The Black Benedicts (11 page)

CHAPTER TEN

W
hen
she had helped him up, and he was standing leaning against a tree-trunk, as if despite his light words he felt the need of some support, Mallory realized by the feel of her cheeks that her colour was high, and all that she kept thinking was that there had been no necessity for her to ascertain whether his heart was beating, and even at such a moment he had succeeded in mocking her a little.

“
Why in the world did you want to stick your hand out like that just as we drew level with you?
”
he demanded, a little irritably.
“
It was your white glove that upset Saladin. And, by the way,
w
here is he?
”

“
I don
’
t know,
”
she confessed.
“
He trotted off somewhere amongst the trees.
”

“
Then do you think you could find him? Confound it, but I seem to have wrenched my shoulder!
”
He was certainly looking rather pale, and his temper was appreciably not so good.
“
Don
’
t try any tricks, but if you could just manage to catch hold of his bridle and give me a heave up into the saddle I
’
d be grateful to you. I don
’
t think I can manage to walk back to the house.
”

Mallory was immediately filled with concern for him.

“
Are you sure you
’
re not hurt anywhere else apart from your shoulder...?
”

“
No; of course I
’
m not,
”
he answered, with a bite in the words.
“
Now, please don
’
t waste any more time, but try a
n
d catch that black devil of a horse of mine, but don
’
t go anywhere near him if
he looks in a nasty mood. You
’
ve told me you
’
re used to horses, so now let
’
s see whether you really
are.
”

Mallory uttered no further words but turned from him in the direction from whence the faint, musical jingle of bridle reached her ears, and a few seconds later she was talking coaxingly to Saladin,
w
ho appeared to be returning to look for his master, and made no objection at all when she laid hold of his reins. With perfect composure, and secret satisfaction, she led him up to her employer, and the latter raised his eyebrows in fa
in
t
surprise.

“
So you did catch him! Good for you!
”

He seemed to wince a little, and turn even paler,
w
hen he was forced to desert the support of the tree; but with Mallory
’
s assistance he soon found himself in the saddle once more, and she gave the reins into his hands.

“
All right,
”
he said, nodding at her rather
abruptly,
“
you can go now.
”

But Mallory decided that nothing would induce her to leave him until she had seen him safely
back to the house.

“I
will walk beside you,
”
she told him quietly,
“
since I don
’
t suppose you will risk cantering.
”

“
Certainly not!
”
he replied.
“
If you had my shoulder
...
!
”
He caught back a little half-groan which had tried to force its way through his lips.
“
But you were going out to supper. I heard you accept an invitation this morning.
”

“
It is not in the least important, she assured
him,
“
and the Hardings will understand perfectly. In fact I shall get on to the doctor
a
s soon as we get home and he must come out and see to your shoulder.
”

“
Hang it,
”
he muttered, between his clenched teeth,
“
I detest doctors, even old Harding—and he needn
’
t think he
’
s going to turn me into an invalid!
”

“
Of course he won
’
t turn you into an invalid,
”
Mallory said to him soothingly
.
“
But he may have to set your shoulder.
”

His eyes glimmered down at her with a faint smile in their depths.

“
What a girl you are!
”
he exclaimed.
“
You
’
ve got quite a way with you, haven
’
t you?—with
c
hildren, horses, and Siamese cats
...
! And now I do believe you
’
re trying it on with me!
”

“
I
’
m not trying anything on with you,
”
Mallory retorted, with a touch of cool primness
,
“
but I do think it would be much easier for you if you didn
’
t attempt to talk until we get home. I
’
m quite sure you
’
re suffering a good deal of pain.
”

“
Most intuitive of you,
”
he observed, but he took her advice and said nothing further u
n
til they were half way up the drive which led to Morven Grange, and then he remarked, as if apropos of nothing at all:
“
And there
’
s Adrian, of course—I forgot to mention Adrian
...
!
”

Mallory looked up at him but said nothing. She hoped he was not beginning to ramble a little.

Once inside the house everyone seemed to be thrown into a state of great excitement and much confusion. The guests appeared from various corners of the house, and Sonia Martingale, who had only just come downstairs after resting in her room, and was looking particularly alluring in a floating creation of transparent black net, with high-heeled slippers of scarlet satin, and some blood-red stones at her start
l
ingly. white throat, uttered a little shriek at sight of Raife, looking so white and unlike himself, and accompanied by Miss Gower, the governess.

“
What on earth has happened?
”
she demanded.
“
You haven
’
t had an accident, have you? Raife, your coat is all stained and torn
...
”

“
Mr.
Raife
!”
exclaimed Mrs. Carpenter, holding up her hands in horror.
“
What
has
happened? Don
’
t tell me it was that black devil
...
?
”

“
It was,
”
Raife answered shortly, and found his way through the press to the foot of the stairs without another word.

Mallory went straight to the telephone in the library and asked Dr. Harding to come at once. Then she beckoned Phipps, who was hovering uncertainly in the doorway, and told him to take a stiff brandy and soda to his master
’
s room.

“
His horse threw him,
”
she explained.
“
Go and see what you can do for him.
”

“
But he
’
s never been thrown by a horse in his life!
”
Phipps exclaimed, as if he simply couldn
’
t believe it.

“
Well, he
’
s been thrown this evening,
”
Mallory told him.
“
And hurry,
”
she added,
“
with that brandy!
”

The following morning, about eleven o
’
clock, while she and Serena were ploughing through multiplication tables in the school-room, a knock
came
on the door. Phipps stood there when Mallory opened it.

“
The master
’
s compliment
’
s, Miss,
”
he said,
“
and he would like to see you in his room.
”

“
The master?
”
Mallory echoed.
“
Mr. Benedict?—in his room?
”
And then, more hurriedly:
“
How—how is he this morning?
”

“
As well as any gentleman can be who has had his collar-bone broken and one wrist badly sprained, to say nothing of an ankle injured as well,
”
Phipps answered importantly.
“
He wishes to see you, Miss, in his bedroom. Will you come this way?
”

“
And me?
”
called out Serena, preparing to follow them, but Phipps waved her away.

“
Not you, Miss Serena. The master is in no mood for children this morning.
”

He was, Mallory decided, when at last she entered the main bedroom of the house, in no mood for anything at all, save complete rest, and perhaps a little understanding sympathy as well. He was propped up against his pillows in quite the most enormous four-poster bed she had ever seen in her life, in a room that was dark with mahogany and rich crimson hangings. There was an odour of antiquity in the room, too, as if much of the furniture and all of the hangings had been bequeathed to him from a far, far distant age, and above it rose the protecting perfume of mothballs, which seemed actually to catch at the breath.

“
Good morning, Miss Gower!
”
Raife Benedict
’
s voice, with a rasp in it, reached her from amongst the bed curtains.
“
Do you mind trying to introduce a little more light into this room for me, please? Mrs. Carpenter seems to be labouring under the delusion that light is injurious in a case like mine. But as I
’
ve already explained to her at least
a
hundred times, I am
not
an invalid...!
”

“
Of course you
’
re not an invalid,
”
Mallory agreed quickly, in a voice that had all the sedative qualities of a tur
t
le-dove in it, and going at once to the great windows she drew back the heavy brocade curtains as far as their cumbersome curtain-rings would permit, whereupon the morning sunlight actually found its way into the room. Then she went back to the bedside and looped back the bed-curtains so that the occupant of the bed was suddenly plainly revealed in striped silk pyjamas, his right arm in a sling, and the eiderdown littered with the mornings correspondence.

“
Is that better?
”
she inquired gently, looking down at him.

“
Much
better,
”
he told her. He grinned suddenly, a rather boyish and faintly apologetic grin.
“
I felt as if I was imprisoned in a cage. These four-poster beds are the very devil when you
’
re not well—or, at least, confined to bed, as the saying goes. And Mrs. Carpenter hasn
’
t got a large amount of imagination, poor soul, and she venerates anything which belonged to my ancestors.
”

Mallory stood looking down at him, and she decided that he had had a sleepless night because there were heavy rings under his eyes, and tiny lines of pain at the corners of his mouth.

“
What else would you like me to do for you?
”
she asked.
“
I
’
m quite sure you didn
’
t send for me just to pull back the curtains.
”

“
Sensible girl!
”
he approved.
“
But, strangely enough, there is no one else in the house who could have done it as well as you, Miss Gower. You are nothing if not thorough. I like the way you set about things, too, as if such a word as defeat would never be included in your vocabulary.
”

Mallory smiled faintly. She had started to tidy up the litter on his bedside table—his ash-tray
choked with ash, cigarettes lying open in a silver cigarette-box, a volume of poems lying face downwards, a tumbler and one or two medicine bottles, amongst which was probably a sedative
w
hich had not entirely worked.

“
I suppose the housemaid hasn
’
t got around to your room just yet,
”
s
h
e remarked.

“
She got around, but I wouldn
’
t let her in,
”
he confessed.
“
Mrs. Carpenter was more than enough, with her revolting suggestions for a hearty breakfast.
”

“
Well, if you
’
re not an invalid you should eat,
”
she pointed out.
“
You must keep your strength up, you know.
”

“
My strength is still quite sufficient to frighten anyone who finds their way into this room without first receiving my permission,
”
he told her, rather a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Mallory could not prevent her smile from growing wider.

“
Well,
”
she asked again,
“
what is
it that you wish me to do for you?
”

“
First of all you can sit down,
”
he replied, indi
c
ating a chair drawn up close to the bed.

She sat down.

“
The next thing is a question. Can you type?
”

She shook her head.

“
Do shorthand?
”

Another shake answered him.

“
A pity,
”
he remarked.
“
I thought perhaps you might have done both. However, you probably pen a nice, round, feminine hand, and I
’
m quite sure all your letters are terrifically neat, so as I
’
ve got a mass of correspondence which must be dealt with
”
—scooping together with his one hand the letters on the bed—
“
I
’
m going to get you
to answer
them for me if you will. I can
’
t do so myself with my left hand, and some of them are important, so if I give you a, rough idea of what I want you to say, do y
o
u think you can do the rest?
”

“
Oh, of course,
”
Mallory answered, quite pleased to, be of assistance, and a little flattered for some reason because he had thought of her.
“
I can do that for you very easily.
”

“
Good!
”
he exclaimed. He looked at her. There was still a faint twinkle in his eyes, and she noticed that when his mouth curved up in a certain fashion it had something very attractive about it.
“
I
’
ll pay you, of course, for your extra trouble. You needn
’
t think I
’
m trying to get a governess and a secretary out of you all for the same weekly wage, or salary, or whatever you like to call it.
”

Mallory felt herself flushing, and she actually felt quite angry.

“
Mr. Benedict,
”
she said,
“
surely it is permiss
i
ble for me to do something for you when you are ill without expecting to receive compensation for my trouble?
”
Her clear voice sounded affronted.
“
I am not a money-grubber, I hope!
”

“
Aren
’
t you?
”
His smile broadened.
“
Well, that
’
s something to know about you, anyway! But don
’
t forget I
’
m not ill, so that might make a difference to your feelings of generosity towards
me...” A
knock came on the door, and he called out irritably,
“
Who
’
s there. Who is it?
”