Juniper would be gone. She ought just to leap in, to demand outright:
She took up position behind her sister like a housemaid might, unthreaded first one arm, then, when Juniper shifted her cigarette, the other; slipped the brown coat from the thin shoulders and took it to the chair beneath the Constable. It wasn’t ideal to let it drip all over the floor, but there wasn’t time to do otherwise. She fussed a bit, straightening the fabric, noting the needlework of the hem, as she wondered at her own reticence. Chastised herself for letting ordinary familial enquiries stale on her tongue, as if the young woman standing by the fire were a stranger. It was Juniper, for God’s sake; home at last, and likely with a rather important secret up her sleeve.
‘Your letter,’ Saffy prompted, smoothing out the coat’s collar; wondering vaguely, in the random fleeting manner of thought, where her sister had acquired such an item. ‘Your most recent letter.’
‘Yes?’
Juniper had crouched before the fire as she’d liked to as a child and didn’t even turn her head. Saffy realized with a thud that her sister was not going make it easy. She hesitated, steeled herself, then the slam of a distant door reminded her that time was of the essence. ‘Please, Juniper,’ she said, hurrying to stand closer. ‘Tell me about Tom; tell me everything, darling.’
‘About Tom?’
‘Only that, I couldn’t help but wonder whether there was something between you – something more serious than you suggested in your letter.’
A pause, silence, as the walls strained to hear.
Then came a small noise from Juniper’s throat, a breath. ‘I wanted to wait,’ she said softly. ‘We decided to wait till we were together.’
‘Wait?’ Saffy’s heart was flickering like a captured bird’s. ‘I’m not sure what you mean, darling?’
‘Tom and I.’ Juniper dragged hard on her cigarette then leaned her cheek against the heel of her hand. On an exhalation: ‘Tom and I are going to be married. He’s asked me and I’ve said yes, and oh, Saffy – ’ for the first time she looked behind to meet her sister’s gaze – ‘I love him. I can’t be without him. I won’t.’
Though the news itself was just as she’d supposed, Saffy was bruised by the force of the confession. The speed of its delivery, its potency, its repercussions. ‘Well,’ she said, heading to the drinks table, remembering to smile. ‘How wonderful, dearest; then tonight is a celebration.’
‘You won’t tell Percy, will you? Not until-’
‘No. No, of course not.’ Saffy eased the stopper from the whisky.
‘I don’t know how she’ll… Will you help me? Help me make her see?’
‘You know I will.’ Saffy concentrated on the drinks that she was pouring. It was true. She would do whatever she could, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for Juniper. But Percy was never going to see. Daddy’s will was clear: if Juniper were to marry, the castle would be lost. Percy’s love, her life, her very reason…
Juniper was frowning at the fire. ‘She’ll come round, won’t she?’
‘Yes,’ Saffy lied, then drained her glass. Topped it up again.
‘I know what it means, I do know that, and I regret it absolutely; I wish that Daddy had never done what he did. I never wanted any of this.’ Juniper gestured at the stone walls. ‘But my heart, Saffy. My heart.’
Saffy held out a glass to Juniper. ‘Here darling, have a – ’ Her other hand clapped against her mouth as her sister stood and turned to take it.
‘What is it?’
She couldn’t speak.
‘Saffy?’
‘Your blouse,’ she managed, ‘it’s – ’
‘It’s new.’
Saffy nodded. It was a trick of the light, nothing more. She took her sister by the hand and pulled her swiftly towards the lamp.
Then buckled.
It was unmistakable. Blood. Saffy urged herself not to panic; told herself there was nothing to fear, not yet, that they had to remain calm. She searched for suitable words to say as much, but before she found them Juniper had followed her gaze.
She pulled at the fabric of her shirt, frowned an instant, then she screamed. Brushed frantically at her blouse. Stepped back as if the horror might that way be escaped.
‘Shh,’ said Saffy, flapping her hand. ‘There now, dearest. Don’t be frightened.’ She could taste her own panic, though, her shadow companion. ‘Let me take a look at you. Let Saffy take a look.’
Juniper stood inert and Saffy undid the buttons, fingers shaking. She opened the blouse, ran her fingertips over her sister’s smooth skin – shades of tending Juniper as a child – scanning her chest, her sides, her stomach for wounds. Breathed a great sigh of relief when none was found. ‘You’re all right.’
‘But whose?’ said Juniper. ‘Whose?’ She was shivering. ‘Where did it come from, Saffy?’
‘You don’t remember?’
Juniper shook her head.
‘Nothing at all?’
Juniper’s teeth were chattering; she shook her head again.
Saffy spoke calmly, softly, as if to a child. ‘Dearest, do you think you might have lost some time?’
Fear lit Juniper’s eyes.
‘Is your head aching? Your fingers – are they tingling?’
Juniper nodded slowly.
‘All right.’ Saffy smiled as best she could; helped Juniper out of the spoiled blouse then draped her arm around her sister’s shoulders, almost wept with fear and love and anguish when she felt the narrow bones beneath her arm. They should have gone to London, Percy should have gone and brought June back. ‘It’s all right,’ she said firmly, ‘you’re home now. Everything’s going to be all right.’
Juniper said nothing; her face had glazed over.
Saffy glanced at the door; Percy would know what to do. Percy always knew what to do. ‘Shh,’ she said, ‘shh,’ but more for herself than for Juniper, who was no longer listening.
They sat together on the end of the chaise longue and waited. Fire cackled in the grate, wind scurried along the stones, and rain lashed the windows. It felt as if a hundred years had passed. Then Percy appeared at the door. She’d been running and held the hot-water bottle in her hand. ‘I thought I heard a scream – ’ She stopped; registered Juniper’s state of undress. ‘What is it? What’s happened?’
Saffy gestured towards the bloodstained blouse and said, with ghastly cheer, ‘Come and help me, Perce. Juniper’s travelled all day and I thought we might draw her a lovely warm bath.’
Percy nodded grimly and, one on either side, they helped their little sister towards the door.
The room settled around their absence; the stones began to whisper.
The loose shutter fell off its hinge, but nobody saw it slip.
‘Is she sleeping?’
‘Yes.’
Percy exhaled relief and stepped further into the attic room to observe their little sister where she lay. She stopped beside Saffy’s chair. ‘Did she tell you anything?’
‘Not a lot. She remembered being on the train and then the bus, that it stopped and she was crouched down on the roadside; next thing she knew she was on her way up the drive, almost at the door, her limbs all tingly. The way they get – you know, afterwards.’
Percy knew. She reached to run the backs of two fingers down Juniper’s hairline towards her cheek. Their little sister looked so small, so helpless and harmless, when she was sleeping.
‘Don’t wake her.’
‘Not much chance of that.’ Percy indicated the bottle of Daddy’s pills beside the bed.
‘You’ve changed your clothes,’ said Saffy, tugging lightly on Percy’s trouser leg.
‘Yes.’
‘You’re going out.’
