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Authors: Victoria Holt
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“That’s nice.” But she said unexpectedly: “Oh … life can be hard.” Tamarisk was getting bored.
“I was wondering if we could say hello to Flora,” she said.
Lucy Lane looked dismayed. I was sure she was preparing to say this was not possible when, to her dismay, and Tamarisk’s delight, the door opened and a woman stood on the threshold of the room.
There was a faint resemblance to Lucy and I knew this must be Flora;
but where Lucy had a look of extreme alertness. Flora’s large bewildered eyes gave the impression she was trying to see something which was beyond her vision. In her arms she carried a doll. There was something very disturbing about a middleaged woman carrying a doll in such a way.
“Hello, Flora,” said Tamarisk.
“I’ve come to see you and this is Fred Hammond. She’s a girl but with a name like that you might not think so.” She giggled a little.
I said: “My name is Frederica. Frederica Hammond.”
Flora nodded, looking from Tamarisk to me.
“Fred has lessons with us,” went on Tamarisk.
“Would you like to go back to your room. Flora?” asked Lucy anxiously.
Flora shook her head. She looked down at the doll.
“He’s fretful today,” she said.
“Teething.”
“It’s a little boy, is it?” said Tamarisk.
Flora sat down, laying the doll on her lap. She gazed down at it tenderly.
“Isn’t it time he had his nap?” asked Lucy.
“Come. Let’s go up. Excuse me,” she said to us.
And laying her hand firmly on Flora’s arm, she led her away.
Tamarisk looked at me and tapped the side of her head.
“I told you so,” she whispered.
“She’s batty. Lucy tries to make out she’s not so bad … but she really is off her head.”
“Poor woman!” I said.
“It must be sad for them both. 1 think we ought to go. They don’t want us here. We shouldn’t have come.”
“All right,” said Tamarisk.
“I just wanted you to see Flora.”
“We’ll have to wait until Lucy comes back and then we’ll leave.”
Which was what we did.
As we walked away. Tamarisk said: “What did you think?”
“It’s very sad. The elder sister she is the elder, isn’t she Lucy, I mean?” Tamarisk nodded.
“She is really worried about the mad one.
How awful really, to believe that doll is a baby. “
“She thinks it is Crispin … only Crispin when he was a baby!”
“I wonder what made her go like that?”
“I never thought of that. It’s years and years since Crispin was a baby, and after Flora went funny, Lucy took him over he was still only a baby then. Then he went away to school when he was about nine.
He always liked old Lucy. Her father used to be one of the gardeners and they had the cottage because of that. He died before Lucy came back here. First of all she was working somewhere in the North. Their mother stayed in the cottage when the father died and Lucy came back.
Well, that’s what I’ve heard and soon after that Flora went batty and Lucy became Crispin’s nurse. “
“It is good of Crispin to let them stay in the cottage now neither of them work for St. Aubyn’s.”
“He likes Lucy. I told you, she was his nanny and most j people are like that about their nannies.” ;
As we walked back I could not stop thinking about the strange woman and her doll which she thought was the baby Crispin.
It was hard to think of that arrogant man as a baby.
In Barrow Wood
My fellow pupils had been to tea at The Rowans and at St. Aubyn’s. Then we were invited to the Bell House. Tamarisk found an excuse for being unable to go and consequently I was the only guest.
When I entered the front garden I felt a twinge of uneasiness. I passed the wooden seat where I had sat that day when I was waiting for Rachel, and her uncle had talked to me. I hoped he would not be there today.
I rang the bell and a maid opened the door.
“You’re the young lady for Miss Rachel,” she said.
“Come in.”
I was taken through the hall to a room with
“I was wondering if we could say hello to Flora,” she said.
Lucy Lane looked dismayed. I was sure she was preparing to say this was not possible when, to her dismay, and Tamarisk’s delight, the door opened and a woman stood on the threshold of the room.
There was a faint resemblance to Lucy and I knew this must be Flora;
but where Lucy had a look of extreme alertness. Flora’s large bewildered eyes gave the impression she was trying to see something which was beyond her vision. In her arms she carried a doll. There was something very disturbing about a middleaged woman carrying a doll in such a way.
“Hello, Flora,” said Tamarisk.
“I’ve come to see you and this is Fred Hammond. She’s a girl but with a name like that you might not think so.” She giggled a little.
I said: “My name is Frederica. Frederica Hammond.”
Flora nodded, looking from Tamarisk to me.
“Fred has lessons with us,” went on Tamarisk.
“Would you like to go back to your room. Flora?” asked Lucy anxiously.
Flora shook her head. She looked down at the doll.
“He’s fretful today,” she said.
“Teething.”
“It’s a little boy, is it?” said Tamarisk.
Flora sat down, laying the doll on her lap. She gazed down at it tenderly.
“Isn’t it time he had his nap?” asked Lucy.
“Come. Let’s go up. Excuse me,” she said to us.
And laying her hand firmly on Flora’s arm, she led her away.
Tamarisk looked at me and tapped the side of her head.
“I told you so,” she whispered.
“She’s batty. Lucy tries to make out she’s not so bad … but she really is off her head.”
“Poor woman!” I said.
“It must be sad for them both. 1 think we ought to go. They don’t want us here. We shouldn’t have come.”
“All right,” said Tamarisk.
“I just wanted you to see Flora.”
“We’ll have to wait until Lucy comes back and then we’ll leave.”
Which was what we did.
As we walked away. Tamarisk said: “What did you think?”
“It’s very sad. The elder sister she is the elder, isn’t she Lucy, I mean?” Tamarisk nodded.
“She is really worried about the mad one.
How awful really, to believe that doll is a baby. “
“She thinks it is Crispin … only Crispin when he was a baby!”
“I wonder what made her go like that?”
“I never thought of that. It’s years and years since Crispin was a baby, and after Flora went funny, Lucy took him over he was still only a baby then. Then he went away to school when he was about nine.
He always liked old Lucy. Her father used to be one of the gardeners and they had the cottage because of that. He died before Lucy came back here. First of all she was working somewhere in the North. Their mother stayed in the cottage when the father died and Lucy came back.
Well, that’s what I’ve heard and soon after that Flora went batty and Lucy became Crispin’s nurse. “
“It is good of Crispin to let them stay in the cottage now neither of them work for St. Aubyn’s.”
“He likes Lucy. I told you, she was his nanny and most j people are like that about their nannies.” ;
As we walked back I could not stop thinking about the strange woman and her doll which she thought was the baby Crispin.
It was hard to think of that arrogant man as a baby.
In Barrow Wood
My fellow pupils had been to tea at The Rowans and at St. Aubyn’s. Then we were invited to the Bell House. Tamarisk found an excuse for being unable to go and consequently I was the only guest.
When I entered the front garden I felt a twinge of uneasiness. I passed the wooden seat where I had sat that day when I was waiting for Rachel, and her uncle had talked to me. I hoped he would not be there today.
I rang the bell and a maid opened the door.
“You’re the young lady for Miss Rachel,” she said.
“Come in.”
I was taken through the hall to a room with
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