swept over her, Rosina buried her face in the pillow and sobbed for her friend who was now beyond grief or joy, or help.
*
Next morning Rosina was summoned to Miss Baxter's office.
Before she went downstairs, she tried the door to what had been Miss Draycott's room. As she had expected, it was locked.
Grimly she went downstairs.
"I wanted you to know that I sent a letter by hand to your parents last night, saying that after your upsetting experience you would prefer to return home."
"But my parents are in London," Rosina said.
"So I understand, but I received a message to say that somebody will call to collect you this morning."
'You can't wait to be rid of me,' Rosina thought. 'I've seen too much and it makes you uncomfortable. But then I never want to see this place again.'
Aloud she said,
"I will see to my packing."
A maid came to help her, and between the two of them they finished everything by the time a closed carriage came into view. Rosina wondered who had come for her.
The carriage drew up and she watched as the door opened and a man stepped out.
Then she drew in her breath sharply.
It was Sir John.
Memories of their last meeting came flooding back to her. She had told him a part of Miss Draycott's story. How hard and unsympathetic he had been.
He was the last man on earth that she would have chosen to see at this moment.
But when she went down a few minutes later, she was careful not to show her feelings.
"Good morning," he said to her gravely. "Miss Baxter has told me what happened last night, and I agree with her that this is an unhappy place for you to remain."
"What does my father say?" Rosina asked.
"He's in London. I happened to be staying overnight at your home to study some of his papers, and collect his mail. I was there when the messenger arrived, and he told me what had happened. I'm leaving for London today, and I thought you'd like to come with me, and rejoin your parents."
"Thank you. I should like that."
As she returned to her room for her hat and coat, her boxes were already being taken away. Before leaving she tried Miss Draycott's door again. This time it opened.
As she had half expected, the room had been stripped of all sign of life. The sheets had gone from the bed, the wardrobe doors were open, showing emptiness inside. All sign of Miss Draycott had been swept away.
"She might never have existed," Rosina said bitterly.
"Yes, it's shocking," said Sir John's voice behind her.
She turned quickly.
"I came up to see if I could be of any help."
"It's too late to help," she said bleakly. "I tried, but I wasn't really any use to her."
"Maybe nobody could have been," he suggested gently.
She turned on him. "We'll never know now, will we?"
"No, I suppose not. If you're ready, we might go now."
There was a strained farewell between herself and Miss Baxter. Then she and Sir John were in the carriage, and it was rumbling away.
For a while nobody spoke, then he said,
"So Miss Draycott has died – the teacher you told me about?"
"Yes," she said in a low, fierce voice. "And she's dead because of him."
"I understood from the Headmistress that it was an accident. She said that you confirmed it."
"I said what Miss Draycott wanted me to say, but the truth is that she took her own life. I saw her do it."
"Dear God!" he said fervently.
"She killed herself because of the man you dared to defend."
"The man I – ?"
"You told me how sensibly he was behaving and how foolish she was to believe in him."
"I wasn't defending him, I was trying to avert a tragedy by putting her on her guard. Sadly I was too late, but honestly, my dear girl, her hopes were unrealistic."
"Of course they were," she said with a bright, hard smile. "It is always unrealistic to place too much faith in a man."
"What exactly happened?" he asked, refusing to be provoked.
"He wrote to her saying that everything was over
between them because he was planning a wealthy marriage. He demanded the return of his