“A sort of Capulet and Montague affair?”
“It might be that.”
“That sort of thing is usually the result of something which doesn’t really matter at all. Then the daughter of one house marries the son of the other and all is happy ever after.”
“I have a vague idea that in this case it may have started something like that. So there would have to be a different sequel.”
I laughed.
“So we shall not meet the Jermyns,” I said.
“I can assure you that they will not be invited here.” He looked at me intently. “So you and your sister are twins,” he said.
“Yes.”
“There is a slight resemblance.”
“I think it is quite a strong one, and you say slight.”
He said: “Yes, I repeat, slight.”
I immediately thought: He means I am not as attractive as Dorabella and that he probably finds me rather dull.
I became intent on my food and he turned to my mother.
There was little conversation which I recalled after that, and when the meal was over we went back to the punch room where coffee was served; and after an hour or so Matilda Lewyth whispered to my mother that we must be tired after our journey and she was sure we should like to retire early.
My mother said that was a good idea, so the party broke up and we went to our rooms.
There was a fire in mine, yet the eeriness I had sensed on my arrival had increased. I went to the curtains and drew them back. There was enough moon to show a path of light across the water. I could hear the faint murmuring of the sea as it broke against the rocks below.
I turned back to the room. I would leave the curtains open. If I did not, I should feel shut in.
I waited for the door to open, for I guessed Dorabella would come in. I was right.
She looked beautiful in her blue silk nightdress and negligee, with her hair hanging about her shoulders.
She stood leaning against the door, smiling.
“You don’t have to look surprised,” she said. “You knew I’d come. What do you think of all this?”
“Interesting.”
“It’s more than that. It’s fascinating…meeting them all.”
“It must be for you, if you are going to be part of it…mistress of this place. Just think of it.”
“It’s a bit like Caddington, isn’t it? Except for the sea…we don’t have that.”
“Nor the people. What of them?”
“I say…what do you think of him?”
“As there were several members of the male sex, which one do you mean?”
“Gordon Lewyth, of course.”
“I don’t know him well enough to say.”
“You are maddening. You are so precise about everything. I mean what was your impression?”
“I think he wants everyone to know he is not merely the son of the housekeeper.”
“Well, Matilda Lewyth could hardly be called a housekeeper.”
“I don’t know enough about them yet. It’s all rather unusual.”
“Oh, it’s perfectly clear. She came here when Dermot’s mother died. It was a sort of favor. They were members of the family…poor relations, I imagine. I think she is very nice, don’t you? As for him…Gordon, I mean…well, I think he’s interesting. And…” She giggled. “I think he’s rather pleased…about me.”
“You’re not thinking of transferring your favors, are you?”
“Don’t be an idiot!”
“When you are married you will have to settle down, you know.”
“What’s all this about? I merely said I thought he was rather pleased…and interested.”
“I suppose anyone would be interested in someone who was going to join their family.”
She looked at me in exasperation, and I felt vaguely perturbed. She had fallen in love with Dermot at great speed. I wondered whether she could fall out of love as quickly. This was absurd. She had always been susceptible to admiration—and she would naturally assume that Gordon Lewyth’s interest was admiration.
She said: “I think the father liked me, too. He told me it would be a pleasure to have a pretty young girl about the place.”
“So you have made a good impression on your future in-laws.”
“I think so. Dermot wants to get married in the spring. Do you think that would be a good idea?”
“It seems rather soon. Has it occurred to you that this time last year you did not know him?”
“What’s that got to do with it?”
“Something, I should imagine. After all, you want to know quite a lot about people with whom you propose to spend the rest of your life.”
“Dermot and I know a good deal about each other.”
“And he still wants to marry you?” I retorted in mock surprise.
“Don’t tease! I think we are going to have an exciting time here. I was dreading it in a way. I did not think it would be like this. They have welcomed me so wonderfully…Matilda…and…Dermot’s father.”
“And Gordon Lewyth,” I said.
She frowned slightly. “I’m not altogether sure about him. He is not easy to know. I think he is very interested, but…”
I laughed at her. I said: “If Dermot’s father approves, that’s all that matters really. And as for Matilda…she likes you. I suppose she will continue to run the house and frankly, I can’t see you wanting to do that. I’m sure she can’t, either, and that will surely please her.”
She laughed.
“It is wonderful. I am sure about this, Vee…I really am. Particularly now I’ve seen it all.”
“Well, then, everything should be all right. So…should we say goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Twinnie.”
I smiled. It was the name she used for me when she was in some quandary from which she wanted me to extricate her. Now it was meant to be a reminder of the closeness between us, but I did wonder if she was quite as contented—and as certain—as she wanted me to believe.
When she had gone I undressed and got into bed.
I lay for a long time listening to the gentle swishing of the waves below and wondering what the future would be. She would marry and come here and we should be apart for the first time in our lives.
The days were full of interest. Dermot and Dorabella were together a great deal and he liked to take her riding, or they would go off in the car. He seemed very proud of her and he wanted to introduce her to some of the tenants and people in the neighborhood. She was enjoying it all immensely. My mother was very interested in the running of the house and my father in the estate, and consequently he had formed a friendship with Gordon, which was natural as they shared an enthusiasm.
That left myself who was interested in them all as people but shared no special enthusiasms with any of them.
My mother, of course, always drew me into whatever she was doing, and when Matilda Lewyth said she was eager to show her the house, she insisted that I would be interested to accompany them on a tour of it.
My father had gone off with Gordon to see some new contraption which was being put into one of the barns on the home farm, and Dorabella was with Dermot—so there were just the three of us.
Matilda was very knowledgeable about the house and she showed a great love for it. My mother said afterwards that she seemed to care about it more than James Tregarland did, or Dermot, for that matter, who would one day own it.
“I find these old places quite fascinating,” said Matilda. “It is amazing how they have stood up to attacks in the wars, and then there are the hazards of the weather. Mind you, they have taken their toll. After the gales there is usually something wrong…roofs of the farm buildings and so on…fences blown down…and all that.”
“How far off is the home farm?” asked my mother.
“About half a mile. It’s close to Jermyn Priory…that’s the Jermyns’ place.”
“The enemy,” I said.
She laughed. “Oh, you’ve heard then.”
My mother wanted to know what we were talking about.
“There’s a feud between the two families,” Matilda explained. “It’s been going on for years. We’re not sure what it’s about. The details are lost in the past, but somehow it remains.”