Devil's Mount Part 17

"William told me you had a headache." Nerys glanced rather haughtily round the room. "Are you feeling better?"

' Julie guessed that if Nerys had acquired that information, it was more likely through Dulcie than William. But even so, she would not have expected her to care, one way or the other.

"Thank you, it's almost gone," she answered politely.

"Oh, good." Nerys allowed a faint smile to touch her rather thin lips.

"I can stand anything but a headache."

Julie acknowledged this with an inclination of her head, and waited for her to go on. Her incapacity could not be the whole reason for Nerys invading her room like this, and the earlier p.r.i.c.k of alarm heightened into actual apprehension.

"Actually, Miss Wood, I wanted to talk to you-woman to woman, so to speak." She paused. "But this is rather difficult for me..."

Julie took a deep breath. "If it's about this afternoon, Lady Llantreath, then please don't say anything. What you saw- what you thought you saw-meant nothing, nothing at all!"

"I know that, you silly girl!" Nerys showed her teeth, but it was hardly a smile. "I should know Rhys' little foibles by now. He can't resist a pretty face, particularly one that makes it so obvious that it wouldn't object!"

Julie gulped. "What do you-"

"Oh, please, Miss Wood, spare me the dramatics! I'm a woman, too, you know, and far more experienced in the ways of the world than you will ever be, believe me. No, your-er- a.s.sociation with my-with Rhys doesn't really come into this. Except only indirectly."

Julie got to her feet. "Will you please come to the point, Lady Llantreath. I have to get dressed for dinner."

Nerys' lips tightened. "Very well. I understand you have been interfering in the running of Devil's Mount, that you have actually taken it upon yourself to employ some girl from the village."

"Not exactly ..."

"Well, whatever." Nerys' nails plucked impatiently at her long skirt.

"Are you aware that I only agreed to come here on the understanding that once Rhys' book was completed, we would move back to London?"

"I don't see what this has to do with me-"

"Don't you? Don't you?" Nerys took an involuntary step forward, her eyes glittering angrily. "Then I'll explain. Having gossiped about our affairs in the village, you then boast about your success to William, filling him with the false belief that Devil's Mount is to remain his home-"

"But it is!"

"You don't know that."

"But Rhys-Mr. Edwards said-"

"What Rhys says and what he does are two different things. Once this desire for.literary acclaim has left him, he'll find life at Devil's Mount a very boring affair. He's a man of the world, Miss Wood, not one of your boorish generation, who seem to find destruction so much more satisfying than making a success of their lives. He craves adventure and excitement- you must know that. What can a village on the Cambrian coast mean to him?"

"I still don't see why you're telling me all this."

"Do you not? No, well, perhaps I haven't made the whole position very clear yet. William, Miss Wood, is the cross I have to bear, and you're making it that much more difficult."

"But how?"

"You know that boy, Miss Wood. You know what he can do, how he can inveigle his own way by those imaginary attacks-"

"They're not imaginary attacks!"

"Never mind what they are. He can bring them on to order. And with you behind him ..." She broke off abruptly. 'T want you to leave Devil's Mount, Miss Wood. You're not a good influence here."

Julie's expression was ludicrous. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid I am."

"But-but-I don't want to leave." Julie gazed at her incredulously.

"I-Mr. Edwards hired me. I'll leave when he asks me to, and not before."

Nerys' lips twisted. "I thought you say that."

"Then you weren't disappointed, were you?"

Julie's courage strengthened as she said the words. What could Nerys do, after all? She hadn't the authority to turn her out, and somehow she still believed what Rhys had said about not giving her notice. And there was William. ...

Nerys sighed now, folding her arms, her fingers beating an impatient tattoo against her sleeve. "Nevertheless," she said, "I think you will leave, Miss Wood. If you don't, I shall have no choice but to tell William that Dulcie is not his cousin, but his sister."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

THERE was silence in the room for a full minute after Nerys finished speaking, and when Julie finally did manage to say: "I don't believe you!" her voice was curiously hoa.r.s.e.

Nerys shook her head indifferently, and a cold blankness descended over Julie's mind. "I don't think it matters whether you believe it or not, Miss Wood. But William will."

"His father will deny it!" Julie burst out chokingly.

"As he denied his own son's birth, no doubt."

"You-you're evil!"

"No, just honest, Miss Wood. Don't tell me you haven't suspected it."

But she hadn't. Never for one moment had such a thought crossed her mind. And yet now that it did ...

She shook her head violently, as though to shake away the visions Nerys' words had evoked. She could imagine what this kind of revelation would do to William. His relations.h.i.+p with his father was still such a tenuous thing. And Nerys was right-he would believe her, even if she was lying.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried now, and Nerys stretched out one arm and examined her nails with calculated deliberation.

"I have no intention of mouldering away at Devil's Mount while Rhys satisfies some sentimental desire to relive the days of his youth. Oh, yes, Miss Wood," this, as Julie's face mirrored her contempt, "I know what Rhys is trying to do. Did he tell you why? No? Well, I suppose he wouldn't at that. He can be irritatingly reserved when it comes to talking about himself. But I don't have his hang-ups-"

"Please, I don't want to hear-" began Julie, her hands clenching and unclenching impotently, but Nerys ignored it.

"It has to do with me, of course. But you probably guessed that. Both the brothers were in love with me, you know, but Richard was the elder-he would inherit the t.i.tle. And I was ambitious. It was foolish-I realise that now. Rhys always had more gumption than Richard. Besides, he was the one I really wanted. Only I thought I could have both."

"Will you get out of here?" Julie did not know how much more of this she could stand, but Nerys hardly seemed to hear her.

"When I married Richard, there was the most terrible row between the brothers, and the upshot of it all was that their father, old Lord Llantreath, ordered Rhys out of the house. And he went, unfortunately, to Africa-and India-and Vietnam; wherever there was a war going on. That's quite something, isn't it? That a man should try to get himself killed because the woman he loved had chosen somebody else?"

Her lips curled smugly.

"I think it's-sick!" burst out Julie chokingly. "I think you're sick!"

Nerys looked at her pityingly. "Why? Because I've exploded all your girlish dreams? Surely you realised I didn't come here because of the climate!"

"I really don't care why you came here!" retorted Julie tremulously.

"Don't you? Don't you really? Forgive me if I find that hard to believe. You're attracted to Rhys, Miss Wood. It stands out a mile.

And I must admit I'm becoming a little bored by it." She paused. "But let me finish my story-"

"I'd really rather you didn't."

"-when their father died, seven years ago, Rhys came home for the funeral. Richard was-prostrate with grief, helped a little by the bottle of Scotch he managed to consume most days, and I-well, I needed consolation-"

"Don't go on!"

"Why not? Fortunately, Richard was too drunk most of the time to know what I was doing, or what he was doing, for that matter. Rhys was a-tower of strength."

Julie bent her head. "All right, all right. You've said enough. I believe you."

"So you should. After all, Richard and I had been married for eight years without producing the expected son and heir. Whereas Rhys already had one illegitimate child, fathered on a girl from Cardiff when he first discovered I was going to marry Richard."

Julie held up her head. "Just tell me one thing, Lady Llantreath, what will you do if William still throws a scene when he knows I'm leaving?"

Nerys' raised dark eyebrows. "I shall leave that to you to arrange. But if you want my advice," she paused, "I should just make my arrangements and leave. You can write William a note. There's not much anyone can do about a fait accompli."

"But how can I do that? It's twenty-five miles to the railway station."

Nerys shrugged. "I'll telephone for a taxi for you. You can leave the bill to me."

Julie sank down wearily on to the bed. "You've got it all worked out, haven't you?"

Nerys nodded. "Yes, I think perhaps I have."

Julie did not go down for dinner that evening. Not even a desire to allay William's suspicions could force her to make an effort at swallowing food which she was sure would choke her, and besides, she needed time to think.

Nerys had not left her much choice in the matter. Her threats had been only too well voiced, and there was no one to whom Julie could turn for advice or guidance. She did consider going to Rhys and making a clean breast of the matter to him, but would he be able to silence Nerys, or would she find some devious way of letting William find out the truth? It was a risk Julie could not bear to take. Just recently, there had been a definite improvement in the relations.h.i.+p between William and his father, but the revelations she had heard this evening could shatter all that in the twinkling of an eye. William was so sensitive, so quick to take offence, so vulnerable in the matter of his parentage.

She wondered how much time Nerys would give her. Not long, she guessed. She had been a thorn in the woman's side long enough, not only over Rhys but over Dulcie as well. She had made it obvious that she disliked Dulcie spending so much time with Julie and William, but Rhys' presence had made it impossible for her to put her objections into actual physical terms.

For Rhys himself, Julie still felt a terrible sense of longing. In spite of everything, she still loved him, and after what she had heard today she did not think anything would ever alter that. It was a daunting thought that for the rest of her life she was doomed to live with the memory of a man who had treated her, and life, with scant respect.

She was making a desultory attempt to sort out her belongings when William came to her door. She knew it was him at once because she heard him call: "Julie!" through the door, and with a sinking heart, she said: "Come in."

She was still wearing her dressing gown, having put on her underwear but nothing else, and he looked in surprise at the clothes strewn on the bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Julie shrugged. "Just-sorting things out."

"I thought you had a headache. You didn't come down for dinner."

"I wasn't hungry. You know how it is."

"But you didn't even have a cup of tea this afternoon!"

"It will do me good. I'm getting too fat." Julie tried to speak jokingly, but failed dismally.

William looked at her anxiously. Then he said perceptively: "What is it, Julie? What's wrong?"

She coloured. "Nothing. You know how it is when you have a headache."

"You look as though you've been crying. Have you?"

"No!" Julie sighed. "I think I've got a cold coming on, that's all."

William looked unconvinced. "Why did Nerys come to see you?"

"Nerys?" Julie was aware of the guilty expression she was wearing, and hoped he would not put the wrong interpretation on it. "How do you know that Nerys came to see me?"

"I was on my way here before dinner, when I saw her knocking at your door." He coloured now. "I listened outside for a while, but I couldn't hear what was going on."

Julie breathed a sigh of relief. "You know what they say about eavesdroppers."

"I know. But-well, you have to admit it was unusual. She doesn't normally come visiting you."

"No." Julie sought around wildly in her mind for some excuse to make. "I-someone had told her I had a headache. She came to see how I was feeling."

William looked sceptical. "And I'm Count Dracula! I don't believe that."

"Well, I'm sorry."

"Julie!' He looked at her reproachfully. "I'm not that green, you know." He chuckled. "But I bet she was."

"What do you mean?"

"This afternoon. I bet she was mad when she found you and Da in the living-room."