said my father, “let’s get the luggage in and then we’ll hear all about it.”
“And this is Gretchen…Kurt’s sister.”
“Hello, Gretchen,” said my mother. “How nice of you to visit us.”
She kissed Edward and he gave her that special look which meant he needed her help. She was excited. She loved to be involved in family affairs and, of course, Edward was one of the family in her eyes.
It was always wonderful to come home. It had been like this coming home from school. There was always so much we had to tell them.
It was comforting to see Caddington again. Everything seemed so right there. There was nothing ugly lurking in the dark corners of our home.
Dorabella was soon telling them about the most marvelous man we had ever met. “He must be asked here, Mummy. You’ll love him.”
My mother was all eagerness to hear. Dorabella prattled on.
“He lives in Cornwall. He is Cornish, actually. Dermot Tregarland. Isn’t it a lovely name? He’s very amusing, isn’t he, Violetta? We liked him very much.”
“What was he doing in Germany?” asked my mother.
“Walking.”
“You met him at the schloss.”
“Well, not exactly. He was staying in the town.”
“I look forward to learning all about him. And he is coming here, you say?”
“You’ll love him,” repeated Dorabella.
“When is he coming?”
“I thought we’d work that out with you.”
“I’m glad of that,” said my mother with light-hearted irony. Then she turned to Gretchen and said how glad she was that her family had let her come to stay with us.
Gretchen replied that it was indeed good of her to allow her to do so.
My mother did not say that she had been given no choice in the matter, but I saw the amused smile on her lips.
She had once mentioned the fact to my father that we rarely consulted her about the people we brought home and it was the custom for her to be presented with them at a moment’s notice. To this he had replied in his indulgent way: “Well, darling, it is their home, you know.”
When we arrived at the house, Gretchen expressed the usual admiration of its antiquity. Robert came dashing out. He was back from Devon and would, to his chagrin, soon be going back to school. He was introduced to Gretchen.
“Kurt’s sister,” he said. “Where’s Kurt? Why didn’t you bring him back?”
“How was Devon?” I asked.
“Brilliant,” he said. “But I’d rather have been in Germany. It must have been fun.”
And so we had arrived home.
No sooner was I in my room than my parents came to see me. I had expected them. They would want to know more about this young man whom Dorabella seemed to be so involved with.
I gave them a brief account of what had happened, how we had met Dermot, how he had rescued us when we might have been lost in the forest, and I went on to the attack on the schloss and the reason why we had brought Gretchen with us.
They were astounded and deeply shocked.
“Poor Edward,” said my mother. “He seems to be fond of the girl.”
“It is all rather sudden,” said my father.
“Well, these things happen,” put in my mother. “Of course, Edward has visited them before and she is Kurt’s sister. Sooner or later he would be thinking of marriage. But what of Dorabella’s affair? She is very young.”
“We are the same age,” I reminded her.
“Yes…but she always seems younger. And…she is very impressionable.”
“It may probably blow over,” suggested my father.
“Violetta, how does it seem to you?” asked my mother. “You’ve seen her go through these stages before.”
“I think this is rather more than usual.”
“Really! And what do you think of the young man?”
“He’s very pleasant…very charming. He was extremely good at getting us out of the forest.”
They wanted a more detailed account of that adventure.
“It seems a very dangerous place,” said my mother, frowning.
“It seemed idyllic until all that happened. Then it became
“And this is Gretchen…Kurt’s sister.”
“Hello, Gretchen,” said my mother. “How nice of you to visit us.”
She kissed Edward and he gave her that special look which meant he needed her help. She was excited. She loved to be involved in family affairs and, of course, Edward was one of the family in her eyes.
It was always wonderful to come home. It had been like this coming home from school. There was always so much we had to tell them.
It was comforting to see Caddington again. Everything seemed so right there. There was nothing ugly lurking in the dark corners of our home.
Dorabella was soon telling them about the most marvelous man we had ever met. “He must be asked here, Mummy. You’ll love him.”
My mother was all eagerness to hear. Dorabella prattled on.
“He lives in Cornwall. He is Cornish, actually. Dermot Tregarland. Isn’t it a lovely name? He’s very amusing, isn’t he, Violetta? We liked him very much.”
“What was he doing in Germany?” asked my mother.
“Walking.”
“You met him at the schloss.”
“Well, not exactly. He was staying in the town.”
“I look forward to learning all about him. And he is coming here, you say?”
“You’ll love him,” repeated Dorabella.
“When is he coming?”
“I thought we’d work that out with you.”
“I’m glad of that,” said my mother with light-hearted irony. Then she turned to Gretchen and said how glad she was that her family had let her come to stay with us.
Gretchen replied that it was indeed good of her to allow her to do so.
My mother did not say that she had been given no choice in the matter, but I saw the amused smile on her lips.
She had once mentioned the fact to my father that we rarely consulted her about the people we brought home and it was the custom for her to be presented with them at a moment’s notice. To this he had replied in his indulgent way: “Well, darling, it is their home, you know.”
When we arrived at the house, Gretchen expressed the usual admiration of its antiquity. Robert came dashing out. He was back from Devon and would, to his chagrin, soon be going back to school. He was introduced to Gretchen.
“Kurt’s sister,” he said. “Where’s Kurt? Why didn’t you bring him back?”
“How was Devon?” I asked.
“Brilliant,” he said. “But I’d rather have been in Germany. It must have been fun.”
And so we had arrived home.
No sooner was I in my room than my parents came to see me. I had expected them. They would want to know more about this young man whom Dorabella seemed to be so involved with.
I gave them a brief account of what had happened, how we had met Dermot, how he had rescued us when we might have been lost in the forest, and I went on to the attack on the schloss and the reason why we had brought Gretchen with us.
They were astounded and deeply shocked.
“Poor Edward,” said my mother. “He seems to be fond of the girl.”
“It is all rather sudden,” said my father.
“Well, these things happen,” put in my mother. “Of course, Edward has visited them before and she is Kurt’s sister. Sooner or later he would be thinking of marriage. But what of Dorabella’s affair? She is very young.”
“We are the same age,” I reminded her.
“Yes…but she always seems younger. And…she is very impressionable.”
“It may probably blow over,” suggested my father.
“Violetta, how does it seem to you?” asked my mother. “You’ve seen her go through these stages before.”
“I think this is rather more than usual.”
“Really! And what do you think of the young man?”
“He’s very pleasant…very charming. He was extremely good at getting us out of the forest.”
They wanted a more detailed account of that adventure.
“It seems a very dangerous place,” said my mother, frowning.
“It seemed idyllic until all that happened. Then it became
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