thought”—Mother turned her face away and spoke quietly—“I thought it might be attractive to you now because I am here.”
“It is. You know it is, Eve. But I’m young and, frankly, I’m rich. You know my father left me very well-off. I don’t want to settle down in one place for the rest of my life and see nothing of the world. That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to see the world with me.”
Mother said she didn’t want to see the world. She had seen enough of it for a lifetime, enough forever, it was all horrible. Nor did she want the gatehouse done up and a bathroom put in. She didn’t want him wasting his money on her. Luxuries of that kind meant nothing to her and Liza. If he must go away and she could tell he wanted to, he must leave the dogs with her and that way he would come back.
“I don’t need a reason to come back. Matt can look after the dogs.”
“Leave them with me and then I’ll know you have to come. You must always leave them with me.”
He slept in Mother’s bed that last night and went back to Shrove in the morning. Later on he came to the cottage in the Range Rover and said good-bye. He hugged Mother and kissed her and kissed Liza, and Liza said Annabel would miss him. They waved after the Range Rover as it went down the lane and Liza ran upstairs to watch it go over the bridge. When it was out of sight she and Mother put the dogs in the little castle and Mother said they might as well go up to Shrove to tidy up and put things to rights.
Mr. Tobias had left a lot of mess, though for the past three weeks he hadn’t been there much. While Mother was running the vacuum cleaner over the bedroom carpets, Liza went into the morning room and looked at the door that was always locked. She tried the handle just in case it was, for once, unlocked. It wasn’t. Squatting down because she was quite tall by then, she put one eye to the keyhole and closed the other. She was surprised to find she could see quite a lot, a piece of the red upholstery of a chair and the braid on its arm, the corner of a kind of table with drawers in it, the bright-colored spines, blue and green and orange, of books on a shelf. What could there be in there she wasn’t allowed to see?
Liza now wished she had told Mr. Tobias about the locked room on the several occasions he and she had been together in the house while Mother was cleaning upstairs or in the kitchen. But of course they had never been in the morning room, it wasn’t much used and there was no reason why it should be when there were a drawing room, a dining room, and a library as well. Liza was convinced that if she had asked Mr. Tobias he would have fetched the key and opened the door at once.
Next time he came she would ask him. When he came back to fetch the dogs. But the weeks went by and he didn’t come. He didn’t write, not even a postcard, and after nearly a month Matt came in the Range Rover and took the dogs away. Mother happened to see the Range Rover coming across the bridge. It was the right color, though she couldn’t see the number, she was sure it was Mr. Tobias himself coming and even more sure when she saw it in the lane. Mr. Tobias had never before sent Matt in the Range Rover but he had this time, and when Matt had gone and Heidi and Rudi with him, Mother went into her bedroom and cried.
Liza had never told anyone about that. Well, she had had no one to tell until now, but she didn’t tell Sean, she kept it locked up and secret inside her head. And when Sean said, this guy Tobias, the one that Shrove House belongs to, did he ever come, she said only, yes, he did, but he didn’t stay long.
“And didn’t you never go to school?”
“No, I never did. Mother taught me herself at home.”
“It’s against the law, that.”
“I expect it is. But you know where Shrove is, the back of beyond, far away from just about everywhere. Who would know? Eve told lies about it. She was very open with me. She said it was important
“It is. You know it is, Eve. But I’m young and, frankly, I’m rich. You know my father left me very well-off. I don’t want to settle down in one place for the rest of my life and see nothing of the world. That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to see the world with me.”
Mother said she didn’t want to see the world. She had seen enough of it for a lifetime, enough forever, it was all horrible. Nor did she want the gatehouse done up and a bathroom put in. She didn’t want him wasting his money on her. Luxuries of that kind meant nothing to her and Liza. If he must go away and she could tell he wanted to, he must leave the dogs with her and that way he would come back.
“I don’t need a reason to come back. Matt can look after the dogs.”
“Leave them with me and then I’ll know you have to come. You must always leave them with me.”
He slept in Mother’s bed that last night and went back to Shrove in the morning. Later on he came to the cottage in the Range Rover and said good-bye. He hugged Mother and kissed her and kissed Liza, and Liza said Annabel would miss him. They waved after the Range Rover as it went down the lane and Liza ran upstairs to watch it go over the bridge. When it was out of sight she and Mother put the dogs in the little castle and Mother said they might as well go up to Shrove to tidy up and put things to rights.
Mr. Tobias had left a lot of mess, though for the past three weeks he hadn’t been there much. While Mother was running the vacuum cleaner over the bedroom carpets, Liza went into the morning room and looked at the door that was always locked. She tried the handle just in case it was, for once, unlocked. It wasn’t. Squatting down because she was quite tall by then, she put one eye to the keyhole and closed the other. She was surprised to find she could see quite a lot, a piece of the red upholstery of a chair and the braid on its arm, the corner of a kind of table with drawers in it, the bright-colored spines, blue and green and orange, of books on a shelf. What could there be in there she wasn’t allowed to see?
Liza now wished she had told Mr. Tobias about the locked room on the several occasions he and she had been together in the house while Mother was cleaning upstairs or in the kitchen. But of course they had never been in the morning room, it wasn’t much used and there was no reason why it should be when there were a drawing room, a dining room, and a library as well. Liza was convinced that if she had asked Mr. Tobias he would have fetched the key and opened the door at once.
Next time he came she would ask him. When he came back to fetch the dogs. But the weeks went by and he didn’t come. He didn’t write, not even a postcard, and after nearly a month Matt came in the Range Rover and took the dogs away. Mother happened to see the Range Rover coming across the bridge. It was the right color, though she couldn’t see the number, she was sure it was Mr. Tobias himself coming and even more sure when she saw it in the lane. Mr. Tobias had never before sent Matt in the Range Rover but he had this time, and when Matt had gone and Heidi and Rudi with him, Mother went into her bedroom and cried.
Liza had never told anyone about that. Well, she had had no one to tell until now, but she didn’t tell Sean, she kept it locked up and secret inside her head. And when Sean said, this guy Tobias, the one that Shrove House belongs to, did he ever come, she said only, yes, he did, but he didn’t stay long.
“And didn’t you never go to school?”
“No, I never did. Mother taught me herself at home.”
“It’s against the law, that.”
“I expect it is. But you know where Shrove is, the back of beyond, far away from just about everywhere. Who would know? Eve told lies about it. She was very open with me. She said it was important
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