The Young Nightingales by Mary Whistler

was different. Mrs. Bowman made her feel that she was the actual mistress of the place, and it was her ideas and her tastes that were consulted. Florence might argue, but she was not antagonistic ... and she could even express her approval on occasion.
    That was something.
    As for Miranda, Jane wrote to her regularly, and she also wrote regularly to Irina and Toby. There was not much point in writing to Conway, for he was the world’s worst correspondent, and would be most unlikely to reply. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to hear all about her from Irina, so Irina’s letters contained much more detailed information than the ones that were received by Miranda, although it was Miranda, surprisingly, who wrote rather fulsomely after Jane had been in Switzerland for nearly a fortnight.
    “ I miss you , ” Miranda wrote—and this was surprising — “ and I also envy you, because at this time of year St. Vaizey must be really delightful. I went to school near there, although I’m sure you didn’t know it, and they were amongst the happiest days of my life .” What about the days when she was married to her father? Jane wondered. “ If you could find us a villa which we could rent I’m sure it would be a good plan to let Toby spend his holidays near you. You handle him so well, and although I know you have a job to do now you could still see quite a lot of us if we came, and Toby would have a better chance to get over the death of his father. ”
    Jane bit her lip. It was true that Toby had taken it hard, and Miranda could be right. Toby did need to get away somewhere completely new and fresh after the shock of John Nightingale’s suicide.
    But there was a slight sting in the tail of the letter ... for Jane, anyway. And it could be a deliberate reminder that her old life was indeed a thing of the past.
    “ Roger would also like a holiday in Switzerland, and if you could find us a villa he’ll probably join us for a while. He’s worn out after a most exhausting case, and badly needs a rest. Conway, too, will come along. It will make it quite respectable! ”
    Jane showed the letter to her employer, and Mrs. Bowman looked up at her somewhat curiously when she had read it.
    “Do you want your stepmother to come out here?” she asked. “Your half-brother I can understand ... but your stepmother?”
    Jane looked down at the carpet.
    “It would probably do her good,” she said.
    “Didn’t she spend months in the South of France before your father’s death? Surely that should have done her some good?”
    Jane hesitated, not certain how much Mrs. Bowman knew, or suspected, about her relationship with her father’s second wife.
    “She’d had a kind of nervous breakdown before she went away,” she replied. “My father insisted that she stayed away until she was better ... but the shock of his death must have set her back a bit,” striving to be absolutely fair to Miranda.
    Mrs. Bowman nodded thoughtfully, apparently studying Miranda’s handwriting with interest.
    “That could be so, of course,” she agreed. “But what astonishes me is that my nephew hasn’t written direct to me and suggested coming to stay here if he really needs a holiday.” She lifted her eyes to Jane’s face and watched her keenly. “There are plenty of rooms in the Villa Magnolia, and I am old-fashioned enough to think it a little odd that he should contemplate sharing a villa with your stepmother, even though she is likely to be joined by both your brothers. Besides,” she added with emphasis, “ you are here!”
    “I—I—” Jane stammered helplessly. “Perhaps Roger thought it would be too much if he came here!”
    “And stayed with his only blood relation? And you ?”
    Jane turned away.
    “There’s the rent ... perhaps he thought he could help Miranda out with the rent, if I do find her a villa,” she added.
    “It’s a most difficult time of the year to find empty furnished villas. Most people hire these