butler brought in a delicious dish of salmon cooked as only a Frenchman could do it.
“His Lordship’s coming home today,” he said.
Eleta stared at him, thinking that she could not have heard right.
“His Lordship?” she repeated.
The butler nodded.
“They sent a runner, as we call them, from London to say His Lordship’ll be coming back alone and there’s to be no guests this weekend.”
Pepe gave a little cry,
“I hope Papa will not send us back to the nursery!”
“I am sure he will not do that,” Eleta replied.
At the same time she felt anxious and worried and the Marquis might upset Pepe and make her as difficult as she had apparently been with him on his other visits.
“There was a long piece about his Lordship in the newspaper yesterday,” the butler was now saying. “I don’t know whether you saw it, Miss Lawson, but it says a great deal about this house and the treasures in it.”
“I didn’t read the newspapers yesterday because we were so busy. But I do hope, if the house has been written about in the newspaper, that we will not attract burglars.”
“Not much fear of that,” the butler replied. “We have two nightwatchmen in the house and there be a man in the stables and another in the garden during the night.”
“I had no idea, but makes me feel safe.”
“His Lordship’s seen to it and there’s enough locks and bolts on the house to keep an army at bay.”
When they were alone, she said to Pepe,
“I wonder what time your father will arrive?”
“He usually comes in the afternoon. Then he hears how cross the Governess is and he gives me a lecture.”
“Well, this time he will have a surprise,” Eleta said. “We must think how we can astound him with everything you can now do that he has never seen or heard before.”
Pepe thought that this was a good idea.
“We’ll give him such a surprise that he will want you to stay here for ever and ever, which is what I want.”
“First you must show how pleased you are to see him. You run to him and say, ‘Daddy, Daddy, I am so glad to have you back’ and then you give him a big kiss.”
“I don’t usually call him ‘Daddy’.”
“It sounds more cosy and loving that ‘Papa’ and we have to make him realise that you are very different from the little girl he last saw.”
“Do I look very different?” Pepe asked.
“You do and I know you are happy, just as I am.”
“Of course I am so happy when you tell me those wonderful stories and I am learning to play the piano.”
“You also ride a big horse that your father has not seen and I am sure he will be proud of you.”
“He may be angry and say I have to go back to my pony and be led on a leading rein,” Pepe replied.
“I am sure you will not have to do that.”
She thought unless the Marquis was blind, deaf and dumb, he could not help being astonished by the difference in his daughter.
Eleta was quite convinced now on one thing.
It was that Pepe was musical and in a very short time she would be able to play the piano far better than most girls of her age and it went without saying that she had inherited her father’s way with horses.
She would, when she was older, be an outstanding rider, but the most important difference was that she was now a happy child.
She was thrilled with everything they did together and then used her brain to put forward new ideas and new interests that had never been developed before.
What was more, no one could help loving her.
“Now we must play our game carefully, Pepe. If you think that your father will arrive about teatime or later, I think we should go riding this morning and then have a swim before luncheon.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” Pepe agreed. “It will be very exciting for me and I will surprise Papa by showing him how well I can swim.”
“We will show him that tomorrow,” Eleta said. “I think this afternoon we might stay in the music room for a while and then perhaps go and see if there
“His Lordship’s coming home today,” he said.
Eleta stared at him, thinking that she could not have heard right.
“His Lordship?” she repeated.
The butler nodded.
“They sent a runner, as we call them, from London to say His Lordship’ll be coming back alone and there’s to be no guests this weekend.”
Pepe gave a little cry,
“I hope Papa will not send us back to the nursery!”
“I am sure he will not do that,” Eleta replied.
At the same time she felt anxious and worried and the Marquis might upset Pepe and make her as difficult as she had apparently been with him on his other visits.
“There was a long piece about his Lordship in the newspaper yesterday,” the butler was now saying. “I don’t know whether you saw it, Miss Lawson, but it says a great deal about this house and the treasures in it.”
“I didn’t read the newspapers yesterday because we were so busy. But I do hope, if the house has been written about in the newspaper, that we will not attract burglars.”
“Not much fear of that,” the butler replied. “We have two nightwatchmen in the house and there be a man in the stables and another in the garden during the night.”
“I had no idea, but makes me feel safe.”
“His Lordship’s seen to it and there’s enough locks and bolts on the house to keep an army at bay.”
When they were alone, she said to Pepe,
“I wonder what time your father will arrive?”
“He usually comes in the afternoon. Then he hears how cross the Governess is and he gives me a lecture.”
“Well, this time he will have a surprise,” Eleta said. “We must think how we can astound him with everything you can now do that he has never seen or heard before.”
Pepe thought that this was a good idea.
“We’ll give him such a surprise that he will want you to stay here for ever and ever, which is what I want.”
“First you must show how pleased you are to see him. You run to him and say, ‘Daddy, Daddy, I am so glad to have you back’ and then you give him a big kiss.”
“I don’t usually call him ‘Daddy’.”
“It sounds more cosy and loving that ‘Papa’ and we have to make him realise that you are very different from the little girl he last saw.”
“Do I look very different?” Pepe asked.
“You do and I know you are happy, just as I am.”
“Of course I am so happy when you tell me those wonderful stories and I am learning to play the piano.”
“You also ride a big horse that your father has not seen and I am sure he will be proud of you.”
“He may be angry and say I have to go back to my pony and be led on a leading rein,” Pepe replied.
“I am sure you will not have to do that.”
She thought unless the Marquis was blind, deaf and dumb, he could not help being astonished by the difference in his daughter.
Eleta was quite convinced now on one thing.
It was that Pepe was musical and in a very short time she would be able to play the piano far better than most girls of her age and it went without saying that she had inherited her father’s way with horses.
She would, when she was older, be an outstanding rider, but the most important difference was that she was now a happy child.
She was thrilled with everything they did together and then used her brain to put forward new ideas and new interests that had never been developed before.
What was more, no one could help loving her.
“Now we must play our game carefully, Pepe. If you think that your father will arrive about teatime or later, I think we should go riding this morning and then have a swim before luncheon.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” Pepe agreed. “It will be very exciting for me and I will surprise Papa by showing him how well I can swim.”
“We will show him that tomorrow,” Eleta said. “I think this afternoon we might stay in the music room for a while and then perhaps go and see if there
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