Page 64 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

‘Listen to me! Dory, be still, listen! You’re safe. He can’t hurt you any more.’

‘You don’t know, you don’t know him – he’ll never let me go!’

He gave the arm a little shake to get her attention. ‘He’s dead. That’s what I had to tell you. He’s dead.’ She stared, uncomprehending. ‘Jack Hubert is dead. He can’t hurt you ever again. You’re free.’

She was not sure yet. ‘He’s dead? How do you know? Is that what they told you? But he’s cunning, he’ll play dead, change his name, move somewhere else. You can’t know for sure.’

‘I do know.’ Sebastian took a breath. ‘I saw him die.’

She looked aghast. ‘What do you say?’ Her voice was breathless.

‘It was a wretched street, a mean little shop. He was drunk in the middle of the morning. He didn’t know who I was. He attacked me, tried to kill me.’

‘Mr Crooks said . . . A knife wound?’

‘He tried to stab me with a knife. I defended myself, hit him with my cane. He fell over, and hit his head.’ Her eyes widened. ‘On a lamppost.’

‘Oh, no, no, no!’

‘He didn’t get up.’ He thought she might still be in doubt, and went on, ‘The police came. There was an inquest. Dory, he’s dead.’

‘You killed him,’ she said, in a terrible whisper.

‘No! It was an accident. He was drunk. He stumbled and fell.’

He didn’t think she heard him. Terror made her incapable of hearing.

‘Oh, God, what have you done?’ she moaned. ‘Why couldn’t you leave well alone? Now I’ll have to go away again.’

‘Didn’t I tell you you’re safe now? We can be together. It’s all right – everything’s all right. We can be married.’

But her eyes were wide, and she backed away from him. ‘Marry? How can you think it? What sort of a woman do you think I am? No, don’t touch me! I have to go. Oh, God, what did you do? What did you do?’

He called after her, not caring if anyone heard. ‘It was an accident! I was defending myself! I didn’t kill him. It was an accident!’

But she didn’t stop.

Rose looked down the table at servants’ dinner and said, ‘Where’s Dory?’

Mrs Webster said, ‘It isn’t her afternoon off. Has anyone seen her?’

Mildred spoke up. ‘She’s gorn.’

‘Gone? What do you mean?’

‘Went out a bit since. Kathleen in the kitchen told me. She had a bag with her.’

‘Has she spoken to any of you?’ Mrs Webster asked, looking down the line of faces. There were bemused expressions and shaken heads.

Then Eddie, the youngest house boy, said, ‘She was a-talking to Mr Sebastian in the Small Drorin’-room.’

‘When?’ Mrs Webster demanded.

‘Before.’

Afton looked up from his broth and said warningly, ‘Don’t make things up.’

‘I ain’t, sir. I went past the door and I heard of ’em talkin’ in there. I was c’lectin’ used candles from the bedrooms, like William tole me, and when I went past I heard of ’em, and I peeped in and she was a-talking to Mr Sebastian over by the winder.’