Jackson's Dilemma by Iris Murdoch

stood for a moment in the doorway covering her eyes. She gave a sudden cry, like a bird’s cry, as she emerged from the dark. She moved forward into the open. From here the Rectory was well visible, and she could see people emerging from it, whom she recognised. Benet was standing there, saying farewell evidently to Charles and Jennie Moxon. Oh how weird it was, and terrible, what an extraordinary scene as if some great ceremony were being performed. She thought, they will never forget it, I shall never forget it. And - they will never forgive it. Afraid that someone, even at this distance, might see her and call to her, Rosalind turned away, passing behind the church towards, on a higher level, the churchyard, and, among the grave stones, the immense dark centuries-old yew trees. She thought she would hide among those trees. Then she saw something, somebody, just visible from where she stood now, dark before the sweeping lower boughs of one of the trees, a man, sitting upon the flat top of a tombstone and looking down. Rosalind stopped and once more walked backward, then ran. The man was Edward. He had not seen her. She thought, oh poor poor Edward - he is waiting there in case Marian should come after all!
     
     
    ‘I hope that’s the lot,’ said Benet to Mildred.
    ‘I hope so, I think so.’
    ‘Owen didn’t turn up.’
    ‘Oh yes he did! I saw him with one of the sentinels in the meadow and then—’
    ‘Those sentinels deserve some food and drink—’
    ‘They’re here in the kitchen, and Owen too!’
    ‘What a weird business. You know, some of them enjoyed it!’
    ‘Of course! The Moxons patently did, and the children—’
    ‘Well, Elizabeth was in tears.’
    ‘Yes. She loves Marian. I think she’s gone back to London now—’
    ‘We should have detained her—’
    ‘Impossible.’
    ‘At any rate we’ve made contact with Anna. She’s gone now too, hasn’t she? I hope she won’t skip back to France.’
    ‘Oh dear, listen to all those roars of laughter in the kitchen!’
    ‘Surely they wouldn’t laugh now and in front of Oliver!’
    ‘He’s upstairs, oh here he is, Oliver, thank you so much. Did you ring Alexander?’
    ‘Yes. I’m afraid he found it rather amusing.’
    ‘Oh hell. I suppose now everyone knows - what she did - how she ditched him at the last moment—’
    ‘Well, yes, that’s what you told me, I thought you wanted it to be public—’
    ‘Don’t worry, Oliver, you’ve been a brick. We’ve caused you a lot of trouble. We’re going back to Penndean. Do come later, well, some of us will be gone-’
     
     
     
    Back at Penndean there was no enthusiasm for lunch. Owen arrived on foot rather drunk and fell asleep in the drawing room. Rosalind had gone upstairs to lie down. Mildred was anxious to get back to London and be ‘on the track’ as she put it. Marian must be found , some of the people whom they had ‘caught’ this morning might already have found her. There was no point in staying longer at Penn.
    After some discussion Benet agreed that Mildred should go at once, with Owen. Rosalind was nowhere to be found. Owen woke up and said of course he would drive Mildred to London, only his car was down at the Sea Kings, since he had walked from there to the church.‘Though they had already declared that a walk down to the pub would do them good, Benet pointed out that they would have to carry all Mildred’s luggage, and in the end he drove them down himself. When he got back to the house there was still no sign of Rosalind.
     
    Soon after her return to Penndean, Rosalind had left again with one view in her mind. She must see Edward. She had kept secret that glimpse of him sitting upon the tombstone beneath the yew trees. Of course he had not gone to London, he had just stayed hidden at Hatting, like a secretive animal fading into the landscape. He had not been able to resist emerging to see the arrivals, perhaps thinking desperately that Marian would come after all,