The India Fan (3 page)

I could hardly call it that, but at least it had held elements of excitement which I should not easily forget.

Although I was not eager to visit the house again, its fascination for me had increased. Whenever I passed it I used to wonder about the strange old lady and her companion. I was consumed with curiosity, for I was by nature inquisitive; it was a trait I shared with Polly.

I used to go down to my father study on some days when he was not busy. It was always just after tea. I almost felt I was one of those things like his spectacles which he forgot about from time to time; it was when he needed his spectacles that he looked for them and when a sense of duty came over him he remembered me.

There was something lovable about his forgetfulness. He was always gentle with me and I was sure that if he had not been so concerned about the Trojan Wars he would have remembered me more often.

It was quite a little game talking with him, the object being for him to get onto some classical subject and for me to steer him away from it.

He always asked how I was getting on with my lessons and whether I was happy with Miss York. I thought I was doing quite well and told him that Miss York seemed satisfied.

He would nod, smiling.

he thinks you are a little impulsive,he said. therwise she has a good opinion of you.

erhaps she thinks I am impulsive because she is not.

hat could be so. But you must learn not to be rash. Remember Phaeton.

I was not quite sure who Phaeton was, but if I asked he would take possession of the conversation, and Phaeton could lead to some other character from those old days when people were turned into laurels and all sorts of plants, and gods became swans and bulls to go courting mortals. It seemed to me such an odd way of going on and in any case I did not believe it.

ather,I said, o you know anything about Miss Lucille Framling?

A vague look came into his eyes. He reached for his spectacles as though they might help him to see the lady.

did hear Lady Harriet say something once Someone in India, I think.

here was an Indian servant with her. I saw her. I got lost playing hide and seek and I found her. The Indian took me back to Miss York. It was rather exciting.

did know that the Framlings were somehow connected with India. The East India Company, I suppose.

wonder why she is shut off like that in a wing of the house.

he lost her lover, I think I heard. That can be very sad. Remember Orpheus who went down to the underworld to search for Eurydice.

I was so preoccupied with the mystery of Miss Lucille Framling that I allowed my father to win that session and the rest of the time was taken up by Orpheus and his trip to the underworld to find the wife who had been snatched from him on their wedding day.

In spite of that unfortunate beginning, my acquaintance with Lavinia progressed and, though there was always a certain antipathy between us, I was attracted by her and perhaps most of all by the house, in which anything might happen; and I never entered it without that feeling that I was embarking on an adventure.

I had told Polly about the game of hide and seek and how I had met the old lady.

ut tut,she said. here a nice little madam for you. Don know how to treat her guests, that for certain. Calls herself a lady.

he said the rectory was small.

like to get her carrying coal up them stairs.

I laughed at the thought.

Polly was good for me. She said: oue a sight more of a little lady than she is. That for sure. So you just stand up to her. Tell her a thing or two and if she don like it, well, there no harm done, is there? I reckon you could enjoy yourself somewhere nice with me more than that old house. Time for it to go to the knacker yard if you was to ask me.

h, Polly, it the most marvellous house!

ity it got them living in it that don know their manners.

I used to think of Polly when I went into the house. I was as good as they were, I reminded myself. I was better at my lessons. That had slipped out. I had heard Mrs. Janson say that that Miss Lavinia led Miss Etherton a nice dance and refused to learn when she didn feel like it, so that that young lady was at least a couple of years behind some people. I knew who ome peopleimplied and I felt rather proud. It was a useful piece of knowledge to be remembered when I was in the presence of Lavinia. Moreover I knew how to behave better than she did, but perhaps she knew and refused to act as she had been taught. I had been in Lavinia company long enough to know that she was a rebel.

Then there was Polly admonition to give her as good as I got, so I did not feel quite so vulnerable as I had on that first occasion.

My father constantly said that all knowledge was good and one could not have too much of it. Miss York agreed with him. But there was one piece of knowledge that I could have been happier without.

Lady Harriet had smiled on my friendship with Lavinia and therefore it must persist. Lavinia was learning to ride and Lady Harriet had said that I might share her lessons. My father was delighted, and so 1 went riding with Lavinia. We used to go round and round the paddock under the watchful eyes of Joe Cricks, the head groom.

Lavinia enjoyed riding and therefore she did it well. She took a great delight in showing how much more proficient she was than I. She was reckless and did not obey orders as I did. Poor Joe Cricks used to get really scared when she disregarded his instructions and she was very soon ordering him to take her off the leading rein.

f you want to feel good on your mount,said Joe Cricks, on be afraid of him. Let him see that you are the master. On the other hand there dangers.

Lavinia tossed her tawny hair. She was fond of the gesture. Her hair was really magnificent and this called attention to it.

know what I am doing, Cricks,she said.

didn say as how you didn, Miss Lavinia. All 1 says is you have to consider the horse as well as yourself. You may know what youe doing but horses is nervous creatures. They get it into their heads to do something you might not be expecting.

Lavinia continued to go her own way; and her very boldness and assurance that she knew better than anyone else carried her through.

he going to be a good horsewoman,was Joe Cricks comment. hat if she don take too many risks. Now, Miss Drusilla, she a more steady party. Shel come to it in time then shel be real good.

I loved the lessons, trotting round the paddock, the excitement of the first canter, the thrill of the first gallop.

It was one afternoon. We had had our lessons and had taken the horses back to the stables. Lavinia dismounted and threw her reins to the groom. I always liked to stay behind for a few minutes to pat the horse and talk to him, which was what Joe had taught us to do. ever forget,he said. reat your horse well and the chances are hel treat you well. Horses is like people. You have to remember that.

I came out of the stables and started across the lawn to the house. There I was to join Lavinia in the schoolroom for tea. Miss York was already there enjoying a tete-a-tete with Miss Etherton.

There were visitors in the house. There often were, but they did not concern us. We hardly ever saw Lady Harriet fact for which I was extremely grateful.

I had to pass the drawing-room, which was open, and I caught a glimpse of a parlourmaid serving tea to several people. I went hurriedly past, averting my eyes. Then I paused to look up at that part of the house which I thought must be Miss Lucille quarters.

As 1 did so I heard a voice from the drawing room. ho is that plain child, Harriet?

h you mean the rector daughter. She is here quite frequently. She comes to keep Lavinia company.

uch a contrast to Lavinia! But then Lavinia is so beautiful.

h yes You see, there are so few people. I gather she is quite a pleasant child. The governess thinks so and it is good for Lavinia to have the occasional companion. There aren so many people here, you know. We have to make do with what we can get.

I stared ahead of me. / was the plain child. / was here because they couldn get anyone else. I was stunned. I knew that my hair was a nondescript brown, that it was straight and unmanageable so different from Lavinia tawny locks; my eyes were no colour at all. They were like water, and if I wore blue they were blueish, green, greenish and brown just no colour at all. I knew I had a big mouth and an ordinary sort of nose. So that was plain.

And of course Lavinia was beautiful.

My first thought was to go into the schoolroom and demand to be taken home at once. I was very upset. There was a hard lump in my throat. I did not cry. Crying for me was for lighter emotions. Something within me was deeply hurt and I believed that the wound would be with me forever.

oue late,Lavinia greeted me.

I did not explain. I knew what her reaction would be.

I looked at her afresh. No wonder she could behave badly. She was so beautiful that people did not mind.

Polly, of course, noticed my preoccupation.

ere, don you think you better tell me?

ell you what, Polly?

hy you look about as happy as if youe lost a sovereign and found a farthing.

I could not hold out against Polly, so I told her. plain, Polly. That means ugly. And I go to the House only because there is no one better here.

never heard such a load of nonsense. Youe not plain. Youe what they call interesting, and that a lot better in the long run. And if you don want to go to that house, Il see you don. Il go to the rector and tell him it got to stop. From what I hear you be no worse without them.

ow plain am I, Polly?

bout as plain as Dundee cake and Christmas pudding.

That made me smile.

oue got what they call one of them faces that make people stop and take a second look. As for that Lavinia or whatever she calls herself I don call her all that pretty when she scowls and my goodness, she does a good bit of that. Il tell you what. Shel have crowsfeet round her eyes and railway lines all over her face the way she goes on. And Il tell you something else. When you smile your face all lights up. Well, then youe a real beauty, you are.

Polly raised my spirits and after a while I began to forget about being plain, and as the House always fascinated me, I tried not to remember that I was only chosen because there was no one better available.

I had caught glimpses of Fabian, though not often. Whenever I did see him I thought of the time when he had made me his baby. He must remember, surely, because he would have been seven when it happened.

He was away at school most of the time and often he did not come home for holidays, but spent them with some school friend. His school friends came to the House sometimes, but they took little notice of us.

On this occasiont was Easter time, I thinkabian was home for the holidays. Soon after Miss York and I arrived at the House it began to rain. We had tea and Lavinia and I left the governesses together for their usual chat. We were wondering what to do when the door opened and Fabian came in.

He was rather like Lavinia, only much taller and very grown up. He was four years older than Lavinia and that seemed a great deal, particularly to me, who was a year younger than Lavinia. He must therefore have been twelve, and as I was not yet seven, he seemed very mature.

Lavinia went to him and hung on his arm as though to say, this is my brother. You can go back to Miss York. I shan need you now.

He was looking at me oddlyemembering, I knew. I was the child whom he had thought was his. Surely such an episode must have left an impression, even on someone as worldly as Fabian.

ill you stay with me?pleaded Lavinia. ill you tell me what we can do? Drusilla has such silly ideas. She likes what she thinks are clever games. Miss Etherton says she knows more than I do about history and things like that.

he wouldn have to know much to know more than you do,said Fabian remark which, coming from anyone else, would have thrown Lavinia into a temper, but because Fabian had said it, she giggled happily. It was quite a revelation to me that there was one person of whom Lavinia stood in aweot counting Lady Harriet, of course, of whom everyone was in awe.

He said, istory I like history, Romans and all that. They had slaves. Wel have a game.

h, Fabian really?

es. I am a Roman, Caesar, I think.

hich one?I asked.

He considered. ulius or perhaps Tiberius.

e was very cruel to the Christians.

ou need not be a Christian slave. I shall be Caesar. You are my slaves and I shall test you.

l be your queen or whatever Caesars have,announced Lavinia. rusilla can be our slave.

oul be a slave, too,said Fabian, to my delight and Lavinia dismay.

shall give you tasks which seem to you impossible. It is to prove you and see whether you are worthy to be my slaves. I shall say, ring me the golden apples of Hesperidesor something like that.

ow could we get them?I asked. hey are in the Greek legends. My father is always talking about them. They are not real.

Lavinia was getting impatient, as I, the plain outsider, was talking too much.

shall give you the tasks to perform and you must carry them out or suffer my anger.

ot if it means going down to the underworld and bringing out people who are dead and that sort of thing,I said.

shall not command you to do that. The tasks will be difficult but possible.

He folded his arms across his chest and shut his eyes as though deep in thought. Then he spoke, as though he were the Oracle of whom my father talked now and then. avinia, you will bring me the silver chalice. It must be a certain chalice. It has acanthus leaves engraved on it.

can,said Lavinia. t in the haunted room.

I had never seen Lavinia so stricken, and what astonished me was that her brother had the power to drive the rebellion out of her.

He turned to me. ou will bring me a fan of peacock feathers. And when my slaves return to me, the chalice shall be filled with wine and while I drink it my slave shall fan me with the peacock-feather fan.

My task did not seem so difficult. I knew where there was a peacock-feather fan. I was better acquainted with the house than I had once been and I could find my way easily to Miss Lucille apartments. I could slip into the room where I knew the fan to be, take it and bring it to Fabian. I should do it so quickly that he would commend me for my speed, while poor Lavinia was screwing up courage to go to the haunted room.