Rosalind is a short story published in MIST and other stories, recently republished as MIST and Other Ghost Stories.
Synopsis
Moira Houghton is looking out of her bedroom window, while dressing for dinner. Watching her children play, with Billy, the children's father and her husband, and the children's governess, Lindy.
She is considering how much she loves her family, including the governess, when her father-in-law knocks at the door. This break Moira's time of privacy, but she doesn't mind so much, she loves Billy's father too. He gives her a Spanish comb, given to his brother a long time ago. Placing it in her hair, he says how delightful she looks and tells her to keep it.
Still wearing the Spanish comb, Moira looks out of the window again. The nurse has gone to collect the childen to bring them indoors. However she sees that Billy and Lindy do not follow, first they walk down the flower border, then they enter the walled kitchen garden.
Moira feels a suspicion now, towards Billy. This turns into a savage "primitive uncontrollable passion".
The nurse comes to tell Moira that the children are in bed, telling her how feverish she looks. She briefly goes to see them, upon her return Billy is in the bedroom and readying himself for dinner.
Billy is all compliments for Moira and how she looks with the Spanish comb in her hair. Moira immediately thinks that he is playing a game and trying to get around her suspicions with flattery. She refuses to go for a picnic the next day, but says Billy can go with Lindy.
At dinner, Moira eats nothing and this is commented upon. She feels she notices glances between Billy and Lindy when they feels her attention is elsewhere. Her father-in-law suggests that a black lace scarf would be ideal to go with the comb. Moira cannot keep the jealousy at bay: thoughts of murder have entered her heart. She'll make them both suffer for what they've done.
Mr Houghton, the father-in-law, has now remembered the story of how his brother was given the comb. It was once owned by a beautiful, but insanely jealous, woman. Her husband was devoted to her, however the woman had killed at least one girl. Eventually, she killed her husband and her children, before committing suicide. The sister of the woman was afraid of the comb and passed it on. The comb is heard to fall from Moira's head as she faints in her chair.
Back in her room, being warmed by the fire, Billy fusses over her. She feels as if she had never been suspicious of Billy at all. That she has awakened from a nightmare. He tells her that Lindy, in her girl-like way, was collecting flowers for the breakfast table. Love-in-a-mist, Moira's favourite. Lindy was also talking about getting her a black lace scarf for her birthday. He wonders if they should have employed an older governess, called Lindy, "such a kid".
Moira says that she loves Lindy and enquires the time of the picnic tomorrow. At this point a housekeeper brings the Spanish comb. Moira asks Billy if he loves her, he replies in the affirmative. She throws the comb in the fire and blazes up in a leaping tongue of flame.
Review
The last two pages of this story brought tears to my eyes. Heath under the pressure of needing to conform, to meet societies expectations regarding a wife, pushes Rosalind to the side. He could have handled it in a much better way, but is too childlike to do so. He then brings Helen into the equation. Our narrator tells this story, seemingly, without any emotion. However, the desciption of the events (told by him as accurately as he can recall them), is emotive enough. Rosalind and the baby already dead and beckoning him, Heath decides to join them. Then Helen is so grieve stricken that she has a break down.
All are innocent, but Heath less so. The narrator plays a waiting game, which had been his plan all along with regards to Helen and gets his reward for doing so.
A sad tale well told. Thank you Richmal Crompton for your awesome ability to write in such a varied and skilled manner - this is a story that should be well known, but sadly isn't.
