It is quite possible that in his heart of hearts Sir Murray Gernon had
doubts as to who had been the spoiler of his family jewels, but he would
admit nothing to his breast but such thoughts as were disparaging to
Norton.
At the Castle nods and smiles were prevalent, and the servants gossiped
respecting the happy change that had taken place, arguing all sorts of
gaieties once more; for--so they said--the old house had been like a
dungeon lately, and almost unbearable.
But there were doubts still in the minds of both Jane Barker and her
lover, the former watching Sir Murray as narrowly as ever he watched his
lady. There was a feeling of uneasiness in Jane's heart that grew
stronger every day, a feeling not based upon any confidences of Lady
Gernon's--for, though invariably kind and gentle, Marion was not one to
make a friend and counsellor of her servant--but upon Jane's own
observation. The scraps she gathered she pieced together, and, when
alone, tried to form some definite course of action--a trial resulting
in a rigid determination which she followed out.
What took place in private was never known, but the pallor upon Lady
Gernon's cheeks grew daily of a more sickly hue. A physician was sent
for from the county town with great ostentation by Sir Murray, and
shortly after, another from London, resulting in prescriptions and
medicine, which her ladyship took daily, such medicine being always
administered by Jane, who made a point, for some reason or another, of
leaving the bottles always upon the table in her ladyship's
dressing-room; and this went on for quite a couple of months, the
sickness increasing, though not sufficiently to confine Lady Gernon to
her room. The walks, though, were pretty well given up, and it was only
at very rare intervals that Lady Gernon strayed beyond the boundaries of
the park.
The servants said that no one could be more attentive than Sir Murray
now was, and that it was quite pleasant to see the alteration. But Jane
said nothing, she merely tightened her lips, making no confidant; for
once--twice, four different times--she had encountered Sir Murray coming
from her mistress's dressing-room; and once, after such a visit, when
she went to give Lady Gernon her daily medicine, the poor girl fainted
away upon learning that her duty had been forestalled by Sir Murray
himself.
Whatever might have been Jane Barkers suspicions, she felt that this
could not go on for ever; and worn out, and sick at heart, she one day
put on her bonnet, ordered McCray to act as her escort, and made her way
to Merland Hall.
Mrs Norton welcomed her heartily, but almost in dread, not knowing what
interpretation might be placed upon the visit, should it come to Sir
Murray's ears. But, to her great astonishment, Jane's first act was to
close the window, and then, crossing the room, she turned the key in the
lock; when, coming back close to the astonished occupant of the room,
she threw herself down upon her knees, sobbing wildly; and catching hold
of Ada's hand, she kissed it fiercely again and again.
"Is anything wrong?" exclaimed Ada Norton, with a horrified look, for a
dreadful fear had flashed across her mind.
"No, Miss Ada--I mean Mrs Norton--_not yet--not yet_! but unless some
one interferes there soon will be! Oh, 'm! I didn't care to go to the
Rectory, for I knew that they wouldn't believe me there! but I'm afraid
something dreadful will happen to my poor dear lady! I have come to you
because you are her cousin, and I know you loved her, though things have
gone so crooked since. But what shall we do, 'm? for since that last
time when my lady met Mr Norton in the wood, and Sir Murray caught
them--" Jane ceased, for Ada Norton leaped to her feet as if some
galvanic shock had passed through her frame.
"Oh, what am I saying, ma'am? I didn't think that you'd take it in that
way, nor yet that you wouldn't know of it. It was nothing, ma'am; only
Sir Murray was telling my lady of it; and she said that they met by
accident, and that almost all her words to him were to send her love to
you, ma'am."
"It was, then, upon that occasion?" said Ada Norton, in agitated tones.
"Yes, 'm; and I was in the dressing-room, and heard all. Not that Sir
Murray spoke angrily, but in a curious, sneering tone that frightens my
lady; and ever since then she's been ill, and taking medicine; and--oh,
'm!--you would not get me into trouble for trying to do what's right by
my lady?"
"No--no," said Ada, who was trying to recall her husband's words when he
had told her of his last meeting with Lady Gernon, for he had said
nothing respecting the coming of Sir Murray.
"Well, ma'am," sobbed Jane, "since then"--she sank her voice into a
whisper, and sent a thrill of horror through Ada Norton as she
spoke--"since then, ma'am, I'm sure Sir Murray has been trying to poison
her!"
"Poison my cousin, Lady Gernon?" exclaimed Ada. "Nonsense! Absurd!
Jane, you are mad!"
"I hope I am, ma'am, about that--indeed I do!" cried Jane, earnestly.
"But what have you seen? What do you know?" exclaimed Mrs Norton.
"I haven't seen anything, ma'am, except Sir Murray coming sometimes out
of the dressing-room, where the medicine's kept; and I don't know
anything except that my lady's medicine always tastes different, and
looks different, when it's been in the dressing-room a day or two; and
every week it turns a darker colour, and tastes stronger than it did the
week before. And besides all that, though Sir Murray smiles, and
pretends to talk pleasant to the poor dear, suffering angel, than whom a
better woman never lived, he hates her dreadfully, and more and more
every day."
"And how long has this been going on?" said Mrs Norton, with a faint
smile.
"Weeks now, ma'am," said Jane. "But I see you don't believe me."
"I believe you to be a good, affectionate girl, Jane," said Mrs Norton,
"and that you love your mistress; but this seems to me to be a fearful
and perfectly unfounded suspicion--one that I am glad, for every one's
sake, that you have hinted to no one else. Think of the absurdity of
the thing. This has, you say, been going on for weeks; and yet, you
see, your mistress is not poisoned yet."
"No, ma'am, not yet," said Jane, meaningly.
"Well, then, my good girl, how do you account for that?"
"Because, ma'am," said Jane, in a whisper, "she's never taken any of the
medicine but once."
"How? What do you mean?" exclaimed Mrs Norton.
"I've managed to get the stuff made up at two places, ma'am," whispered
Jane. "One lot's fetched by the footman from one chemist's, at
Marshton, and I get the gardener to go to another chemist's for the
other. I only had to send the doctor's paper, and the medicine comes
just like what Sir Murray knows is sent for."
"Well," exclaimed Ada, impatiently.
"Well, 'm," whispered Jane, "that which her ladyship takes I keep locked
up, and that which stands on the dressing-table gets poured out of the
window, a little at a time, upon the flower-beds."
Ada Norton sat silently gazing at Jane for a few minutes before she
spoke.
"Jane," she said, "this is a fearful charge!" and she shuddered. "I
must think about it, and before many hours I will come over to the
Castle, and see either Sir Murray or Lady Gernon. Do not be afraid; I
will not implicate you in any way. I must see Mr Elstree, and I will
try to make some plan--to arrange something definite; but your words
have confused me--almost taken away my breath. The thing seems so
monstrous, and even now I cannot believe it true! But I should not feel
that I had done my duty if, after what you have said, I did not take
some steps; so rest assured that I will do something, and at once."
Jane rose to go, and, trembling and excited, Ada Norton sat for some
hours, pondering whether she should ask her husband's advice, ending by
putting it off till the next day, when it happened that it was out of
her power.
Book 1, Chapter XXXIV.