Daughters of England

I left my bedroom and knocked lightly on Christobel's door.

After a pause she said: "Come in."

I went in. She started up from her bed. "Sarah?" she said in a startled voice. "Are you ill?"

"No," I said. I sat on the bed close to her. "Only puzzled ... and anxious."

"Why? What has happened?"

I came straight to the point. I had delayed too long. I said: "I saw you today ... I saw you and Kate coming out of Lord Rosslyn's lodgings."

The color suffused her face. She was staring at me in horror.

I knew at once that, although I had been trying to convince myself that what I feared was not true, I had been right. Of course I had. I had never really had any doubt of it.

As she said nothing, I went on: "I was shocked. I could not imagine why you should be taking Kate to visit that man. I should like an explanation."

She was staring into space. I saw the fear in her face. She was biting her lips nervously. She looked as though she were trying to come to a decision.

I said coldly: "You had better tell me. Was it your first visit ... or do you make a habit of calling there? Is he a friend of yours ... of Kate's?"

Still she said nothing.

"Christobel, I insist that you tell me what is going on."

She murmured very quietly: "Perhaps ... perhaps you should ask him."

I stared at her. "Ask him? I do not see him. I have no wish to see him. Listen, Christobel, you live here ... you work for us. I have a right to know where you are taking my daughter. I insist you tell me without delay. I demand to know what you were doing in Lord Rosslyn's lodgings with my daughter this afternoon."

She said, after a pause, speaking very slowly: "I suppose I must tell you. There is nothing else I can do."

"Indeed there is not," I said. "So pray begin."

"It ... it was Lord Rosslyn who wished me to come here."

"What? You are supposed to be the impoverished daughter of gentlefolk seeking a home in exchange for her services as a governess."

"That is true. I did need that. It is true, I tell you. And I have been happy here."

"So happy that you spent your time tricking us."

"It was not like that."

"Was it not? When you slyly take my daughter to visit this man and tell me nothing about it."

"He arranged for me to come here so that I could look after Kate, give her the education he thought she should have and tell him of her progress."

"He has no right."

"He thinks he has."

"So you are his spy. I cannot believe it. I thought you were so good in every way, and all the time you were spying for him."

"No, no, no. That is not so." She went on: "He cares for Kate. He wants the best for her. He told me that he did not want her to be brought up without a proper education. It was for her he did it."

"Go on," I said.

"My family were in difficulties. His estate is not far from ours. He is a friend of my parents. He said he knew of a suitable post for me. He knew that I must earn some money and was contemplating becoming a governess. He then had this plan. He knew the actress who brought me to your notice."

"Rose Dawson," I said.

"He would pay me a good salary, because he said you would not be able to give me what I should need. You were not to know of this arrangement, but in return I should tell him about Kate's progress."

I thought to myself: There is no escape from him. I was angry, but on the other hand I felt a faint glow of gratification. He did care about Kate and, after all, she was his child too. He had thought up this elaborate scheme. But then he was a practiced schemer. This was typical of a man who could plan a mock marriage.

"And you took her to visit him?"

"This was the third occasion."

"And what does Kate think of that?"

"She is becoming very fond of him. She admires him immensely. She never forgets how he rescued her from that menacing crowd."

"And what do you do when you visit his lodgings?"

"He talks to Kate most of the time."

"And all this has been kept secret from me. You have warned Kate not to tell me?"

She looked uncomfortable. "We thought that if you knew you might stop these visits."

"We?"

"Lord Rosslyn and I."

"And Kate? How did you pledge her to secrecy?"

"We simply both told her that if you knew you might stop the visits, so we would not tell you ... just yet."

"So you prevailed on her to deceive me?"

"It is so difficult to explain."

"I can believe that. When you are caught spying and deceiving, it is not easy to convince people that what you have done is for the good of everyone concerned."

"I wish I could make you understand."

"You would have to try a little harder," I said.

"I wish I could make you see. Lord Rosslyn wants the best for Kate. That is why he thought of this plan. You were saying only the other day that Kate had changed since I came here. Please, Sarah, try to understand that all this was done for Kate's sake."

I was silent. I had to believe that. He had gone to these lengths to give her a better education ... one which would equip her for his kind of world. But to have her taken secretly to his lodgings! That was what I could not forgive. I was deeply hurt because Kate had been persuaded to keep those visits a secret from me.

Christobel said: "I can see this has shocked you deeply."

"Would you have expected it to do anything else? Obviously not, as you took such great pains to keep it from me."

"I am so sorry. But I love Kate. I wanted the best for her ... and so does he. I know you do too. How I wish that you had not been there this afternoon."

"So that you could have continued to deceive me?"

"It was all for the best. That was what I told myself."

"And so you reported to your employer what we are doing in this household?"

She was silent.

"Oh, Christobel, we were so fond of you. We thought you were one of us."

"I am, I am! I too am fond of you all. I have been so happy here."

"You were a good spy, and I dare say your employer is very pleased with you."

"Please, please, Sarah, do not say that. It is not like that at all. If you knew ... Lord Rosslyn ..."

"I think I did know him rather well."

"That was long ago. I was a neighbor. Our families have been friendly for years. He is not really a happy man. Oh, but that is his story. He is very fond of Kate. He thinks of her good only ..."

"So he teaches deceit to match his own."

"Kate wanted so much to tell you. She hated having a secret from you."

"I know she would, but you persuaded her. I understand that."

"Sarah ... what are you going to do? Are you going to send me away?"

I was silent.

I said: "You are as much Maggie's concern as mine. I will talk to her. I feel too shaken myself to think clearly."

"You should not be walking about in a cold house in your nightclothes," said Christobel practically. "Let me take you back to your room."

"I do not need to be taken."

She took my hands. "They are cold," she said. "Come, I will make sure that you have extra bedclothes. You must not get a chill."

I laughed. I said: "You talk as though I have not made this discovery and you your confession."

"That does not prevent me being concerned about your health. You know how important it is that you do not catch another chill."

She had taken my arm and led me back to my room.

I got into my bed and she tucked in the bedclothes. She said: "You are shivering. I shall find something more to put on you."

I lay in bed thinking what a strange day this was and of all the revelations it had brought.

I felt that exhilaration which the thought of Jack Adair never failed to bring to me.