“And what is all this about becoming a governess … following in my footsteps?”
“You could say that.”
She looked puzzled.
“We have such a lot to talk about.”
“Let’s get you settled in first.”
We went up. Meg was putting the final touches to the room. Felicity exchanged a few pleasantries with her and then we were alone. I sat on the bed while she put the few things she had brought with her into drawers and cupboards.
“Tell me honestly. Is Lucas really improved?”
“Oh yes. There’s no doubt of that.”
“I’m glad you came up from Cornwall.”
“I just had to.”
She nodded.
“Tell me all about this idea of being a governess.”
“Well, there was this girl. No one could manage her. It was a sort of challenge.”
She looked at me disbelievingly. And then suddenly it dawned on me that I might have confided in Felicity long ago. I could trust her completely; she was resourceful. Nanny Crockett and Lucas already knew; and I could not keep it from Felicity any longer.
So, having extracted a promise of absolute secrecy, I told her everything.
She listened incredulously.
“I thought your stay in the seraglio was fantastic,” she said.
“And now, this …”
“People have been sold into harems before,” I said.
“It happened to Nicole. It’s just that it is more rare than it used to be …”
“But this Simon … he really is Simon Perrivale?”
“Do you remember the case?”
“Vaguely. It raised quite a storm at the time, didn’t it, and then it dropped out of the news. And you are convinced of his innocence.”
“Yes, I am. You would be. Felicity … if you could have known him.”
“And you were alone on this island …”
“Lucas was with us … but he couldn’t walk. He just lay in the boat and kept a lookout for a sail.”
“It sounds like Robinson Crusoe.”
“Well, all those who are shipwrecked and cast up on an island are like that.”
“Are you … in love with this … Simon?”
“There was a very strong … bond between us.”
“Did you discuss your feelings for each other?”
I shook my head.
“No … not really. It was just there. We were all so intent on survival. When we were on the island we thought we were doomed. There wasn’t enough to eat or drink … and then we were picked up and there was no opportunity.”
“He left you at the Embassy and then you came home and he stayed behind.”
“He would have been arrested if he had come back.”
“Yes, of course. And Lucas shared in all this … to a certain extent.”
I nodded.
“I’ve always been fond of Lucas,” she mused.
“It was very distressing to see him when he came back. He had always
been so full of vitality. James is fond of him, too. James said he had a flair for living. I think Lucas loves you, Rosetta. “
“Yes.”
“Has he asked you to marry him?”
“Yes … but not very seriously … really … rather flippantly.”
“I think he might be inclined to flippancy where his feelings are most concerned. You could do a lot for him and, I think, he for you. Oh, I know you think you don’t need him … as he needs you … but you do, Rosetta. All that you went through … well, my dear, you couldn’t really endure all that and remain as you were before.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
“Lucas was there part of the time. There is so much he would understand.”
I was silent and she went on: “You’re thinking Simon was there, too.
And there was this special bond between you and him. “
“It started before … when he was cleaning the decks.”
“I know. You told me. And now you are dedicated to proving his innocence.”
“I must. Felicity.”
“If he came back … if you saw him with Lucas … you might decide.
Lucas is really a wonderful person. “
“I know. Felicity. I’ve learned that. This operation … when there was just a slight fear that he might not come through … I realized how important his friendship was to me. I have confessed to him what I am trying to do. Felicity, and he is helping me. He has sent Dick Duvane out to see if he can find Simon. He was going to bring him back if he could … he thought they might take a ransom for him as they did for Lucas himself. That was before he knew that Simon couldn’t come back.”
“And you will never be completely content if you don’t see him again.
He will haunt you for ever. You would always remember . and perhaps build up something which was never there. “
“He can’t come back until his innocence is proved.”
“How can he hope to prove it from afar?”
“But how could he do it if he were in prison awaiting death?”
“So … it is for you to find the solution.”
“I want to do it. I shall never stop trying.”
“I know. I remember your stubborn nature of old.” She laughed.
“Some would call it determination.”
We went on talking about it. I dare say I went over the same ground again and again, but she said “she wanted the complete picture. It was typical of Felicity to throw herself wholeheartedly into my affairs.
She said: “It would be interesting to know why Sir Edward brought him into the household.”
“The obvious conclusion is that he was Sir Edward’s son.”
“It certainly seems likely.”
“But the mystery is that Sir Edward was so morally conventional … a strict disciplinarian.”
“But that sort can have their lapses.”
“That’s what Lucas says. But from what I’ve heard Sir Edward was particularly censorious with those who erred in that respect.”
“Well, as I say, that often happens, but it is just possible that the key to the mystery may be in the secret of Simon’s birth. And when one is studying a case of this nature it is as well to know everything possible about the characters in the drama. See if you can remember more of what you have heard about Simon’s beginnings.”
“I’ve told you about Angel. You see, he doesn’t even say she was his mother. She was just Angel.”
“That’s explainable. I expect she called him her angel, as mothers do. It was probably the first thing he remembered. Then he transferred the name to her. I’ve known that sort of thing happen with children. I know with mine. Was she his mother? Or was she someone who had adopted him as a baby? That’s a possibility. “
“What difference would it make?”
“Possibly none. But we don’t know, do we? And every detail can be important. What else about his beginnings?”
“There was a wicked aunt. Aunt Ada was her name. He was scared of her and that when Angel died she was going to take him with her. Sir Edward seemed to sense his fear and stepped in. At least that is the impression he
