he added.
Tamarisk was suppressing her laughter. I felt the blood rushing to my face. I knew I was not handsome like Tamarisk or pretty like Rachel, but ‘the plain child’! I felt bitterly hurt and humiliated.
“Well,” said Tamarisk, who had little respect for the feelings of others, ‘he did want to know who you were. After all, it’s his house, isn’t it, and you are plain. “
I said: “I don’t care. Miss Lloyd likes me. My aunt likes me. I don’t care what your rude brother thinks.”
“That wasn’t rude. It was just truth.
“Trust must stand when all is failing” or something like that. You’d know that. You’re clever.
You’re old Lallie’s pet. “
We walked to the door and Tamarisk said, without rancour: “Goodbye, see you tomorrow.”
As I walked down the drive with Rachel, I was thinking:
I’m plain.
I had never considered it before and now I was faced with the bald truth.
Rachel slipped her arm through mine. She had suffered humiliation herself and knew how I felt. She did not say anything, for which I was grateful, and I walked along in silence, thinking: I’m plain.
We reached the Bell House. It looked attractive in sun shine. As we approached it, a man came out of the gate. He was middleaged with wiry ginger hair which was beginning to turn grey at the temples, and he had a short spiky beard.
He had his hand on the gate and I noticed it was covered with ginger hairs. His mouth was straight and tight and he had small light eyes.
“Good day to you,” he said, and he was looking at me.
“You’ll be the newcomer from The Rowans. You have been having lessons at St. Aubyn’s.”
“This is my uncle,” said Rachel quietly.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Dorian,” I said.
He nodded, moistening his lips with his tongue. I had a sudden feeling of revulsion, which I could not quite under stand, so definite was it.
Rachel had changed too. She seemed a little fearful. But then I supposed she always was.
“The Lord’s blessing on you,” said Mr. Dorian, and he continued to look at me.
I said goodbye and walked on to The Rowans.
Aunt Sophie was waiting there for me with Lily. Lunch was already on the table.
“Well,” said Aunt Sophie, ‘how did it go? “
“Very well.”
“That’s good. I said it would, didn’t I, Lily? I reckon you put the other two in the shade.”
“I reckon you did and all,” said Lily.
“Miss Lloyd seemed to think I was all right. She said she was glad 1 was coming to her to be taught.”
They exchanged glances. Then Lily said: “I haven’t sweated over the fire all the morning cooking food that’s let get cold.”
We sat at the table and she served us. I could not eat very much.
“So,” said Aunt Sophie, ‘it was an exciting morning. “
I was glad when I could escape to my room. I looked in the mirror.
Plain! I thought. Well, I was. My hair was dark and, although thick, straight. Tamarisk’s was curly and a lovely colour, Rachel’s waved prettily. My cheeks were smooth but palish, my eyes light brown with long, though pale, brown lashes: I had rather a large nose and a wide mouth.
I was looking at my face when Aunt Sophie came into the room. She sat on the bed.
“Better tell me,” she said.
“What happened? Didn’t it go well?”
“You mean the lessons?”
“I mean everything. Has Tamarisk been getting at you in some way? It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“I can deal with her.”
“I thought you would be able to. She’s a puffed-up balloon. Let out the air and she’s deflated. Poor Tamarisk. She can’t have had the best possible of childhoods. Well, what was it?”
“It was … the brother.”
“Tamarisk’s brother Crispin! Where does he come into this?”
“He was there in the hall when we came out.”
“What did he say to you?”
“He didn’t say anything to me … but about me.”
She was looking at me incredulously. I explained about the brief encounter and how I had heard him say “Who is
Tamarisk was suppressing her laughter. I felt the blood rushing to my face. I knew I was not handsome like Tamarisk or pretty like Rachel, but ‘the plain child’! I felt bitterly hurt and humiliated.
“Well,” said Tamarisk, who had little respect for the feelings of others, ‘he did want to know who you were. After all, it’s his house, isn’t it, and you are plain. “
I said: “I don’t care. Miss Lloyd likes me. My aunt likes me. I don’t care what your rude brother thinks.”
“That wasn’t rude. It was just truth.
“Trust must stand when all is failing” or something like that. You’d know that. You’re clever.
You’re old Lallie’s pet. “
We walked to the door and Tamarisk said, without rancour: “Goodbye, see you tomorrow.”
As I walked down the drive with Rachel, I was thinking:
I’m plain.
I had never considered it before and now I was faced with the bald truth.
Rachel slipped her arm through mine. She had suffered humiliation herself and knew how I felt. She did not say anything, for which I was grateful, and I walked along in silence, thinking: I’m plain.
We reached the Bell House. It looked attractive in sun shine. As we approached it, a man came out of the gate. He was middleaged with wiry ginger hair which was beginning to turn grey at the temples, and he had a short spiky beard.
He had his hand on the gate and I noticed it was covered with ginger hairs. His mouth was straight and tight and he had small light eyes.
“Good day to you,” he said, and he was looking at me.
“You’ll be the newcomer from The Rowans. You have been having lessons at St. Aubyn’s.”
“This is my uncle,” said Rachel quietly.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Dorian,” I said.
He nodded, moistening his lips with his tongue. I had a sudden feeling of revulsion, which I could not quite under stand, so definite was it.
Rachel had changed too. She seemed a little fearful. But then I supposed she always was.
“The Lord’s blessing on you,” said Mr. Dorian, and he continued to look at me.
I said goodbye and walked on to The Rowans.
Aunt Sophie was waiting there for me with Lily. Lunch was already on the table.
“Well,” said Aunt Sophie, ‘how did it go? “
“Very well.”
“That’s good. I said it would, didn’t I, Lily? I reckon you put the other two in the shade.”
“I reckon you did and all,” said Lily.
“Miss Lloyd seemed to think I was all right. She said she was glad 1 was coming to her to be taught.”
They exchanged glances. Then Lily said: “I haven’t sweated over the fire all the morning cooking food that’s let get cold.”
We sat at the table and she served us. I could not eat very much.
“So,” said Aunt Sophie, ‘it was an exciting morning. “
I was glad when I could escape to my room. I looked in the mirror.
Plain! I thought. Well, I was. My hair was dark and, although thick, straight. Tamarisk’s was curly and a lovely colour, Rachel’s waved prettily. My cheeks were smooth but palish, my eyes light brown with long, though pale, brown lashes: I had rather a large nose and a wide mouth.
I was looking at my face when Aunt Sophie came into the room. She sat on the bed.
“Better tell me,” she said.
“What happened? Didn’t it go well?”
“You mean the lessons?”
“I mean everything. Has Tamarisk been getting at you in some way? It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“I can deal with her.”
“I thought you would be able to. She’s a puffed-up balloon. Let out the air and she’s deflated. Poor Tamarisk. She can’t have had the best possible of childhoods. Well, what was it?”
“It was … the brother.”
“Tamarisk’s brother Crispin! Where does he come into this?”
“He was there in the hall when we came out.”
“What did he say to you?”
“He didn’t say anything to me … but about me.”
She was looking at me incredulously. I explained about the brief encounter and how I had heard him say “Who is
Similar Books
