‘Considerably better. The sense of shock seems to be passing, but, of course, we have said nothing with regard to Florian’s disappearance. Anyhow, he proposes to join us at the midday meal.’
‘That is excellent news. Has nothing helpful come to light about your nephew?’
‘Nothing at all. We have talked long and earnestly, but, I fear, fruitlessly, with Aunt Binnen and my cousins, but, beyond the fact that he vacated their home and did not return and left no message, we are exactly where we were when we first heard the news. I imagine you gained nothing of importance in Scotland? Binnie had no news of her brother?’
‘She did not even know that he had disappeared. It may interest the family to learn, however, that the breach between her and Mr Bernardo is completely healed.’
‘It will not only interest the family, it will delight my father. Are you sure of this? It would never do to disappoint him again.’
‘I am perfectly sure it would not; I am equally sure that the engagement ring is again upon Binnie’s finger and that she is both pleased and relieved to have it there.’
‘I am delighted, so much so, in fact, that, with your permission, I will go at once and give my father the news.’
He went out of the enormous room by the door which opened on to the head of the first flight of stairs. Dame Beatrice looked at Laura, who was staring fixedly at the extraordinary overmantel above the seventeenth century fireplace.
‘Abraham and Isaac at sacrifice, interrupted by a horrified-looking angel,’ she remarked. ‘It is an interesting interpretation of the story, is it not? For one thing, it appears that the patriarchs understood the mining of coal. Is it not coal which is piled on that neat and unobtrusive little wagon?’
‘It is. What’s more, Abraham is wearing the kilt, and that cloak thing of his is not unlike a plaid. How say you?’ asked Laura.
‘That the Lost Tribes must have come to Scotland before the Twelve Tribes themselves were in being. One can come to no other conclusion. As a work of art, though, what do you make of it?’
‘Dutch plasterwork done by a journeyman, and not too well, at that.’
‘Dutch? You see it as Dutch? Very interesting indeed,’ said Dame Beatrice.
‘Could be German, of course, but I fancy it’s Dutch,’ pursued Laura. ‘The angel looks extremely well-fed and could have been copied from something originally carved in wood. Those starting eyes are beautifully rendered. Moreover, they seem to me to have a slight squint. Yes, perhaps it
Further discussion was interrupted by the entrance of Sweyn, Derde and the returned shoppers, followed by maids carrying trays of glasses and a decanter of sherry.
‘My father is delighted to have your good news,’ said Derde. ‘I was with him when my brother brought him the tidings. He is almost ready to join us and I am to take him to the dining-room as soon as we have had a drink.’
Dame Beatrice and Laura exchanged greetings with the others and when the gong was sounded for lunch Derde went to help his father downstairs and Binnen walked along the broad corridor with Dame Beatrice.
‘I suppose there is no news of Florian yet?’ asked the Dutchwoman. ‘Sweyn has just been telling me that you are to put your experience at our disposal. It is very good of you. Sit next to me at table. We shall be at the opposite end to my brother. You will tell me all that you can of Binnie. I understand that you saw her in Scotland.’
‘You will have heard that she is engaged to Bernardo again, no doubt?’
‘Yes, Sweyn did mention it.’ She paused at the head of the stairs. ‘Permit me. I must hold the banister rail. Living as I do in a ground-floor apartment, I am not so well accustomed to stairs as I used to be, and my eyesight is not what it was, and I hate wearing glasses.’
They gained the entrance hall and went into the dining-room. The others followed them and in a short while Bernard joined them, leaning upon Derde. He shook hands with Dame Beatrice and Laura, and the company seated themselves. The old man had signed to Sweyn to pull out a chair for Dame Beatrice, but his sister forestalled this by saying,
‘It is my turn to have the company of Dame Beatrice at table, Bernard. You shall take Mrs Gavin instead. She will keep you amused, I am sure. Now,’ she went on, speaking to Dame Beatrice as soon as the soup had been served, ‘tell me all about your visit to Scotland, and then I shall tell you everything I can remember of Florian’s last visit to us in Amsterdam, for, if you are to search for him, you will need to know as much as possible.’
Dame Beatrice gave an account of the Scottish visit and added that Binnie had had no idea that her brother was missing.
‘No,’ said Binnen, ‘it was better not to tell her until we had decided what to do. How did she seem to take the news? She is inclined to be emotional. She is immature — very young for her age.’
‘She is only nineteen, I believe?’
‘That is so. However, at nineteen Opal was fully adult, Ruby not quite so much developed.’
Dame Beatrice, glancing from the monumental Opal to her weedy, querulous-looking sister, thought that their mother’s description fitted their physique no less than their mentality, but, naturally, she made no comment to this effect. She said:
‘How are they enjoying the visit to England, now that Mr van Zestien’s health has taken this turn for the better?’
‘Well enough. It makes a change for them. Their lives are dull, on the whole. The greatest treat they have, as a general rule, is a tour of the bulb-fields in the spring and attending the garlanded cars at the festival of flowers in May. I sent them to horticultural college when they were younger, but they did not seem to do very well. Their father was not much interested in bulbs and I suppose they take after him in that, although he died when they were children of nine and seven, so one cannot think that his tastes could influence theirs.’
