find you have a sister?’
‘It is so unexpected, of course. But it is exciting.’
‘You thought you were the only one, didn’t you?’ she said rather slyly.
‘I was led to believe it.’
‘Not with a man like my Lord.’
‘How long have you been here?’
‘About a year. I could not come before the Peace. It was not easy for us… in Paris. And then I thought I should come here, for after all… it was my home. This was where my father meant to bring me when he had put King James on the throne. He always said so to my mother. He used to. say: ‘When this is completed, we will go home to Hessenfield Castle.’”
‘And you knew of me?’
‘Oh yes, we knew of you.’
‘And you knew that my Aunt Damaris had brought me to England?’
‘No.’
‘Then how did my uncle… our uncle… know where to send for me?’
‘He has ways of finding out. Perhaps he will tell you.’
I said: ‘It is all such a surprise for me. I shall need time to get used to it.’-
‘You will. I find it good… amusing. We shall have much to share.’
‘There is a lot I want to know. Did you just come here and tell my uncle who you were?’
‘Are you thinking that I might not be saying the truth?’ She looked angry suddenly. ‘I am as much his daughter as you are.’
‘No, no. You mistake me. I merely wondered how you came here and what did our uncle think when he met you so suddenly.’
‘I had proof.’ She spoke vehemently, and then she smiled. ‘Ah, I could prove who I was. I had his signet ring. The ring worn by all the holders of the title. I brought it back to our uncle who now wears it on the third finger of his right hand. Our father wore it on his little finger.’
I nodded. I remembered that ring. It was gold, with a stone called bezoar. I could hear his voice then, telling me this when I had shown interest in it.
‘Our father was a big man. The ring just fitted his little finger. I brought his watch too, and there was the letter: These things I brought because they were given to my mother by Lord Hessenfield in case something should happen to him. He loved well his daughters, did our father. He wanted us to be taken care of. That was what he always said. He wanted me taken care of as well as you.’
A maid came in with cans of hot water and Aimée said she would leave me to wash. Then if I would pull the bell-rope it would tell them in the kitchen that I was ready to be taken to my uncle. We could then talk together until dinner was served.
I felt in a daze as I washed the grime of the journey from my hands and face. My saddle-bags were brought up and I was glad to get out of my riding clothes and into a red dress which I felt was rather becoming. I wanted to look my best so that I might not compare too unfavourably with Aimée.
When I was ready I rang the bell as I had been told to, and was conducted back to the room where my uncle was impatiently awaiting my coming.
‘Ah,’ he said, ‘now you are ready.’
I looked for Aimée, and he said: ‘I implied that you and I should best get to know each other alone at first. Were you surprised to find you had a half-sister?’
‘Yes, indeed I was.’
‘My brother was always a lusty man. All the Hessenfields are… except those who are incapacitated.’ He spoke without bitterness. He had a very sweet expression and I began to warm towards him.
‘John—your father, that is—was always an adventurer. He was the eldest of a family of brothers. We were all daring. As I said, it runs in the family. But he was always the leader. John led, we followed. Sometimes we shared his adventures. He was a wonderful man in so many ways. It has always been as though he lives on. And so he does in a way, in you two girls. Strange that he should have left girls. One would have imagined he would have had sons.’
‘Would you have preferred them?’
‘Not now I have seen you both.’
‘How did you know where I was?’
He hesitated for a moment. ‘Oh… I
‘It is so unexpected, of course. But it is exciting.’
‘You thought you were the only one, didn’t you?’ she said rather slyly.
‘I was led to believe it.’
‘Not with a man like my Lord.’
‘How long have you been here?’
‘About a year. I could not come before the Peace. It was not easy for us… in Paris. And then I thought I should come here, for after all… it was my home. This was where my father meant to bring me when he had put King James on the throne. He always said so to my mother. He used to. say: ‘When this is completed, we will go home to Hessenfield Castle.’”
‘And you knew of me?’
‘Oh yes, we knew of you.’
‘And you knew that my Aunt Damaris had brought me to England?’
‘No.’
‘Then how did my uncle… our uncle… know where to send for me?’
‘He has ways of finding out. Perhaps he will tell you.’
I said: ‘It is all such a surprise for me. I shall need time to get used to it.’-
‘You will. I find it good… amusing. We shall have much to share.’
‘There is a lot I want to know. Did you just come here and tell my uncle who you were?’
‘Are you thinking that I might not be saying the truth?’ She looked angry suddenly. ‘I am as much his daughter as you are.’
‘No, no. You mistake me. I merely wondered how you came here and what did our uncle think when he met you so suddenly.’
‘I had proof.’ She spoke vehemently, and then she smiled. ‘Ah, I could prove who I was. I had his signet ring. The ring worn by all the holders of the title. I brought it back to our uncle who now wears it on the third finger of his right hand. Our father wore it on his little finger.’
I nodded. I remembered that ring. It was gold, with a stone called bezoar. I could hear his voice then, telling me this when I had shown interest in it.
‘Our father was a big man. The ring just fitted his little finger. I brought his watch too, and there was the letter: These things I brought because they were given to my mother by Lord Hessenfield in case something should happen to him. He loved well his daughters, did our father. He wanted us to be taken care of. That was what he always said. He wanted me taken care of as well as you.’
A maid came in with cans of hot water and Aimée said she would leave me to wash. Then if I would pull the bell-rope it would tell them in the kitchen that I was ready to be taken to my uncle. We could then talk together until dinner was served.
I felt in a daze as I washed the grime of the journey from my hands and face. My saddle-bags were brought up and I was glad to get out of my riding clothes and into a red dress which I felt was rather becoming. I wanted to look my best so that I might not compare too unfavourably with Aimée.
When I was ready I rang the bell as I had been told to, and was conducted back to the room where my uncle was impatiently awaiting my coming.
‘Ah,’ he said, ‘now you are ready.’
I looked for Aimée, and he said: ‘I implied that you and I should best get to know each other alone at first. Were you surprised to find you had a half-sister?’
‘Yes, indeed I was.’
‘My brother was always a lusty man. All the Hessenfields are… except those who are incapacitated.’ He spoke without bitterness. He had a very sweet expression and I began to warm towards him.
‘John—your father, that is—was always an adventurer. He was the eldest of a family of brothers. We were all daring. As I said, it runs in the family. But he was always the leader. John led, we followed. Sometimes we shared his adventures. He was a wonderful man in so many ways. It has always been as though he lives on. And so he does in a way, in you two girls. Strange that he should have left girls. One would have imagined he would have had sons.’
‘Would you have preferred them?’
‘Not now I have seen you both.’
‘How did you know where I was?’
He hesitated for a moment. ‘Oh… I
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