The Duchess of Wrexe Part 60

Lizzie felt Rachel follow her, brush past both of them, down the pa.s.sage and out of sight--

"An accident--flung from his horse and dragged along--been hours on the hill--a shepherd found him."

"Is he dead?"

"No, miss, not dead--not yet, thank G.o.d!"

"The doctor?"

"Dr. Crane from Lewes--we caught him, miss, most fortunately, on the way from another patient--he's downstairs now."

"Quick, Peters, things will be wanted."

Lizzie pa.s.sed to the head of the stairs, Peters behind her said, "They've taken Sir Roderick into the green drawing-room, miss, so as not to have to go upstairs."

She came down the stairs and then stood, waiting in the hall. That was, for the moment, deserted, but the house wore an air of dismay, surprised alarm, so that every sound was of momentous import. Somewhere, a long way away, someone--perhaps a frightened kitchen-maid--was sobbing--the hall door was still open and little gusts of cold wind came in and stirred and rustled the pages of some ill.u.s.trated papers on one of the tables.

Lizzie went to the door and closed it--what should she do? To go into the room and ask whether she could be of use? Her quarrel with Rachel had made any movement now on her part difficult--Rachel might resent her presence--

Someone came into the hall: she saw that it was the doctor. He stood, looking about him, as though he were searching for someone, and Lizzie went up to him--

"Doctor, please tell me--I'm staying in the house--is there anything--anything at all--that I can do?"

The doctor was tall, thin, black, like an elongated crow.

"Ah yes--no, I think there is nothing for the moment--there are two of us here--we instantly wired to London and the London men should be here if they catch the seven o'clock in an hour and a half. Lady Seddon is with her husband."

"There's hope?"

"Oh yes--I think Sir Roderick will live--It's the spine that's damaged."

He seemed to realize Miss Rand's efficiency. This was no ordinary country-house visitor. He went to the hall door and opened it. "I'm waiting for the things from Lewes. I just came on with what I'd got.

Yes, the spine ... afraid will never be able to get about again--such a strong fellow too."

"There's nothing I can do?"

"Nothing anyone can do for the moment. Lady Seddon's taking it wonderfully, but she'll want you later. I advise you to get some quiet in the next hour--it's afterwards that they'll need your help----"

Lizzie went up to her room and lay down on her bed. She did not light the candles, but lay there in the darkness striving to compel some order out of the turmoil that rioted in her brain--her first thought was of Roddy. Roddy had always been to her the supreme type of animal spirits and vigour--_that_ had been, above everything else, what he stood for.

That _he_ should have been struck down like this!

The cruelty, the irony of it! Much better that he should die than be compelled to lie on his back for the rest of his life--anything better for him than that--

If he died Rachel would be free. Lizzie faced that thought quite calmly!

her quarrel with Rachel seemed to be now very, very long ago, something distant and remote, something whose very conditions had been torn asunder and flung aside--

As she lay there tenderness for Rachel came sweeping about her--"She must want someone now--she's so young and so ignorant--never had any crisis like this to deal with--hard for this to happen to him just after she'd thought those things ... that must be terrible for her.... Oh!

she'll need someone now."

Something reminded Lizzie of other things, of Francis Breton, of Rachel's words, of Lizzie's anger, then--

"Ah, but that's all so long ago. It doesn't seem to count. There are things more important than all of that. What will she do now? Perhaps she still hates me--won't let me come near her--it's my own fault after all; I kept away for so long, wouldn't let _her_ come near _me_. Oh! but she must have someone to help her!"

After a while Lizzie thought--"She won't be practical--she won't know the things that ought to be done--I'll wait a little and then I'll go."

Then she slept. She awoke with a clear active brain; she felt as though she could be awake now for weeks--a tremendous energy filled her....

She left her room and at the turn of the pa.s.sage met a thick-set clean-shaven man whom she knew for Cramp--one of the most famous of the London doctors, a man whom she had sometimes seen with Christopher at the Portland Place house.

She stopped him--"I'm Miss Rand, Doctor--Lady Adela's secretary--we've met in London--I want you to tell me how I can help."

He shook hands with her, eyeing her with approval--

"Why, yes, of course--How do you do, Miss Rand? Yes, you're just the sort we want. For the moment Lady Seddon's my chief anxiety--she's borne up splendidly so far, but now I am a little afraid. I've got her to go and lie down--would you go to her, Miss Rand? Just be with her a little and let me know if anything happens----"

"Sir Roderick?"

"Pretty bad, I'm afraid--He'll live, I think--afraid will never run about, though, again."

Lizzie made her way to Rachel's bedroom. She paused outside the door.

This was the very hardest thing that she had ever, in all her life, had to do. If Rachel were to repulse her now it would surely be the final absolute proof that she was of no use, no use to anyone in this whole wide world.

She knocked on the door and went in. "Who's that?"

"It's I--Lizzie."

The room was dark, but she saw that Rachel was lying on the bed--she went up to her--Rachel did not move.

"I came," Lizzie said, "to see whether I could help--if I could do anything----"

Rachel said nothing--

"If you'd rather--if you don't want to see me, of course just say...."

Rachel turned over and Lizzie heard her say--"I did it--I wanted him--it was my fault--it was my fault."

Lizzie knelt down beside the bed. "Rachel dear, you mustn't think that.

It was nothing to do with anyone. But you can help him now, Rachel--He'll want you, he'll need you now as he's never wanted anyone."

Rachel gave a bitter cry--Her hand touched Lizzie's, then she flung up her arm, caught Lizzie's neck, drew her towards her, put both her arms around her and held her, held her as though she would never let her go.

BOOK III

RODDY