Maud drank her coffee, wishing it was not always so very strong at Quire House, but Thomasina could not bear it wishy-washy. Tonight, though, it tasted quite bitter.
Thomasina got up from her chair and moved round the table to Maud. She was saying something about it being time to tell Maud the plan she had made with Simon. But Maud’s headache was getting worse and there was a dull roaring in her ears. Thomasina’s words seemed to be coming from down a long, windswept tunnel. Simon had got up from his chair as well, and came towards her. He had the same smile as Thomasina and his face was flushed with excitement or maybe from the wine he had drunk–he had drunk quite a lot, in spite of what Thomasina had said.
From a long way away she heard Thomasina say, ‘I hope you haven’t given her too much?’ and Simon replied, ‘A few drops in her wine and then in the coffee, that’s all.’
Thomasina’s voice came again, a bit sharper this time, saying she hoped Simon knew what he was doing.
‘Of course I do,’ said Simon, and bent over Maud’s chair, taking her arms and pulling her to her feet. Maud discovered she was quite dizzy and it was difficult to stand up. Simon seemed to understand this and put an arm around her waist to support her.
At first she thought they were going to carry her upstairs and leave her to sleep, and she was deeply grateful. The thought of falling fathoms down into a sleep where there would be no headache and no queer distortion of sounds was wonderful. It must have been her headache that had made her see the glinting-eyed smiles and the greedy, wet-looking teeth earlier on.
There was a draught of cold air as they went out into the main hall, and it cleared Maud’s head slightly. It had been suffocatingly hot in the dining room tonight. Perhaps all she needed was a little fresh air.
It was not suffocatingly hot in her bedroom; it was pleasantly warm from the fire burning brightly in the hearth. She began to thank Simon and Thomasina for bringing her upstairs, saying she would get undressed and get into bed. Surely Thomasina would not be expecting to do ‘It’ tonight? Surely she would sleep in the adjoining room, as she had done a couple of weeks ago when she had a cold and could not stop sneezing?
But Thomasina bent over Maud, unfastened her gown and peeled it down, and then removed her underthings. She stroked Maud’s legs and her breasts and Maud felt a stab of anger because, birthday or not, it was thoughtless of Thomasina to do this when she must see how unwell she was. The room began to spin, and the light from the fire became a vaguely sinister crimson blur like blood seeping out into the walls and soaking its way up to the ceiling…like a fire behind thick clanging iron doors…
Thomasina stood up, and through her dizzy confusion, Maud saw she was undressing very quickly, flinging her things onto the floor. So she did mean to get into bed. The thought of Thomasina’s stringy body pressing against her, and Thomasina’s hard-boned fingers jabbing inside her was almost more than Maud could bear. Thomasina seldom bothered to trim her fingernails properly so rough hangnails scraped the inside of Maud’s thighs.
The hangnails scraped her thighs now as Thomasina thrust her hands between Maud’s legs in the urgent way she did if she had drunk more wine than usual at dinner. Maud tried not to shudder or look over Thomasina’s shoulder to where the clock ticked away the minutes until she could relax and go to sleep. Fifteen minutes would it take? Sometimes it was a lot longer, but perhaps tonight it would be quick. Where was Simon, though? He must have gone out of the room without her hearing, but when? She had not heard the door open or close. She half turned her head to see the rest of the room, trying not to mind about Thomasina’s probing hands.