the head.
“You really mean that?” She was a trifle anxious, in case he didn’t. “After all, you don’t have to come with me—”
But he nodded his head with much more vigor.
“I won’t stay here without you.” He clutched at her hand in such a way that she was convinced his small mind was made up on that point, at least. Wycherley Park was a haven while she was there, but it might become a dubious haven if he was deprived of her support and companionship. In any case, he had adopted her weeks ago as the next best thing to a relative. “If you go away I’m going with you—”
“Honestly? That’s what you really want?”
“I like the gentleman, but I don’t like the lady—”
“But you might get on very well with the lady after a time! She might be quite kind to you—let you stay here for a long time.” But Victoria didn’t really see that happening. “After all, this is a lovely house, and you have lots of toys and this beautiful nursery. You won’t ever have such a nice place to live in again, not if you go away with me,” feeling that she must make everything clear to him.
But Johnny looked suddenly indignant.
“She was horrid to you!” he spat out, as if he had bitterly resented the horridness. “You didn’t do anything to make her angry, and yet she was horrid to you!” His incredulous dark eyes sought hers in complete bewilderment. “Why was she?”
Victoria shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter, Johnny,” she told him quietly. “I didn’t in the least mind anything she said, because after all we are imposing on Sir Peter.” At the questioning look in Johnny’s eyes she explained: “We’re taking advantage of his kindness. He owes us nothing, and we are taking a lot from him—very likely making things awkward between him and Miss Islesworth. I do honestly think we should go away very soon, and since you’re agreed about it we’ll go together!”
Then she took him over to the wide window seat and told him a little of what had happened that afternoon, making it quite clear to him that his father was now at rest and one day they could come back to the churchyard where he was resting and put flowers on his grave. Johnny, if he wished, could make it a place of pilgrimage in the future, and every time he did so he could put flowers on the grave.
Johnny was quite captivated by the thought of these future missions, and a great deal of the somberness—and the fear—in his dark eyes fled away after a time and left them reasonably confident and content. Johnny was too young yet to appreciate his loss, and he still had Victoria to cling to, so nothing was really bad. Not even the loss of his father, to whom he had been attached, but not passionately devoted.
But the very thought of Victoria leaving him filled him with an emotion that was an entirely different thing from the odd pang or two he had experienced as a result of the loss of his father. Victoria was Victoria!
He fell asleep after a time, and had to be wakened for his supper, but he didn’t seem to wish to eat very much, so Victoria put him to bed. He fell asleep again the instant his head touched the pillow, and she had no need to read to him, or even tell him stories. Instead she sat quietly thinking and planning and watching the extraordinary peacefulness of his expression as he drifted into slumber.
She felt that she had been entrusted with a mission.
CHAPTER SIX
Much later that night she sat making calculations in her own bedroom, and decided that she had enough money, in the bank and in the post office, to keep herself and Johnny for at least two months if only she could find a place in which to live, and after that she could be successful in finding a reasonably well-paid job.
She didn’t feel oppressed by the burden she had taken on when she went to bed at last, and as she lay listening to
the chiming of the various grandfather and other makes of clocks that was going on around her, as well as the plushy
“You really mean that?” She was a trifle anxious, in case he didn’t. “After all, you don’t have to come with me—”
But he nodded his head with much more vigor.
“I won’t stay here without you.” He clutched at her hand in such a way that she was convinced his small mind was made up on that point, at least. Wycherley Park was a haven while she was there, but it might become a dubious haven if he was deprived of her support and companionship. In any case, he had adopted her weeks ago as the next best thing to a relative. “If you go away I’m going with you—”
“Honestly? That’s what you really want?”
“I like the gentleman, but I don’t like the lady—”
“But you might get on very well with the lady after a time! She might be quite kind to you—let you stay here for a long time.” But Victoria didn’t really see that happening. “After all, this is a lovely house, and you have lots of toys and this beautiful nursery. You won’t ever have such a nice place to live in again, not if you go away with me,” feeling that she must make everything clear to him.
But Johnny looked suddenly indignant.
“She was horrid to you!” he spat out, as if he had bitterly resented the horridness. “You didn’t do anything to make her angry, and yet she was horrid to you!” His incredulous dark eyes sought hers in complete bewilderment. “Why was she?”
Victoria shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter, Johnny,” she told him quietly. “I didn’t in the least mind anything she said, because after all we are imposing on Sir Peter.” At the questioning look in Johnny’s eyes she explained: “We’re taking advantage of his kindness. He owes us nothing, and we are taking a lot from him—very likely making things awkward between him and Miss Islesworth. I do honestly think we should go away very soon, and since you’re agreed about it we’ll go together!”
Then she took him over to the wide window seat and told him a little of what had happened that afternoon, making it quite clear to him that his father was now at rest and one day they could come back to the churchyard where he was resting and put flowers on his grave. Johnny, if he wished, could make it a place of pilgrimage in the future, and every time he did so he could put flowers on the grave.
Johnny was quite captivated by the thought of these future missions, and a great deal of the somberness—and the fear—in his dark eyes fled away after a time and left them reasonably confident and content. Johnny was too young yet to appreciate his loss, and he still had Victoria to cling to, so nothing was really bad. Not even the loss of his father, to whom he had been attached, but not passionately devoted.
But the very thought of Victoria leaving him filled him with an emotion that was an entirely different thing from the odd pang or two he had experienced as a result of the loss of his father. Victoria was Victoria!
He fell asleep after a time, and had to be wakened for his supper, but he didn’t seem to wish to eat very much, so Victoria put him to bed. He fell asleep again the instant his head touched the pillow, and she had no need to read to him, or even tell him stories. Instead she sat quietly thinking and planning and watching the extraordinary peacefulness of his expression as he drifted into slumber.
She felt that she had been entrusted with a mission.
CHAPTER SIX
Much later that night she sat making calculations in her own bedroom, and decided that she had enough money, in the bank and in the post office, to keep herself and Johnny for at least two months if only she could find a place in which to live, and after that she could be successful in finding a reasonably well-paid job.
She didn’t feel oppressed by the burden she had taken on when she went to bed at last, and as she lay listening to
the chiming of the various grandfather and other makes of clocks that was going on around her, as well as the plushy
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