The Red Cliffs (27 page)

“
Of course.
”

“
Don
’
t be too sad, darling. What can I say in a case like this? All your beautiful work! I could kill that fiend.
”

“
But don
’
t, Neil, please.
”
She tried to be sensible and reasonable in the midst of all the surprising things that were happening.
“
After all, we don
’
t know that he did it.
”

“
No, but if not Falcon, then who could it be? Come back to the house, Alison, and the vicar will soon be here; and I
’
ll be back as soon as I can.
”

She looked at the pile of debris for the last time, and turned to go with Neil. He gave her a compassionate smile that was so tender and so affectionate that the impact of the tragedy was already lightened; and to give her something else to think about, he leaned down and kissed her gently and undemandingly on the lips.

Hugh Berritt arrived just before Neil left. His disappointment was so crushing that Alison felt herself obliged to comfort him. It was Corinne who took him out to the workshop, and who brought him back again looking quite stricken; and Corinne who sat them down to steaming coffee, and brought out brandy for them all.

“
You
’
re an angel,
”
said Alison.
“
I don
’
t know what I
’
d have done if you hadn
’
t been here, Corinne.
”
She felt oddly guilty on Corinne
’
s account because of Neil
’
s behaviour, but could find no shadow of sadness or reproach in Corinne.

“
And Neil has gone to see the Inspector?
”
asked Hugh.

“
Yes, but Roger Falcon first, I think.
”
And Alison explained why she imagined Roger to be the culprit.

“
There
’
s your poltergeist for you,
”
said Corinne.
“
I can
’
t think of anybody more likely to do malicious damage than Roger Falcon.
”
Corinne had never for one moment been deceived by him, and he had never appeared at the house, after the initial rebuffs, when she was there.

“
Of course,
”
said Alison, enlightened and hardly surprised.

“
There is absolutely nothing that can be retrieved from the wreck,
”
said the vicar.

“
Nothing,
”
said Alison. For a moment she had difficulty in keeping back fresh tears.
“
Never mind,
”
she said, smiling at Hugh.
“
Next year I
’
ll make you another one.
”

“
I would never dream of asking you again—after this.
”

“
And I couldn
’
t bear you to be disappointed
—
after this.
”

Gradually, Alison found herself settling down. By the time Neil returned she had changed her
working clothes for a dress, freshened up and hidden the tear stains beneath new make-up.

“
What happened?
”
they asked him eagerly.

“
Well, I don
’
t think there is much doubt about who did it,
”
said Neil,
“
but whether we are ever going to bring him to book is a different matter. I saw the Inspector and he
’
ll do what he can, but our friend Falcon is missing.
”

“
Missing?
”
exclaimed Alison, wondering, for one horrified moment, if Roger had committed suicide, and then realising that that was most unlikely.

“
Cleared out,
”
said Neil.
“
With all his possessions.
”

“
Oh, explain properly,
”
said Corinne with impatience.

“
When I got to Mrs. Simms
’
,
”
he said,
“
I found her almost in tears, and when I asked for Falcon, it appeared that he was the cause of her trouble, because he had done a moonlight flit, taking all his things with him and owing her a great deal of money. She was already so very upset that
I
didn
’
t think I was justified in adding to her distress, so I said nothing about what had happened here; and it turned out that it wasn
’
t so much the money that was worrying her as the fact that Falcon had promised to marry her!
”

“
No,
”
exclaimed Alison,
“
but Mrs. Simms is elderly!
”

“
Not as old as Falcon led you to believe, I daresay. She is past forty, but still quite attractive, and apparently Falcon had convinced her that he was serious. On the strength of that, he has lived in comfort as a lodger in her house for months, and has borrowed a good proportion of her life
’
s savings.
”

“
How low can a man go?
”
asked Corinne.

“
Not much lower than that,
”
said Neil.
“
And I think there is little doubt that he was responsible for what happened here. For one thing, I didn
’
t remember seeing such a heavy axe in Alison
’
s work-shop before, and asked Mrs. Simms if one was missing from her farm. One was missing, and I
’
m pretty sure that when we take this one to her we will find it
’
s hers. And this is only the beginning of the trail of havoc—I daresay we shall find more before we
’
ve finished. Mrs. Simms knew that he was in debt, and probably a good many people have been stung. He
didn
’
t go before he realised that the place is now too hot to hold him.
”

“
Thank goodness he has gone
,”
said Alison.

“
And he will hardly dare to show his face again,
”
said Hugh.
“
But so maliciously to ruin as much as he could before he went—that
’
s difficult to understand.
”

“
Not if you
’
d had much to do with Falcon,
”
said Neil.

At last, saddened and unresigned, Hugh Berritt went back to his wife, and Neil insisted upon taking Alison and Corinne back to his house for lunch. He thought that, left to themselves, they would go over this unpleasant business time and time again, giving themselves no respite; but at his house, giving them a good lunch, he turned the conversation into other channels, and only once reverted to the crib, when he suggested Alison should send a telegram to Simon Warby.

After lunch, and coffee by a cheerful fireside, Neil said he had an important appointment but would be pleased if Alison and Corinne would go with him for the pleasant drive.

“
Take Alison,
”
said Corinne.
“
I have some important letters that I really must write today.
”

“
I would like to come,
”
said Alison, wondering why Corinne should heap coals of fire in this way, but no longer pushing away her opportunities.

So they dropped Corinne at the cottage and drove on, and although there was a great deal that they had to say to one another, neither of them wanted to begin on it, until Neil
’
s appointment was out of the way. Alison sat in the car and waited for him, and the thought of the crib would no longer be kept out. But now she did not try to avoid it. She found herself strangely philosophical about the destruction, realising that she was far more concerned for Hugh
’
s disappointment than for her own; but she could not be sure how much her attitude was due to Neil and the manner in which he comforted her. Was it that something looming in her future was so important that it overshadowed the past? Moreover, while

Hugh had been deprived of something to which he had looked forward eagerly, Alison had had her intense pleasure. She had had her achievement, and although there was nothing to show for it, she knew that it had been good: and because she had once made something good, she knew that it was in her to do it again.

Neil came back, and settled into the seat beside her with a sigh of satisfaction.

“
Now the rest of the day is our own,
”
he said, and drove the ear to a quiet and deserted spot on the coastline, where the sun was setting already, and the sea silvery and pale, and the cliffs rugged and dark by comparison.

“
Well, Alison,
”
he said,
“
I don
’
t think we need to pretend any more, do we?
”

“
Have we been pretending?
”
she asked.

“
Not consciously, perhaps; though I
’
ve known for some time now what I felt about you; and still tried to be angry with you for leaving my gates open.
”

“
You didn
’
t really think I did that.
”

“
I did, at first, finding your scarf there.
”

“
You should have known better. I suppose it was Roger?
”

“
I suppose it was, looking back. I
’
ve also thought that he might have been responsible for a lot of the trouble with Tom. It
’
s easy to be wise after the event.
”

“
Yes. I
’
m a lot wiser than when I came here, I had all the wrong impressions of you.
”

“
And now, darling?
”

She looked at him with eyebrows raised, half smiling.

“
Am I to commit myself first?
”
she asked.

“
No, of course not. I tell you frankly and fully I love you.
”

“
This morning, for the first time, I thought you did. Once before, when you kissed me, I just hoped you did.
”

“
Hoped?
”

“
Yes, hoped.
”

“
Meaning, naturally, that you wanted me to. Meaning that you love me, too.
”
He put his arms about her and pulled her dose to him, but Alison struggled free.

“
First things first,
”
she said.
“
One thing troubles me. What about Corinne?
”

“
Corinne is amusing and gay and I adore her. What else do you want to know?
”

“
What she feels about you. What you have led her to
believe?
”

“
Have you been jealous?
”
he asked with a quick smile.
“
I hoped you would be.
”

“
Yes, I was. Well, what have you led her to believe?
”

“
Alison darling, we feel exactly the same. We enjoy each other
’
s company. I find her delightful, but I wouldn
’
t want to marry her. She was glad
I
was here, because she might have been bored left too much to herself all summer. We
’
re not in love, nor ever were. She is in love with a young man she met in Paris this last time, and I
’
m in love with you
.
”

“
But she didn
’
t tell me.
”

“
I asked her not to. When she was telling me about it, at dinner at your house, I saw you watching us, and I knew you didn
’
t like it: and I wanted to hurt you a little.
”