clothes during the day was not normally an appropriate course to take, but I wished to look my best so I decided to don another outfit.
‘I think the pale green with the white collar and cuffs which you wore the other day, Miss. It matches your eyes perfectly,’ Tilly advised me and I tended to agree with her.
Taking my seat once more at the table in the small dining room which I knew was soon to be a library, I kept thinking of Sara Tremaine and how she would have sat here all those years ago, but Tobias, Rosalind and Michael would only have been children then. Abraham smiled at me and I thought of the tale he had recounted to me only this morning.
As I looked at his offspring who sat quietly eating their lunch, I thought that one day they would need to know the truth. Little did I know at that moment in time that the truth would come out far sooner than I had expected. It was as if I, Sara, by coming to Ravensmount had set off a chain of events which would spiral out of control.
‘You aren’t eating much, Sarah,’ observed Michael.
‘In truth I don’t feel very hungry,’ I answered.
As we left the dining room, Abraham caught hold of my arm. ‘I trust you will enjoy your meeting with Millie, I have every faith that she will like you,’ he said kindly.
‘Where’s Sara going?’ chanted Violet, obviously having overheard snippets of the master’s words.
‘It’s none of your business, young woman,’ Abraham told her firmly. ‘Come with me and we shall take a walk in the garden.’ As Abraham caught hold of Violet’s arm and steered her towards the front door, he turned back, giving me an encouraging smile. And as I watched the pair of them depart out of the front door it was hard to imagine they were not truly father and daughter, for Abraham treated Violet as one of his own.
Swiftly I went up the staircase to my room. Tilly was still here, guarding the reticule containing the music box. I was surprised she had remained as on occasions she could be disobedient.
‘Where ever you are going with that trinket box, Miss, I hope all goes well,’ said Tilly unexpectedly as she handed me my white lace bonnet. I went over to the mirror of the dressing table to tidy my curls. Tying the ribbons under my chin I caught sight of my namesake still looking wistfully down from the portrait. Your secret is out in the open, Sara Tremaine, but what am I to find out now? I said to myself.
As I stepped out the large front door and down the steps, my reticule clasped firmly in my hand, Michael was true to his word, for he was standing waiting by the pony trap, the brown pony waiting patiently to move onward.
‘You look beautiful and too good to be true,’ murmured Michael as he helped me into my seat.
‘Thank you kind, Sir,’ I replied sweetly sending him one of my most disarming smiles to which he responded with a similar smile. We were bowling along the lane before I spoke again.
‘What do you know of Tamsin?’ I asked him: a question which came quite out of the blue and escaped my lips before I had a chance to think about it.
‘Why do you ask?’ he said, looking at me with a stunned expression on his face and pulling the pony to a halt.
‘Because,’ I began, ‘she was our travelling companion in the coach from Exeter and I saw her in the tea shop at Moll’s Bay with you and Millie Sutton the other afternoon.’
‘My dear Sara, it was quite innocent I assure you. My nurse sent a message that morning for me to join her for tea. That is why I reluctantly cancelled our afternoon out, for Millie means a great deal to me,’ he explained, obviously quite disgruntled that I should infer otherwise.
‘No matter,’ I reassured him patting his arm. ‘It is plainly a mere coincidence.’ But as we set off again for Moll’s Bay I looked at Michael seriously wondering if he was telling me the truth.
Arriving opposite the nurse’s cottage, Michael helped me down from pony trap, his hands lingering on my
‘I think the pale green with the white collar and cuffs which you wore the other day, Miss. It matches your eyes perfectly,’ Tilly advised me and I tended to agree with her.
Taking my seat once more at the table in the small dining room which I knew was soon to be a library, I kept thinking of Sara Tremaine and how she would have sat here all those years ago, but Tobias, Rosalind and Michael would only have been children then. Abraham smiled at me and I thought of the tale he had recounted to me only this morning.
As I looked at his offspring who sat quietly eating their lunch, I thought that one day they would need to know the truth. Little did I know at that moment in time that the truth would come out far sooner than I had expected. It was as if I, Sara, by coming to Ravensmount had set off a chain of events which would spiral out of control.
‘You aren’t eating much, Sarah,’ observed Michael.
‘In truth I don’t feel very hungry,’ I answered.
As we left the dining room, Abraham caught hold of my arm. ‘I trust you will enjoy your meeting with Millie, I have every faith that she will like you,’ he said kindly.
‘Where’s Sara going?’ chanted Violet, obviously having overheard snippets of the master’s words.
‘It’s none of your business, young woman,’ Abraham told her firmly. ‘Come with me and we shall take a walk in the garden.’ As Abraham caught hold of Violet’s arm and steered her towards the front door, he turned back, giving me an encouraging smile. And as I watched the pair of them depart out of the front door it was hard to imagine they were not truly father and daughter, for Abraham treated Violet as one of his own.
Swiftly I went up the staircase to my room. Tilly was still here, guarding the reticule containing the music box. I was surprised she had remained as on occasions she could be disobedient.
‘Where ever you are going with that trinket box, Miss, I hope all goes well,’ said Tilly unexpectedly as she handed me my white lace bonnet. I went over to the mirror of the dressing table to tidy my curls. Tying the ribbons under my chin I caught sight of my namesake still looking wistfully down from the portrait. Your secret is out in the open, Sara Tremaine, but what am I to find out now? I said to myself.
As I stepped out the large front door and down the steps, my reticule clasped firmly in my hand, Michael was true to his word, for he was standing waiting by the pony trap, the brown pony waiting patiently to move onward.
‘You look beautiful and too good to be true,’ murmured Michael as he helped me into my seat.
‘Thank you kind, Sir,’ I replied sweetly sending him one of my most disarming smiles to which he responded with a similar smile. We were bowling along the lane before I spoke again.
‘What do you know of Tamsin?’ I asked him: a question which came quite out of the blue and escaped my lips before I had a chance to think about it.
‘Why do you ask?’ he said, looking at me with a stunned expression on his face and pulling the pony to a halt.
‘Because,’ I began, ‘she was our travelling companion in the coach from Exeter and I saw her in the tea shop at Moll’s Bay with you and Millie Sutton the other afternoon.’
‘My dear Sara, it was quite innocent I assure you. My nurse sent a message that morning for me to join her for tea. That is why I reluctantly cancelled our afternoon out, for Millie means a great deal to me,’ he explained, obviously quite disgruntled that I should infer otherwise.
‘No matter,’ I reassured him patting his arm. ‘It is plainly a mere coincidence.’ But as we set off again for Moll’s Bay I looked at Michael seriously wondering if he was telling me the truth.
Arriving opposite the nurse’s cottage, Michael helped me down from pony trap, his hands lingering on my
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