Mingled With Venom

Maria, however, had not finished. ‘If nothing else,’ she said, ‘I think you owe it to all of us to tell us what you propose to do about the coloured youth.’

‘Yes, he is coloured; most delightfully coloured,’ said Romula, opening her eyes. ‘Black is beautiful. That is what he said and I agree with him.’

‘He came from an orphanage.’

‘So did Ruby. Both seem to be turning out well.’

‘I wish you joy of them! If you are thinking of introducing Gamaliel as well as Ruby into your household, there certainly will be no place here for me.’

‘You really are leaving me, then?’

‘Oh, mother, how can you be so heartless!’

‘I had a good marriage prepared for you, but you preferred to go off with that mountebank.’

‘At any rate, I did better than Basil. I did at least get married and have children who are legitimate.’

‘I don’t want to hear Basil’s name mentioned.’

‘No, I don’t suppose you do. A suicide in the family is not much of a recommendation, is it?’

‘If you are intending to leave my house, you had better go soon.’

‘Very well. You’ll miss me, but that can’t be helped. I have done all I can for you, it seems.’

‘You have done nothing that Ruby, Fiona and Maybury could not do.’

‘Ah, yes, Maybury,’ said Maria, referring to Romula’s personal maid. ‘You know, of course, that Ruby is Maybury’s natural daughter, I suppose?’

‘Yes, and I dare say I could tell you who the father was, unless you know already,’ said Romula.

Maria turned plum colour. ‘It’s a lie!’ she said thickly. ‘Really, mother, I wonder you could bring yourself to listen to such calumny.’

‘So you did know,’ said Romula. ‘You should have confided in me. I would have helped you. Anyway, it seems I was right to advance the girl and also to have her present at the dinner. She has some sort of family connection with us, dubious though it may be.’

Maria gave her mother a look of hatred and walked towards the door. There she turned. ‘You need give me your charity no longer,’ she said. ‘I shall not forgive you for this. I shall leave your house.’

‘My daughter and I had a set-to last night,’ said Romula, when Fiona came back from her ride.

‘You quarrelled with Maria?’

‘Yes, when the party was over. It was on account of the coloured youth. She thought I favoured him unduly.’

‘Well, you did make rather a pet of him, I must say.’

‘Maria attempted to take me to task and that I will not suffer in my own house and from a pensioner.’

‘How can you say that? Maria earns her keep. You have pensioners, but she is not one of them, and neither am I.’

‘I think Maria will leave me.’

‘Go out of this house, do you mean?’

‘Yes, I mean that.’

‘I think you would do well to make your peace with her. Look, madre, we were all a little on edge last night. I expect you both said more than you meant.’

‘I took a skeleton out of its cupboard, dusted it and gave it articulation.’

‘You intrigue and alarm me, madre. What on earth do you mean?’

‘I shall not tell you. There are lengths to which even I am not willing to go. I am sorry now that I said as much as I did.’

‘It must have been something pretty awful for you to admit to feeling sorry that you said it.’

When Fiona met Maria, she said: ‘Oh, there you are! Maria, I’ve been having a heart-to-heart with Ruby… You look startled. What have I said?’

‘Nothing, nothing. What did you talk about?’

‘Madre, of course. What else? Madre and her wretched testamentary dispositions.’

‘What had Ruby to say about those?’

‘I think she wants us to close the ranks and keep young Gamaliel out. As though it’s any business of hers!’

‘I think I have queered everybody’s pitch except yours,’ said Maria, going off at a tangent. ‘Perhaps I have gone too far.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Look, ’ said Maria, ‘please don’t take anything I say personally. I liked you from the beginning. I shall always like you and I don’t begrudge you anything. If she remembers you in the Will that’s all right so far as I am concerned and I want you to know it.’