“Is it true,” she said slowly, “the story Frith brought back with him from Kerrith last night, that Mrs. de Winter’s boat has been found?”
“Is there such a story?” I said. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it.”
“Captain Searle, the Kerrith harbormaster, called here yesterday, didn’t he?” she said. “Robert told me, Robert showed him in. Frith says the story in Kerrith is that the diver who went down about the ship there in the bay found Mrs. de Winter’s boat.”
“Perhaps so,” I said. “You had better wait until Mr. de Winter himself comes in and ask him about it.”
“Why was Mr. de Winter up so early?” she asked.
“That was Mr. de Winter’s business,” I said.
She went on staring at me. “Frith said the story goes that there was a body in the cabin of the little boat,” she said. “Why should there be a body there? Mrs. de Winter always sailed alone.”
“It’s no use asking me, Mrs. Danvers,” I said. “I don’t know any more than you do.”
“Don’t you?” she said slowly. She kept on looking at me. I turned away, I put the vase back on the table by the window.
“I will give the orders about the lunch,” she said. She waited a moment. I did not say anything. Then she went out of the room. She can’t frighten me anymore, I thought. She has lost her power with Rebecca. Whatever she said or did now it could not matter to me or hurt me. I knew she was my enemy and I did not mind. But if she should learn the truth about the body in the boat and become Maxim’s enemy too—what then? I sat down in the chair. I put the scissors on the table. I did not feel like doing any more roses. I kept wondering what Maxim was doing. I wondered why the reporter from the County Chronicle had rung us up again. The old sick feeling came back inside me. I went and leaned out of the window. It was very hot. There was thunder in the air. The gardeners began to mow the grass again. I could see one of the men with his machine walk backwards and forwards on the top of the bank. I could not go on sitting in the morning room. I left my scissors and my roses and went out onto the terrace. I began to walk up and down. Jasper padded after me, wondering why I did not take him for a walk. I went on walking up and down the terrace. About half past eleven Frith came out to me from the hall.
“Mr. de Winter on the telephone, Madam,” he said.
I went through the library to the little room beyond. My hands were shaking as I lifted the receiver.
“Is that you?” he said. “It’s Maxim. I’m speaking from the office. I’m with Frank.”
“Yes?” I said.
There was a pause. “I shall be bringing Frank and Colonel Julyan back to lunch at one o’clock,” he said.
“Yes,” I said.
I waited. I waited for him to go on. “They were able to raise the boat,” he said. “I’ve just got back from the creek.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Searle was there, and Colonel Julyan, and Frank, and the others,” he said. I wondered if Frank was standing beside him at the telephone, and if that was the reason he was so cool, so distant.
“All right then,” he said; “expect us about one o’clock.”
I put back the receiver. He had not told me anything. I still did not know what had happened. I went back again to the terrace, telling Frith first that we should be four to lunch instead of two.
An hour dragged past, slow, interminable. I went upstairs and changed into a thinner frock. I came down again. I went and sat in the drawing room and waited. At five minutes to one I heard the sound of a car in the drive, and then voices in the hall. I patted my hair in front of the looking glass. My face was very white. I pinched some color into my cheeks and stood up waiting for them to come into the room. Maxim came in, and Frank, and Colonel Julyan. I remembered seeing Colonel Julyan at the ball dressed as Cromwell. He looked shrunken now, different. A smaller man altogether.
“How do you do?” he said. He spoke quietly, gravely, like a doctor.
“Ask Frith to bring the sherry,” said Maxim. “I’m going to wash.”
“I’ll have a wash too,” said Frank. Before I rang the bell Frith appeared with the sherry. Colonel Julyan did not have any. I took some to give me something to hold. Colonel Julyan came and stood beside me by the window.
“This is a most distressing thing, Mrs. de Winter,” he said gently. “I do feel for you and your husband most acutely.”