CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Aunt Munt's illness was not surprising. She had had a cough for most of the previous year and had not taken steps to have herself treated by a doctor until things finally became much more serious.

Just when things were looking quite bad for Aunt Munt, a letter was sent to Helen, asking her to return as soon as possible. She responded that she would only be able to return for a short time, and that as soon as Aunt Munt got better, she would immediately return to Germany.

"I do hope that she'll change her mind and stay in England," said Aunt Munt very weakly, "You need her company, Margaret."

"Yes, I hope so too, but Helen's a strange woman, Auntie," Margaret answered.

Her sister's refusal to come back to England became more and more disturbing to Margaret the longer she was away. And it was all because of this childish hatred of Henry. Margaret felt that there might even be something a little mad about her sister's behavior. After all, Henry's past was not so different from most men. What was it that made Helen so sensitive about him? Unless ... it had something to do with that kiss that Paul, Henry's son, gave her almost four years ago.

Then something wonderful happened. Aunt Munt's health suddenly turned around and within days she was no longer on death's doorstep. Margaret sent a telegram to Helen, and this caused Helen to change her plans. She replied that she would be stopping at the Bank of London and that she needed the address where Margaret was storing the family's furniture, because she wanted to get a couple of books to take back to Germany with her. Margaret wrote back, indicating that she and Tibby would meet her at the bank. However, when the day of Helen's return arrived, Helen was nowhere to be seen.

"I can't believe she didn't come," Tibby said with rare surprise. "Do you think she has lost her mind?"

This had been exactly what Margaret was worried had happened, and now someone else had suggested the same thing. The idea of her sister being mentally ill sent an uncomfortable chill through her body. She and Tibby felt unable to do anything. They both decided to go to Henry for help.

When they entered his office, he greeted them very cheerfully and had tea served. Charles was also in the office, but hard at work on something at his desk. Margaret explained to her husband the situation with Helen.

"Oh, well, that doesn't surprise me at all," he said with a laugh, "She's always behaved in this way since I've known her. Why ... "

"But you don't understand," Tibby interrupted, "We think that she might be ill."

"Ah," he said more seriously, changing back into the businessman that he was, "Well, that's different, isn't it. If she's hiding somewhere in England now, we should be able to find her and capture her. Okay, I've got it. We'll get her down to Howards End, by telling her that her books are there."

"But she doesn't want to see me. I can't trick her ... lie to her. It wouldn't be right," Margaret said.

"Well, fine. I've given you my advice. You can either accept it or reject it. What other choice do you have?"

Margaret hated the idea, but Henry was right. What other choice did she have? The next day she wrote Helen a letter, telling her that everything was at Howards End and that it'd be open to her on Monday at three o'clock in the afternoon. A servant would be there to help her unpack her books.

When Margaret and Tibby left the office, Charles turned around to his father with a sour expression on his face.

"Father, I think you're making a mistake in getting involved in this mess. I don't have a good feeling about it."

"And why's that?" asked Henry.

"I just don't."

(end of section)