The adulteress

"He would ... He squandered his life as he did a fortune. ... It was all so unnecessary and it could have been so different."

"It is so long now."

"Memories linger on for you, and you were only a child when he died. Only ten years old."

"Old enough to know him and to love him," I said.

"I know. And you feel close to him here."

"I remember him here... . He was happier here in this room than anywhere else in the house."

"Here he had his gaming parties. They were the only thing that made the country tolerable to him." She frowned, and I turned to the letter. It was brief. I thanked my kinsman for the invitation and told him that I with my husband would be visiting him in about three weeks. We would let him know the date of arrival later.

My mother read what I had written and nodded her approval.

Shortly afterward Jean-Louis and I left for home.

We had fixed the date of arrival for the first of June. We should go on horseback with two grooms for company and another to look after the saddlebags.

"Carriages," said my mother, "are far more dangerous, with so many highwaymen about. It is so much easier to attack a cumbersome coach; and with the grooms and Jean-Louis you'll be well protected."

There was another letter from Lord Eversleigh. He was almost pathetically pleased. When Sabrina read it she said:

"One could almost think he was calling for help ... or something like that."

Calling for help! What an odd thing to say. I read the letter again and could not see that there was anything in it except that an old man who had been separated too long from his relatives was eager to see them.

Sabrina shrugged her shoulders and said: "Well, he's delighted you're going."

I felt rather glad. Poor old man, he was clearly lonely.

It was a week before we were due to leave. I was sitting in the garden working on a square of tapestry for a fire screen when I heard the sound of voices. I recognized Dickon's imperious tones, and on impulse, putting down my tapestry, I went to the edge of the shrubbery and saw him. He was with another boy, Jake Carter, son of one of the gardeners, a boy who worked in the gardens with his father now and then. He was about Dickon's age and Dickon was often with him. I believe he bullied the boy shamefully and was not at all sure that Jake wanted to be with him. He had probably received threats if he did not comply, and indeed so besotted were my mother and Sabrina with Dickon that they might have listened to any complaint he made about a servant if the boy showed his displeasure if they refused to.

The boys were now some little distance off, but I could see they were carrying something which looked like a pail, and Jake was holding a paper which seemed to be crammed full of something.

I watched them disappear in the direction of Hassocks' farm which bordered on our grounds. The Hassocks were good farmers of whom Jean-Louis heartily approved. They kept their barns and hedges in good order, and Farmer Hassock was constantly in discussion with Jean-Louis about methods of improving the yield of the land.

I returned to my tapestry and after a while went indoors and up to my still room, where I set about preparing the containers for the strawberries, which I wanted to have picked and preserved before I went away.

It must have been an hour later when one of the servants came running up to me.

"Oh, mistress," she cried, "there's fire over at Hassocks'. The master has just ridden over. I thought you should know."

I ran out and saw immediately that one of the barns was blazing. Several of the servants had come hurrying out to join me and we all went together across the gardens into the Hassocks' field and toward the barn.

There was a lot of commotion. People were running about and shouting to each other; but I saw that they were getting the blaze under control.

One of the maids gave a little cry and then I saw Jean-Louis. He was lying on the ground and some of the men were trying to lift him into a piece of wood which looked like a shutter.

I dashed over and knelt beside him. He was pale but conscious. He smiled at me wanly.

One of the men said: "Master have broken his leg, we think. We'll get him to the house ... and perhaps you'd send for the doctor."

I was bewildered. The barn was smouldering black and scarred, with now and then a flame jutting out. The acrid smell of burning made us cough.

"Yes ... quickly ..." I said. "Get him to the house. One of you go for the doctor ... at once."

One of the men servants dashed off and I turned my attention to Jean-Louis.

"Bit of mischief ... looks like," said one of Farmer Hassock's laborers. "Looks like someone started a fire in the barn. Master were first in. The roof fell on him and got his leg. ... A mercy we was working close by and got him from under."

"Let's get him into the house quickly," I said. "Is he all right on that shutter?"

"Best for him, mistress. Doctor'll soon put it to rights."