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CHAPTER III Good Lady Duquesne

By Mary E. Bratton

Bella Rulliston had decided to earn her own money and help her mother. She wanted to

find a job as a companion to a lady. She went to the office of Ms. Torpinter in Harbick Street,

London. Ms. Torpinter found jobs for young women like Bella. Ms. Torpinter asked Bella questions

and wrote down her qualifications. Age, she asked. Eighteen. Any skills? No, I have no skills.

Bella was young and honest. Mother hasn't had enough money to buy a piano since I was

twelve years old, so I have forgotten how to play, and I have had to help mother with

her sewing, so I haven't had enough time to study.

Please don't explain to me what you can't do. Tell me what you can do, Ms. Torpinter. Can

you read aloud? Are you active and helpful? Do you get up early? Are you a good walker?

Are you sweet -tempered? I can say yes to all those questions. I think I have a good temper.

I will do my best to be good at my job. The kind of ladies who come to me are from high

society. They don't like people who talk too much.

Oh, of course, said Bella. Ms. Torpinter was wearing a black dress. She had a white face

and a wig on top of her head. She was annoyed. Maybe it had been a long day in this office,

and she was tired. Maybe she did not like Bella's freshness and liveliness. Bella had pink cheeks

and bright eyes.

"'Do you have any jobs for me?' asked Bella.

"'Oh, no. I have nothing right now,' answered Ms. Torpinter.

"'You see, you are very young and have no experience.

"'And do you think you can find me a position soon?' asked Bella.

"'I want a job soon because mother is poor.

"'Well, you will have to wait. If anything comes, I will write to you. I cannot say more

than that.'" Bella went back home to her mother.

Bella waited and hoped and listened for the postman's knocks on the door. She spent the

day sewing with her mother. Mrs. Rolliston was a lady by birth in education, but she had

married a dishonest man. Her husband had left her. Bella was her only child. But she was

a brave, hard -working, clever woman. She earned a living by making coats. It was not

an easy lifestyle. They rented a cheap apartment, did not have enough food or clothes, but they

loved each other very much and were happy.

Bella ran downstairs every time the postman knocked on the door. No letter came. And two

weeks later, Bella put her hat on. She was going to Ms. Torpinter's office in Harbex

Street.

It was a gray October afternoon. The shop windows were bright and colorful. Bella looked

at them. There were so many things that she wished for, but would never be able to buy.

As she looked, a carriage passed her. It was an old -fashioned yellow carriage with a pair

of gray horses. It looks like Cinderella's very godmother's coach thought Bella.

When she came to Ms. Torpinter's store, she saw that the yellow carriage was there. She

went upstairs and knocked at the door.

Come in, said a voice. Bella went in, fresh and lively. She looked at Ms. Torpinter and

then at the owner of the wonderful carriage. It was a very old lady. A very old face under

a hat. She had big, shining black eyes, a sharply pointed chin, and a small nose. She

was wearing glasses. Her claw -like fingers were covered in jewels.

Lady Duquesne, this is Ms. Rolestin, said Ms. Torpinter.

Lady Duquesne's bright eyes looked at Bella.

Ms. Torpinter has told me all about you, said the old lady. Are you healthy? Are you

strong and active? Are you able to eat well, sleep well, walk well?

I have never been ill, answered Bella. Then I think you can work for me. She turned to

Ms. Torpinter. The young woman looks honest and innocent. I want a strong young woman with

good health. I am sure Ms. Rolestin will not disappoint you. After your bad experiences

with Ms. Thompson, who looked the picture of Health and Ms. Blandy, who said she had never

seen a doctor.

They were lying, said Lady Duquesne. She turned to Bella. Would you like to spend the

winter in Italy? She asked.

Italy. I have always wanted to see Italy, she said.

Well, then get ready to leave this day next week at 11. Be at the station at a quarter

to 11. She turned to Ms. Torpinter. The salary will be the same as usual.

Lady Duquesne laughed, and Ms. Torpinter looked at Bella. You are a very lucky Ms. Rolestin,

she said. Old Lady Duquesne is wonderful. You will make a hundred pounds a year. You

will live a luxurious life.

A hundred a year. Wonderful. Does Lady Duquesne have many people around her? No, she lives

by herself in her own apartment. She has a maid, a footman, and a doctor.

Why did the other companions leave her, asked Bella? Their health broke down. They had to

leave.

From Ms. Rolestin at Caparino, Italy, to Mrs. Rolestin, in Beresford Street, Walworth,

London.

Dear his mother, I wish you could see this beautiful place. The blue sky, the woods, and

the sea. It is November, but the air is like June in England. The sun is very hot, so I can't

walk without an umbrella. I always think of you. You will never see this lovely coast,

these summer flowers. The hotel is very luxurious. Lady Duquesne sits all day on the balcony

under the sun and all the evening in her armchair next to the fireplace. She has the most beautiful

room in the hotel. My bedroom is the sweetest room. Lady Duquesne is like a funny old grandmother,

who is very, very rich and very, very kind. She is easy to please. I read to her a lot,

and she falls asleep. Sometimes she talks in her sleep. She must be having bad dreams. Sometimes

her maid, Francine, reads a French novel to her, and she enjoys it very much. Everything

is lovely. I have a lot of free time. I walk in the hills for hours. Sometimes I stay in

the terrace of the hotel. I have made friends with a very nice girl. Her name is Lata, and

she is a year older than me. She is here with her brother. He is a medical student who is

going to become a doctor. She had a health problem last summer, and she was told to spend

the winter in a warm place. They have no parents. They were brought up by their aunt.

Her brother takes good care of her.

Mr. Stafford, Lata's brother, is very clever and very kind. He thinks it is difficult for

me to live with an old woman like Lady Duquesne, but he does not know how poor we are, you

and I, but I have a wonderful life in this lovely place.

Bella wrote this letter after she had been at Cap Ferrino for a month. She wrote very

long letters to her mother every week. Her letters were always cheerful, but a few months

later, her mother started to notice that there was sadness in them. Mrs. Roliston thought

that her daughter was getting homesick. She was feeling lonely also because her friend

was away. Lata Stafford and her brother had gone traveling. They were going to return

in February.

It was true. Bella was not happy anymore. She had grown tired. She no longer liked walking

in the hills. The smell of the trees and the sea did not make her happy anymore. She thought

of her mother, who was far away.

One day Bella was sitting in her favorite place on the terrace. Then she heard two of

the guests at the hotel talking in the garden below. They were two old people and they were

talking about Lady Duquesne.

I met her in Italy ten years ago, and I see her here every year, said the lady, but I have

never found out her real age.

I think it is a hundred, said the gentleman. She remembers the Regency Period.

She doesn't talk much now. No, she stays away from people. That Italian doctor, Dr.

Para Visini, has been able to keep her alive.

She never goes anywhere without him. He has an unpleasant face. Unpleasant repeated the gentleman.

I am sorry for that poor young woman who has to live with old Lady Duquesne and Dr. Para

Visini.

But the old lady is very good to her companions. Yes, she is very generous with money. The servants

call her good Lady Duquesne, but she can't make those girls happy. They all die.

I know that one poor girl died here last spring, Mr. Carton. Yes, and another poor girl died

in Rome three years ago. I was there at the time.

The girl had every comfort, but she died. I tell you, Ms. Manders, it is not good for

any young woman to live with two horrible people, like Lady Duquesne and Para Visini.

Pella froze. She felt a cold wind come down on her. She was cold as she sat there under

the burning sun. Yes, they were certainly strange, she thought.

Lady Duquesne was like an old witch. Dr. Para Visini had an unnatural mask -like face,

and you could not tell his age. But it did not matter. Lady Duquesne had been very kind

to her, and Dr. Para Visini was a harmless person. He spent his time in his room where

he read books and did experiments. He was always polite to her.

Bella missed Lada and her brother, Mr. Stafford. They had talked a lot, and she liked them.

She also missed her dear mother. Sometimes she asked herself if she would ever see her again.

She had strange thoughts, and she did not like this.

One day, Bella asked Lady Duquesne's French maid about the two companions who had died.

They were weak, Francine told her. They looked healthy and lively when they came, but they

ate too much and were lazy. They had nothing to do. They said they couldn't sleep.

I sleep well, but I have had a strange dream several times since I have been in Italy, said Bella.

Don't begin to think about dreams, or you will be like those other girls.

Bella was a little worried about the dream. In her dream, she heard the sound of wheels.

It was a loud noise, like a wind but also like the ticking of a clock. And then, she felt like

she fell into a deep well, a far deeper sleep, almost like death. And then after some time,

she heard the sound of voices, and then the wheels again, louder and louder. And then,

she would wake up feeling depressed and unenergetic.

She also suffered from mosquito bites and found an ugly wound in her arm.

She told Dr. Paravicini about this. Paravicini put on his glasses and examined the mark on the arm.

Yes, that's quite bad, he said. He has bit you on the top of a vein, what a vampire, but don't

worry, Signorina, I will put a bandage on it and it will heal.

How can those small insects bite like this? Asked Bella. My arm looks like it had been cut by a

knife. Bella had the mosquito bites many times. The wound appeared now and again and Dr. Paravicini's

bandage helped it get better. In April, Lady Duquesne decided to go to Belligio.

She wanted to travel slowly, so they were going to stop for two days at Genoa and Milan.

Bella was excited because she was going to meet Lada and her brother in Belligio.

Herbert Stafford and his sister Lada often talked about Bella, the pretty girl at the Grand Hotel.

The young doctor thought of her with kindness. The poor girl was lonely and she missed her mother

very much. One morning, Lada told him that they were going to meet again at Belligio.

I will be very happy to see Bella again, she said. She is so bright and cheerful. I like her very much.

I like her the most when she is homesick at Herbert. That's when I know that she has a heart.

But don't forget that Bella is very poor. Her mother makes coats for a shop.

That doesn't make me have a little opinion of her. No, she is wonderful and honest,

but you couldn't marry a girl whose mother makes coats.

Herbert had been working at the hospital for two years. He had seen the hard realities of life,

the many diseases that people suffered. These experiences taught him that money and social

position were not important. Mr. Stafford and his sister arrived at Belligio in a beautiful May evening.

Bella was waiting for them. When Herbert saw her pale face, he was shocked.

There she is, said Lada, but she looked so ill. Bella was very happy to meet them again,

but Lada was worried about her. What is wrong, dear, you look ill.

No, no, not ill. I'm a little weak. I don't think the air of Caprino was good for me.

I've never seen such a change in anyone. Please let Herbert examine you.

But there is nothing wrong with me. I am not ill, and Lady Duquesne's doctor.

That terrible man with the yellow face, I hope you haven't taken any of its medicines.

No, I have taken nothing. They came to the hotel. Mr. Stafford examined her and wrote a prescription.

It was a powerful medicine, and after two bottles and some walking in the hills,

Bella felt much better. Lada talked to her brother about Bella's health. She wanted to warn him.

I hope you don't forget that her mother is very poor, she said.

If I ever think of marrying a woman, I will not care for money or social status,

but I fear our poor friend may not live very long. Do you think she is very ill? He did not answer.

One day, while they were walking in the hills, Bella told Mr. Stafford about her bad dream.

She told him everything, her inability to breathe, the sound of the turning wheels, and the death -like feeling.

As Dr. Paravasini prescribed any medicine for you, he asked.

Oh, he has given me a tonic, but I hate medicine and took very little of it. I am not ill. I am only weaker than I used to be.

I was very strong when I lived in England.

You don't look strong now, you poor dear," said Lada.

Perhaps being with Lady Duquesne all the time has made you ill.

But Lady Duquesne is so kind. She lets me take walks or sit in the balcony all day.

I have read many novels since I have been with her.

Why does she keep a companion if she doesn't need to spend time with her?

asks Stafford.

She is very rich, and Dr. Paravasini is a clever doctor.

He treats my terrible mosquito bites.

She pushed up her sleeve and showed a scar.

Stafford examined it carefully, with a surprised look.

This is not a mosquito bite, he said.

This is not a bite at all.

Ms. Rolliston, that horrible man, bled you.

Let me look at your other arm. Are there any more mosquito bites?

But I have never been bled in my life, she said.

Stafford examined both her arms, and saw the new and old scars.

You have been very badly bitten, Ms. Rolliston, he said.

But tell me, what do you think these scars were made by?

I don't know. I have never seen a mosquito biting my arm,

but I have heard them buzzing around in the room.

Later that day, Bella and her friends were having tea in the garden.

How long do you plan to work with Lady Duquesne, Ms. Rolliston?

Herbert Stafford asked.

As long as she will go on paying me.

Then you want to go on until you die.

Like the other two companions?

No, if ever I feel very ill, I will go back home.

What happened to the other two companions?

They both died, it was very unlucky for Lady Duquesne.

She chose me because I was healthy and lively.

Oh, by the way, I told her about your tonic and how it helped me,

and she said she would like to talk to you.

It was nearly ten o 'clock when Mr. Stafford entered Lady Duquesne's room.

He saw a small woman who was covered in a blanket in front of the fireplace.

She had a skinny neck that was covered in diamonds.

Her old head turned towards him.

The eyes were as bright as the diamonds.

Mr. Stafford had seen terrible faces in the hospital,

but he had never seen a face as frightening as this one.

The Italian doctor was standing on the other side of the fireplace.

Good evening, Mr. Stafford.

You can go to your room, Bella, and write your letter to your mother, said Lady Duquesne.

Bella laughed, and she turned to Stafford.

You were a medical man, I understand, Mr. Stafford.

You have been examining my companion,

but there is nothing wrong with the girl.

I have given her some medicine, and she is feeling better,

but I believe that she needs a stronger treatment.

I heard that two of your companions died of the same disease, said Stafford.

He looked first at Lady Duquesne, and then at Paravasini.

I don't want to talk about my companion, sir, said Lady Duquesne.

I asked for you to talk about myself.

Where have you studied?

In Edinburgh and in Paris, two good schools, and you know all the latest theories,

the modern techniques in medicine, you have studied hypnotism,

and blood transfusion, said Stafford very slowly, looking at Paravasini.

Do you know about any treatment for long life?

Dr. Paravasini has been trying to keep me alive for 30 years.

He studies all the new theories, but he is old.

I don't trust him anymore.

Mr. Stafford, I am a rich woman.

Give me a few years more, and I will give you anything.

How old are you, Lady Duquesne?

I was born the day Louis the 16th was killed.

Then I think you have lived long enough.

Lady Duquesne, the poor girl, is ill because of Dr. Paravasini's treatment.

You know that he has treated the other girls who died.

Dr. Paravasini has been bleeding Miss Rolistan.

After giving her chloroform.

The cuts on the girl's arms are clear.

She told me about her dream.

It shows that she was given chloroform while she was sleeping.

If I go to the police, you will be punished for murder.

Take the girl away, cried Lady Duquesne.

I don't want any more girls to die.

I'll have no more of this dangerous treatment.

I'll find a new doctor to keep me alive.

Take your girl away, young man.

Marry her if you like.

I'll write a check for a thousand pounds and let her go.

I'll have no more such experiments.

Do you hear, Paravasini?

She screamed.

The staffers took Bella away to Verese the next day.

They were on the boat.

Bella did not want to leave, Lady Duquesne.

Do you think your mother would let you stay here and die,

asked Herbert Stafford?

Poor mother, I'm sorry that I've lost such a good job.

What will Miss Torpenters say when I go to her for another job?

Perhaps you will never need another job, said Stafford.

After dinner at Verese, Mr. Stafford gave a letter to Bella.

I forgot to give you Lady Duquesne's letter of goodbye, he said.

She opened the envelope, the letter was short.

Goodbye, child.

Go and marry your doctor.

I attach a farewell gift.

Add a line, Duquesne.

But it's a check for a thousand pounds, cried Bella.

What a generous old lady.

In her next letter to her mother, Bella wrote about three surprising facts.

First, the check for one thousand pounds was put in the bank

and was going to be her income for the rest of her life.

Second, Bella was going back home to Wallworth immediately.

And last, she was going to be married to Mr.

Herbert Stafford in the following autumn.

It is all thanks to Lady Duquesne, wrote Bella.