Brodie?”
Mrs. Brodie’s answer was the same as the blacksmith’s.
“If you do say so, sir.”
I thought: He knows how to treat these people. And I was sure that, in the feud, he would have them on his side. Gordon Lewyth’s dour manner would not have the same appeal; the old man might have been different at one time, but he would not go around now; and Dermot…I was unsure of Dermot.
“The lady should eat something with her brandy, shouldn’t she, Mrs. Brodie?”
“Certain sure, sir.”
“Then brandy cakes it is.” He smiled at me. “You’ll like them.”
The cakes were brought. They looked delicious. I took a sip of the brandy. It was warming and comforting, and the shaken feeling was fast disappearing. The cosy room, the firelight on the brasses, the excitement of meeting the man who was concerned in the Tregarland feud…it was all amusing and exciting and just what I needed in my present mood.
“I must confess, Miss Denver, that I know who you are,” he was saying. “You are going to marry Dermot Tregarland.”
“You are wrong. That is my sister—my twin sister.”
“Oh, I see. I am not as knowledgeable as I thought. I was wondering where the prospective bridegroom was and why he was not accompanying his fiancée on her ride.”
“My parents are here,” I said, “and naturally I came too. It is just a brief visit.”
“Your twin sister,” he mused.
“The news service was not as good as you thought,” I said.
“I shall complain,” he replied with a grin. “Well, that is interesting. Your parents and you with your sister…inspecting the terrain…and the family.”
“It is not exactly like that.”
“That’s putting it bluntly. Please forgive me. Naturally your parents want to see whom your sister is proposing to marry.”
“I daresay his family would want to inspect us.”
“Very likely. And how was this? Amicable? Did all meet with approval? Forgive me again. You see, I should never have been invited to meet your family because…”
“Because of the feud.”
“That is why I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met you in this most unexpected way.”
“My parents will be full of gratitude to you when they hear what you have done for me.”
“It was a great pleasure. Do have another of these cakes of Mrs. Brodie’s. They really are good, aren’t they?”
I agreed that they were.
“And are you really feeling better now?”
I assured him I was.
“I am so glad of that.” He looked as though he meant it sincerely. I thought: There is something very pleasant about him. What a pity he is not on speaking terms with the Tregarlands. I should have liked to bring my parents to thank him. I suppose that would not be possible in the circumstances.
“This feud,” I said. “How long has it been going on?”
“About a hundred years.”
“Surely now…?”
He lifted his shoulders.
“It passed on through generations. We’re rather like that in these parts. We don’t let go of the past easily.”
“If it were something good, something worth remembering, I could understand it. But in a case like this…”
“Well, we have never had anything to do with each other, so we don’t miss anything. It is just there.”
“How did it start? Nobody seems to be sure at Tregarland’s.”
“Nobody? I daresay old Mr. Tregarland remembers. Whom did you ask?”
“I haven’t really asked anyone. I thought it might not be ethical to do so. Mrs. Lewyth did not seem to know.”
“Well, she isn’t one of the family, is she? Or is she?”
“She is a great friend of them all.”
“And looks after the place. And the son…well, he is Tregarlands…as far as the estate is concerned.”
“He seems to be very involved in that.”
“Far more so than the son of the house.”
“So Mr. Lewyth really runs it.”
“That’s common knowledge. The son does not seem to have much feeling for the place. He gets away when he can.”
“We met him in Germany,” I
Mrs. Brodie’s answer was the same as the blacksmith’s.
“If you do say so, sir.”
I thought: He knows how to treat these people. And I was sure that, in the feud, he would have them on his side. Gordon Lewyth’s dour manner would not have the same appeal; the old man might have been different at one time, but he would not go around now; and Dermot…I was unsure of Dermot.
“The lady should eat something with her brandy, shouldn’t she, Mrs. Brodie?”
“Certain sure, sir.”
“Then brandy cakes it is.” He smiled at me. “You’ll like them.”
The cakes were brought. They looked delicious. I took a sip of the brandy. It was warming and comforting, and the shaken feeling was fast disappearing. The cosy room, the firelight on the brasses, the excitement of meeting the man who was concerned in the Tregarland feud…it was all amusing and exciting and just what I needed in my present mood.
“I must confess, Miss Denver, that I know who you are,” he was saying. “You are going to marry Dermot Tregarland.”
“You are wrong. That is my sister—my twin sister.”
“Oh, I see. I am not as knowledgeable as I thought. I was wondering where the prospective bridegroom was and why he was not accompanying his fiancée on her ride.”
“My parents are here,” I said, “and naturally I came too. It is just a brief visit.”
“Your twin sister,” he mused.
“The news service was not as good as you thought,” I said.
“I shall complain,” he replied with a grin. “Well, that is interesting. Your parents and you with your sister…inspecting the terrain…and the family.”
“It is not exactly like that.”
“That’s putting it bluntly. Please forgive me. Naturally your parents want to see whom your sister is proposing to marry.”
“I daresay his family would want to inspect us.”
“Very likely. And how was this? Amicable? Did all meet with approval? Forgive me again. You see, I should never have been invited to meet your family because…”
“Because of the feud.”
“That is why I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met you in this most unexpected way.”
“My parents will be full of gratitude to you when they hear what you have done for me.”
“It was a great pleasure. Do have another of these cakes of Mrs. Brodie’s. They really are good, aren’t they?”
I agreed that they were.
“And are you really feeling better now?”
I assured him I was.
“I am so glad of that.” He looked as though he meant it sincerely. I thought: There is something very pleasant about him. What a pity he is not on speaking terms with the Tregarlands. I should have liked to bring my parents to thank him. I suppose that would not be possible in the circumstances.
“This feud,” I said. “How long has it been going on?”
“About a hundred years.”
“Surely now…?”
He lifted his shoulders.
“It passed on through generations. We’re rather like that in these parts. We don’t let go of the past easily.”
“If it were something good, something worth remembering, I could understand it. But in a case like this…”
“Well, we have never had anything to do with each other, so we don’t miss anything. It is just there.”
“How did it start? Nobody seems to be sure at Tregarland’s.”
“Nobody? I daresay old Mr. Tregarland remembers. Whom did you ask?”
“I haven’t really asked anyone. I thought it might not be ethical to do so. Mrs. Lewyth did not seem to know.”
“Well, she isn’t one of the family, is she? Or is she?”
“She is a great friend of them all.”
“And looks after the place. And the son…well, he is Tregarlands…as far as the estate is concerned.”
“He seems to be very involved in that.”
“Far more so than the son of the house.”
“So Mr. Lewyth really runs it.”
“That’s common knowledge. The son does not seem to have much feeling for the place. He gets away when he can.”
“We met him in Germany,” I
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