I remembered David and Jonathan well. They had a look of Dickon and there was a certain resemblance in them which one would expect of twins. Jonathan took my hand first and kissed it; then David did the same.
‘I remember you came here once before,’ said Jonathan.
‘My dear boy,’ said Dickon, ‘she lived here. It was her home.’
‘It must be interesting to come back to a place which was once your home, especially when you haven’t seen it for so long,’ said David.
‘It is very interesting indeed,’ I told him; ‘but best of all to see you and your family.’
‘Don’t talk about
‘That’s true,’ said Sabrina. ‘Now we are all here, shall we go in? Our cook is a little temperamental and throws a tantrum in the kitchen if we let the food get cold.’
We went to the dining-room with its tapestried walls and oak table lighted by two candelabra—one at each end. It looked very beautiful. Sabrina set at one end of it and Dickon at the other; she had placed me on Dickon’s right hand. Claudine was between David and Jonathan who, I could see, were amused by her bilingual conversation. She could speak English very well, for I had taught her, but she kept forgetting that she was in England and breaking into French with results which the twin brothers seemed to find hilarious. Louis-Charles had always been a young man who knew how to take care of himself and he and Sabrina chatted together in a mixture of bad French from Sabrina and execrable English from Louis-Charles. Dickon devoted himself to me. He was watching me intently, I knew, proud of this gracious dining-room, of the meal which was served, of the fact that I had at last succumbed to his repeated requests to visit Eversleigh.
It was a happy evening and when it was time to retire, Claudine voiced the feelings of us all when she said: ‘It is wonderful for us to be here. But I don’t think I shall ever get to sleep tonight. I am too excited.’
Sabrina insisted on accompanying me to my room. She shut the door and sat down in one of the armchairs.
‘I can’t tell you how happy we are to have you here, Lottie. Dickon has always talked a lot about you and every time he went to France he said he was going to bring you back with him. I gather things are not very happy over there.’
‘There is a good deal of rumour.’
She nodded. ‘Dickon is full of foreboding. He has been saying for some time that you ought to get out.’
‘I know. He has mentioned it to me.’
‘Well … this is your home, you know.’
I shook my head. ‘My home is over there.’
‘I was sorry your father could not come with you.’
‘So were we all.’
‘Dickon says he is a very fine gentleman.’
‘Dickon is right,’
‘But he is getting old, of course. After all, you are English, Lottie.’
‘My father is French.’
‘Yes, but you were brought up here. There was never anyone more English than your mother.’
‘And never anyone more French than my father.’ I smiled at her. ‘You see, that makes me a mixture. I love Eversleigh. I love it here … but my husband was French and my children are. That is my home, over there.’
She sighed and said: ‘I am very sad sometimes. Your grandmother and I were very close, you know.’
‘I do know that.’
‘Now she is gone I miss her terribly.’
‘I know that. But you have Dickon.’
A smile illumined face. ‘Oh yes … Dickon. How I should love to see him completely happy. It was your grandmother’s dearest wish … ’
I interrupted her. ‘Yes, I know. She adored him.’
‘He is a wonderful person. It is a long time since poor Isabel died. People think it is strange that he did not marry again.’
I said with a sudden burst of anger which Dickon could arouse in me: ‘Perhaps a good enough proposition did not arise. He had Eversleigh, Clavering and a great deal, I gather, from Isabel … ’
Sabrina was the same as ever. In her mind, Dickon was above criticism and she did not see it even when it was blatantly expressed.
‘I know why he has never married,’ she said.
‘Well he has two sons. That is one reason why ambitious people marry, isn’t it?’
‘I remember in the days long ago when you were a child staying with us at Clavering—do you remember? You two were always together.’
‘I remember. That was after my mother inherited Eversleigh.’
‘He was so fond of you. We all were. He talked of nothing but Lottie … his little Lottie. And you … to you he was the sun, moon and stars and the whole universe thrown in.’
‘Children get fancies.’
‘It is rather charming when they persist through life.’
I said: ‘Dickon knows that my half-brother disappeared. It is some little time ago now. His body was never found but because of the situation in France we think he was murdered. My father is a very wealthy man. I have heard it said that he is one of the most wealthy in France. Charlot will inherit in time, but it will come to me first when my father dies … ’
She looked blank.
