The India Fan by Victoria Holt

him down so that he could have his airing in the garden. Eff liked that; and I gathered so did Polly. When he lay in his pram Eff would find some excuse to go into the garden and gaze at him. If he were cryinghich was oftenhey would babble nonsense at him: idums want his Mumums then?or something like that, which sounded so strange on their lips, as they were both what Mrs. Janson would have called harp tongued.They were completely changed by this baby.
    It occurred to me that the great lack in the lives of both Polly and Eff was a baby of their own. Babies seemed to be very desirable creaturesven Fabian had wanted one.
    I remember very well an occasion two days after the funeral. Polly and I were going back to the rectory the next day. Polly had been making the most of our last day and she had taken me p West,which meant the west end of London.
    We were in the kitchen. I was seated by the fire and I was so sleepy that I dozed off.
    Vaguely I heard Polly say, ook at Drusilla. She half asleep already. Well, we did a bit of traipsing about, I can tell you.Then I really did doze.
    I awoke suddenly. Eff and Polly were at the table, a big brown earthenware teapot between them.
    Eff was saying, reckon I could take two more people in here.
    don know what Father would have said, you taking in lodgers.
    hey call them paying guests in the sort of place Il have. Did you know, Poll, the Martins next door are going and I reckon I could take on that place.
    hatever for?
    ore paying guests, of course. I reckon I could make a real business out of this, Poll.
    reckon you could.
    ind you need help.
    hatl you do get someone to come in with you?
    want somebody I know. Somebody I could trust.
    ice business.
    hat about you, Poll?
    There was a long silence. I was quite wide awake now.
    he two of us would make a regular go of this,said Eff. t would be a nice little venture. You in service well, you know Father would never have liked that.
    wouldn leave Drusilla. She means a lot to me, that child.
    ice little thing. No beauty but she sharp and I reckon she got a way with her.
    h!said Polly.
    She looked in my direction and I immediately closed my eyes.
    ell, that won go on forever, Poll. I reckon sisters ought to stick together.
    ell, if it wasn for her I be with you like a shot, Eff.
    ou like the sound of it, do you?
    like to be here. The country dead dull. I like a bit of life.
    on I know that. Always did, always will. That you, Poll.
    hile she wants me Il be there.
    ou think about it, that all. You don want to be at the beck and call of others all your life. You was never one for that.
    h, there not much of the beck and call there, Eff. He soft and she like my own.
    ell, it would be a good life. The two of us working together.
    t nice to know youe there, Eff.
    So a new fear had come into my life. There would come a day when I would lose Polly.
    olly,I said to her that night when we had retired. ou won go away from me, will you?
    hat you talking about?
    ou might go in with Eff.
    ere! Who been listening to what she wasn meant to? Pretending to be asleep. I know. I rumbled you.
    ut you won, will you, Polly?
    o. Il be there as long as I wanted.
    I hugged her, holding her tightly for fear she would escape from me.
    It would be a long time before I forgot Eff holding out the bait of freedom to Polly.
    The French Affair
    The years passed and I was fourteen years old, doing much the same as I had always done. Miss York was still with me and Polly was my guide, comforter and mentor. I still paid my periodic visits to the House, but I was no longer so subservient to Lavinia. I only had to hint that I would refuse to come and she changed her hectoring ways. She had a faint respect for mehough she would never admit it. I had helped her through one or two scrapes and that gave me an advantage.
    Polly and I were closer together. We had paid several visits to Eff, who now had the house next door and was doing well with her paying guests. She seemed to have grown in