Changeling

She was beside me and she slipped her arm through mine.

“Thank you, Rebecca,” she said.

And then I felt a little better.

The pageant occupied us for the next two weeks. It was to be held on the first of September. Lucie was delighted to be taking part. So was Belinda but she pretended that it meant little to her.

Celeste looked through her store of materials. Leah was an expert with her needle and with Celeste’s designs and Leah’s ability to make up the materials, the children were going to make very attractive attendants of the Queen.

Celeste would have made a good Queen; she was petite but perhaps too slim and elegant to play the plump little Queen. Moreover the spectators would have been shocked to see a foreigner in the part.

Benedict was to open the pageant and the tableaux vivants would be shown with intervals of half an hour between each—it was taking all that time to prepare for the next. There were stalls where all sorts of produce could be bought—cakes, homemade jam and all sorts of farm produce as well as flowers. The usual sideshows were in evidence—wishing wells with fishing rods and if these could be hooked on to the toy fishes this entitled the successful to a prize. It was the usual fun of the fair, the highlight being the tableaux vivants which had never been attempted before.

Celeste and I were behind the scenes most of the time, helping to fix up the tableaux. Belinda was running round in a state of excitement. Lucie was equally thrilled. Their dresses were identical. They wore white satin trimmed with lace and round their heads were mauve anemones. They looked very attractive.

The first scene, with the Queen in her dressing gown receiving the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chamberlain to be told she was Queen, was a great success. It was really quite effective with the Lord Chamberlain kissing her hand and the Archbishop standing by preparing to do the same. The coronation was even more grand but the scene which won the most applause was the royal wedding—the Queen, her husband beside her and her attendants … among them Belinda and Lucie, who, because of their connection with the Member, were placed in prominent positions.

The applause rang out. The curtain was lowered and the tableau came to life with the participants coming forward to take their bows.

Belinda’s eyes sparkled. I knew how hard she found it to stand still and I thought she was going to leap in the air at any moment.

She smiled and bowed and waved to the audience which delighted them.

All that evening she could talk of nothing but the part she had played on the stage. She made us all laugh when she said: “I was afraid my enemies were going to fall off my head. Lucie’s nearly did, too.”

“They are anemones,” Lucie corrected her.

Belinda could never accept that she was wrong. “Mine were enemies,” she said.

They were starry-eyed when I said goodnight to them.

“Actresses are on the stage,” said Belinda. “When I grow up I am going to be one of them.”

Belinda’s desire to be an actress lasted for some weeks. It was dressing up which appealed to her. One day I found her in my room trying on a hat of mine and a short coat. I couldn’t help being amused. She wanted to go down to the kitchen and show them and I allowed her to do this.

“I am Miss Rebecca Mandeville,” she announced in haughty tones which were unlike any I was likely to use. “I have just had my London season.”

They were all highly amused.

Mrs. Emery, seated at the head of the table, for they were all having tea, said she was a real caution. Jane, the parlormaid, clapped her hands and soon they were all doing the same. Belinda stood in the middle of the kitchen bowing and kissing her hands to them. Then she flounced off.

“A regular little Madam, that one,” said Mrs. Emery. “You have to watch her though. She’s up to tricks … and she drags that Miss Lucie with her.”

Leah, who had watched the little show, tried to suppress the pride she felt in her charge. I had long ago guessed that Belinda was her favorite. I supposed her exuberant personality was certain to make her outstanding; and then there was the fact that Belinda was the daughter of the house whereas Lucie was a foundling whom, in a rather eccentric manner, I had been allowed to adopt by my rather unconventional grandparents.

I suppose Lucie was aware of this too. I must make her understand that she was as important to me at any rate as my half-sister Belinda.

Her successful impersonation of me must have aroused the desire in Belinda to attempt further success and she announced that she and Lucie were going to do a tableau for us but there would be talking in this one. We must all go to the kitchen and wait there.

I was very glad afterwards that Celeste was unable to come. She was visiting the agent’s wife which was a duty she had rather reluctantly to perform.

However it worked out for the best on this occasion.