, I believe Ray and I have been getting quite—well, quite queer. We’d get terribly worked up about things.’
‘Talking with an outsider is always a good thing,’ said Sarah. ‘Inside a family one is apt to get too intense.’ Then she asked casually: ‘If you are unhappy, haven’t you ever thought of leaving home?’
Carol looked startled. ‘Oh, no! How could we? I—I mean Mother would never allow it.’
‘But she couldn’t stop you,’ said Sarah gently. ‘You’re over age.’
‘I’m twenty-three.’
‘Exactly.’
‘But still, I don’t see how—I mean, I wouldn’t know where to go and what to do.’
Her tone seemed bewildered.
‘You see,’ she said, ‘we haven’t got any money.’
‘Haven’t you any friends you could go to?’
‘Friends?’ Carol shook her head. ‘Oh, no, we don’t know anyone!’
‘Did none of you ever think of leaving home?’
‘No—I don’t think so. Oh—oh—we couldn’t.’
Sarah changed the subject. She found the girl’s bewilderment pitiful.
She said: ‘Are you fond of your stepmother?’
Slowly Carol shook her head. She whispered in a low scared voice: ‘I hate her. So does Ray…We’ve—we’ve often wished she would die.’
Again Sarah changed the subject.
‘Tell me about your elder brother.’
‘Lennox? I don’t know what’s the matter with Lennox. He hardly ever speaks now. He goes about in a kind of daydream. Nadine’s terribly worried about him.’
‘You are fond of your sister-in-law?’
‘Yes, Nadine is different. She’s always kind. But she’s very unhappy.’
‘About your brother?’
‘Yes.’
‘Have they been married long?’
‘Four years.’
‘And they’ve always lived at home?’
‘Yes.’
Sarah asked: ‘Does your sister-in-law like that?’
‘No.’
There was a pause. Then Carol said:
‘There was an awful fuss just over four years ago. You see, as I told you, none of us ever go outside the house at home. I mean we go into the grounds, but nowhere else. But Lennox did. He got out at night. He went into Fountain Springs—there was a sort of dance going on. Mother was frightfully angry when she found out. It was terrible. And then, after that, she asked Nadine to come and stay. Nadine was a very distant cousin of Father’s. She was very poor and was training to be a hospital nurse. She came and stayed with us for a month. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to have someone to stay! And she and Lennox fell in love with each other. And Mother said they’d better be married quickly and live on with us.’
‘And was Nadine willing to do that?’
Carol hesitated.
‘I don’t think she wanted to do that very much, but she didn’t really mind. Then, later, she wanted to go away—with Lennox, of course—’
‘But they didn’t go?’ asked Sarah.
‘No, Mother wouldn’t hear of it.’
Carol paused, and then said:
‘I don’t think—she likes Nadine any longer. Nadine is—funny. You never know what she’s thinking. She tries to help Jinny and Mother doesn’t like it.’
‘Jinny is your youngest sister?’
‘Yes. Ginevra is her real name.’
‘Is she—unhappy, too?’
Carol shook her head doubtfully.
‘Jinny’s been very queer lately. I don’t understand her. You see, she’s always been rather delicate—and—and Mother fusses about her and—and it makes her worse. And lately Jinny has been very queer indeed. She—she frightens me sometimes. She—she doesn’t always know what she’s doing.’
‘Has she seen a doctor?’
‘No, Nadine wanted her to, but Mother said no—and Jinny got very hysterical and screamed, and said she wouldn’t see a doctor. But I’m worried about her.’
Suddenly Carol rose.
‘I mustn’t keep you up. It’s—it’s very good of you letting me come and talk to you. You must think us very odd as a family.’
‘Oh, everybody’s odd, really,’ said Sarah lightly. ‘Come again, will you? And bring your brother, if you like.’
‘May I really?’
‘Yes; we’ll do some secret plotting. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, too, a Dr Gerard, an awfully nice Frenchman.’
The colour came into Carol’s cheeks.
‘Oh, what fun it sounds. If only Mother doesn’t find out!’
Sarah suppressed her original retort and said instead, ‘Why should she? Good night. Shall we say tomorrow night at the same time?’
‘Oh, yes. The day after, you see, we may be going away.’
‘Then let’s have a definite date for tomorrow. Good night.’
‘Good night—and thank you.’
Carol went out of the room and slipped noiselessly along the corridor. Her own room was on the floor above. She reached it, opened the door—and stood appalled on the threshold. Mrs Boynton was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace in a crimson wool dressing-gown.
A little cry escaped from Carol’s lips. ‘Oh!’
A
