Chapter 10

I got up early the next morning, slipped away from Blaine to get ready for what I knew would be a trying day. I dressed appropriately in a new suit and went down to see Frith at the bottom of the stairs with the morning papers.

"I have the morning papers sir," he said offering them to me.

"Thank you Frith but I won't need them this morning and I would appreciate it if Mr Anderson didn't see them either." He nodded his head solemnly in agreement.

" We were all sorry to hear the news of the discovery," he said, "I hope Mr Anderson knows that we would all do anything we could to help and if anyone was needed to testify I am sure we would do so."

"Thank you," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat at this man's kindness and utter belief in his master, "I don't think that will be necessary but I know Mr Anderson will like to hear it nonetheless." I drank my tea alone but I couldn't face any food and then I went into the living area, to find Blaine by the fireplace, staring into its glowing embers.

"Blaine?" I whispered as I entered and he looked up, his eyes still sad though he smiled at seeing me. I walked closer and hugged him by the waist. He took me in, looked at me carefully and stroked my cheek.

"I worry about you at the inquest Blaine," I said as his fingers stopped along my jaw and he raised an eyebrow to question. "You won't lose your temper?" I continued.

"No I will try not to Kurt," he said, "I will try for you." And he kissed me sweetly.

"I want to go to the inquest with you," I said.

"Are you sure Kurt?" he said, "I mean it won't be pleasant."

"I know but I can't just stay here and I can't bear the thought of you going through that alone. I need to go with you, so that no matter what happens I won't be separated from you for a moment." Tears sprung to my eyes as soon as the thought entered my mind and Blaine smiled kindly, kissing my cheek tenderly.

"Then you shall go."

"We don't have to go just yet do we?" I asked, "We still have some time?"

"Yes, some time," he said and he hugged me close. "I don't mind this whole thing except for you, for what it's done to you." He took my face in his hands and looked oh so lovingly at my eyes and face. "Oh it's gone forever, that funny lost look you had, a twinkle of such innocence in your eyes. I took that from you, I killed that when I told you about Rebecca." He looked so sad and ashamed, I let my tears fall and hugged him to me so close I could feel his strong chest against mine. I kissed him desperately, his tongue gently caressing mine as if this would be the last kiss and we waited for the inquest.

xXx

The inquest was so formal, a room full of stuffed shirts and the top table a line of important men who held our future in their hands. The first on the stand was Ben, the lonely mad man from the cottage. He bumbled along, answered incoherently, only talking about the fact that she was gone and that she wouldn't return. He kept repeating that he didn't want to go to the asylum and the coroner looked just once at the chief constable and asked Ben to stand down. He was not needed anymore.

Next was the boat expert – the man who had looked at the boat in great detail the day before. I could see Blaine from where I was sitting a few rows behind and he turned to catch my gaze and smiled, as well as he could. I hoped that I would be able to help him in some small way, as I sat there next to Frank and watched on.

The coroner was saying something about the supposed cap-sizing of the boat and what would cause that. The expert than mentioned what we had been dreading.

"That would be fine except for the sea-cocks," he said.

"What are the sea-cocks?" asked the coroner clearly not a man of the sea.

"The sea-cocks are the valves that drain out the boat; they are always kept tightly closed when you are at sea, well this boat had them open."

"Well what could be the reason for that?" the coroner asked.

"Well just this, that's what flooded the boat," he said, "That's what sunk her." There was a sudden murmur around the room and I could see Jack Favell the other side of the room, suddenly sit more upright in interest.

"What are you implying?" the coroner asked.

"That boat didn't capsize in the ordinary way, I know it's a horrible thing to say," he said, looking around the room as if they were his audience and he wanted a reaction, "But in my opinion that boat was scuttled." The murmurs got louder.

"And there's them holes," he continued.

"What holes?"

"In the planking, I mean that boat's been underwater for years and the tide's been knocking her against the ridge but those holes look like she'd made them from the inside."

"So she must have done it deliberately?"

"That was no accident."

I could see the coroner turn to whisper to the chief constable, obviously to confer and I could only breathe deeply, hoping that I wouldn't start to panic. I could see Blaine shuffle uncomfortably in his chair and I wanted to reach out to him, help him, take him away.

Blaine was asked to the stand soon after and I could see him set his jaw as his chest rose in preparation. He was asked constant questions that seemed to get quicker and quicker, his answers getting more and more frustrated. He didn't know whether she would have killed herself, he said, he didn't know if the boat could be damaged any other way. He didn't know. And I could feel the panic rise in my chest as he answered, getting more and more annoyed. I could feel a warmth spread over me and just as I thought Blaine would lose his temper again, I felt myself drifting forward, embarrassingly caught by Frank before I hit the floor. Blaine came quickly to my side and it was agreed that we would adjourn for lunch. I was ushered out to the car as we passed photographers and Frank said we could have lunch there. I sighed as we sat down, finally at peace.

"I'm sorry darling," Blaine said, as he kissed my cheek then offered me a drink from the picnic hamper we had in the car.

"No don't worry Blaine, it was nothing, I'm fine, I assure you."

"I knew you should have eaten breakfast," he said continuing to fuss and stroke my cheek.

"I'm fine honestly Blaine, don't worry."

"I'm sorry I got angry," Blaine said looking ashamed, "I didn't know how to get myself out of the situation." He looked down, such a lost puppy that it was my turn to take his hand and stroke it.

"Don't worry Blaine, we have each other, we'll be ok." Blaine could only look at me and smile sadly, my optimism not quite reaching his heart.

Unfortunately our peace was disturbed as the face of Jack Favell appeared through the open window as we started to drink and eat our lunch.

"Why hello, you two, did you manage to escape the photographers?" he said as he climbed into the car uninvited smoking a cigarette. He asked our driver to fill his car with petrol and close the door.

"Oh sorry, does this bother you?" he said indicating the cigarette, which he promptly threw out the window.

"You know it's a curious thing about those holes isn't it dear Blaine?" he said, as he started to eat a chicken leg. "I have a funny feeling that someone will use that nasty little phrase 'foul play' by the end of the day. It is a curious but highly descriptive phrase don't you think?" He popped the cork on a bottle of wine and helped himself.

"Am I boring you with all this?" he said as he looked to both our faces. "You see I have a little note here that might interest you," he said, removing a folded note from his top pocket.

"What makes you think I would be interested in your note?" Blaine said confidently, not betraying anything.

"Well you see it's from Rebecca, dated the day she died and its rather interesting because it doesn't appear to be a note from a woman that wanted to die." He finished eating the chicken leg and I felt sick but somehow compelled to continue watching him.

"What do you do with old bones?" he asked, "Bury them?" He threw the bone out the car window. "You know I'm getting rather tired of work," he suddenly said, "I'd love to have a few acres to live comfortably on, just enough to shoot and have some fun. I've never worked out how much it would cost a year but I'd like to talk to you about it soon. I'd like your advice on how to live well without hard work," he said smiling.

Frank suddenly appeared at the window of the car, asking if Blaine had wanted to see him. Blaine left the car and said that he needed to speak to Favell privately and the inn across the road would be better. He left without saying a word to me but he whispered to Frank as Favell left the car and was out of ear shot, that we should get Colonel Julian the chief constable and quickly.

Upon entering the inn soon after, I noticed it was crowded and full of smoke but we were ushered into a back room. Frank had brought the chief constable as agreed and we were all bundled in there. I hovered next to Frank and saw Blaine come alive.

"Would you mind repeating your proposition Favell, to Colonel Julian here?" Blaine said as Favell looked mildly panicked.

"I don't know what you mean I merely asked Blaine's advice on living well in the country."

"I think Colonel Julian, that Jack has been withholding vital information and evidence needed at the inquest."

"I only want justice to be done," Jack said, addressing himself to the Colonel, "You see I have a note here that disputes the idea of suicide, I think you'll agree." He opened and showed the letter to the Colonel, who then read it out loud.

Jack darling,

I've just seen the doctor and I'm going down to Manderley right away. I shall be at the cottage all this evening and shall leave the door open for you. I have something terribly important to tell you.

Rebecca

"You see, that doesn't seem like a letter from someone planning to kill herself a few hours later. And have you never thought that it would be a rather laborious way to kill yourself by drilling holes into the flanking of a boat."

"Well what are you suggesting Favell?"

"Murder," he said simply, looking at Blaine coldly.

"But there's no evidence," Frank said indignantly, "It just sounds like blackmail to me, pure and simple."

"Blackmail is rarely pure and never simple," the Colonel said.

"Well it seems Frank is rather jealous that he didn't get Rebecca after all his efforts," Favell scoffed, "But perhaps he is more interested in Kurt here, after all," he laughed and I could see Blaine walk towards him suddenly and throw a punch at his jaw.

A waiter at the inn suddenly entered the room bearing drinks and asked if we needed anything else.

"Just a sedative for dear Blaine here," Jack said, as he felt along his jaw painfully. The Colonel dismissed the waiter.

"What's the motive then?" the Colonel said speaking to Jack, obviously dismissive from his tone, hoping to rid Blaine of this annoying man.

"Oh yes," Jack said triumphantly, "I have read enough detective fiction to know that there always has to be a motive. You see I have just the person." And he left the room only to return with Mrs Danvers.

"Right Danny, you'll help me, tell everyone about Rebecca's doctor," Jack said.

"Mr Anderson always had Dr McClain from the village," she replied in her usual cold manner.

"Now Danny, I said Rebecca's doctor, in London," Jack said rather crossly.

"I don't know anything about that," she said as she looked at the faces staring at her in the room.

"Now don't give me that," Jack said, getting impatient, "You knew everything about Rebecca, you knew she was in love with me, didn't you? Surely you haven't forgotten the good times Rebecca and I had at the cottage by the beach," he looked to the faces staring at him and he beamed with pride.

"She had a right to amuse herself, didn't she?" Mrs Danvers suddenly said, "Love was a game to her, only a game. She used to rock with laughter at the lot of you," she looked at Jack, then Blaine in disgust.

"Can you think of any reason why Mrs Anderson would take her own life?" Colonel Julian asked.

"No, no," Mrs Danvers said, suddenly overcome with emotion, tears falling down her face. "I refuse to believe it, I knew everything about her and I refuse to believe it."

"There you see," Jack said triumphantly. "Now Danny she went to the doctors in London on the day she died. Who was it?"

"I don't know what you mean," Mrs Danvers said weakly.

"Now Danny I'm on the same side," Jack said.

"It's been suggested that Rebecca was murdered," Colonel Julian said.

"You see Danny; there it is in a nutshell. But there's one thing you will want to know - the name of the murderer, a lovely name that rolls off the tongue: Blaine Devon Anderson." He continued to look so proud of himself, Blaine only blanched at having been mentioned in such a way. Mrs Danvers looked towards Blaine with a horrified expression as Jack looked on, so proud of his deduction skills.

"Mrs Anderson went to a doctor in London even before she was married," Mrs Danvers said suddenly.

"What was his name?" Jack asked eagerly. I could see Blaine plead with his eyes, beg her to understand and protect him and I thought for a moment that she might but as I stood up next to Blaine from my seat she answered. "Dr Baker, 165 Goldhawk Road, Shepherds Bush."

We left soon after in the car, Favell and the Colonel following us to London to see this Dr Baker. I sat between Frank and Blaine in the back seat, our lunch forgotten in the haste for this to be over. The inquest had been postponed pending further evidence and I could feel knots turning in my stomach as we drove. Blaine's jaw was set and his eyes darted to and fro as he looked out of the window. I could offer no solace and Frank said not a word. We got there several hours later.

The doctor agreed to meet us all in his darkened office, his collection of folders and books was magnificent, showing his learning and expertise. We were shuffled into seats and the Colonel explained the situation. The doctor merely said he had never seen a Mrs Anderson but Jack insisted he look in his appointment book for that day in October so long ago. As he read the list of names, a Mrs Danvers cropped up in the book and Jack exclaimed, "She used an alias! Describe this Mrs Danvers."

"I remember her quite well actually; she was tall, dark, a very beautiful woman."

"What did you see her for?" asked Favell, "She was pregnant wasn't she?" Jack looked positively demonic in his need for answers and he hovered over the doctor trying to intimidate him.

"No, she wasn't pregnant, though she had at first assumed she was. I saw her several times and asked her to get tests completed. That day in October the reports were back and she was told her news."

"What was wrong with her doctor?" Blaine asked quietly.

"She had cancer, quite advanced and inoperable." Jack looked horrified and walked backwards, leaning on the wall behind him. Blaine only looked shocked, his mind whirring through her last moments again I assumed.

"Do you think she would have killed herself?" the colonel asked.

"Well that was the interesting thing," the doctor continued, "When I told her that she had only a few months, she laughed ruefully and said 'oh definitely not that long'."

Blaine sat back and looked terribly sad but soon the doctor was being thanked and we all left.

We gathered outside the doctor's offices and Frank asked if Blaine would be needed at the inquest now this news had been discovered. The Colonel assured us we wouldn't be needed and he rebuked Jack for his blackmailing tactics. Jack just laughed it off and returned to his car. We shook hands with the colonel, who explained he would be staying in London for the night and we thanked him as we got into our car: Frank, Blaine and I.

As we sat in the car, looking out the window, I couldn't contain myself anymore. I found Blaine's hand between us and I squeezed it, trying to impart hope and love there, hoping that Frank wouldn't notice. Blaine looked at me, tears evident in his eyes and he smiled so warmly I thought I would melt with relief. We were finally safe and I knew there was nowhere else I wanted to be than with Blaine Devon Anderson.