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Authors: Victoria Holt
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Caroline, Miss Tressidor.”
Cousin Mary was seated at the table. Before her was a plate of bacon, eggs and devilled kidneys. “Oh, there you are,” she said. “The governess left half an hour or more ago. Did you have a good night? Yes, I see you did, and now you’re ready to take stock of your surroundings, eh? Of course you are. You’ll want to eat a good breakfast. Best meal of the day, I always say. Stock yourself up. Help yourself.”
She showed a certain amount of concern for my well-being, which was comforting, but her habit of asking a question and answering it herself made for a certain one-sided conversation.
I went to the sideboard and helped myself from the chafing dishes.
Cousin Mary took her eyes from the plate and I felt them on me.
“Feel a bit strange at first,” she said. “Bound to. You should have come before. I should have liked to have visits from you and your sister … and your father and mother … if he’d been different. Families ought to keep together, but sometimes they’re better apart. It was my inheriting this place they didn’t like. There was no doubt about that. I was the rightful heir, but a woman, they said. There’s a prejudice against our sex, Caroline. I don’t suppose you’ve noticed it much yet.”
“Oh yes, I have.”
“Your father thought he should step over me and take this place because I was a woman. Only over my dead body, I said; and that’s what it amounts to. If I died, I suppose he’d be the next. That’s a consummation devoutly to be wished—for him, I don’t doubt. But I feel very differently about the matter, as you can imagine.” She gave a little laugh which was rather like a dog’s bark.
I laughed with her and she looked at me with some approval.
“Cousin Robert is a very able man but he still lacks the power to get rid of his Cousin Mary.” Again that bark. “Well, we’ve done without each other all these years. You can imagine how taken aback I was when I got the letter from Cousin Imogen telling me that they’d be glad if I invited you for a month or so.”
“They clearly wanted to be rid of me. I wonder why.”
She looked at me with her head on one side and, as I already realized was unusual with her, hesitated. “Let’s not bother about the whys and wherefores. You’re here. You’re going to be the means of healing the rift in the family … perhaps. I’m pleased you came. I’ve a notion that you and I are going to get on.”
“Oh, have you? I’m so glad.”
She nodded. “Well, you’ll settle in. You’ll be left to yourself quite a bit. It’s a big estate and I keep myself rather busy on it. I’ve managers but I hold the reins. Always have done. Even when my father was alive and I was younger than you … or as young … I’d work with my father. He used to say, ‘You’ll make a good squire, Mary, my girl.’ And when there was all that raising of eyebrows and tittering about my being a woman, I was determined to show them I could do as well—and better—than any man.”
“I am sure you did show them, Cousin Mary.”
“Yes, I did, but even now, if anything goes wrong they’re ready to say ‘Oh well, she’s a woman.’ I won’t have it, Caroline. That’s why I’m determined to make Tressidors the most prosperous estate hereabouts.” She looked at me almost slyly and went on: “You must have come past Landower Hall.”
I told her we had done so.
“What did you think of it?”
“I thought it was magnificent.”
She snorted. “Outside, yes. Bit of a ruin inside … so we hear.”
When I told her we had met Mr. Paul and Mr. Jago Landower, she was very interested.
“They made themselves known,” I said, “when they noticed the name on my luggage. They seemed to know I was coming here.”
“Servants,” she said.
“Yes, that’s what the younger one said. Their servants . . your servants …”
“It’s like having detectives in the house. Well, it’s natural, and as long as there
Cousin Mary was seated at the table. Before her was a plate of bacon, eggs and devilled kidneys. “Oh, there you are,” she said. “The governess left half an hour or more ago. Did you have a good night? Yes, I see you did, and now you’re ready to take stock of your surroundings, eh? Of course you are. You’ll want to eat a good breakfast. Best meal of the day, I always say. Stock yourself up. Help yourself.”
She showed a certain amount of concern for my well-being, which was comforting, but her habit of asking a question and answering it herself made for a certain one-sided conversation.
I went to the sideboard and helped myself from the chafing dishes.
Cousin Mary took her eyes from the plate and I felt them on me.
“Feel a bit strange at first,” she said. “Bound to. You should have come before. I should have liked to have visits from you and your sister … and your father and mother … if he’d been different. Families ought to keep together, but sometimes they’re better apart. It was my inheriting this place they didn’t like. There was no doubt about that. I was the rightful heir, but a woman, they said. There’s a prejudice against our sex, Caroline. I don’t suppose you’ve noticed it much yet.”
“Oh yes, I have.”
“Your father thought he should step over me and take this place because I was a woman. Only over my dead body, I said; and that’s what it amounts to. If I died, I suppose he’d be the next. That’s a consummation devoutly to be wished—for him, I don’t doubt. But I feel very differently about the matter, as you can imagine.” She gave a little laugh which was rather like a dog’s bark.
I laughed with her and she looked at me with some approval.
“Cousin Robert is a very able man but he still lacks the power to get rid of his Cousin Mary.” Again that bark. “Well, we’ve done without each other all these years. You can imagine how taken aback I was when I got the letter from Cousin Imogen telling me that they’d be glad if I invited you for a month or so.”
“They clearly wanted to be rid of me. I wonder why.”
She looked at me with her head on one side and, as I already realized was unusual with her, hesitated. “Let’s not bother about the whys and wherefores. You’re here. You’re going to be the means of healing the rift in the family … perhaps. I’m pleased you came. I’ve a notion that you and I are going to get on.”
“Oh, have you? I’m so glad.”
She nodded. “Well, you’ll settle in. You’ll be left to yourself quite a bit. It’s a big estate and I keep myself rather busy on it. I’ve managers but I hold the reins. Always have done. Even when my father was alive and I was younger than you … or as young … I’d work with my father. He used to say, ‘You’ll make a good squire, Mary, my girl.’ And when there was all that raising of eyebrows and tittering about my being a woman, I was determined to show them I could do as well—and better—than any man.”
“I am sure you did show them, Cousin Mary.”
“Yes, I did, but even now, if anything goes wrong they’re ready to say ‘Oh well, she’s a woman.’ I won’t have it, Caroline. That’s why I’m determined to make Tressidors the most prosperous estate hereabouts.” She looked at me almost slyly and went on: “You must have come past Landower Hall.”
I told her we had done so.
“What did you think of it?”
“I thought it was magnificent.”
She snorted. “Outside, yes. Bit of a ruin inside … so we hear.”
When I told her we had met Mr. Paul and Mr. Jago Landower, she was very interested.
“They made themselves known,” I said, “when they noticed the name on my luggage. They seemed to know I was coming here.”
“Servants,” she said.
“Yes, that’s what the younger one said. Their servants . . your servants …”
“It’s like having detectives in the house. Well, it’s natural, and as long as there
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