The pool of St Branok

The Mandevilles would travel to Cornwall then; they would not come before as it was such a long journey; but the two families had this excellent opportunity of exchanging views on the subject now.

Both sides agreed that there should be no undue delay. This meant that the Mandevilles had put their seal upon the matter.

Marian and I were a good deal together. We had quite a lot in common besides our age. I had just been presented; she soon would be; she wanted to hear all about it.

I told her of the dancing classes, the curtsies which had to be practiced endlessly, the brief moment with the Queen ... and then the season.

"And the whole thing is arranged to get us married," she said. "Well, it worked with you."

"I had a good start. I knew Gervaise before, when he came down to Cornwall to dig. He was a friend of my cousin who was killed in the Crimea."

"Yes, I know. I heard. The family thought Gervaise might take up archaeology then. He seemed really keen ... but he dropped it, of course."

"Why do you say 'of course' like that?"

"Well, he never wants to do anything for long ... except racing. I reckon he'll get his own stables, one day. It's the thing he's really keen on."

"Yes," I said. "I know."

"The family don't like it ... not after what happened to great-great and probably a lot more greats grandfather Sir Elmore. He gambled the family estate away. You'll see him in the gallery. I'll show him to you. Ever since that happened the family have been terrified of the horses."

"Ah," I said, "skeletons in the cupboard?"

"We have a few. I expect most people have. You too ... ?"

"I'm sure of it."

"It's rather fun getting them out and having a look at them. We ought to do that more often. It can be a lesson to us all."

"You must show me the reckless Sir Elmore, one day."

"I will. I expect you like the horses too."

"I like riding them."

"I didn't mean horses. I meant the horses ... which means gambling on them."

"I've never gambled. I don't have the urge to."

"Then you will keep Gervaise on an even keel, as they say. Don't give him any rein ... that's apt ... or he'll be galloping off which he can do rather recklessly. Papa has had to bail him out once or twice. Oh, I am sorry. I'm upsetting your rose-colored picture of him. Don't take any notice. My brother Gervaise is the nicest person in the whole world. I love him dearly. If I wasn't his sister and he weren't engaged to you I'd want to marry him. He has the sweetest nature. I'm sure I shall never find anyone half as nice."

"I know."

"He's much nicer than my other brothers. They are steady as rocks ... But Gervaise is the one for me."

"I feel that too," I told her.

"I'm glad you are going to marry him. We all think it is most suitable."

"Oh, thank you."

"And what is nice is your people like Gervaise, too."

"They think he is charming."

"So it is the ideal match. ... I wonder what will happen to me when I come out." "For that," I said, "we must wait and see."

Marian showed me the picture of the reckless Sir Elmore.

"He gambled and gambled and in the end he wagered the house in the hope of recuperating all his losses."

"And he won?"

"No, he did not. He lost."

"But the house remained in the family's possession?"

"Only because the eldest son married a rich woman ... just in the nick of time. It was a great self-sacrifice. He did it for Mandeville Court. But then later he weakened and went back to his first love and he set her up in part of the house. He refused to give her up. One day she disappeared. They say the wife murdered her ... pushed her out of a window and buried her late at night. She is supposed to haunt the place."

"And that's one of the skeletons. And a ghost! I thought your mother said that only natural things happened here."

"Oh, she refuses to accept the story of the ghost. I do though. I think all old houses ought to have a ghost. Don't you think Sir Elmore is handsome?"

"Yes, he is."

"I always think he has a twinkle in his eyes ... just like Gervaise has. You can imagine how, ever since, there has been a horror of anyone in the family ever falling into the clutches of 'the horses.' "

"And Gervaise has?"

"I don't know that it is necessarily horses, though I suppose they come into it. He just likes doing unusual things. My father wishes that he had taken up something like the law ... something which would have a steadying influence. They weren't very keen on archaeology, but it was better than nothing."

"I thought he was very keen on that when he came to Cador."

"He is keen ... while it lasts. Someday he will find something he really wants to do and then he will do it better than anyone else ever has before."

And after that I often went to the gallery to look at Sir Elmore.

One day Lady Mandeville came upon me there. I did not hear her arrive. I was standing before the portrait of the man who interested me so much and she was beside me before I realized it.

"A good portrait, is it not?" she said. "There is something quite lifelike about it."

"Yes, one could imagine he is laughing at us."