“That he’s pleasant and contented.”
“He’s odd. There’s no doubt about that. Some of the servants think he’s not quite all there.”
“All where?”
She burst out quite angrily, “You’re on your high horse again, Caroline. You know exactly what I mean but you’re playing the grand lady to the little upstart from the north. I know. Paul’s the same. I don’t belong here. I’m not one of you. I always say to him … when he takes up that attitude, ‘This is where I belong. It was my father’s money that bought this place.’ That’s what I have to remind him.”
“I think he remembers what happened.”
“And I see he doesn’t forget it either.”
“And all this has grown out of poor old Jamie.”
“Silly old fool! With his garden and his bees! He’s hiding something. I’ll find out though. You’ll see.”
We had come to that part of the drive where she would leave me to cross five acres.
I said au revoir gladly. There were times when I found her company intolerable.
It was about a week later when Gwennie came to Tressidor in a state of great excitement.
“I had to come over right away,” she said. “Such news. What do you think has happened. I can’t wait to tell you. You could have knocked me down with a feather.”
“What is it?”
“It’s Jago. He’s coming home on Saturday.”
“Well, what’s so special about that? He’s always going to London and now he’s coming home for a spell.”
“This is different. Guess what?”
“You seem determined to keep me in suspense. It’s not like you.”
“It’s such news. I never would have guessed. Jago is married. He’s bringing home his bride.”
“Really!”
“I knew you’d be surprised. This is an occasion, isn’t it? Jago married. All this time he’s been holding out on us.”
“Whom has he married?”
“That’s the point. He doesn’t say. He just says he’s bringing his wife to see us. He was married last week. Isn’t it exciting?”
“Very.”
“He seems very pleased with himself. I imagine she has plenty of brass.”
“Did he mention … the brass?”
“No … not exactly.”
“What do you mean … not exactly?”
“Well, not at all. The Landowers are like that. It’s something you’re not supposed to talk about. They want it but they pretend they don’t. That’s their way. Well, I hope she’s nicely gilded, as Pa used to say. And I can’t wait till Saturday.”
I felt as eager myself.
All day on Saturday I was thinking about Jago. It was difficult to imagine him married. I supposed he would live at Landower with his new wife. I wondered how she and Gwennie would get on together. I should be very interested to see and promised myself that the next morning I would ride over to meet the new wife.
I did not have to wait until then. In the evening of the Saturday I had a caller.
I heard a slight commotion and went down to the hall to see what was happening.
Jago was there. He was whispering to one of the maids.
“Jago!” I cried.
He ran to me, picked me off my feet and twirled me round and round.
“I had to come and see you,” he said.
” ‘Behold the bridegroom cometh,’ ” I said.
“That’s it. Benedick himself. Wasn’t he the one who hesitated before taking the plunge?”
“Exactly. Oh, Jago! You … a husband!”
“Well, it had to happen sometime, didn’t it? And as you wouldn’t have me I had to look elsewhere.”
“I’m bitterly hurt,” I said, laughing.
“I guessed you would be.”
“All this machinery and plans for improvements and contracts … it was this, was it?”
“Right first time.”
“Jago, you are machiavellian in your cunning.”
“Of course,” he said modestly.
“And why did you not bring your bride to meet me?”
“As a matter of fact, she was the one who insisted on coming over this evening. She wouldn’t wait until the morning.”
“She insisted. But why didn’t she come?”
He put his face close to mine. “She’s very anxious for your approval.” ‘
“Mine?”
“Oh, she knows a lot about you. Just a minute.” He went to the door. “You can come in now.”
She came in and I stared at her disbelievingly. Then we ran to each other and she burst into laughter in which I joined.
We hugged each other.
“Rosie!” I cried.
“I thought you’d be surprised.”
“You … married Jago!”
“Yes. Don’t look so bewildered. I have him in tow.”
“But you … of all people.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve worked it all out.”
“All that machinery,” said Jago.
“I had no idea.”
“Nor did Jago until he was caught.”
“She doesn’t always tell the truth, my wife,” said Jago. “To let you into a secret, I was the one who caught her.”
“I am so surprised,” I said, “that I am forgetting my duties. Come on. We’re going to drink to this.”
Rosie had always been the most unpredictable person I had ever known and she lived up to that reputation.
The following day she came to see me and we talked for a long time. Contrary to the custom they were not going to make their home at Landower.
“What!” said Rosie. “Give up my business … just when it’s beginning to expand! Why, in three months’ time we’re opening in Paris.”
“What about the estate … Landower and all that? Jago helps in the management.”
“Half-heartedly, I gathered. His heart’s not in it and I couldn’t see that that brother of his is all that put out at the thought of him giving up. Jago’s known for a long time that it’s not his bent. Whereas you’d be surprised how good he is with me and my enterprises. All that charm and merriment … it goes down well with everybody and he is beginning to learn something. I didn’t expect he’d ever be any good in that direction, but he has a sort of appreciation of beautiful women and what they should wear follows from that. I saw his possibilities right from the start. He kept calling, you know, after that first time. We suit each other.”
“Yes, I suppose you do.”
“I’m certain we do. I wouldn’t have entered into this if I wasn’t sure it was the right thing.”
“You never married before. You must have had lots of opportunities.”
“Opportunities which did not often include marriage. No, when he started to call and we had such a lot of fun together, he began to show this interest in what I was building up. It started then.”
“Oh, Rosie, it’s so funny!”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
“Does Jago know about … ?”
“About my parlourmaid days and my early strivings? Yes, he knows. I haven’t the time nor the inclination to be burdened with secrets. One wastes so much time covering up. I am myself to be taken as I am or not at all. He’s not exactly been a model of virtue himself. He understood my need to get away from my origins. He admired that. Well, there we are. You see me, Mrs. Landower … Rosie Rundall, Rosie Russell that followed and now Rosie Landower, respectably married to a gentleman of good family. It’s rather a joke, don’t you think?”
“No,” I said. “I think it’s wonderful. I think Jago is the luckiest man and I’m going to tell him so.”
“Thank you. I’m glad, too, that I shall be closer to you. You must come up to London to stay with us, and I daresay we shall come down here now and then to visit the ancestral home.”
“Rosie, I’m so pleased.”
“I thought you would be. That’s why I insisted we come right over to see you as soon as we arrived. We’re going to stay here for two weeks. We can’t take longer away than that.”