the letter.’
‘Had he never faced this threat from Tom?’ I queried.
My companion shook her head. ‘No. Tom has never been his father’s favourite. In many ways he’s too like Nathaniel for them to get along without bickering. The same traits in each irritate the other. Besides,’ she added viciously, ‘any idiot could see that Eris was going to be able to twist my brother round her little finger. The stupid old fool was besotted. And she’d take good care that any children of hers were given priority.’
‘Your nephew, Ned, went out after his brother, I believe.’
‘Not immediately, and not for long. He came back in about ten minutes, saying there was no sign of Tom and it was too dark and too stormy to go looking for him. I’d managed to quieten Petronelle down in the meantime, but as soon as she saw Ned she started up again and suddenly flung herself at Eris, clawing, kicking … That was when Eris left. She grabbed her cloak from the peg, announced she was going home and burst out sobbing. No tears, though, that I could see: it was all a fake for my brother’s benefit if you want my opinion. Then she ran out. Nathaniel was all for going after her, but Ned said his father was in no fit condition: he’d go. He was absent a lot longer the second time. When he did return, he said he’d called on Maud Lilywhite to tell her what had happened. Poor soul! She was as shocked as he was, and he’d waited a while with her, both of them hoping that Eris would appear. When she didn’t, he came on home. Of course, we all thought she’d turn up eventually. Although where we thought she was or what she was doing on a night like that, I now find it hard to imagine. But at the time, none of us was thinking properly. Nathaniel began shouting at Ned to go and look again, upbraiding him for not doing enough to find Eris, but suddenly Ned had had enough. He looked ghastly, absolutely exhausted, and so did Petronelle. “Fuck you, Father!” he said. “I’m going to bed!” And he seized Petronelle’s arm and pushed her out of the hall ahead of him and upstairs to their bedchamber. I heard him slam the door.’
There was another pause, so lengthy that I thought Jacquetta must have finished her tale, but she suddenly stirred and went on, ‘That was when Nathaniel said
he
was going out to search for Eris. Elvina and I told him not to be a silly old fool – he had a cough bad enough to see him six feet under – but he wouldn’t listen. He put on his cloak and took a lantern. The twins tried to stop him, but he cursed them and pushed them away, so they went with him. Needless to say, they lost one another in the dark. The lantern got blown out in the gale, and they came straggling back one at a time; Nathaniel after about half an hour, then Christopher and lastly Jocelyn. Josh said he’d even been down to the village, but didn’t do more than look up and down the main street. It wasn’t a fit night for a cat to be out in, let alone go knocking on doors. Besides, as you can guess, neither of the boys was that anxious to find Eris. If she never came back, it would be too soon for them. They’re not stupid: they knew very well what their grandfather’s marriage to her could mean, for Ned and for themselves.’
I stretched my legs and eased my shoulders, aware that I had been sitting in a hunched position, leaning forward on my knees, for far too long. My companion’s appreciative glance made me ask hurriedly, ‘When Eris failed to turn up, Maud Lilywhite says she came up here and roused the household. Your nephew, the elder one, got up and dressed and went with her for another search of the pasture and woods.’
‘That’s true. Poor Ned! But at least he’d had a few hours’ sleep when Maud came hammering on the door, and the storm had abated a little by then. We all got out of bed and went down to see what the matter was. Except Tom, of course. He hadn’t come home. Goodness knows where he spent the night;
‘Had he never faced this threat from Tom?’ I queried.
My companion shook her head. ‘No. Tom has never been his father’s favourite. In many ways he’s too like Nathaniel for them to get along without bickering. The same traits in each irritate the other. Besides,’ she added viciously, ‘any idiot could see that Eris was going to be able to twist my brother round her little finger. The stupid old fool was besotted. And she’d take good care that any children of hers were given priority.’
‘Your nephew, Ned, went out after his brother, I believe.’
‘Not immediately, and not for long. He came back in about ten minutes, saying there was no sign of Tom and it was too dark and too stormy to go looking for him. I’d managed to quieten Petronelle down in the meantime, but as soon as she saw Ned she started up again and suddenly flung herself at Eris, clawing, kicking … That was when Eris left. She grabbed her cloak from the peg, announced she was going home and burst out sobbing. No tears, though, that I could see: it was all a fake for my brother’s benefit if you want my opinion. Then she ran out. Nathaniel was all for going after her, but Ned said his father was in no fit condition: he’d go. He was absent a lot longer the second time. When he did return, he said he’d called on Maud Lilywhite to tell her what had happened. Poor soul! She was as shocked as he was, and he’d waited a while with her, both of them hoping that Eris would appear. When she didn’t, he came on home. Of course, we all thought she’d turn up eventually. Although where we thought she was or what she was doing on a night like that, I now find it hard to imagine. But at the time, none of us was thinking properly. Nathaniel began shouting at Ned to go and look again, upbraiding him for not doing enough to find Eris, but suddenly Ned had had enough. He looked ghastly, absolutely exhausted, and so did Petronelle. “Fuck you, Father!” he said. “I’m going to bed!” And he seized Petronelle’s arm and pushed her out of the hall ahead of him and upstairs to their bedchamber. I heard him slam the door.’
There was another pause, so lengthy that I thought Jacquetta must have finished her tale, but she suddenly stirred and went on, ‘That was when Nathaniel said
he
was going out to search for Eris. Elvina and I told him not to be a silly old fool – he had a cough bad enough to see him six feet under – but he wouldn’t listen. He put on his cloak and took a lantern. The twins tried to stop him, but he cursed them and pushed them away, so they went with him. Needless to say, they lost one another in the dark. The lantern got blown out in the gale, and they came straggling back one at a time; Nathaniel after about half an hour, then Christopher and lastly Jocelyn. Josh said he’d even been down to the village, but didn’t do more than look up and down the main street. It wasn’t a fit night for a cat to be out in, let alone go knocking on doors. Besides, as you can guess, neither of the boys was that anxious to find Eris. If she never came back, it would be too soon for them. They’re not stupid: they knew very well what their grandfather’s marriage to her could mean, for Ned and for themselves.’
I stretched my legs and eased my shoulders, aware that I had been sitting in a hunched position, leaning forward on my knees, for far too long. My companion’s appreciative glance made me ask hurriedly, ‘When Eris failed to turn up, Maud Lilywhite says she came up here and roused the household. Your nephew, the elder one, got up and dressed and went with her for another search of the pasture and woods.’
‘That’s true. Poor Ned! But at least he’d had a few hours’ sleep when Maud came hammering on the door, and the storm had abated a little by then. We all got out of bed and went down to see what the matter was. Except Tom, of course. He hadn’t come home. Goodness knows where he spent the night;
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