over it, leaving her suddenly older and more vulnerable, the brave aspect that she showed to the world patently a veneer. "Your brother was a fine man, a brilliant man, robbed of the prime of his life by a wife who lost her reason. Our nation is the poorer for his loss. You will not make our suffering worse by behaving in an irresponsible manner and making wild and extremely trying remarks. Do I make myself clear?"
Edith opened her mouth to protest, but the argument died out of her. She saw the grief in her mother's face, and pity and guilt overrode her own wishes, and all the reasons she had been so certain of an hour ago talking to Hester in her own sitting room.
"Yes, Mama, I. . ." She let out her breath in a sigh.
"Good!" Felicia resumed eating, forcing herself to swallow with difficulty.
"I apologize, Hargrave," Randolph said with a frown. "Family's hit hard, you know. Grief does funny things to women - at least most women. Felicia's different - remarkable strength - a most outstanding woman, if I do say so."
"Most remarkable." Hargrave nodded towards Felicia and smiled. "You have my greatest respect, ma'am; you always have had."
Felicia colored very slightly and accepted the compliment with an inclination of her head.
The meal continued in silence, except for the most trivial and contrived of small talk.
* * * * *
When it was over and they had left the table and Hester had thanked Felicia and bidden them farewell, she and Edith went upstairs to the sitting room. Edith was thoroughly dejected; her shoulders were hunched and her feet heavy on the stairs.
Hester was extremely sorry for her. She understood why she had offered no argument. The sight of her mother's face so stripped, for an instant, of all its armor, had left her feeling brutal, and she was unable to strike another blow, least of all in front of others who had already seen her wounded once.
But it was no comfort to Edith, and offered only a long, bleak prospect ahead of endless meals the same, filled with little more than duty. The world of endeavor and reward was closed off as if it were a view through a window, and someone had drawn the curtains.
They were on the first landing when they were passed, almost at a run, by an elderly woman with crackling black skirts. She was very lean, almost gaunt, at least as tall as Hester. Her hair had once been auburn but now was almost white; only the tone of her skin gave away her original coloring. Her dark gray eyes were intent and her brows drawn down. Her thin face, highly individual, was creased with temper.
"Hallo, Buckie," Edith said cheerfully. "Where are you off to in such a rush? Been fighting with Cook again?"
"I don't fight with Cook, Miss Edith," she said briskly. "I simply tell her what she ought to know already. She takes it ill, even though I am right, and loses her temper. I cannot abide a woman who cannot control her temper - especially when she's in service."
Edith hid a smile. "Buckie, you don't know my Mend, Hester Latterly. Miss Latterly was in the Crimea, with Florence Nightingale. Hester, this is Miss Buchan, my governess, long ago."
"How do you do, Miss Buchan," Hester said with interest.
"How do you do, Miss Latterly," Miss Buchan replied, screwing up her face and staring at Hester. "The Crimea, eh? Well, well. I'll have to have Edith tell me all about it. Right now I 'm off up to see Master Cassian in the schoolroom."
"You're not going to teach him, are you, Buckie?" Edith said in surprise. "I thought you gave up that sort of thing years ago!"
"Of course I did," Miss Buchan said tartly. "Think I'm going to take up lessons again at my age? I'm sixty-six, as you well know. I taught you to count, myself, and your brother and sister before you!"
"Didn't Dr. Hargrave go up with him, to show him the globe?"
Miss Buchan's face hardened, a curious look of anger in her eyes and around her mouth.
"Indeed he did. I'll go and find out if he's there, and make sure nothing gets broken. Now if you will excuse me, Miss Edith, I'll be on my way. Miss Latterly." And without waiting to hear anything further she almost pushed past them, and walked very briskly, her heels clicking on the floor, and took the second flight of stairs to the