Chapter 31

 

They sat in silence on the drive to the hospital the next morning, their fingers interlocked on the hard leather seat. In the front of the monstrous old car, Alice sat sandwiched between Sarah and Pollard, chattering about going home to Terrala and all the things she would tell her uncles.

Paul’s fingers tightened on Helen’s gloved hand, enclosing it in his own. She wore a simple grey, woolen suit with a black velvet collar and a matching black velvet hat trimmed with a long grey feather that draped over her shoulder. She looked wonderful, Paul thought, but not as wonderful as she had looked naked in his bed as they lay together in the small hours of the morning.

He pushed that particular recollection to one side and caught her looking at him. She gave him a small self-conscious smile that indicated her thoughts had been travelling in the same direction.

The inspector and his sergeant waited on the front steps of the hospital, stamping their feet in the crisp, early autumn air. They entered the hospital together and were greeted by a well-dressed woman who rose from a chair in the foyer.

“What are you doing here, Lady Hartfield?” Paul asked in a tone that dripped ice.

His men would have understood and ducked for cover. Lady Hartfield just stuck out her chin and said, “I came to see if it was true. As for you...” She turned to Helen. “I told Evelyn you were nothing more than a colonial gold digger...I warned her...”

Helen tucked her hand into Paul’s arm. He felt her fingers dig in as she controlled her anger.

“Lady Hartfield,” she said, “you may believe what you want, but if I were truly what you accuse me of, why would I throw over the chance to become the next Lady Hartfield for a penniless archaeologist?”

Lady Hartfield’s lips tightened as she drew herself to her full height, her nostrils flaring with indignation.

The inspector cleared his throat. “Shall we get on?”

As they headed for the stairs, Lady Hartfield made a move to join them.

Paul turned to her. “Not you. This is no concern of yours. Go home, Lady Hartfield. You have caused enough trouble.”

He looked down at Helen who tightened her grip on his arm. She gave him a small, nervous smile as the Viscountess huffed, turned on her heel and strode out of the hospital in a flurry of foxtail.

Despite the protests from the ward sister, the party filed into Evelyn’s room. Paul disengaged Helen’s hand and crossed to his aunt. He picked up her hand, feeling the fragility of the fine bones beneath the papery skin. Her eyes flickered opened and fixed on his face.

“Paul,” she said, in a faint voice. “How nice to see you, dear.”

Paul cast a sideways glance at the policemen. Evelyn’s greeting was hardly what they would expect from someone about to accuse her nephew of attempted murder.

“Evelyn, these gentlemen want to ask you some questions about your accident,” Paul said.

For the first time, Evelyn’s eyes moved around the room, settling on the Inspector who moved to the other side of the bed.

Before he could speak, Evelyn said in a clear voice. “I was pushed,” she said firmly. “I felt a hand in my back. I am certain of it.”

The Inspector looked taken aback by this confirmation of Lady Hartfield’s allegation. “Can you tell me who pushed you?”

Evelyn looked up at Paul. Her eyes held his, questioning, searching for answers he could not give her.

“It was a woman,” she said, turning back to the Inspector.

“A woman? Are you certain?”

“Absolutely certain. I heard her laugh.”

The inspector looked across at Paul and Paul looked down at his aunt. “The Inspector thinks it was me who pushed you, Evelyn.”

“You? Don’t be ridiculous, Paul. Of course it wasn’t you. It was a woman. Why would you want to push me down the stairs?”

The policeman’s eyes turned to Helen. Paul straightened and fixed the policeman with a cold stare.

“Don’t even think it,” Paul said. “As we told you last night, Helen’s whereabouts can be verified by no less a person than my accuser, Lady Hartfield.”

“What’s Maude said?” Evelyn interrupted. “She can be such a silly woman sometimes. It certainly wasn’t Helen.”

Paul bent and kissed his aunt’s forehead. “Evelyn, we will just see these gentlemen out and will come straight back in.”

“Really.” The ward sister who had appeared in the door bristled. “It’s not even visiting hours.”

Paul took the woman by the arm and steered her out into the corridor. “Thank you, sister. I appreciate your rules but we are getting married this morning and I don’t have time for petty regulations. Inspector?” He turned to the two policemen. “I trust you are satisfied.”

“Up to a point,” the man said. “It still begs the question as to who pushed her.”

“An intruder?” the Sergeant suggested.

“I suggest that is what you put in your report,” Paul said. “Good morning, gentlemen.”

He waited until they stomped off down the corridor, and opened the door readmitting then both into Evelyn’s room.

Evelyn turned worried eyes on him. “Did I do the right thing?”

“You gave him the perfect answer, Evelyn.”

“But who did push me? I know I was pushed.”

Paul hesitated. “I believe you. As we told the police, it must have been an intruder. We were fortunate that you were not killed. Evelyn, I can’t stay. I have a wedding to go to.”

“Whose?”

“Mine,” he said, glancing up at Helen. “Helen and I are getting married this morning.”

Evelyn’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Helen?”

Helen crossed to the other side of the bed and Evelyn looked at her. “You’re marrying Tony.”

Helen shook her head. “No. That would have been a terrible mistake.”

Evelyn frowned, studying her face. “I think I was wrong about you. I can’t remember what I said but it upset you.”

“It’s forgiven, Evelyn,” Helen said.

“I’m sure you and Charlie loved each other.”

“We did.”

“And do you love, Paul?”

Helen looked up and Paul felt the breath leave him for a moment as he read the love in her eyes.

“I do,” she said. “Very much.”

“Then you are fortunate to have the chance to love two men in your life, Helen,” Evelyn said. “For me there was only Gerald.” Her faded blue eyes filled with tears and she made a feeble gesture with her hand. “Go away, both of you. I’m tired. Make each other happy.”

“Evelyn,” Helen said, the tone of her voice had become urgent. “This is goodbye. I am leaving for Australia tonight. My father is ill and I must get home–if I’m not already too late.”

Evelyn’s lip trembled. “But Alice? Will I see Alice again?”

“She’s outside with Sarah. I’ll bring her up,” Helen said.