The India Fan by Victoria Holt Page B

affability.
    Because she had failed academically she had decided that learning was for those who lacked physical charms.
    It dawned on me that Lavinia had a perpetual love affair with the opposite sex. She blossomed when men were near. She smiled and sparkledhowing her teeth and tossing her hairand was an entirely different person.
    I saw Fabian now and then. He had been away, first at school, then at the university. Sometimes he came home, almost always bringing a friend with him. I would see him riding out or perhaps in the house when I was having a lesson there.
    When Lavinia talked of the young men who came to the House with her brother her eyes would sparkle and she would giggle a good deal. Fabian took no notice of me, and I supposed he had forgotten that time when he had looked after me and made such a fuss when they wanted to take me away. Although it was just a child game, I had liked to think it had made a special bond between us.
    A few days after my fifteenth birthday I met Dougal Carruthers. I was taking the shortcut across the churchyard to the rectory when I noticed the door of the church was open, and as I came nearer I heard the sound of footsteps on the flagstones. I thought perhaps my father was there and that he should be making his way home, as Mrs. Janson would be displeased if he were not at the table punctually for lunch. One had constantly to remind him of such matters.
    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