Justice Is a Woman (15 page)

knee. However, her tactful ness did nothing to soften the expression on her sister’s face.

She saw that

Elaine was on her high horse and she didn’t have to make a guess at what had put her

there, for Lady

Mary, she imagined, was an expert at hoisting people into this position.

“He looks healthy. Who does he take after?” She lifted her eyes from the child to Elaine and said

bluntly, “Not you; I’d say his father.

Yes, I remember him; I met him at the station. Roughly handsome individual if I

remember correctly.

Yes, roughly handsome. Men are more attractive when they’re roughly handsome. People

who are too

handsome or too beautiful lose something. For my own taste, give me a plain individual; they’re always

more interesting, like your sister there. “ She now nodded towards Betty, who

compressed her lips and

made a slight motion with her head at the split compliment; and the next moment she

understood the

reason for the expression on Elaine’s face, for the old lady went on, “ If you’ve got to live with anyone

for any length of time, good looks can become an irritation. They intrude; they make you aware of age.

But personality, no, that entertains you. And you know something? “ She now stubbed

her finger over

the baby’s head and towards Elaine’s breast as she ended, “ That’s the greatest asset in life, to be an

entertainer; in one way or another to be an entertainer. “ Now she twisted her head round and thrust her

chin up towards Betty and demanded, “ When will you be ready to leave? “

“Oh now. Lady Mary ...”

“Never mind. Oh now. Lady Mary, you told me you’d come to me once the child was

born.”

“That isn’t quite correct. I said I would stay here as long as I was needed.”

“Well, she’s all right, and up.” She did not deign to look at Elaine now but thumbed

towards her.

“And she’s quite old enough to look after herself and the child, I should say. And I notice servants

running about; I’ve seen a man and two maids already, as well as that black man who is the chauffeur.

You have as many here as Sarah has.”

“She’s not leaving.”

Now the old lady jerked her head in Elaine’s direction and she stared at her for a moment before she

said, “You’ve said that once already but, as I’ve already asked you, do you rule her life?

i43 She’s an

independent woman, she can go where she likes; and if I know anything she’ll go where the need is most,

and I think that my need is greater than yours.” She now nodded her head at Elaine; then, quickly turning

her attention to Betty again, she said, “Well, what about it?”

Betty walked slowly forward until she was standing against the old lady’s chair and she said softly, “I’m

very sorry but... but I can’t leave her just at present.”

They stared at each other. Betty’s expression was sad and the old lady’s, at that moment, was slightly

pathetic, yet her voice was as strident as ever as she demanded, “Are you here for life then?”

“Oh, no, no; I can go ...”

“She’s here for as long as she wishes to stay. She’s my sister and this is her home,”

Elaine said stiffly.

The old lady now drew herself to her feet with Betty’s assistance, and she adjusted her stole, smoothed

her brown silk gloves over the backs of her hands, gave her body a little shake, very much like a hen

would do after a dust bath, then turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

Betty did not look towards Elaine before she followed Lady Ambers, and once out on the landing she

hurriedly caught hold of the old lady’s arm, saying gently, “That is the wrong way; the stairs are this way.”

Lady Ambers did not speak until they reached the hall and there, making an effort to

subdue her voice,

she said, “I find your sister an objectionable person. I knew at our first meeting that I shouldn’t like her.

She is a selfish creature; it shows in her face, petty and peevish. I know the type, I’ve met scores of

them. You’re a fool. Do you know that?” She was poking her face towards Betty now.

“And a double fool for allowing yourself to be used. But there’ll come a time, you mark what I say,

young woman, there’ll come a time when you want to be away from here and the

claustrophobic

atmosphere of that room. She pretends the boot’s on the other foot, but I could read

through her. Do

you know what she said to me? She said you had more need of her than she had of you.

Her tune was

different before you came in: it was then as if she were conferring a favour on you, and I picked it up and

told her that, from my short acquaintance with you, you weren’t the kind of person to accept favours

lightly. If you had been sensible you and I would have been away into the sunshine long before now ...

I’m leaving tomorrow. It seems that James doesn’t want to die and Sarah is getting on my nerves.

They’re so old-fashioned, so behind the times. Well, miss, I’ll keep in touch because—’

Her voice

dropped almost to a murmur and, looking straight into Betty’s eyes, she said, “ I don’t know why this

should be, but I’ve got a strong feeling that you and I will come together through a

reciprocal need. I’ve

only had this feeling once before in my life and it turned out to be correct. “ She bounced her head now,

then took two paces towards the door, stopped again and looked at Betty, saying very

quietly and

formally, “ Goodbye, Miss Burton,” and Betty answered, “ Goodbye, i45 Lady Mary. “

Then keeping a

short distance behind her, she followed her through the door that Duffy was holding

open, and down the

steps to where her man, Hammond, waited beside the carriage door. Not until the carriage had

disappeared around the curve in the drive did she turn about and go back into the house, and as she

crossed the hall and made for the stairs Ella appeared as though from nowhere, saying quietly, “ I’ve

popped you a tray in the breakfast-room, miss, sandwiches and that. “

Betty paused, nodded at the girl, then said, “Thank you, Jane. Thank you.”

In the breakfast-room she sat down by the side of the table and, reaching out

absentmindedly, picked up

a sandwich from the plate and nibbled at it. But after the first bite she hastily replaced it on the plate; she

didn’t like to eat sandwiches in the middle of the morning. It was kind of Jane to bother, but she had

indicated to her before that she wasn’t very fond of sandwiches.

At this moment, she was experiencing a deep feeling of regret and a strong wish to be in that carriage

bowling along the road, sitting by the side of that strange but entertaining old woman, that vital old

woman, that wise old woman, and now she gave an audible small mirthless laugh that

utterly tactless old

woman.

It was strange the way she had made the prophecy that they would need each other some time, and it

was a little frightening, too, because she felt there was truth in it . And Elaine had indicated that, in a way,

the boot was on the other foot, hadn’t she? And that she wasn’t so much needed as

needing? Well,

perhaps she was right in that assumption, because she did have the desire, above all

things, to be one of a

family. She needed to be one of a family; she needed to belong to some place, to

someone. But at the

same time, Elaine needn’t have put it like that. But then Elaine had never been able to give freely: she had

always taken, grabbed with both hands, and when she did give, it was reluctantly .. Was she like that

with Joe ?

she wondered.

She had risen from the seat and was about to go from the room when she realised she

hadn’t touched

the coffee. It would upset Jane if she didn’t make a show of eating and drinking, so she finished the

sandwich, ate a biscuit and washed them down with the cup of coffee, then went upstairs.

Before she

reached the landing she heard the child crying, and as she went towards the bedroom door Nellie

emerged with the baby in her arms, and she said to her, “Put him in the cot;

I’ll be there in a moment or so. “

Inside the bedroom, they looked at each other in silence, and Betty made no move to

break it until

Elaine burst out, “Well! Say something. Tell me what you’re missing, what you’ve given up for my sake.”

When Betty still made no reply but went to a chest of drawers and took from the top of it a small pile of

freshly laundered night dresses and bed i47 jackets and arranged them in the middle

drawer, Elaine cried

at her, “How you can even tolerate her I don’t know. She’s a horrible creature, a frump.

Her clothes

stink with age; she’s a poisonous old witch; and she’s half mad.”

“She’s not half mad.” Betty swung round.

“If you were half as wise as she is, you’d do. Nor do her clothes smell with age. They may be old

fashioned but they’re beautiful clothes; she’s a nice person, a thoughtful person.”

“Thoughtful? Don’t be silly; she’s as selfish as they come.”

“Then there’s a pair of you. At least with her I’d know where I stood: I would receive a salary; I

wouldn’t have to wait for a few pounds to be doled out to me when the mood took her.”

She wasn’t aware that the door had opened. Even when Elaine’s gaze was switched from

her to the

side, so deep was her anger, so loud her voice, coupled with the child’s crying coming from the nursery,

it smothered the soft opening of the door, and when she swung round and saw Joe

standing there, she

wished for the earth to open up and swallow her. She put her hand over her mouth and, dashing past

him, went from the room.

Slowly, Joe closed the door behind her. But he didn’t make his way towards Elaine; he just stood

looking at her over the distance, and she cried at him, high and peevishly, “Now don’t you start! I’ve

had enough for one morning. That dreadful woman’s been here trying to take her away.

She upset me

and and when I told Betty she was a poisonous old witch, she got on her hind legs in her defence.” Now

Joe began to walk slowly across the room and when he stood in front of her, he said

quietly, “I don’t

know anything about that, but I just heard the last bit. Do you mean to say you haven’t been giving Betty

anything all these months unless she asked for it?”

“No, no;

you’ve got it wrong. “

“Then you explain it.”

“Whenever she needs anything I give it to her.”

“But she’s got to ask for it?”

“Well’ she tossed her head impatiently “ I can’t always remember. “

“I’ve doubled your allowance since Betty came. Perhaps you remember my saying that I

didn’t like to

offer her a wage but I’d leave it to you. How could you! How could you be so mean!”

“Don’t you dare speak to me like that. Don’t you dare suggest I’m mean; it never crossed my mind. I

... I say to her, there’s money in the drawer if you need it.”

“And how much do you keep in the drawer? Two pounds? Five pounds? A hundred

pounds a month

now goes into your private account. Well, from now on it’ll go back to fifty and I’ll see that Betty

doesn’t have to beg for what is hers from now on.”

Joe! Joe

He paused by the door and turned towards her. The tears were raining down her face; she was lying

back in the chair now, her two hands cupping her cheeks, and she whimpered, “Don’t ...

Don’t be like

that, please. I can’t bear it. I tell you, it was just thoughtlessness on my part.

Only a few weeks ago I bought her a dress and coat and .. “ He was back at her side.

“All right, all right. Stop it! Stop it!”

“Don’t say I am mean.”

“All right. All right.”

“And ... and don’t let her go. Don’t let her leave, will you?”

“I

certainly won’t let her leave if I can help it. But it’s up to you;

you’re the one that can either keep her or make her go. “

“I’ll be thoughtful. I will, I will, Joe. I feel so weak, so tired. I’m ..

I’m not selfish. Say I’m not selfish. “

“You’re not selfish. There now; dry your eyes.”

“You don’t think I’m an awful person?”

“No; I could never think you’re an awful person. You know what kind of a person I think you are.”

“I love you, Joe.” Her arms came round his neck and brought him to his knees by her

side, and when

his head lay pressed between her scented breasts she stroked his hair and murmured, “I’d die if you

stopped loving me,” and he murmured back, “Then you’ll live for ever, for ever and

ever.”

From her sitting-room window Elaine could see over the far hedge the top of the car as it approached

the gates; then because of the trees on the drive it was blocked from her view, but she knew that if it

continued towards the house without stopping she would see it again by the time she had counted fifteen

seconds. Today, however, as yesterday and the day before, it did not reappear at the end of her

counting.

Yesterday he had been fifteen minutes late for lunch and his apology had been: “Sorry; I’ve been held

up.” It had been as much as she could do not to ask him if he was held up for the same reason as on the

previous day.

This was too much. What was it about those two that attracted him . ? But there weren’t two; for the

past three days there had been only one, that girl, for her husband had been in hospital since Monday

with an ear infection.