The India Fan (7 page)

I stepped into the church and saw a young man standing there gazing up at the roof.

He turned as I entered and smiled at me.

ello,he said. was just admiring the church. It very attractive, isn it?

believe it is one of the oldest in the country.

orman obviously. And excellently preserved. It is wonderful how these old places stand up to time. Do you know the history of the place?

o. But my father does. He is the rector.

h I see.

e would be only too delighted to tell you anything you wanted to know.

ow kind!

I was debating with myself. If I took him home to meet my father we would have to invite him for lunch, and Mrs. Janson did not welcome unexpected guests at mealtimes. On the other hand, if we did not ask him to lunch my father would keep him talking and miss his. In either case we would invoke Mrs. Jan-son displeasure.

I said, hy don you come and see my father sometime? He will be free this afternoon. Are you staying near here?

es,he said, waving his arm, ere.I thought he was indicating the local inn, where I believed they occasionally put up paying guests.

I left him in the church and went home. Over lunch I told my father that I had met a man in the church, and he was interested in the architecture and history of the place.

My father brightened, sensing an encounter with someone who shared his enthusiasm.

e coming this afternoon. I said you see him.

I waited for the young man to arrive, for I feared that if I did not my father would have forgotten he was to see him and I felt I was needed to make the introduction.

In due course he arrived and my father received him delightedly. To my surprise, he told us that he was staying at Framling. I left my father with him and went over to ride.

Lavinia and I were good horsewomen, but we were not allowed to ride without a groom in attendance. Reuben Curry, who had succeeded Joe Cricks as head groom, usually accompanied us. He was a taciturn man, quite immune from Lavinia wiles, and he kept a firm hand on us. He was an interesting man, very religious. His wife, I had heard from Polly or Mrs. Janson, had one astraywhen a gypsy encampment rested nearby. Apparently there was one among the gypsies who was fascinating fellow. All white teeth and gold earrings and he could play the fiddle a treat. All the maids were in a twitter about him and as he was up to no good a certain amount of harm was done. Goodness knew what went on.Mrs. Janson wouldn have put anything past him. And Reuben wife well, she got carried away by the fellow and the truth was he took advantage of her; and when the gypsies went off at the end of the summer, they left a little something behind. The ittle somethingwas Joshua Curry bundle of mischief from the day he was born. Another such as his father, it was reckoned, and one for the maids to beware of.

Having heard of Joshua colourful beginnings, I was interested in him. He had black curly hair and sparkling dark eyes which were always smiling and alertor what, I could only guess. He was so darkrown-skinned, lithe and unlike anyone else I knew.

On this occasion, when Lavinia and I arrived at the stables Joshua was there alone. He grinned at us as we entered. I noticed the change in Lavinia at once, for, though he was only a servant, he was a member of the opposite sex. She dimpled and her eyes shone.

Joshua touched his forelock, but not in the way most of them did. He gave the impression that he was doing it as a kind of joke and it did not really mean respect.

re our horses saddled?asked Lavinia haughtily.

Joshua bowed. h yes, my lady. All waiting for you.

nd where is Reuben?

e working. I here, though. I reckon I could be your escort today.

t is usually Reuben or one of the older men,said Lavinia, but I could see that she was secretly pleased.

ell, today it yours truly that if you young ladies will have me.

suppose we must,said Lavinia languidly.

We went to the horses. I mounted, using the mounting block. I looked back at Lavinia. Joshua was helping her into the saddle. It seemed to take quite a little time. I saw his face close to hers and noticed how his hand rested on her thigh. I thought she might be angry at the familiarity, but she was by no means so. The colour had heightened in her cheeks and her eyes were sparkling.

hank you, Joshua,she said.

answer to the name of Jos,he told her. ore friendly, don you think?

hadn thought about it,said Lavinia, ut I suppose it is.

I saw his hand on her arm.

ell then, Jos it is.

ll right,she said. os.

We rode out of the stables and soon we were cantering along. Lavinia let me go ahead so that she was behind with Jos. I heard her laughing, and I thought how strange that was. She was usually so haughty with the servants.

She was more inattentive than ever at her lessons. She was continually studying her face in a looking glass, combing her hair, pulling out little tendrils and letting them spring back, smiling to herself as though she were hoarding some secret.

despair of teaching that girl anything,sighed Miss York. or two pins I would go to Lady Harriet and tell her it a hopeless task. Really she gets worse than ever.Lavinia did not care. A smugness had settled on her. She was content with life. Something had happened. I was sorry I was the one to discover what.

Dougal Carruthers had formed a firm friendship with my father and during his stay at Framling he came several times to see us and once to lunch.

He told us he was staying for three weeks at the House and that his father had been a great friend of Sir William Framling; they were connected with the East India Company and he would shortly be leaving the country. He confessed to my father that he would rather have studied medieval art and architecture. He shrugged his shoulders, adding that it was a tradition that sons of the family should go into the Company, just as Fabian Framling would eventually do.

Mrs. Janson was not displeased. She reckoned she could put on as good a lunch as Mrs. Bright of the House. All she wanted was notice, and this time she had it.

I liked Dougal. He was very charming to me and did not treat me as Fabian and his friends hadot unkindly or rudely, but simply as though I did not exist.

Dougal had a pleasant habit of glancing my way when he was talking, thus giving the impression that he included me in the conversation, and when, occasionally, I offered a comment, he would listen with attention.

I wished that I had paid more attention when my father talked of the antiquity of our Norman church, so that I could have contributed more.

Once Fabian came to the rectory with him. They sat in the garden and took wine with my father. Dougal and my father were soon deep in conversation and that left me to talk to Fabian.

I saw that he was studying me with a certain interest and I said, o you remember when you kidnapped me?

He smiled. es, I remember. I thought if I wanted a baby all I had to do was find one.

We laughed.

nd you found me,I said.

think you must have been a very tolerant baby,he went on.

don remember anything of it. I was rather flattered when I heard of it. Flattered to have been chosen, I mean. But I suppose any baby would have done.

ou seemed to me a suitable subject for adoption.

believe there was a great fuss.

eople always make fusses if something unconventional happens.

ell, you wouldn have expected my family to let me go without a word, would you?

o. But I kept you for two weeks.

have heard the story often. I wish I had been aware at the time.

ou would probably have protested if you had known what it was all about. As it was you took it very calmly.

I was very pleased, because it seemed that in talking of the matter, we had broken through some barrier. I imagined that he felt the same and that our relationship would be easier from now on.

We suddenly became involved in the general conversation and after a while Dougal and he left. Dougal was leaving Framling the next day and at the end of the week Fabian would be gone, too.

I could not resist telling Lavinia that they had called.

ell, they didn come to see you, was her comment.

know that, but they came and I was there to talk to them both.

ougal is lovely, but he only interested in old things.She grimaced. I imagined she had flaunted her flaming hair before him and had expected him to be overcome by admiration. I was rather pleased that, presumably, he had not been.

I said, abian talked about that time he abducted me.

h, that,she said. hat all rather boring.

But I could see that my meeting with Dougal rankled. She was quite annoyed when we rode out that afternoon.

Jos was with us. I think he contrived to be our guardian whenever he could; and the fact that he accompanied us rather than Reuben usually put Lavinia in a good mood.

She was very wayward that afternoon. She was both haughty and familiar with Jos; he said little and just smirked at her.

We came to a field across which we always galloped, and it was a competition between Lavinia and me to see who reached the other side first.

I set off and was well ahead. When I came to the edge of the field I pulled up and looked round. I was alone.

Amazed, I called out, avinia, where are you?

There was no answer. I cantered back to the other side of the field. When I had started off on my gallop they could not have accompanied me.

I rode around looking for them, but after half an hour I went back to the stables. There was no sign of them. I did not want to go back to the House alone, for there might be a fuss. We were not supposed to ride without a groom. It was at least half an hour before they returned.

Lavinia looked flushed and excited. She assumed an annoyed expression.

herever did you get to?she demanded. ee been looking for you everywhere.

thought you were galloping across the field after me.

hat field?

ou know, where we always gallop.

can think what happened,said Lavinia. She smirked and I was quick enough to see the exchanged glances between her and Jos.

I suppose, had I been wiser and more experienced in the ways of the world, I should have guessed what was going on. It would have been obvious to an older person. But I really believed there had been a misunderstanding and that they had not realized I had broken into a gallop.

Polly was in close conversation with Mrs. Janson and Mrs. Janson was saying, e warned her time and time again. But does she take any notice? That Holly was always a flighty piece and now I believe she taken leave of her senses.

ou know what girls are,soothed Polly.

ell, that girl courting trouble, that what. And a nice thing thatl be.

When I was alone with Polly I said, hat Holly doing?

h just being silly.

t sounded as if it was rather dangerous.

h, it dangerous all right with one like that.

ho like Holly?

o him.

ell me about it.

oue been listening again. Little pitchers have long ears.

olly. I quite a sizeable pitcher and my ears are normal size, but they work as well as anyone else. Stop treating me like a child.

Polly folded her arms and looked at me intently.

rowing up fast,she said, with a hint of sadness.

not going to be a child forever, Polly. It time I learned something about the world.

She regarded me shrewdly. here might be some truth in that,she said. oung girls have to watch out. Not that I worried about you. Youe sensible. Been brought up right, you have. Ie seen to that. It that Jos He one of that kind

hat kind?

e got a way with him. Hel always have girls after him, and it seems to me that about all he thinks of. Perhaps that why he gets what he wants.

I was thinking of the way he looked at Lavinia and how she accepted familiarities from him which, I am sure, as Lady Harriet daughter, she should not have done.

nd Holly?I asked.

he being silly over him.

o you mean he courting Holly?

ourting her! Courting her for one thing and that won involve a wedding ring. I reckon the silly girl has given what he after already and that no clever thing for any girl to do, I can tell you.

hat are you going to do about it?

Polly shrugged her shoulders. e! What can I do? I could speak to the rector. Might just as well speak to a brick wall as speak to him. Mrs. Janson done her best. Well, we shall see. Perhaps shel find him out before it too late.

Ignorant as I was, I did not realize the implications of the situation. Holly might dally with Jos as Jos mother had with the gypsy and there could be a similar result.

But Jos was not a wandering gypsy; he could hardly wander off and shirk his responsibilities.

I wished I had not been the one to find them.

The grounds surrounding the House were large and in some places wild and uncultivated. Beyond the shrubbery was a part that was somewhat isolated. There was an old summer house there, which I had discovered by accident. When I asked Lavinia about it she had said, obody goes there nowadays. It locked. There a key somewhere. One day Il find it.But that was a long time ago and she had never done anything about it.

On this particular day I went over to join Lavinia. It was early afternoon rest period for Miss Yorknd I knew that Mrs. Janson ut her feet up for an hourat that time; I suspect Mrs. Bright of the House did the same.

A somnolent atmosphere hung over the house. It was very quiet. Lavinia was nowhere about. She should have met me at the stables, but she was not there. Her horse was, so I knew she had not gone without me.

I thought she must be somewhere in the gardens, so I decided to look round before going into the House.

I could not find her and my steps eventually led me to the shrubbery. Thus it was that I came on the old summer house. The place had always attracted me in a morbid way. I believe it was said to be haunted and that was why people did not go there often.

I paused at the door and thought I heard a sound within. It was a long, low chuckle which made me shiver. It sounded ghostly. I turned the handle of the door and to my surprise it opened. Then I saw who was there. It was no ghost. It was Jos and Lavinia. They were laying on the floor together.