Footsteps in the Dark Read online

The hint of a smile touched his mouth. ‘I can guess,’ he said. ‘I wish you hadn’t seen me last night, but you did, and the mischief ’s done.’

  Her heart sank. ‘Then you are the Monk!’ she cried sharply.

  His brows seemed to snap together over the bridge of his nose. He looked quickly round, and said quietly: ‘Please don’t raise your voice. You don’t know who may be listening.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ she said.

  ‘But I do,’ he answered, and moved softly to the door and opened it.

  She watched him look down the passage and go to the other door and open that too. ‘You probably have good reason to care,’ she shot at him.

  ‘I have,’ he said imperturbably. He shut the door and came back into the room. ‘I wish you would sit down,’ he said. ‘And just remember to keep your voice lowered.’ He pulled a chair forward, and reluctantly she did sit down. ‘Now then! I suppose if I say I am certainly not the Monk you won’t believe me?’

  ‘How can I?’ she said. ‘I saw it last night, and it disappeared into the shadows on the same side of the avenue as you emerged from two minutes later.’

  He nodded. ‘It does look black, doesn’t it? I don’t think I’ll waste time in trying to prove my innocence. What I do want to say is this: get out of the Priory, and get out quickly! Never mind why, but just go. I say this as one who – thinks a great deal of your safety. You saw something last night: if you stay you may see much more, and Marg – Miss Fortescue, believe me, I don’t want you to run even the slightest chance of getting hurt or frightened.’

  He spoke with such evident sincerity that she found herself saying in a much friendlier tone: ‘Mr Strange, can’t you explain yourself ? You must see that I can’t possibly believe you when you won’t – give me any reason for your conduct.’

  ‘I can’t!’ he said. His hand opened and shut. ‘You mustn’t ask me, Miss Fortescue. I’d give anything to be able to take you into my confidence, but it’s impossible. For one thing I – well, it’s no good: I daren’t tell you.’

  ‘Daren’t?’ she repeated. ‘You are afraid that I should give you away?’

  He did not answer for a moment. Then he laid his hand on hers, and clasped it. ‘Look here, I’ve undertaken something, and come what may I must carry it through,’ he said. ‘When I took it on I didn’t bargain for you, but I can’t let you make any difference. Only I wish to God you’d clear out of the Priory!’

  She withdrew her hand. ‘Then I am right in thinking that all along you’ve wanted to get us out of the house?’

  ‘Yes, I have wanted to.’

  ‘Why?’ she said directly.

  ‘I’ve told you. It’s not safe, and I can’t be answerable for what may happen.’

  ‘It is not by any chance because our presence interferes with what you are doing?’

  ‘It does interfere, but that is not why I’m so anxious you should go. Miss Fortescue, I don’t think there’s much I wouldn’t do for you, but if you persist in remaining at the Priory I can’t guarantee your safety. Do you understand? You’ll be running a risk of – danger, and I can’t stop it, and I might not be able to help you. And God knows if anything were to happen to you…’ He broke off.

  She found herself saying: ‘Well?’

  He looked quickly towards her. ‘I think you must know what I – what I feel about you,’ he said.

  Her eyes fell. ‘I only know that you don’t trust me, though you expect me to trust you,’ she answered, almost inaudibly.

  ‘It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but I can’t tell you – Oh, damn it all, why did I ever take this on?’ He got up abruptly, and began to pace up and down the room.

  She watched him in silence for a moment. He was frowning, and when he frowned he did look rather sinister, she thought. ‘Have you considered that if – that if you think… Have you considered that you might give it up?’ she said, stumbling badly.

  ‘No!’ he threw over his shoulder. ‘Not that it would be any good if I did.’

  There was another short silence. Margaret tried again. ‘Is what you’re doing of such vital importance?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, of vital importance.’ He came back to her side. ‘Margaret, if I were at liberty to take you into my confidence I would, but too much hangs on it. I can’t do it. I know things look black: they are black, but will you believe that it’s not what you think?’

  ‘I don’t know quite what to think,’ she said.

  ‘You’ve seen me in some odd circumstances, you’ve seen me do things that look more than suspicious. I don’t deny it, and I may have to do things that will seem far more suspicious. But I swear to you I’ve a good reason for all I do, even though I can’t tell you what it is. Margaret, I’ve no right to ask you, as things are, but will you try and trust me a little longer? Will you trust me sufficiently to do as I beg of you, and leave the Priory till I’ve finished the job I’ve undertaken?’

  She found it hard to meet his eyes, and felt a wave of colour rise in her cheeks. ‘Even though I – said yes, my brother and brother-in-law wouldn’t go.’

  ‘If you can’t persuade them they can take their chance,’ he said. ‘But will you go? You and your sister, and your aunt?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, I can’t do that. You couldn’t expect me to go away and leave my brother in danger. And nothing would induce Celia to leave Charles.’

  He said impatiently: ‘Good God, haven’t you had enough happen in that house to make you see the only thing to do is to clear out?’

  At that she looked up. ‘What do you know about anything that has happened at the Priory?’ she asked gravely.

  He bit his lip. After a moment she said: ‘Were you responsible for – things that have happened?’

  ‘I can’t answer you, and I don’t want to lie to you,’ he said curtly. ‘I can only tell you that from me you stand in no danger whatsoever. But I’m not the only one mixed up in this.’ He made a little gesture of despair. ‘It’s no good going on like this. If you won’t go, you won’t. But I have warned you, and you can believe that I know what I’m talking about.’

  She began to twist the strap of her handbag round her finger. ‘I do believe that you – wouldn’t hurt me, or any of us,’ she began.

  He interrupted her. ‘Hurt you! My God, no! Can’t you understand, Margaret? I – I love you!’

  She bent her head still lower over the absorbing strap. ‘Please – you mustn’t…!’ she said inarticulately.

  ‘I know I mustn’t. But you don’t know what it’s like for me to see you here… I wish to God I’d met you under other circumstances!’ He ran his fingers up through his crisp black hair. ‘And yet I don’t know that I’d have had a better chance,’ he said despondently. ‘The whole thing seems hopeless, and it’s no good for anyone in my – line of business – to think of a girl like you.’

  In a very muffled voice Margaret said: ‘If I – if I knew it was honest – I – I shouldn’t care – what your line of business was.’ She tried to achieve a lighter note. ‘As long as it isn’t keeping a butcher’s shop, or – or anything like that,’ she added with a wavering smile.

  He made a movement as though he would take her hand again, but checked it. ‘I’ve no right to speak at all till I can – clear up all this mess,’ he said. ‘But to know that you – well, one day I hope I shall be able to say all the things I want to say now. One thing I must ask you though: Will you trust me enough not to mention to anyone that you saw me in your grounds last night?’

  All the reason she possessed told her to say ‘No,’ but something far stronger than reason made her say instead: ‘All right, I – I will.’

  ‘My God, you are a wonderful girl,’ he said unsteadily.

  She got up. ‘I must go. But I’d like to warn you of something. I didn’t tell my people that you were there last night. You guessed I hadn’t, didn’t you? But Peter and Charles have motored into Manfield to-day, to tell the County Police what has been happening at the Prio