“I was staying with his family, you know,” I told her.
“So he thought he’d come over to see me.”
“Did he ask you to leave here?”
I hesitated.
“He did,” she said.
“And you told him you would.”
“I did not. I told him we were reading Treasure Island and that you and I get along moderately well. That’s right, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
“Well, now let’s see if we can master these sums and if we can we’ll have an extra fifteen minutes’ reading. Then I believe we could finish the book today.”
“All right,” she said.
“Get out the slate and we’ll start right away.”
Simon was very much in my thoughts that morning. The meeting with Lucas had been unsettling, and the prospect of seeing Nanny Crockett had brought back memories more vividly than usual.
When I reached Mrs. Ford’s room Nanny Crockett had not yet arrived but she had a visitor. It was the rector, the Reverend Arthur James. Mrs. Ford was evidently a great church worker and he had come to consult her about the flower decoration for the church.
She introduced me.
“Welcome to Perrivale, Miss Cranleigh,” he said.
“I have been hearing from Mrs. Ford how well you are managing with Kate.”
“Mrs. Ford has been very kind to me,” I said.
“Mrs. Ford is kind to everyone. We have good reason to know that. My wife and I often ask each other what we would do without her. It is the decorations, you know. We rely so much on Perrivale for so many things. The big house, you see … garden fetes and so on. It has been the same through generations. Sir Edward took a great interest in the church.”
“Oh yes, he was a real churchman,” said Mrs. Ford.
“He’d be at church twice every Sunday … and so were the rest of the family too. Then we had prayers every day in the hall. Yes, he was a real one for the church, was Sir Edward.”
“Sadly missed,” added the rector.
“We don’t have many like him nowadays. The younger generation haven’t the same commitment. I hope to see you there with your charge, Miss Cranleigh. “
“Yes,” I said.
“Of course.”
“Miss Kate is a bit of a handful,” said Mrs. Ford, ‘but Miss Cranleigh is working wonders. Her ladyship is very pleased. It was my idea that she should come. Rector. Nanny Crockett and I worked it out between us. Her ladyship can’t thank me enough. “
“Very gratifying.”
“This is the list,” said Mrs. Ford.
“Mrs. Terris always likes to do the altar. So I’ve put her there. And the windowsills I thought could go to Miss Cherry and her sister … on one side of the church, that is, and on the other. Miss Jenkins and Mrs. Purvis. I thought if I added the flowers they’re to use there’d be no squabbling.”
He had taken out his spectacles and was studying the list.
“Excellent… excellent… I knew I could trust you, Mrs. Ford, to make the arrangements amicably.”
They exchanged mischievous glances which implied that trouble could ensue, but for Mrs. Ford’s skilful handling of the affair.
In due course the rector rose to go. He shook hands and repeated his hope that he would see Kate and me in church on Sunday, and departed.
Not long after he had left Nanny Crockett arrived. She was delighted to see me and Mrs. Ford looked on benignly while we greeted each other.
“My word,” said Nanny Crockett, ‘you do look well. And what’s this I hear about you and Miss Kate getting on like a house on fire? “
“The change in Miss Kate is really remarkable,” said Mrs. Ford.
“Sir Tristan and my lady are very pleased.”
“Miss Cranleigh has a way with children,” said Nanny Crockett.
“Some of us have it, some of us don’t. I saw it right from the start with my two.”
“How are the twins?” I asked.
“Poor little mites. To lose a mother … well, that’s not something it’s easy to get over. Though they’re young … I’m thankful for that. If they’d have been a year or two older they’d have understood more what was going on. Now they think she’s gone to Heaven and that to them might be like going off to Plymouth. They think she’s coming back. They keep asking when. It breaks your heart. They ask after you, too. You must come over and see them some time. They’d like that. Of course, there’d be tears when you left, most likely. Well, I do what I can.”
“And how is Mr. Carleton, Nanny?”
She shook her head.
“Sometimes I think he’ll never get over it. Poor man. He goes about in a sort of dream. Mr. Lucas … well, you never know with him. He broods a lot, I think. It’s a sad household. I try to make it as merry as I can in the nursery.”
She was looking at me intently, hoping of course to get a word with me so that I could report progress. What progress? I wondered. When I considered it I had not come very far, and apart from the fact that I was being moderately successful with Kate, my little exercise was really quite fruitless.
We chattered about things in general . the weather, the state of the crops, little bits of gossip about the neighbourhood.
Mrs. Ford did leave us together for about half an hour. She said she had to go to the kitchen. Something she had to attend to regarding the evening meal. She wanted a word with Cook and it really couldn’t wait.
“You two can look after each other while I’m gone,” she said.
As soon as we were alone Nanny Crockett burst out:
“Have you found anything?”
I shook my head.
“Sometimes I wonder whether I ever shall. I don’t know where the key to the mystery lies.”
“Something will turn up. I feel it in my bones. If it doesn’t, my poor boy will spend the rest of his life abroad . wandering about. That can’t be. “
“But Nanny … even if we discovered the truth and he was cleared, we shouldn’t be able to get in touch with him easily.”
“It would be in the papers, wouldn’t it?”
“But if he’s abroad … he wouldn’t see them.”
“We’d find a way. First we’ve got to prove him innocent.”
“I often wonder where to begin.”
“I think she had something to do with it.”
“Do you mean Lady Perrivale?”
She nodded.
“Why should she?”
“That’s what you’ve got to find out. And him too … he came into everything, didn’t he? That would be the motive. You have to have a motive.”
“We’ve gone into all that before.”
“You’re not giving up, are you?”
“No … no. But I do wish I could make some progress.”
“Well, you’re in the best place to do it. If there’s anything I can do at any time …”
“You are a good ally. Nanny.”
“Well, we’re not far apart. I expect you’ll be coming over to Trecorn sometimes and I can get Jack Carter to bring me here now and then. So we’re in touch. I can’t tell you what I’d give to see my boy again.”
“I know.”
Mrs. Ford came back.
“I do believe this place would go to rack and ruin without me. If I’ve told Cook once I’ve told her twenty times that her ladyship can’t abide garlic. She wanted to put some in the stew. She was with a French family for a few months and it’s given her ideas. You have to keep your eye on them. I stopped her just in time. You two had a nice cosy chat?”
“I was saying that if I can get Jack Carter to bring me I’ll come over again soon.”
“Any time. You’re welcome. You know that. Oh look, Rector’s left his spectacles behind. That man would forget his head if it wasn’t fixed on his shoulders. He’ll be lost without them. I’ll have to get them over to him.”
“I’ll take them,” I said.