I
A memorial service was held for Vernon in the little old church at Abbotsford under the shadows of Abbots Puissants, as it had been held for his father. The two last of the Deyres were not to lie in the family vault. One in South Africa, one in France.
In NellтАЩs memory afterwards the proceedings seemed shadowed by the monumental bulk of Mrs.┬аLevinneтБатАФa vast matriarchal figure dwarfing everything else. She herself had to bite her lips not to laugh hysterically. The whole thing was so funny somehowтБатАФso unlike Vernon.
Her mother was there, elegant and aloof. Uncle Sydney was there, in black broadcloth, restraining himself from jingling his money with great difficulty, and with a suitable тАЬmournerтАЩsтАЭ face. Myra Deyre was there in heavy crape, weeping copiously and unrestrainedly. But it was Mrs.┬аLevinne who dominated the proceedings. She came back with them afterwards to the sitting-room at the inn, identifying herself with the family.
тАЬPoor dear boyтБатАФpoor dear gallant boy! IтАЩve always thought of him like another thon.тАЭ
She was genuinely distressed. Tears splashed down on her black bodice. She patted Myra on the shoulder.
тАЬNow, now, my dear, you mustnтАЩt take on so. You mustnтАЩt indeed. ItтАЩs our duty, all of us, to bear up. You gave him to his country. You couldnтАЩt do more. HereтАЩs NellтБатАФas brave as can be.тАЭ
тАЬEverything I had in the world,тАЭ sobbed Myra. тАЬFirst husband, then son. Nothing left.тАЭ
She stared ahead of her through blood-suffused eyes in a kind of ecstasy of bereavement.
тАЬThe very best sonтБатАФwe were everything to each other.тАЭ She caught Mrs.┬аLevinneтАЩs hand. тАЬYouтАЩll know what it feels like if SebastianтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
A spasm of fear passed across Mrs.┬аLevinneтАЩs face. She clenched her hands.
тАЬI see theyтАЩve sent up some sandwiches and some port,тАЭ said Uncle Sydney, creating a diversion. тАЬVery thoughtful. Very thoughtful. A little drop of port, Myra dear. YouтАЩve been through a great strain, you know.тАЭ
Myra waved away port with a horror-stricken hand. Uncle Sydney was made to feel that he had displayed callousness.
тАЬWeтАЩve all got to keep up,тАЭ he said. тАЬItтАЩs our duty.тАЭ
His hand stole to his pocket and he began to jingle.
тАЬSyd!тАЭ
тАЬSorry, Myra.тАЭ
Again Nell felt that wild desire to giggle. She didnтАЩt want to cry. She wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh.тБатАКтБатАж AwfulтБатАФto feel like that.
тАЬI thought everything went off very nicely,тАЭ said Uncle Sydney. тАЬVery nicely indeed. A most impressive lot of the villagers attended. You wouldnтАЩt like to stroll round Abbots Puissants? That was a very nice letter putting it at our disposal today.тАЭ
тАЬI hate the place,тАЭ said Myra vehemently. тАЬI always have.тАЭ
тАЬI suppose, Nell, youтАЩve seen the lawyers? I understand Vernon made a perfectly simple will before going out to France, leaving everything to you. In that case, Abbots Puissants is now yours. It was not entailed and in any case there are no Deyres now in existence.тАЭ
Nell said: тАЬThank you, Uncle Sydney, IтАЩve seen the lawyer. He was very kind and explained everything to me.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs more than any lawyer can do as a rule,тАЭ said Uncle Sydney. тАЬThey make the simplest thing sound difficult. ItтАЩs not my business to advise you, but I know thereтАЩs no man in your family who can do so. Much the best thing you can do is to sell it. ThereтАЩs no money to keep it up, you know. You understand that?тАЭ
Nell did understand. She saw that Uncle Sydney was making it clear to her that no Bent money was coming her way. Myra would leave her money back to her own family. That, of course, was only natural. Nell would never have dreamed of anything else.
As a matter of fact, Uncle Sydney had at once tackled Myra as to whether there was a child coming. Myra said she didnтАЩt think so. Uncle Sydney said she had better make sure. тАЬI donтАЩt know exactly how the law stands, but as it is, if you were to pop off tomorrow having left your money to Vernon, it might go to her. No good taking any chances.тАЭ
Myra said tearfully that it was very unkind of him to suggest that she was going to die.
тАЬNothing of the sort. You women are all alike. Carrie sulked for a week when I insisted on her making a proper will. We donтАЩt want good money to go out of the family.тАЭ
Above all, he did not want good money to go to Nell. He disliked Nell whom he regarded as EnidтАЩs supplanter. And he loathed Mrs.┬аVereker, who always managed to make him feel hot and clumsy and uncertain about his hands.
тАЬNell, of course, will take legal advice,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аVereker sweetly.
тАЬDonтАЩt think I want to butt in,тАЭ said Uncle Sydney.
Nell felt a passionate pang of regret. If only she were going to have a child. Vernon had been so afraid for her. тАЬIt would be so dreadful for you, darling, if I were to be killed and you were left with all the trouble and worry of a child and very little moneyтБатАФBesidesтБатАФyou never knowтБатАФyou might die. I couldnтАЩt bear to risk it.тАЭ
And really, it had seemed better and more prudent to wait.
But now she was sorry. Her motherтАЩs consolations had seemed coldly brutal to her.
тАЬYouтАЩre not going to have a baby, are you, Nell? Well, I must say IтАЩm thankful. Naturally, youтАЩll marry again and itтАЩs so much better when there are no encumbrances.тАЭ
In answer to a passionate protest, Mrs.┬аVereker had smiled. тАЬI oughtnтАЩt to have said that just now. But you are only a girl still. Vernon himself would have wanted you to be happy.тАЭ
Nell thought: тАЬNever! She doesnтАЩt understand!тАЭ
тАЬWell, well, itтАЩs a sad world,тАЭ said Mr.┬аBent, surreptitiously helping himself to a sandwich. тАЬThe flower of our manhood being mown down. But all the same IтАЩm proud of England. IтАЩm proud of being an Englishman. I like to feel that IтАЩm doing my bit in England just as much as these boys are doing it out there. WeтАЩre doubling our output of explosives next month. Night and day shifts. IтАЩm proud of BentтАЩs, I can tell you.тАЭ
тАЬIt must be wonderfully profitable,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аVereker.
тАЬThatтАЩs not the way I like to look at it,тАЭ said Mr.┬аBent. тАЬI like to look at it that IтАЩm serving my country.тАЭ
тАЬWell, I hope we all try to do our bit,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аLevinne. тАЬI have a working party twice a week, and IтАЩm interethting myself in all these poor girls who are having war babieth.тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs too much loose thinking going about,тАЭ said Mr.┬аBent. тАЬWe mustnтАЩt get lax. England has never been lax.тАЭ
тАЬWell, weтАЩve got to look after the children at any rate,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аLevinne. She added: тАЬHow is Joe? I thought I might see her here today.тАЭ
Both Uncle Sydney and Myra looked embarrassed. It was clear that Joe was what is known as a тАЬdelicate subject.тАЭ They skated lightly over the topic. War work in ParisтБатАФvery busyтБатАФunable to get leave.
Mr.┬аBent looked at his watch.
тАЬMyra, weтАЩve not too much time before the train. Must get back tonight. Carrie, my wife, you know, is very far from well. ThatтАЩs why she wasnтАЩt able to be here today.тАЭ He sighed. тАЬItтАЩs odd how often things turn out for the best. It was a great disappointment to us not having a son. And yet, in a way, weтАЩve been spared a good deal. Think of the anxiety we might be in today. The ways of Providence are wonderful.тАЭ
Mrs.┬аVereker said to Nell when they had taken leave of Mrs.┬аLevinne, who motored them back to London: тАЬOne thing I do hope, Nell, is that you wonтАЩt think it your duty to see a lot of your in-laws. I dislike the way that woman wallowed in her grief more than I can tell you. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, though I dare say sheтАЩd have preferred a proper coffin.тАЭ
тАЬOh! MotherтБатАФshe was really unhappy. She was awfully fond of Vernon. As she said, he was all she had in the world.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs a phrase women like her are very fond of using. It means nothing at all. And youтАЩre not going to pretend to me that Vernon adored his mother. He merely tolerated her. They had nothing in common. He was a Deyre through and through.тАЭ
Nell couldnтАЩt deny that.
She stayed at her motherтАЩs flat in town for three weeks. Mrs.┬аVereker was very kind within her own limits. She was not a sympathetic woman at any time, but she respected NellтАЩs grief and did not intrude upon it. Upon practical matters her judgment was, as it always had been, excellent. There were various interviews with lawyers and Mrs.┬аVereker was present at all of them.
Abbots Puissants was still let. The tenancy would be up the following year, and the lawyer strongly advised its sale rather than reletting it. Mrs.┬аVereker, to NellтАЩs surprise, did not seem to concur with this view. She suggested a further let of not too long duration.
тАЬSo much may happen in a few years,тАЭ she said.
Mr.┬аFlemming looked hard at her and seemed to catch her meaning. His glance rested just for a moment on Nell, fair and childish-looking in her mourning.
тАЬAs you say,тАЭ he remarked, тАЬmuch may happen. At any rate, nothing need be decided for a year.тАЭ
Business matters settled, Nell returned to the hospital at Wiltsbury. She felt that there, and there only, could life be at all possible. Mrs.┬аVereker did not oppose her. She was a sensible woman and she had her own plans.
A month after VernonтАЩs death, Nell was once more back in the ward. Nobody ever referred to her loss and she was grateful. To carry on as usual was the motto of the moment.
Nell carried on.