weren’t here.’
Chapter Five
Scene 1
Gus had an appointment with his land agent and the steward. Freya, feeling that he ought to show his face in the town, decided to make him jump in at the deep end and said that she would meet him in the Daffodil Tearooms at eleven o’clock.
Freya and Polly walked down into Selchester together. Polly was quite silent, although Freya tried to draw her out, asking her about the voyage and about her life in school in America.
Polly surprised her by saying, almost primly, ‘I don’t think I want to talk about that, thank you. Because it’s all finished hasn’t it? I won’t ever go back there, not that I mind about the school because it wasn’t particularly nice. But I did have some friends.’
‘You’ll make new friends. And living in Selchester won’t be all bad.’
‘Won’t it?’ She looked around. ‘It’s kind of quaint.’
‘This is the High Street and up there is Snake Alley, which is where the Daffodil Tearooms are. I can see your father’s car over there on the Green. Oh, and Babs is with him.’
‘She came into town earlier,’ Polly said. She called out to her father, ‘Hey, Pops, we’re over here.’
Gus joined them; Freya thought he had a harassed look on his face. ‘Tough morning?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘It’s going to take me a good while to get the hang of all this. I suppose I can trust them. If they wanted to give me the run around and have their hands deep in my pockets I reckon at the moment there’s not much I could do about it.’
Freya could reassure him on that point. ‘You’re all right with those two. I’ve known them all my life. My uncle trusted them and he was a good judge of character, so don’t worry. There are cheats and rogues in Selchester the same as everywhere else, but those two aren’t among them.’
The Earl looked relieved. ‘I’m glad to hear that.’
They had reached the Daffodil Tearooms and Gus looked up at the swinging sign depicting a flourish of daffodils planted in a blue-and-white teapot.
He said, ‘I guess this is the hub of the town? The place everyone comes to pick up the news and pass it on?’
Freya was amused. ‘Got it in one.’
He smiled. ‘We live now in Cambridge – Cambridge, Massachusetts – because I’ve been teaching at the university. But I grew up in a small town and I guess folk are the same whichever country they’re in.’
Jamie and Richard, who ran the tearooms, were thrilled to see the little party come in. Jamie bounded over to them, emitting little squeaks of pleasure. Richard darted out from the kitchen when he heard the hubbub, wiped a floury hand on his long white chef’s apron and extended it to greet Gus with less ebullient enthusiasm.
Jamie took them to a corner table, pulled the chairs back and flicked the surface of the immaculate tablecloth. ‘Is Freya taking you on a tour of Selchester? I hope she’s going to take you to the museum, I heard you know all about the Romans and you were picking up pieces of Roman pottery while you were out walking with Mr Jonquil.’
Gus looked startled; Freya’s lips twitched.
‘Go today, because it will be closed tomorrow and then not open again until after the New Year. Mrs Morrison has to have some time off, and I’m sure you’ll be fascinated by Selchester’s past.’
‘I’ll do that, if it’s all right with you, Freya? Will we have time?’
‘Yes. It isn’t a big museum; it won’t take long to see what’s there. I’d just like to call in at the bookshop and then we can go on. It’s quite close.’
A man in a trench coat, who’d been sitting by the door, got up. He pulled his trilby low over his eyes, laid a couple of coins on the table and left.
‘Not even a thank you or a goodbye; what manners,’ Jamie said. ‘Now, what can I get you? I know what you’ll want Freya. And, Lady Barbara, isn’t it?’
Babs was slouched in her chair, a sketchbook on her knee and a pencil in her hand, seemingly
Chapter Five
Scene 1
Gus had an appointment with his land agent and the steward. Freya, feeling that he ought to show his face in the town, decided to make him jump in at the deep end and said that she would meet him in the Daffodil Tearooms at eleven o’clock.
Freya and Polly walked down into Selchester together. Polly was quite silent, although Freya tried to draw her out, asking her about the voyage and about her life in school in America.
Polly surprised her by saying, almost primly, ‘I don’t think I want to talk about that, thank you. Because it’s all finished hasn’t it? I won’t ever go back there, not that I mind about the school because it wasn’t particularly nice. But I did have some friends.’
‘You’ll make new friends. And living in Selchester won’t be all bad.’
‘Won’t it?’ She looked around. ‘It’s kind of quaint.’
‘This is the High Street and up there is Snake Alley, which is where the Daffodil Tearooms are. I can see your father’s car over there on the Green. Oh, and Babs is with him.’
‘She came into town earlier,’ Polly said. She called out to her father, ‘Hey, Pops, we’re over here.’
Gus joined them; Freya thought he had a harassed look on his face. ‘Tough morning?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘It’s going to take me a good while to get the hang of all this. I suppose I can trust them. If they wanted to give me the run around and have their hands deep in my pockets I reckon at the moment there’s not much I could do about it.’
Freya could reassure him on that point. ‘You’re all right with those two. I’ve known them all my life. My uncle trusted them and he was a good judge of character, so don’t worry. There are cheats and rogues in Selchester the same as everywhere else, but those two aren’t among them.’
The Earl looked relieved. ‘I’m glad to hear that.’
They had reached the Daffodil Tearooms and Gus looked up at the swinging sign depicting a flourish of daffodils planted in a blue-and-white teapot.
He said, ‘I guess this is the hub of the town? The place everyone comes to pick up the news and pass it on?’
Freya was amused. ‘Got it in one.’
He smiled. ‘We live now in Cambridge – Cambridge, Massachusetts – because I’ve been teaching at the university. But I grew up in a small town and I guess folk are the same whichever country they’re in.’
Jamie and Richard, who ran the tearooms, were thrilled to see the little party come in. Jamie bounded over to them, emitting little squeaks of pleasure. Richard darted out from the kitchen when he heard the hubbub, wiped a floury hand on his long white chef’s apron and extended it to greet Gus with less ebullient enthusiasm.
Jamie took them to a corner table, pulled the chairs back and flicked the surface of the immaculate tablecloth. ‘Is Freya taking you on a tour of Selchester? I hope she’s going to take you to the museum, I heard you know all about the Romans and you were picking up pieces of Roman pottery while you were out walking with Mr Jonquil.’
Gus looked startled; Freya’s lips twitched.
‘Go today, because it will be closed tomorrow and then not open again until after the New Year. Mrs Morrison has to have some time off, and I’m sure you’ll be fascinated by Selchester’s past.’
‘I’ll do that, if it’s all right with you, Freya? Will we have time?’
‘Yes. It isn’t a big museum; it won’t take long to see what’s there. I’d just like to call in at the bookshop and then we can go on. It’s quite close.’
A man in a trench coat, who’d been sitting by the door, got up. He pulled his trilby low over his eyes, laid a couple of coins on the table and left.
‘Not even a thank you or a goodbye; what manners,’ Jamie said. ‘Now, what can I get you? I know what you’ll want Freya. And, Lady Barbara, isn’t it?’
Babs was slouched in her chair, a sketchbook on her knee and a pencil in her hand, seemingly
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