“Thank you,” I said. I began to sip my sherry. Then I put the glass back again on the table. I was afraid he would notice that my hand was shaking.
“What makes it so difficult was the fact of your husband identifying that first body, over a year ago,” he said.
“I don’t quite understand,” I said.
“You did not hear, then, what we found this morning?” he said.
“I knew there was a body. The diver found a body,” I said.
“Yes,” he said. And then, half glancing over his shoulder towards the hall, “I’m afraid it was her, without a doubt,” he said, lowering his voice. “I can’t go into details with you, but the evidence was sufficient for your husband and Doctor Phillips to identify.”
He stopped suddenly, and moved away from me. Maxim and Frank had come back into the room.
“Lunch is ready; shall we go in?” said Maxim.
I led the way into the hall, my heart like a stone, heavy, numb. Colonel Julyan sat on my right, Frank on my left. I did not look at Maxim. Frith and Robert began to hand the first course. We all talked about the weather. “I see in The Times they had it well over eighty in London yesterday,” said Colonel Julyan.
“Really?” I said.
“Yes. Must be frightful for the poor devils who can’t get away.”
“Yes, frightful,” I said.
“Paris can be hotter than London,” said Frank. “I remember staying a weekend in Paris in the middle of August, and it was quite impossible to sleep. There was not a breath of air in the whole city. The temperature was over ninety.”
“Of course the French always sleep with their windows shut, don’t they?” said Colonel Julyan.
“I don’t know,” said Frank. “I was staying in a hotel. The people were mostly Americans.”
“You know France of course, Mrs. de Winter?” said Colonel Julyan.
“Not so very well,” I said.
“Oh, I had the idea you had lived many years out there.”
“No,” I said.
“She was staying in Monte Carlo when I met her,” said Maxim. “You don’t call that France, do you?”
“No, I suppose not,” said Colonel Julyan; “it must be very cosmopolitan. The coast is pretty though, isn’t it?”
“Very pretty,” I said.
“Not so rugged as this, eh? Still, I know which I’d rather have. Give me England every time, when it comes to settling down. You know where you are over here.”
“I dare say the French feel that about France,” said Maxim.
“Oh, no doubt,” said Colonel Julyan.
We went on eating a while in silence. Frith stood behind my chair. We were all thinking of one thing, but because of Frith we had to keep up our little performance. I suppose Frith was thinking about it too, and I thought how much easier it would be if we cast aside convention and let him join in with us, if he had anything to say. Robert came with the drinks. Our plates were changed. The second course was handed. Mrs. Danvers had not forgotten my wish for hot food. I took something out of a casserole covered in mushroom sauce.
“I think everyone enjoyed your wonderful party the other night,” said Colonel Julyan.
“I’m so glad,” I said.
“Does an immense amount of good locally, that sort of thing,” he said.
“Yes, I suppose it does,” I said.
“It’s a universal instinct of the human species, isn’t it, that desire to dress up in some sort of disguise?” said Frank.
“I must be very inhuman, then,” said Maxim.
“It’s natural, I suppose,” said Colonel Julyan, “for all of us to wish to look different. We are all children in some ways.”
I wondered how much pleasure it had given him to disguise himself as Cromwell. I had not seen much of him at the ball. He had spent most of the evening in the morning room, playing bridge.
“You don’t play golf, do you, Mrs. de Winter?” said Colonel Julyan.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t,” I said.
“You ought to take it up,” he said. “My eldest girl is very keen, and she can’t find young people to play with her. I gave her a small car for her birthday, and she drives herself over to the north coast nearly every day. It gives her something to do.”
“How nice,” I said.
“She ought to have been the boy,” he said. “My lad is different altogether. No earthly use at games. Always writing poetry. I suppose he’ll grow out of it.”