The adulteress

Such talk always set me wondering about Gerard. It seemed so strange that we who had been so close, should now be so far apart that we had no idea what the other was doing. I wondered what he would think if he knew there had been a child.

It was when Lottie was two years old that I had the irresistible urge to return to Eversleigh.

I talked it over with my mother and Sabrina. "I think a great deal about Uncle Carl and that strange menage of his. I said I would visit again. Do you think I should?"

"Lottie is a little young to travel," she said.

"I had thought of leaving her here. Nanny is well able to look after her. Jean-Louis is not really fit for a long journey ... no, I thought of ..."

"Not going alone!" cried my mother.

"Well ... I went before."

Dickon happened to have come in while we were talking. He was now getting on for thirteen—very tall for his age, full of self-importance, arrogant, ruthless, I judged him to be. He did not improve as he grew up.

"I'll go with you," he said.

"I'll be perfectly all right ... with the grooms. I'll go as I went before."

But Dickon was set on going, and as my mother and Sabrina always went out of their way to satisfy his demands they came up with the idea that Sabrina and he might go with me. And no sooner had it been suggested than Dickon was so taken with the idea that he would not have it otherwise than that we should go together.

I wrote to Uncle Carl and had an enthusiastic reply. He would be delighted to see us, and asked us to come as soon as possible.

It was spring—the best time for traveling; the days remained light for longer and the weather was more to be relied on.

Both Dickon and Sabrina were in high spirits. It was true that Dickon wanted us to move faster, which the grooms pointed out to him was not possible if the saddle horse was to keep up with us. "Let him come on after," said Dickon.

I said: "You know we must all keep together. You must have heard that often enough."

"Highwaymen. Everybody's scared of highwaymen. I'm not."

"No, for the reason that you have never encountered one.

"I'd soon frighten him off."

Sabrina said: "Dickon!" half reproving, half admiring; and I merely ignored him.

The journey passed without mishap and on this occasion we arrived at Eversleigh in the early afternoon.

Sabrina remembered the place well and grew reflective, excited but a little sad. I guessed so many memories—some not very pleasant—were stirring in her mind. She had spent the early part of her childhood at Enderby and in the days before Eversleigh Court had passed into Uncle Carl's hands it had been a very orderly, rather conventionally run estate.

Jessie came out to meet us. I noticed that she displayed a little more discretion in her appearance than she had on that first occasion. She wore a blue muslin dress with a frilly white fischu and cuffs. There was only the smallest patch beside her left eye.

Evalina was there with her mother, almost a young woman now. I guessed she must be about fifteen years of age.

"His lordship is excited about your visit," Jessie told us. "He has ordered that you are to be taken to him the minute you arrived."

Oh yes, she was creating a different image. Now it seemed that his lordship gave the orders in the house; on the previous occasion it had clearly been Jessie who did this.

Evalina and Dickon eyed each other with interest, but Dickon's main attention was for the house. He was rather quiet— which was unusual with him—gazing about him. I could see that he was impressed.

"Your rooms are all ready for you," said Jessie. "And I was wondering if you would like a light snack, say ... or wait for supper."

I looked at Sabrina, who hesitated, I knew, because she thought Dickon would certainly be hungry. However, for once he did not seem interested in food. He was indeed taken with his surroundings.

I said I was prepared to wait. Sabrina said the same.

"Well then, would you like to come straight to his lordship?" She looked at me. "It was his orders," she said.

So while our baggage was brought in we went to Uncle Carl's room. He was seated in a chair by the window. He looked exactly the same as I remembered him—parchment-wrinkled skin and those strikingly lively dark eyes.

He turned to us and gave an exclamation of delight.

"Ah ... you're here. Come in. Come in. Oh, this is a pleasure. Now ... you're Sabrina. Ah yes, of course ... Damaris's girl. Good girl Damaris, and of course my dear Zipporah." He gripped my hand and held it firmly. "And this ..."

"He's Richard, we call him Dickon ... my son," said Sabrina.

"Yes, yes ... indeed. Welcome ... welcome ... Now, Jessie, have you given them something to eat?"

"Why bless you, they've only just come and it was your orders that they was to be brought straight to you. They say they'll wait till supper."

"Well ... well. Bring chairs for them, Jessie."

She did so, smiling at us, the stones in her ears twinkling.