The young man Luke said to me: "I shall be your guide."

"Thank you," I replied. "It is very kind of you."

"Indeed, it will be a pleasure," was his comment.

"Christobel and Kate are already good friends of long standing," said Mistress Longton. "Christobel has been acting as Kate's governess in London."

"I am sure that was a very satisfactory arrangement," said the tutor.

Christobel yawned.

"Oh dear," said Mistress Longton. "You are tired. Would you like another glass of wine? No? Well, I am going to take you off to your rooms now. I know you gentlemen are very disappointed, but the hour is late and the young ladies are very, very tired. You both know what a jolting poor travelers have to suffer, especially on these country roads. Come, then. You will have a great deal of time after tonight to get acquainted with each other."

Christobel said: "I must say I am ready for bed."

"They will have taken your baggage up. But you won't want to unpack tonight, I know. I hope you can lay your hands on what you need. If not, perhaps I can help."

"I shall just take out a few night things. I believe I can manage that. Can you, Kate?"

"Oh yes, I am sure I can."

"Then," said Mistress Longton, "let me light you to bed."

I felt mildly bewildered. There was so much I wanted to discover about Luke and Master Roger Camden, and I was too excited for sleep, but it was true I was physically exhausted, and I was sure Mistress Longton was right to send us off to bed. I had an idea that she was usually right.

There was a ewer and basin in the room, so I was able to wash away a little of the grime of the journey. I found the few things I should need and put on my nightgown and got into bed.

Through the latticed window the light of a half moon penetrated the room. The oak beams of the ceiling were thick and the ceiling sloped a little, as did the floor. The bed was a four-poster, and I imagined it had stood there for all of a hundred years. There were a few chairs and a big oak chest, and the table on which stood the basin and ewer.

So this was my home. How different from Maggie's house! I felt a twinge of nostalgia. It was different also from what I had expected, and to be confronted with strangers when I had been expecting my father was a little disconcerting.

There was a light tap on my door.

"Come in," I said, and as I had expected Christobel entered.

"Not asleep?" she said. "I thought you would not be. I'm very tired, but I can't sleep either. I keep feeling as though I'm jolting along in that coach. Kate, you seemed a bit bewildered. I should have told you what I knew about this place we are coming to."

"Did you know the young man would be here?"

"Oh yes, Luke has been here for several years."

"Who is he?"

She was silent for a while. Then she said: "Perhaps you are too young to know of these matters. But you know something, do you not, so you should know the rest. A little knowledge can be more confusing than no knowledge at all."

"Please tell me, Christobel."

"It is late tonight. You need to sleep."

"I do not think I can. It is all so strange ... so different. I thought I was going to my father's house."

"Well, you have. The Dower House belongs to him."

"But he is not here."

"No, of course not. He will be at Rosslyn Manor."

"Where is that?"

"On this estate. It is a large property in this neighborhood and the Manor is about a mile away."

"And my father lives there, and I am to live in the Dower House?"

"It seems a reasonable plan. It might be that it would not be quite de rigueur to have you living in the house with Lady Rosslyn."

"Lady Rosslyn?"

"There is naturally a Lady Rosslyn."

"His wife. Of course. I ... see."

"There is much that you do not see. They have been married for about twenty years, I believe."

"And Luke? Who is Luke?"

"Another such as you are. He is Lord Rosslyn's son, as you are his daughter."

"So he is my brother?"

"Half-brother, I believe it is called."

"And he lives in the Dower House?"

She nodded. "Lord Rosslyn is what is known as a somewhat eccentric gentleman, and eccentric gentlemen do strange things."

"What strange things?"

"Like bringing a family, which society would say he should never have had, to live at the Dower House."

"You mean me ..."

"You and Luke. I suppose one might have been brought into a family in such a way, but two ... and openly ... well, that is Lord Rosslyn."

"So you think I should not have come?"

"Indeed I do not. I think you should be here. It is due to you. I am merely saying that it takes an eccentric gentleman to act in such a way. Shall we talk in the morning?"

"I shall not sleep. Shall you? More than anything I want to know about the people here."

"I understand. It is to be your home. So it is natural that you will want to know, and you will sleep the better for knowing. I think you have been very fortunate to come here and live as your father's daughter should. Mind you, it is not as though Lady Rosslyn was your mother, but it is the next best thing. The Rosslyns are a proud family. They have been in possession of Rosslyn Manor since the days of the first Henry, the son of the Conqueror, and that is a very long time ago. There have been Rosslyns at the Manor for five hundred years and the line is unbroken ... until now. This is regarded as a great tragedy. Kate, you have lived in London, close to the theatrical world. I think that has made you old for your years. One forgets how young you are. But there are times when I feel I should not be speaking of these matters to you."

"Oh, please, do not say that, Christobel. I want to know. I have to know."

"You are right. It is best for you to understand these things, even if ... oh well, no matter. The truth is that the Rosslyn heirs have always, through the centuries, had their wives and husbands chosen for them. They are proud of their family. They must be of the right kind, you understand. Many men and women marry for love. Not the Rosslyns. They have their lovers, but not perhaps in marriage. The right stock is necessary and they will tell you it has worked well through the ages, until now. The Rosslyns have prospered because they are such perfect beings." She laughed aloud. "It was different with the Carews, my family. We have had some disreputable characters in our family. And it has not lasted in the same way as the Rosslyns. Other names have crept in. Cousins have inherited. And now this fate has fallen on the Rosslyns."

She laughed. "You will say, 'What does it matter?' But it does matter to them. I cannot help it, Kate, it amuses me, but it is not amusing to Lord Rosslyn—nor to Lady Rosslyn. She is the one at fault. She has betrayed the Rosslyns. And in what way? Because she cannot bear a child."

"It is not her fault."

"Indeed not, poor lady. I'll warrant she has prayed till she is hoarse, and perverse Heaven has turned its back on her. The fault can only lie in her, for look, there is Master Luke, a proof of Rosslyn manhood—and little Mistress Kate, another—and no doubt others of whom we have not yet heard."

"What are you telling me, Christobel?"

"I am half asleep. I talk without thinking. I shall see my family tomorrow and I am envious, I suppose. Why should everything have gone wrong for us and the Rosslyns have so much?"

"You were telling me of a tragedy which has befallen them."

"Kate, my family has lost a large part of our estate ... it is tottering to ruin and there are the Rosslyns, established in what must be one of the most flourishing estates in the country, bemoaning their sad fate because there is no legitimate heir to leave the place to. My lord will have to be dead before that happens, in any case."

"So this tragedy is simply that Lord Rosslyn's wife cannot have any children to leave the estate to."

"That is so. This wonderful, prosperous place will have to go to someone—well, not exactly outside the family, but on the distant edge of it, a distant relative, a remote cousin, usually a poor relation. Rosslyn, despairing of getting a family through the conventional channels, is bringing those obtained in others to live close to his home. Now, is that for his own satisfaction, because he loves his illegitimate offspring, or is it to bring home to his wife how much she has failed him?"

I was silent. I looked at Christobel. Her eyes looked a little glazed. I thought: She is very, very tired.

"Christobel, you ought to go back to your bed."

"So I should," she said, but she did not move from her position on mine.

She went on, as though to herself: "Of course, he might have a conscience. He might think he should care for these children of his. I'll swear these are not the only ones. Perhaps we shall have a little colony of them here. He and Lady R. are scarcely on speaking terms, so they say. She is very angry about this Dower House family."

"But I have only just come."

"That will not please her. I was talking of Luke. He has been here for a number of years. He must be about seventeen or eighteen years old now. He came here when he was ten. Of course, he is a boy ... a double reproach." She yawned. "Well, you will learn all about it, very soon. I have just given you a little insight."

"You are so tired, Christobel. We both are."

She stood up rather unsteadily. She leaned forward and, taking my face in her hands, kissed me.

"You are a dear girl, Kate," she said. "I am very fond of you. You will adjust yourself, I know. There will be difficulties, but I am sure it is the best way for you. Good night."

She left me less prepared for sleep than I had been before her coming.

She was very unlike herself. I was sure she had drunk too much of that mulled wine. It had been so warm and comforting, and we were both very, very tired.

When I was dressed next morning and knocked at her door she called "Come in," in quite a brisk voice.

She was up and looked comparatively fresh.

"It seems you have slept well after all," I said.

"After a while. I was so exhausted. I am afraid I drank a little too much of that wine last night. It was so soothing and warming. I think I talked a great deal." She frowned and looked at me questioningly.

"It was just about the people here ... all that I had to know."

She grimaced. "Well, it is rather an unusual arrangement. But quite rational, when you come to think of it."

"What shall we do today?"

"Settle in. When your father appears he will no doubt give his instructions. We shall certainly continue with lessons, for you are young yet, my dear. But today I want to see my family. They will have heard we have arrived, I am sure. You would be surprised how fast news travels here. Of course Luke will want to get to know you and he'll show you round—he loves this place. But I do want you to meet my family. They will be very eager to meet you. I've told them about you, of course."

"You have not told me about them."

"It will be better for you to make your own judgments."

"Judgments?"

"Oh, just a manner of speaking. Well, I shall go over to Featherston Manor this morning. It is not very far—on the edge of the Rosslyn estate, but that is very big. I should like to take you with me."

"And I should love to come."

"Well, why not? As long as you have not had a summons to await the coming of his lordship, I think it would be an excellent idea. Come along, let us go down and spy out the land."

In the dining room Mistress Longton was seated at the table.

She greeted us warmly and trusted we had slept well. We assured her that we had after a while, and we sat down to partake of meat pie and ale which a servant put before us.

"I dare swear you will not be at your lessons this morning,'* said Mistress Longton. "You will need to recover from your journey and to see something of this place."

"I was planning to see my family this morning," said Christobel.

"But of course. It is long since they have seen you and they have doubtless heard you are here, so will be expecting you. One of the men was on some business near there. He is bound to have seen someone from the Manor and he would have passed on the news."