afraid,” she sobbed. “What is to become of us all at Castanheiros, now that the Jade Dragon is gone?”
Chapter 7
Any thought of admitting defeat and returning to England was wiped from my mind now. Since the disappearance of the Jade Dragon a pall of suspicion had lain over the Quinta dos Castanheiros, and we were all in its shadow. I as much as anyone—perhaps even more so than the others, for was I not the newcomer whose true motive for coming here was still regarded as obscure?
During the first couple of days the mystery was discussed interminably. To my amazement, though, neither Stafford nor Vicencia mentioned anything about our visit to the Chinese salon the previous night and the unknown eavesdropper who had vanished so swiftly into the darkness. More than once I was on the point of speaking out, but always at the last moment I held back. Those vehement words of Stafford’s kept returning to me, haunting me. Personally, he had declared, he wished to heaven that the Jade Dragon could vanish into thin air and never appear again.
So might not the deed be laid at Stafford’s door? Was he hoping, perhaps, that by removing the Jade Dragon he would compel the family to think along lines of reason and logic, rather than be ruled by superstition?
In which case, Stafford was wrong, dreadfully wrong. If the Jade Dragon, as my grandmother insisted on believing, had so far exerted a benign influence upon the household, its influence now—by its very absence—was a wholly destructive one. Mistrust was in the air, and everybody, right down to the youngest kitchenmaid and newest garden boy, was tainted by it. The servants crept about their duties with downcast eyes, expecting imminent disaster to strike. As for the family, it seemed as if a thundercloud hung above our heads, as if a careless word from any one of us might trigger off the flash of lightning that would destroy us all.
In the end, I plucked up courage to tackle Vicencia. “Why is it that both you and Stafford have kept silent about our visit to the Chinese salon the evening before the Jade Dragon disappeared?” I asked her. “It has troubled me greatly, and I have wondered if I myself should mention it to the others.”
She laid a hand upon my arm. “No, Elinor, you must do no such thing.”
“But why not? It might help bring an end to this poisonous atmosphere.”
“But to speak out can solve nothing. Don’t you see, Elinor, it would only make matters worse. Perhaps if we wait,” she added hopefully, “the Jade Dragon will turn up again. But if it doesn’t, I expect the whole unfortunate incident will soon be forgotten.”
“Do you really believe it will ever be forgotten?” I asked somberly.
She shook her head in a helpless way, having no answer to give me. Looking at her as she fingered the gold band of her wedding ring, a thought came into my mind. Did Vicencia share my uneasiness that Stafford was responsible for the removal of the Jade Dragon? If so, she would be desperately anxious not to draw suspicion toward him. Vicencia had such a high regard for her brother-in-law. He mattered to her far more than any other member of the family. More even than myself, despite the close relationship that had sprung up between us.
“I beg you to say nothing,” she implored me. “It can serve no useful purpose. We cannot hope to solve the mystery, so much better to leave well enough alone.”
“Don’t forget there is someone else involved, Vicencia— the unknown person in the library who must have overheard everything we said. Why has he or she never come forward, I wonder. Perhaps that person was the thief.” Her gentle brown eyes had taken on a scared, piteous look, and suddenly it was beyond me to pursue the matter any further. “Very well, then. I won’t mention our visit to the Chinese salon—at least, not for the time being.”
“Oh, thank you, Elinor.” she said gratefully. “I am sure it is the right thing.”
She
Chapter 7
Any thought of admitting defeat and returning to England was wiped from my mind now. Since the disappearance of the Jade Dragon a pall of suspicion had lain over the Quinta dos Castanheiros, and we were all in its shadow. I as much as anyone—perhaps even more so than the others, for was I not the newcomer whose true motive for coming here was still regarded as obscure?
During the first couple of days the mystery was discussed interminably. To my amazement, though, neither Stafford nor Vicencia mentioned anything about our visit to the Chinese salon the previous night and the unknown eavesdropper who had vanished so swiftly into the darkness. More than once I was on the point of speaking out, but always at the last moment I held back. Those vehement words of Stafford’s kept returning to me, haunting me. Personally, he had declared, he wished to heaven that the Jade Dragon could vanish into thin air and never appear again.
So might not the deed be laid at Stafford’s door? Was he hoping, perhaps, that by removing the Jade Dragon he would compel the family to think along lines of reason and logic, rather than be ruled by superstition?
In which case, Stafford was wrong, dreadfully wrong. If the Jade Dragon, as my grandmother insisted on believing, had so far exerted a benign influence upon the household, its influence now—by its very absence—was a wholly destructive one. Mistrust was in the air, and everybody, right down to the youngest kitchenmaid and newest garden boy, was tainted by it. The servants crept about their duties with downcast eyes, expecting imminent disaster to strike. As for the family, it seemed as if a thundercloud hung above our heads, as if a careless word from any one of us might trigger off the flash of lightning that would destroy us all.
In the end, I plucked up courage to tackle Vicencia. “Why is it that both you and Stafford have kept silent about our visit to the Chinese salon the evening before the Jade Dragon disappeared?” I asked her. “It has troubled me greatly, and I have wondered if I myself should mention it to the others.”
She laid a hand upon my arm. “No, Elinor, you must do no such thing.”
“But why not? It might help bring an end to this poisonous atmosphere.”
“But to speak out can solve nothing. Don’t you see, Elinor, it would only make matters worse. Perhaps if we wait,” she added hopefully, “the Jade Dragon will turn up again. But if it doesn’t, I expect the whole unfortunate incident will soon be forgotten.”
“Do you really believe it will ever be forgotten?” I asked somberly.
She shook her head in a helpless way, having no answer to give me. Looking at her as she fingered the gold band of her wedding ring, a thought came into my mind. Did Vicencia share my uneasiness that Stafford was responsible for the removal of the Jade Dragon? If so, she would be desperately anxious not to draw suspicion toward him. Vicencia had such a high regard for her brother-in-law. He mattered to her far more than any other member of the family. More even than myself, despite the close relationship that had sprung up between us.
“I beg you to say nothing,” she implored me. “It can serve no useful purpose. We cannot hope to solve the mystery, so much better to leave well enough alone.”
“Don’t forget there is someone else involved, Vicencia— the unknown person in the library who must have overheard everything we said. Why has he or she never come forward, I wonder. Perhaps that person was the thief.” Her gentle brown eyes had taken on a scared, piteous look, and suddenly it was beyond me to pursue the matter any further. “Very well, then. I won’t mention our visit to the Chinese salon—at least, not for the time being.”
“Oh, thank you, Elinor.” she said gratefully. “I am sure it is the right thing.”
She
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