The child made a difference to the household, and he was soon a great favorite with his grandparents and most of the servants. Lady Menfrey was happier than I had seen her for a long tune, and I realized how deeply she had felt the loss of her daughter.
Benny asked now and then for his mother, but we told him she had gone away and that was why he was staying with us. Sometimes he cried for her; then we would think up little treats to comfort him, and gradually we began to divert his thoughts from the past Menfreya was full of delights such as he had never known before. The house was a continual source of wonder; the suits of armor, the old pictures and tapestries. Benny had never seen anything like it He seemed to be everyone’s pet. He struck up an immediate friendship with his grandfather and Bevil; he was so obviously one of them.
There was great excitement when Lord Salisbury died and a crisis arose over Protectionist proposals. Bevil came home demanding to know where I was.
I was actually dressing for dinner, and he came bursting into the bedroom.
He told me what had happened.
“It may mean an election in the near future. Then we should have to go into battle in earnest”
“We shall win, of course.”
He sat down on the bed and taking my hands pulled me down beside him.
“You like a fight, don't you?” he said.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Ah, but when a fight has to be fought you go into it In full cry.”
“Shouldn’t one?”
“Of course. You fight the good fight with all your might Twice armed is he who has his quarrel just Is that right?
You should know. Harriet, are you looking forward to our fight?”
“I’m determined to see you victorious.”
He laughed. “Spoken like a good and virtuous wife. You know, Harriet, my darling, a good wife is more valuable than rubies. It says so in the Bible.”
“The Menfreys had an opportunity to put that to the test”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m thinking of the table with the rubies missing from the top. I was told they were used one by one, and when they had disappeared, the Menfreys were obliged to seek rich wives.”
“Who told you that story?”
“Gwennan, I think.”
“Poor Gwennan! Still, the boy’s here.”
Tin so ashamed when I think of the conclusions I jumped to.”
He laughed at me. “Well, I didn’t behave very well either. And I’ll tell you something that came out of that Harriet. Beast that. I was, and even more loathsome beast that you believed me to be, you still love me.”
“Well, idiot that I was …”
“You’re right,” he said. “I still love you,”
He kissed me hard on the lips, and I said: “Please no bruises. Fanny noticed.”
He frowned. “That woman doesn’t like me, Harriet.”
“Oh, she’s only mildly disapproving. I’m her child, remember. She doesn’t think anyone’s good enough for me.”
“She may be right. And as long as I have your approval, what do others matter? I need it my darling. Now we have to fight an election together. My formidable Harriet. You’re going to be very busy hi the next few months, years perhaps. Too busy to spend your days entirely looking after young Benny.”
“His grandmother will be ready to step into the breach.”
“She’s not always well, and I was saying to her that I thought it was time we had a nursery governess.”
“She agreed with you, of course.”
He grinned at me. “It’s obvious, you know. I need you more than Benny does.”
I was so happy to be wanted that I couldn’t hide the fact.
After that there was talk about the governess we would get Both Sir Endelion and Lady Menfrey thought it was an excellent idea. They doted on the boy and were very anxious to have the best for him, but nothing was done about it, and I fancied Lady Menfrey was not very eager that we should get someone quite so soon.
“He’s young yet,” she said, for she enjoyed looking after him herself.
Sir Endelion went to London for a visit to friends, and it must have been two or three weeks after his return when he received a letter. He did not say anything about it immediately, but it was clear that something had happened which amused him. He kept chuckling to himself, and one evening at dinner he made an announcement.
“While you’ve been talking about what you’ll do, I have gone into action,” he said. “I’ve found you your nursery governess.”
We all looked at him, but he was intent on watching Pengelly pour the claret into his glass.
Bevil was smiling. I guessed he was pleased, because it had been his idea in the first place that Benedict should have a governess and leave me free to help him.
Sir Endelion waved a hand. “You’ll be surprised,” he said.
“You mean, Endelion, that you have engaged a governess?”
“That’s what I said, my dear.”
“But how could you know what qualifications and er …”
“I’ve no doubt that this one is going to give great satisfaction.”
“But really…”
“You wait. She’s coming at the end of the week.”
“But I don’t understand.”
“You will, my dear.”
Lady Menfrey looked uneasy. Bevil met my eye and grinned. “It’s what we want,” he said.
“But such an odd way …” began Lady Menfrey.
“She wanted the job; we had it Simple as that,” said Sir Endelion.
He kept laughing to himself.
“You wait and see,” he said.
Bevil and I rode over to Lansella; it was one way of exercising the horses, enjoying a ride and combining this with business.
It had been a busy morning, and as we rode home we discussed the queries which always seemed so amusing in retrospect.
Lady Menfrey called to us as we came into the house.
“She’s come. She’s here now. You’ll never guess. I was never more surprised.”
“A guest for luncheon?” I asked.
“Oh… no. The nursery governess.”
We hurried in and as we were about to mount the staircase she appeared at the top of it She was standing there above us, her beautiful oval face composed, dressed in dove gray; plain almost to severity, it only served to show her perfections. Her features were perfectly modeled, Grecian and classical; her dark hair waved loosely about her well-shaped head; her blue eyes were long, deep-lidded and blacklashed. She smiled, and it was her smile which alarmed me. It was so gentle and yet so full of wisdom . .. which later I thought of as cunning.
She said: “You look surprised. Sir Endelion came to the house where I was working, and I had an opportunity of speaking to him. I had heard about the little boy. One does hear these things. And when I knew you were looking for a nursery governess, I told him I should like the post”
I felt numb with apprehension, and as Jessica Trelarken slowly descended the stairs I felt my contentment fading away. I dared not look at Bevil for fear I should understand too much. I remembered how be had in the first place suggested we look for a nursery governess. Had he planned then to bring Jessica into the house? I remembered his attitude when Sir Endelion had made his announcement. Had he known then? Had he asked his father to invite Jessica to the house?
The future seemed very uneasy. I knew that life at Menfreya would change for me when Jessica Trelarken came into it.
8
The first indication of the effect Jessica would have came almost immediately on her arrival. It was dinner-time on her first evening. I had dressed in a gown of dark-green velvet which I had always thought rather becoming, and ! wore the garnet earrings, brooch and bracelet which Lady Menfrey had given me. They had been hers, she told me, and the previous Lady Menfrey’s before her, so she was keeping them in the family.