"I wouldn't mind taking a bet with you, Miss Osmond, that before the year's out the engagement will be announced. After all there's a title. Money, well I'm not so sure of that, but Miss Theodosia will have enough, won't she? When her father dies she'll inherit everything I reckon. Why she'll be one of the richest young ladies in the country. Of course, I wouldn't say they're exactly poor, but money's always useful and they say that he has poured a fortune into this work of his. A funny way of squandering your money I must say. When you think of what you can do with it ... and it all goes in digging up the ground in foreign places. They say some of those places are so hot you can hardly bear it."
I said, although I knew the answer already: "So for Theodosia they've chosen . . . ?"
"The son, of course. Mr. Tybalt Travers. Oh yes, he's the one they've chosen for Theodosia."
I could scarcely bear to sit there and listen to her chatter.
Sir Edward and Tybalt had returned to Giza House and they came to dine at Keverall Court. I contrived to be in the hall when they arrived, pretending to arrange some flowers.
Tybalt said: "It's Miss Osmond, isn't it?" As though he had to look twice to make sure. "How are you?"
"I'm the companion now, you know."
"Yes, I heard. Are you still reading?"
"Avidly. Mrs. Grey is so helpful."
"Good. Father, this is Miss Osmond."
Sir Edward gave me his vague look.
"She's the one who dressed up as the mummy. She wanted to know what it felt like to be embalmed and placed in a sarcophagus. She's read several of your books." Now Sir Edward's attention was on me. His eyes twinkled. I think the mummy adventure amused him. He was more like Tybalt now.
I wished that I could have stayed there talking to them. Lady Bodrean had appeared at the top of the staircase. I wondered whether she had heard my voice.
"My dear Sir Edward . . . and Tybalt!" She swept down the stairs. "I thought I heard you talking to the companion."
I went to my room then and stayed there all the evening. A respite from my tyrant because she was busy with her guests. I pictured them at the dinner table and Theodosia looking pretty in pink satin—gentle, amenable, with an immense fortune which would be so useful in financing expeditions to exotic places.
I don't think I ever felt quite so hopeless as at that moment, and with the recent encounter with Tybalt fresh in my mind—which confirmed everything I had ever thought him—I was more certain than ever that he was the only man for me. I asked myself whether I should offer my resignation without delay.
But, of course, that was not my nature. Until he was married to Theodosia I would continue to dream . . . and hope.
I walked the dogs over to Giza House and as I did so a voice called "Judith."
I turned and there was Evan Callum coming out of Giza House.
"Judith," he cried, his hand outstretched to take mine, "this is a pleasure."
"I heard you were coming," I said. "It is so good to see you.
"And how is everything with you?"
"Changed," I said.
"And not for the better?"
"The rector died. You know that Oliver married Sabina, and I am now companion to Lady Bodrean."
He grimaced.
"Ah," I said with a smile, "I see you have an inkling of what that means."
"I worked in the house once, you remember, as a sort of tutor to you all. Fortunately my work did not come under her jurisdiction. Poor Judith!"
"I tell myself fifty times a day not to be sorry for myself. So if I'm not you must not be."
"But I am. You were the best of my pupils. You had such an enthusiasm; and that is one of the greatest assets in this profession."
"Are you accompanying them on this expedition?"
"Unfortunately, no. I'm not experienced enough for such an honor. There'll be much coming and going between Keverall and Giza, I believe. Sir Ralph is being persuaded to help finance the project."
"He was always vitally interested. I hope they'll succeed in getting what they want."
"Tybalt has no doubt of it." He looked round him: "How this brings back the old days. You, Hadrian, Theodosia, Sabina. Oddly enough the one who was least interested was Sabina. Have they changed?"
"Sabina has become the rector's wife. I see very little of her. My duties do not give me much time. I visit Dorcas and Alison when I can manage it and I come over here to see Mrs. Grey who has been so kind in lending me books."
"On our subject of course."
"Of course."
"Good. I could not bear for you to tire. I hear Hadrian will be home at the end of the week."
"I didn't know. I am not told such things."
"Poor Judith. Life's unfair sometimes."
"Perhaps I've had my share of luck. Did you know that I was found on a train?"
"An abandoned child!"
"Not exactly. It was in an accident. My parents were killed and no one claimed me. I might have gone to an orphanage . . . never have met any of you . . . never have found a piece of a Bronze Age shield and never read any of the books from Giza House."
"I always thought you were the rector's distant cousin."
"Many people did. Dorcas and Alison thought it would be kinder to let it be known that I was some sort of distant relation. But I was unknown. And my great piece of luck was that they took me in and life was wonderful until now. Perhaps I have to pay now for that marvelous piece of luck I had in the beginning. Do you think life works out like that?"
"No," he said. "This is just a phase. They come to all of us. But Theodosia's at Keverall, and she's a friend of yours. She would never be unkind, I'm sure."
"No, but I see little of her. I am always kept so busy dancing attendance on her Mamma."
He gave me a compassionate look.
"Poor Judith," he said, "perhaps it will not always be so. I shall hope things change for you. We must meet . . . often."
"Oh, but the social barriers will be set up between us because when you visit Keverall Court you will come as a guest."
"I should soon leap over any barrier they put between us," he assured me.
He said he would walk with me and I was greatly comforted by his return to St. Erno's.
Hadrian arrived at the end of the week. I was in the garden whither I had been sent to gather roses when he saw me and called to me.
"Judith!" He took my hand and we studied each other.
Hadrian had become good-looking—or perhaps he had always been so and I had not particularly noticed before. His thick brown hair grew too low on his forehead—or did I think it was too low because one of Tybalt's most striking features was his high forehead? There was something inherently pleasant in Hadrian and however bitter he became the twinkle was never far from his blue-grey eyes. He was of medium height and broad-shouldered; and when he greeted me, his eyes always lit up in a manner which I found comforting. I felt that Hadrian was one of the people on whom I could rely.
"You've become a scholar, Hadrian," I said.
"You've become a flatterer. And a companion I To my aunt. How could you, Judith!"
"It's very easily explained. If one does not inherit money one needs to earn it. I am doing precisely that."
"But you a companion! Cutting roses ... I bet you always cut the wrong ones!"
"How right you are! These red ones, I am sure, should have been yellow. But I have the consolation of knowing that had I picked yellow, red would have been the chosen color."
"My aunt's a tyrant! I know. I don't think it's right that you should be doing this. Who suggested it?"
"Your uncle. And we have to be truly grateful to him for had he not arranged that I should come here, I should be cutting roses or performing some such duty for some other tyrant possibly miles from here—so I shouldn't be chatting with you, nor have seen Evan and er . . ."