We’re together. That’s all that matters.”

There was a great welcome for us at Manor Grange.

Phillida was in the hall, her eyes wide with excitement. She hugged us both. “I’m so glad to see you,” she cried. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve just been counting the days. My goodness, you look well... both of you. You’ve had too much sun. You have to be careful of foreign sun.”

“It’s the same old sun, you know,” said Roland.

“Yes, but at a different angle or something. However, I must say you look well.”

She looked a little anxious for a moment. “And you have had a wonderful time.” It was almost as though she were urging us to tell her so that she could be reassured that everything had gone well. I thought what a delightful person she was to care so much for us.

“We have had a wonderful time. We’ve seen Naples,” I told her.

“Don’t they say ‘See Naples and die’?”

“That means it’s so wonderful you must see it before you die.”

“It’s an odd way of expressing it, don’t you think, Lucie? ‘See Naples and die.’

“ She laughed as though it were a great joke.

Roland said rather sharply, “It was all wonderful. We’ve had a most thrilling time.”

“And now you’re back, and it is lovely to see you. I’ve had a hot bottle put in your bed.”

“Was that necessary?” I asked.

“I thought it might be a little damp. And I told them to light a fire. It’s chilly in the evening.”

“How have you been getting along?” I asked.

“Splendidly. I love it here. It’s a wonderful old house.”

We went to our room. It looked comfortable and inviting. I resisted the temptation to go to the window. Roland would know why I did it, so I desisted. Roland left me alone to unpack and while I was doing this there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Emery came in.

“I trust everything is satisfactory, Miss Lucie. Oh ... I suppose I mustn’t call you that anymore. It’s Mrs. Fitzgerald I suppose now.”

“You may call me what you like, Mrs. Emery. I think it is going to take a little time to get used to Mrs. Fitzgerald. Everything is fine.”

“Oh.” She nodded, but I could see that something was wrong because of the pursed lips and the tilt of the head. I was on the point of asking but I decided to postpone it, for there was little time now as dinner would be served in half an hour. I said, “We’ll have a little chat tomorrow, Mrs. Emery.”

“Yes,” she replied. “Thank you, Miss Lucie. I’d appreciate that.”

“It’s good to be home.”

“I hope it was a happy honeymoon.”

“It was wonderful.”

“Emery will be glad to hear of that... and so am I.”

“Tomorrow then, Mrs. Emery, we’ll have our little chat.”

She was satisfied temporarily, but I was faintly disturbed. What could be wrong? However I did not give a great deal of thought to the matter for I knew that, good housekeeper that she was, she easily took offense if she thought her authority had been flouted.

Phillida chattered throughout dinner-in fact, she scarcely stopped.

“My tongue is running away from me,” she said. “I can hear Roland saying, ‘Nothing extraordinary about that,’ but I am so glad to have you back. I’ve spent the time thinking about what I could do to make things comfortable for you. Oh, I don’t mean that this isn’t a comfortable house... and the servants are just wonderful... but, you know what I mean... that extra something. I put flowers in the room. I hope you liked them, Lucie.” I said indeed I did and I thanked her. It was true that I had noticed them in passing but I had been so eager to unpack and, when Mrs. Emery had come in nursing some grievance, I had forgotten about the flowers.

“I thought they would be a little extra welcome home.”

“They were,” I replied. “It was thoughtful of you.”

“I do want to be useful here. You see, Lucie, this is your house....”

Both she and Roland were looking at me anxiously.

“But that makes it so convenient, doesn’t it?” I said. “Roland and I have been talking about where we would live, and this seems ideal. There is plenty of room. And then there is your little place in London when Roland is there on business. He can get there so easily from here.”

“We decided we would try it like that and see how it worked,” put in Roland.

“And you won’t mind my being here... ?”

“My dear Phillida, of course I want you to be here. How could it be otherwise? Do you understand that?”

“Yes ... I think I do. I just wanted to hear you say it.”

“This reminds me,” said Roland. “I shall have to go to London in the morning ...just for the day ... to see how things are.”

“There’s something I have to tell you,” said Phillida, a little shamefacedly. “I’ve brought Kitty here.”

“Really!” said Roland.

“Who’s Kitty?” I asked.

“She’s a woman who works for us in London. We have a Mr. and Mrs. Gordon who live in the basement there and Kitty who comes in every day to help. She’s been like a personal maid to me and I did miss her. So I’ve brought her here. I hope you don’t mind.”

Fire!

“What do you mean ... to work?”

“Well... only for me. She does all sorts of things with my clothes... sewing and all that. She’s very handy. I missed her... and, of course, with my being down here and Roland on his honeymoon, there really wasn’t anything for her to do in London. She got restive, so ... I brought her down here. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” I said. “What is she like?”

“Middle-aged... very clever with her hands... needlework and all that. She’s really a treasure. I am sure you will find something you’d want her to do for you.”

“Well, I can’t think of anything at the moment,” I said.

Phillida went on. “She was getting a bit worried... with all this change. I knew she relies on what she earns. I couldn’t let her go ... and as we shall be here such a lot ...”

“I understand, of course.”

Phillida looked immensely relieved. “I didn’t want you to think I was interfering ... or behaving like the mistress of the house.”

“Of course I wouldn’t do that!”

“Phillida is rather impulsive, I’m afraid,” said Roland. “Perhaps it would have been better, Phillida, if you had waited to ask Lucie.”

“I knew it would ... as soon as I’d done it. But the poor woman was so worried ...

I just had to tell her it would be all right. Forgive, Lucie?”

“Of course it’s all right. Have you met many people round here yet ... in the village for instance... while we’ve been away?”

“I haven’t. I have been too busy... exploring the house for one thing. Isn’t it fascinating? I’m so excited because I’m going to live here ... at least until other plans are made.”

We retired early.

“Traveling is more exhausting than one realizes at the time,” said Roland. We had not been in our room for more than a few minutes when there was a knock on the door. It was Phillida. She was carrying a tray with two glasses on it.

 “I want you to try this,” she said. “It’s really very nice. It’s what they call a nightcap. There is a shop in St. James’s where they sell it ... a health shop, they call themselves. They have all sorts of herbs and things. I bought this and tried it. It’s a sort of gruel... only much nicer. You take it in hot milk every night and it gives you peaceful sleep.”

“And you believe it?” asked Roland.

“My dear brother, I know it. I would not suggest you take it if I had not first tried it out myself.”

She set the tray on a table while Roland and I sat side by side on the bed.

“You stir it,” she said, “and there it is. Lucie ...” I took the glass she offered.

“And Roland.”

“I always have it last thing before I get into bed,” she told us. “Now drink it.”

She watched us while we obeyed.

“It’s rather pleasant, isn’t it?”

We agreed that it was.

“Now... I’ll go.” She kissed both of us. “Good night, my precious ones. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you home,” she said. “I was rather worried about you... wandering about in foreign parts.”

She smiled at us rather tremulously and, taking the tray, went out. The next morning Roland went off early to catch the train, promising he would be back in the evening.

I remembered that I had an appointment with Mrs. Emery, so I went to her sitting room where she asked me if I would like a cup of her Darjeeling, and, knowing that she might be even more put out if I declined, I said that I should like that. There followed the somewhat ceremonial ritual of making the tea and when we had our cups before us, she came to the point.

“I’ve been in this house a good many years, Miss Lucie,” she began. “And I trust I know my place and do my work well.”

“But of course you do, Mrs. Emery.”

“There have never been any complaints that I have known of.”

“Certainly there have not. Everyone, including my father, had nothing but praise for all you did.”

“I’ve run this house for more years than I care to recall.”

I was getting uneasy. This long preamble suggested something more serious than I had imagined.

“Do tell me what has upset you, Mrs. Emery.”

“Well, Miss Lucie, it is the task of the housekeeper and the butler to engage staff... the housekeeper for the females and the butler for the men ...”

“Yes.”

“It seems there are some who think they can come in and change all this.” I knew now what was wrong. “You object to this new maid whom Miss Fitzgerald has brought with her?”

“I do that, Miss Lucie. I’ve always engaged the staff in this house, and I see no reason why there should be changes.”

“I don’t think Miss Fitzgerald meant to interfere with your rule, Mrs. Emery.”

“I didn’t employ this Kitty ... or whatever her name is ... to come here.”

“Has she done anything to which you object?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that. But she does come into the kitchen. Mrs. Grant won’t like that.”

I could not imagine Mrs. Grant, our fat and comfortable cook, would have any objections.

She did not have Mrs. Emery’s rigid code of protocol.

“I’ve spoken to Mr. Emery about it and he agrees with me,” she went on. Didn’t he always have the good sense to agree with Mrs. Emery? I could see now that she felt her dignity had been affronted and I had to put that right.

“I think I can explain this to you,” I said. “Mr. and Miss Fitzgerald only have a small house in London. They have a man and his wife living in and there was Kitty who came in to help. There wasn’t enough for Kitty to do and she does, of course, act as a sort of personal maid to Miss Fitzgerald ... so she came here. She’s not really concerned with the household. She will just be attached to Miss Fitzgerald, you understand?”

“Well, I wasn’t asked, Miss Lucie.”

“I am sure Miss Fitzgerald thought that as Kitty was really her maid it would be all right. She would be most upset if she knew she had hurt your feelings.” Mrs. Emery was a little mollified.

“Well, I’m glad you’re back, Miss Lucie. You’re the mistress of the house and that’s something everyone should remember.”

“Oh, I’m sure they do. Miss Fitzgerald did mention Kitty to me and she was most apologetic for what she had done. She said she acted on the spur of the moment. There was no work for Kitty and she did not want to dismiss the poor girl.”

“She’s no girl. She’s a woman close on forty, if you ask me.”

“I see. I haven’t met her yet. But Miss Fitzgerald really meant no harm. And Kitty must stay here. Don’t hold it against her, Mrs. Emery.”

“Well, as long as I know where I stand, Miss Lucie.”

“I think you know how much I appreciate you and it upsets me very much to know that you are unhappy.”

“Oh, I didn’t say that. But I’ve always done my work here as well as I could and I’ve always felt people knew that. I was aware of just where I stood and I thought everyone else was. I just didn’t like strangers coming in and setting up their own rules.”

“Well, you see, Miss Fitzgerald is hardly a stranger. She is now my sister-in-law; and I hope we are all going to get along well together.”

“Now that you put it like that, Miss Lucie ...”

“Well, that’s how it is, Mrs. Emery. And I must say, you make one of the best cups of tea I ever tasted.”

She was mollified.

It was a storm in a teacup, I thought, smiling to myself.

During the day I met Kitty. She was different from what I had been expecting. She was a big woman... quite forty, I should say. She had little to say for herself when Phillida introduced us.