yes,” said Maisie, though she thought Allison’s prediction melodramatic. “I wonder, when did Usha first come to work for you, and how did you find her?”
“Ah, yes,” said Allison. “It must have been about eight or nine years ago—yes, we came back in 1926—I went into the civil service following my military discharge, and we were sent out there for a few years. And a few years was quite enough, I can tell you. Our children were quite young—in fact, the youngest only a matter of months old when we left.”
“I never made the journey back here to have my children, Miss Dobbs. Most of the women do, you know—it’s safer, but frankly, all that time at sea is just dreadful.”
“Yes, I would imagine it is.” Maisie turned from Mrs. Allison to her husband. “So, how did you make Usha’s acquaintance?”
“Recommendation from a colleague. He realized we wanted someone who was not your run-of-the-mill ayah, but a proper governess—and I won’t beat about the bush here, we were able to take on Usha Pramal for just a bit more than you would have paid a semi-illiterate woman who knew how to change a baby’s napkin. The older two were ahead of themselves in their reading, and she—blessedly—had a good accent and could also speak French and German. Of course, she had a bit of that up and down lilt, but the children loved her—and we considered ourselves very fortunate that she wanted to travel. You see, she didn’t have to work, not with her father being quite well off, as far as they are there.” Allison rubbed his chin again, worrying at a particular area of stubble. “Apparently, she wanted to get away—lost love, that sort of thing. A man had come calling for her without paying attention to the protocols of Indian family life—the blithering idiot. Makes things very hard for all of us, a complete disregard for the natives.”
“The natives?”
“Figure of speech, Miss Dobbs. Too many years in foreign service. Luckily, I’m no longer a diplomat, though I travel a fair bit.”
“A diplomat? Really? Well, that is interesting.” She paused, smiling at Allison. “So, Miss Pramal returned to England with you—and you were living here at the time?”
“No, we rented a house in St. John’s Wood for a while, then bought this when my husband was assigned to another branch,” said Mrs. Allison. “We wanted to settle down a bit, give the children a permanent home—my father was also a diplomat, and I didn’t want them to have the same sort of upbringing, though I must say, I got to see a lot of places, as a child and young woman.”
“I see. You were living in St. John’s Wood, and then something happened and you asked Usha to leave your employ.”
The Allisons looked at each other. Mrs. Allison spoke first, followed by her husband.
“But, Miss Dobbs, you have been misinformed. We did not nor would we have asked Usha to leave our employ.”
“Our children adored her. They thought the world of her and they learned so much—they were well ahead by the time they went to school.”
“I thought . . .”
Allison shook his head. “No, we were astonished when she said she was leaving, truly shocked. We offered to book passage back to India for her, so she wouldn’t be left at a loose end if she really was that homesick, but she declined. She gave no explanation, save for the fact that it was time for her to leave.”
Mrs. Allison continued. “I confess, we were a bit put out—weren’t we, Gerald? I mean, she was working for us, but we weren’t treating her as if she was some sort of common skivvy—she was a much-valued employee.”
“She had more or less sole charge of our children, for heaven’s sake!” added Allison. “You were very upset by it all, weren’t you, Margaret?”
“The children wept, I wept, and I think the dog almost wept. You see—this may sound very odd, but well, here goes—we were entranced by her. The children never had a cold or any of the illnesses other children seem to come down with, from the moment she came to work for us. She made them lovely drinks each morning—nothing you would have found an English governess or nanny making—and they loved them. Spices and fruit and all sorts of things, and they were the healthiest children we knew. But more than anything, you see, we thought she loved them—and then she went. Gone. Just like that.” Margaret