The End Of The Rainbow – Episode 50
“I had to come here, because I can’t bear it, I can’t bear it! Not for a moment longer and I can’t tell anyone but you!” Constance stood in Letty’s hallway, tears streaming down her face. Letty put her arms round her goddaughter.“My dear, what’s happened? Come along into the drawing-room.”Gently, she led the still-sobbing Constance into the drawing-room. Her visitor collapsed into a chair and put her head in her hands.“Aunt Letty. It’s Adam.”Letty’s hands flew to her throat.“Something’s happened to Adam, in Paris?”Constance shook her head.“I can’t live without him, that’s all. I’ve lost everything! He doesn’t write to me. He must hate me, Aunt Letty. And he left because of me. I drove him away, and he’s the love of my life. Ican’t eat, I can’t sleep, and when I do, he comes to me in dreams. “Sometimes I imagine I see him in the street, in the crowds on the steps of the art school. Yesterday I ran after someone in the street, and called to him. But when he turned, it wasn’t Adam!” She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.Letty gently put her arms round her.“My dear, this will never do. You will make yourself ill if you go on like this. Now, dry your tears and come sit by me. You know what they say a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved. Remember that nothing is impossible. We will find a way through this.” She smiled. “And we’re going to start by getting you out of your coat and having a nice calming cup of tea. There’s no-one in the house this afternoon. I’ve given the girls the day off. So you can rest a little, and I’ll take myself off to the kitchen and make tea.”Constance managed a tremulous smile.“Thank you. I’m so sorry for just arriving like this, and for being so, so . . .”The older woman broke into her apology.“I’m honoured that you chose to share this with me, Constance. Depend upon it, we will find a solution to the problem.”She left her visitor resting on a chaise longue with a fresh lavender-scented handkerchief, calmer now but looking pale and exhausted.In the kitchen, the cups rattled in their saucers as Letty’s hands trembled. There had been months of worry about Constance, who now seemed on the point of having a complete breakdown, arriving thus out of the blue and in such a hysterical state regarding Adam Gray.Letty’s eyes filled with tears at the memory of how her beloved Constance had looked, standing in the doorway of Avondale House. She had seemed so . . .Letty searched in her mind for the right word.“Lonely,” she said aloud.
