The Ivory Dagger (2 page)

Ray Fortescue got off her bus and walked up the street. She was wearing her new autumn suit, because nothing gives you so much confidence as to feel that you are looking your best. The suit was a success, and so was the little off-the-face hat that went with it. They were perfectly matched, and they were just two shades lighter than her dark brown hair. There was a spray of autumn leaves and berries on the hat, repeating the gay lipstick which went so well with the clear brown of her skin. She wasn’t a beauty, but she had her points, and she knew how to make the most of them. Her eyes were a clear amber with very dark lashes, and they were widely set. Her face showed balance, character, control, and she had the figure which most girls long for. It looked very well in the brown suit.

She rang the bell at the small house where the window-boxes were gay with asters against very bright green paint. Whatever Lady Dryden said and whatever Lady Dryden did, she was going to see Lila. Lila might call Lady Dryden Aunt Sybil and be well down under her thumb, but when all was said and done they weren’t really relations at all. Old John Dryden had adopted Lila, and then five years later Sybil had married him and more or less bullied him into his grave. She remembered his giving them sweets behind Sybil’s back, and always finishing up with ‘Better not let your aunt know. She thinks they’re bad for you. But’—chuckling—‘we know better, don’t we?’ Not an awfully good way to bring up a child, but that was the sort of thing that happened under a totalitarian regime.

Lady Dryden’s elderly parlourmaid opened the door.

‘Good afternoon, Palmer. I’ve come to see Miss Lila.’

Palmer looked down her long thin rose. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but with the best will in the world it didn’t really come off. Lady Dryden had the nose for it and Palmer hadn’t, but she went on trying.

‘Well, I don’t know, I’m sure, Miss Ray. She fainted this morning after her last fitting, and her ladyship was very particular she should be kept quiet.’

Ray’s spirits soared. Lady Dryden had obviously gone out. A nice colour came up in her cheeks. She smiled her wide, warm smile and walked into the hall.

‘Oh, yes—she is doing far too much. Get a big stick and keep out everyone but me! I don’t count, but everyone else can just go home again. Where is she—in her room?’

She was half-way up the narrow stair before Palmer could finish a ‘Well, her ladyship said—’ and round the turn before she gave up with a sniff and went back down the basement stairs. Her ladyship wouldn’t be pleased—she knew that well enough—but how was she going to stop Miss Ray? First cousins are not much different from sisters. And Miss Ray a bridesmaid too. She sniffed again and prepared to be aggrieved.

Lila was on the sofa. She looked lovely and fragile. She had a make-up box on her lap with samples of lipstick, rouge, and nail-polish. She had just been trying a sample called apple-blossom, and was contemplating the result in the ivory hand-glass which belonged to her new dressing-case. She was sorry about its being ivory, but Herbert wouldn’t hear of anything else. All the things were inlaid with a delicately traced initial in pale gold, and everyone admired them very much. She looked up when Ray came in, and said in a languid voice.

‘I’m trying all my samples. Do you like this apple-blossom thing?’

Ray sat down and gave the matter her critical attention.

‘Yes, it’s very good. You’d better stick to it. The lipstick is a marvellous match.’

‘They all go together. I’ve just done one nail with the polish. I thought it was good. I look frightful in most of the shades— they’re too bright.’

‘You can’t stand those bright things. I’ve told you so again and again.’

‘You wear them.’ Lila’s voice had a fretful tone.

Ray laughed.

‘Well, if I didn’t decorate the face a bit, no one would look at it. Anyhow it’s not your style. You stick to your apple-blossom, and you can hand me over all those nice barbaric shades.’

Lila pushed the box away.

‘I look frightful anyway,’ she said, ‘I fainted this morning whilst I was having that horrible wedding-dress tried on.’ There was just the least trace of satisfaction in the mournful tone.

Ray took a good deep breath.

‘If it’s horrible, why wear it?’

Lila laid down the ivory glass. Her hand shook. Her voice shook too.

‘Aunt Sybil chose it.’

‘Can’t you choose anything for yourself?’

‘You know I can’t.’

‘Not even the man?’

Lila began to cry in a gentle, childish manner. The tears welled up in her lovely eyes and trickled down over her lovely cheeks. Her lips quivered.

‘You know I can’t.’

Ray fished a clean handkerchief out of the pocket of her brown suit and tossed it over.

‘Stop it!’ she said briskly. ‘What’s the good of going on spilling the milk and then crying because it’s spilt? I’ve come here to tell you something, and you’ve got to dry your eyes and listen.’

Lila dabbed with the handkerchief.

‘Wh-what is it?’

‘I met Mr. Rumbold this morning.’

‘D-didyou?’

‘He said Bill was coming home.’

Lila stopped dabbling and said, ‘Oh—’

‘Tomorrow.’

Lila said ‘Oh—’ again.

‘Boat train from Southampton.’

Lila dropped her handkerchief. Her fingers twined helplessly.

‘What is the good?’

‘Well, there’s really nothing to stop you meeting the train, is there?’

‘I couldn’t!’

‘Oh, yes, you could. You could meet the train. You could tell Bill that Lady Dryden has bullied you into saying you’ll marry Herbert Whitall but you don’t want to, and what about it? I gather Bill’s due for a rise, and it only takes three days to get married. What about it?’ Lila sat bolt upright. She looked terrified.

‘I couldn’t—I couldn’t—I couldn’t! He didn’t write—he hasn’t written for ages. Aunt Sybil always did say it wouldn’t come to anything, and that just showed. And it wasn’t a real engagement—Aunt Sybil always said it wasn’t.’

Ray’s brows made a stern dark line above eyes that were bright with anger.

‘And what Aunt Sybil says goes? For God’s sake, Lila, wake up! It’s you and Bill who know whether you were engaged to each other, not Lady Dryden. If you were happy, I wouldn’t say a word. If you wanted to marry Herbert Whitall, I wouldn’t say a word. But you’re not happy. And you don’t want to marry him. And you’re of age. You’re perfectly free to walk out of this house and meet Bill Waring’s train. You’re like a rabbit in a trap. Well, the door is open and you can walk out. Are you going to be mesmerized into staying in the trap until the door isn’t open any more and you can’t get out?’

Lila went on looking terrified.

‘He didn’t write,’ she said.

‘He didn’t write because he couldn’t. He was in an accident— he’s been in hospital. Mr. Rumbold told me. But he’s all right again now, and he’s coming home tomorrow. What are you going to do about it?’

Two big tears ran down over the apple-blossom. Lila said faintly.

‘I can’t—I can’t do anything—’

‘You can—if you want to.’

She shook her head.

‘It’s too late. All the invitations have gone out—there are three hundred wedding presents. I can’t do anything now.’

On the last word the door was briskly opened and Lady Dryden came in.

Bill Waring jumped down on to the platform. He hailed a porter and directed him briefly, but all the time his eyes were on the barrier, looking for Lila. There was a bit of a crowd there— people waiting to get through for the next train. He would see her in a moment. He had sent off his cable and followed it up by a telegram from Southampton, so she was simply bound to be there. The trouble was he couldn’t see her. He hurried the porter, picked out his luggage, and went striding away to give up his ticket.

But when he had passed the barrier it wasn’t Lila who came up to him with both hands out, but Ray—Ray Fortescue with her shining eyes and her wide, warm smile. She said, ‘Oh, Bill!’ and before he knew what he was going to do he had kissed her. It happened just like that. Her mouth smiled, her eyes shone, and he kissed her. And why not? They had known each other long enough. She was Lila’s cousin, and the best friend in the world.

He kept his hold of her a hand on either side of her shoulders, and said,

‘Where’s Lila?’

‘She couldn’t come.’

A first premonitory fear made him say quickly,

‘She’s not ill?’

‘No.’

‘She’s not in town? But I wired to Holmbury as well—’ Ray Fortescue said,

‘She couldn’t come. Lady Dryden… Look here, I’ll tell you all about it—there’s been rather a hoo-ha. But we must get away from here. You’re coming back with me. Cousin Rhoda will be out. We’ll have the flat to ourselves, and I’ll tell you all about everything. Lila isn’t ill—she just couldn’t come. Look—that’s your porter, isn’t it? We’ll have to go and queue for a taxi.’

He gave her a long look before he let go. There was something up, but she wasn’t going to tell him what it was—not here. The deep antagonism which had always been between him and Sybil Dryden rose up in him. Lila was a great deal too much under her thumb. Just because your husband adopts a distant relation it doesn’t mean you’ve a right to own her body and soul. When they were married Lady Dryden was going to be put in her place. It was nice of Ray to come and meet him. He felt warmly towards her.

She walked beside him and made pleasant talk. Underneath she stiffened herself. If you’ve got to run knives into the person you love best in the world, well, you’ve got to. No good sickening and shrinking. It was better for her to do it than anyone else, because she loved him. She never made any bones about that. She loved Bill, and Bill loved Lila. As a matter of fact she loved Lila, too. You couldn’t help it. Lila was the sort of fragile, helpless creature who needed to be loved. But loving her wasn’t enough. Neither she, nor Bill, nor anyone else could speak with her voice and say no to Herbert Whitall and Sybil Dryden. Between them they gave her about as much chance as a gossamer thread would have in a roaring gale.

She looked at Bill and saw him grave, with a waiting look. He was thinner. His hair wanted brushing—the rough fair hair which never would lie down for very long. In his blunt-featured way he was as fair as Lila. He oughtn’t to have fallen in love with her, but of course he had. Those large men always did fall for something lovely and helpless.

Their eyes met.

‘What is it? Ray, what is it?’

Not here—not now. She said quickly as the taxi turned a corner,

‘You’re thinner.’

‘I was in a train crash. It knocked me out for a month.’

Ray felt her heart miss a beat. That was what could happen when seas divided you. He could be in a train smash—in hospital. He could have been dead and buried, and she wouldn’t have known—not till she met Mr. Rumbold as she had met him yesterday, by chance. He had said, ‘Waring’s back home tomorrow—Bill Waring.’ But if Bill had died out there in America she would have had to hear him say, ‘I suppose you’ve heard about Bill Waring. A train crash—shocking affair… Yes, he’s dead.’

She said, ‘Oh, Bill!’ and put her hand on his arm. She didn’t know that her colour was all gone, and that fear had brimmed up in her eyes. He laughed and said,

‘Don’t look like that—I’m all here. I cabled as soon as I came round, so I hope no one worried.’

She took her hand away.

‘I didn’t know—I don’t think anyone knew.’

He was frowning.

‘It’s the best part of three weeks since I cabled Lila. Haven’t you been seeing her?’

‘Not very often.’

‘Ray—what is all this? Why haven’t you seen her? Has she been ill? Have you quarrelled?’

‘No, of course not. She just hasn’t had time. Lady Dryden’s been rushing her off her feet—and you know what she’s like. Lila just can’t stand up to her.’

He turned away with an abrupt movement and sat staring out of the window for the rest of the way. But when they had paid off the taxi, and left the luggage in the hall, and gone up in the small automatic lift to the flat where Ray boarded with a middle-aged cousin, he turned round from shutting the sitting-room door and said bluntly,

‘What’s wrong? You’d better let me have it.’

Ray said, ‘Yes.’

She went over to the piano and stood there looking down at the polished rosewood top and stripping off her gloves. Cousin Rhoda always would keep flowers on the piano. The red and bronze chrysanthemums were reflected in the polished wood, their colours dimmed and withdrawn. She said slowly,

‘Yes, there’s something wrong.’

‘What is it?’

‘Haven’t you heard from Lila?’

‘No.’

She said, ‘Oh!’ It was an involuntary sound of pain. She came a step nearer. ‘She ought to have written—somebody ought to have written.’

‘What is it?’

After all, you can’t break bad news, you can only tell it. She made her voice steady and told him.

‘She is going to marry Sir Herbert Whitall.’

There was a frightful silence. Herbert Whitall’s name seemed to hang in it. It went on and on.

In the end Ray made herself move—look at him. He had the thick pale skin which sometimes goes with great physical strength. Now, with all the blood drained from it, he had a ghastly Mr. He said in a horrid strained voice,

‘It’s not true.’

Well, she had to convince him, push the knife right home and kill the thing which wouldn’t let go of its belief in Lila. It was quite horrible, but it had got to be done. She said, ‘Bill—’ And in a moment he had her by the shoulders.

‘It’s a lie! I say it’s a lie!’

She was held in a bruising grip. His eyes blazed, his voice came thick with stumbling words.

‘It’s a lie! She couldn’t—you’re making it up! Say it isn’t true!’

She said nothing at all, only let her eyes meet the fury in his with a long sorrowful look.

They stayed like that until suddenly he took his hands away and stood back.

‘I’m sorry.’ He looked at his hands in an odd bewildered manner, and then at her. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

Her bruised shoulders were rather a relief than otherwise, but she couldn’t tell him that. She said,

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘What’s been going on?’

‘You didn’t write. Lady Dryden made the most of that. Herbert Whitall made the running.’

He said in that stumbling voice,

‘I sent her a cable—three weeks ago. And one the day I sailed. I wrote five letters—after I came round—in the hospital.’

‘She hasn’t had them—I’m sure she hasn’t had them.’

‘Someone is going to pay for that.’

His voice had cleared and steadied. There was a frightening edge to it. She wanted to cry out. Instead she rushed into speech.

‘Bill—you mustn’t—it’s no good. I’ve done my best—I really have. I’d do anything—you know I would.’

‘Yes. It’s not your fault. I must see Lila.’

Ray looked at him. In her own mind something said, ‘You can’t help people who won’t help themselves. Lila won’t help herself.’ She stood silent because she had nothing to say.

And then Bill had himself in hand. Something closed down over the naked anger which had dominated him. She knew that it was there, but a door had been shut on it and a guard set. He began to fire questions at her.

‘Are they engaged?’

‘Yes.’

‘It’s given out?’

‘Yes.’

‘Rather fast work, wasn’t it? But they couldn’t afford to let the grass grow under their feet. I might have come home. I have come home. They’ve not been quite clever enough. Anything fixed about the wedding?’

‘Yes.’

‘When?’

She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She said,

‘Next week.’

There was no change in his face.

‘I’ve got to see her.’

‘Lady Dryden won’t let you in.’

He laughed.

‘Let her try and keep me out!’

Her colour rose. She came a step nearer.

‘Bill, that’s no good. If you crash your way in there’ll be a scene.’

‘Do you think I care?’

‘No, but Lila will. If there’s a scene she’ll be frightened, and if she’s frightened she’ll go to bits.’

He said with a sort of deadly calm,

‘I’m going to see her.’

‘It’s no good crashing in.’

He walked across to the window and came back again.

‘No—you’re right. I’ll see her here. Ring up and tell her to come round. Don’t say anything about me. Just get her to come.’

‘She’ll know you’re here.’

‘How?’

‘I told her. I tried to get her to come and meet the train.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said it was too late.’

Lila’s voice came to her with its plaintive note—‘All the invitations… three hundred presents…’ You couldn’t say that to Bill.

He said sharply,

‘It wouldn’t be too late if she was walking up the aisle! If I don’t see her anywhere else I’ll see her there! You’ll ring her up, and you’ll tell her I’m here. If she wants a scene I’ll come round and make one. If she doesn’t want a scene she’ll come here. Tell her that!’

The telephone stood on one of Cousin Rhoda’s gimcrack tables, its utilitarian outline disguised by a simpering doll with spreading green and lavender skirts which were rather the worse for the London grime. As Ray dialled she had the feeling that the numbers which she was releasing one by one were like birds flying—the like birds which had been released from the ark, floating in turmoil and tempest. The fantastic image passed through her mind and was gone. It left her with a sense of inevitability. Bill had told her to ring up, and she had rung, and now everything that was going to happen would happen.

The click of the receiver being lifted, and Palmer saying ‘Hullo!’ Her own voice quite smooth and steady.

‘Good evening, Palmer. It’s Ray Fortescue. Can I speak to Miss Lila?’

The line was very clear. Bill, standing behind her, could hear Palmer sniff. They could both hear her say,

‘They’ve gone down into the country, Miss Lila and her ladyship. A week-end party at Vineyards.’ She hung up. Bill said,

‘What’s Vineyards? Whitall’s place?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where?’

She told him.

He said, ‘Thanks,’ and went out of the room without another word. The door of the flat fell to behind him. Ray stood there and was afraid.