"I will be prepared," I promised.

They were right. I was mentioned in Sir Ralph's will. He had left a quarter of a million pounds to Archaeological Research to be used depending on certain conditions, in whatever way Sir Edward or Tybalt Travers thought fit; he had left an income for life to his wife; to Hadrian an income of one thousand a year; to Theodosia, his heiress, the house on the death of her mother and one half of the residue of his income; the other half was to go to his natural daughter, Judith Osmond; and in the event of the death of one of his daughters her share of his fortune would revert to the other.

It was astounding.

I, penniless, unclaimed at birth, had acquired parents and from one had come a fortune so great that it bewildered me to contemplate it.

Dramatic events had taken place during the recent weeks. I was to be married to the man I loved; and I should not go to him, as I had thought, a penniless woman. I should bring with me a great fortune.

I thought of Sir Ralph taking my hand and Tybalt's and placing them in each other. I wondered if he had told Tybalt of our relationship and of what he intended to do.

I then felt my first twinge of uneasiness.

The truth of my birth was now known throughout the village. That I was Sir Ralph's daughter surprised few; there was a certain amount of gossip among Oliver's parishioners who recounted how I had been educated with his legitimate daughter and nephew and afterwards taken into Keverall Court, albeit in a humble position. They had guessed, they said, being wise after the event. Alison and Dorcas were alternately pleased and ashamed. Alison said that she was glad her father had not had to face this scandal; their sister, the rector's daughter, the mistress of Sir Ralph who had borne him a child! It was rather scandalous. At the same time I, who meant far more to them than their dead sister's reputation, was now a woman of means whose future was secure. I had also so charmed my father that he had shown the world that I was almost as important to him as his legitimate daughter.

The scandal would die down; the benefits remain.

They had been so anxious for me to marry but now I was about to do so they were, I sensed, not so pleased. As a young woman of means I no longer needed the financial support a husband could give me, and it was for this support that they had selected first Oliver and then Evan for me; and now, before I had known of my inheritance I had become engaged to that rather strange man whose father had recently died mysteriously. It was not what they had planned for me.

When I went to them after the reading of the will they looked at me strangely as though I had become a different person.

I laughed at them. "You foolish old aunts," I cried, "for aunts you have turned out to be, the fact that I'm going to be rich doesn't change me at all! And let me tell you, there is going to be no cheeseparing in this house again. You are going to have an income which will enable you to live in the manner to which you have been accustomed."

It was a very emotional moment. Alison's face twitched and Dorcas's was actually wet. I embraced them.

"Just think of it," I said. "You can leave Rainbow Cottage. Sell it if you wish"—for Sir Ralph had left it to them—"and go and live in a lovely house, with a maid or two . . ."

Alison laughed. "Judith, you always did run on. We're quite happy here and it's our very own now. We shall stay here."

"Well, you shall never worry about making ends meet again."

"You mustn't go spending all the money before you've got it."

That made me laugh. "I believe there's quite a lot of it, and if you think my first thought wouldn't be to look after you, you don't know Judith Osmond."

Dorcas dabbed her eyes and Alison said seriously: "Judith, what about him."

"Him?"

"This er . . . this man you plan to marry."

"Tybalt."

They were both looking at me anxiously.

"Now that er . . ." began Alison. "Now that you have this . . . fortune . . ."

"Good Heavens," I cried, "you don't think—"

"We ... we wondered whether he knew . . ."

"Knew what?" I demanded.

"That you ... er ... were coming into this money."

"Aunts!" I cried sternly. "You are being very wrong. Tybalt and I were meant for each other. I'm passionately interested in his work."

Alison said with a touch of asperity quite alien to her: "I hope he's not passionately interested in your money."

I was angry with them. "This is monstrous. How could he be? Besides . . ."

"Now, Judith, we are only concerned for your good," said Dorcas.

My anger melted. It was true. All their anxiety was for my welfare. I kissed them again. "Listen," I said, "I love Tybalt. Do you understand that? I always have. I always will. And we are going to work together. It's the most ideal match that was ever made. Don't dare say anything else. Don't dare think anything else . . ."

"Oh, Judith, you always swept everything along with you. I only hope . . ."

"Hope. Who has to hope when one knows."

"So you really love him?"

"Do you doubt it?"

"No. We were wondering about him."

"Of course," I said, "he doesn't show his feelings as I do. Who does?"

They agreed that few did.

"He may seem aloof, remote, cool—but he's not so."

"It would break our hearts if you weren't happy, Judith."

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Your hearts are going to remain intact."

"You really are happy, Judith," said Alison.

"I'm in love with Tybalt," I said. "And he wants to marry me. And that being so, how could I possibly be anything but happy?"

It was different at the rectory. Sabina welcomed me warmly.

"Oh this is fun, Judith," she cried in her inconsequential way. "Here we are, the old gang all happily tied up together. It is interesting, isn't it? The only one left out is poor Hadrian. Of course we were uneven weren't we. Three women and four men. What a lovely proportion—and a rare one. Tybalt wasn't really one of us though. In the schoolroom I mean. And dear old Evan and darling Oliver . . . well they were the teachers. I'm so pleased. After all you did bully us, didn't you, Judith, so Tybalt is just right for you. I always say to Oliver you need someone to bully you. And now you've got Tybalt. Not that he'll bully in the way you did but he'll keep a firm hand. You can't imagine anyone bullying Tybalt, can you? Oh, Judith, aren't you lucky! And I can't think of anyone I'd rather have for my darling perfect brother."

This was more comforting than the views at Rainbow Cottage.

And she went on. "It was all so exciting. Sir Ralph and all that. . . and the money! You'll be able to go everywhere with Tybalt. My father was always having to get people interested, to back his trips you know. Not that he didn't spend a lot on it himself. We'd have been fabulously rich, my mother used to say, if it hadn't been for my father's obsession."

So it seemed that whenever my coming marriage was discussed, my recently acquired fortune always seemed to come under consideration.

I couldn't help enjoying my interview with Lady Bodrean.

After the will had been read I presented myself to her. She regarded me as though I were quite distasteful, which I suppose I was.

"So," she said, "you have come to hand in your notice."

"Certainly I have, Lady Bodrean."

"I expected it would not be long before you did. So I am to be inconvenienced."

I replied: "Well, if I was so useful to you, a fact which you very carefully concealed, I would be willing to stay for a week or so until you have replaced me."

"You know by now that you were forced on me. I had not employed a companion before you came."

"Then you will have no objection to my leaving immediately."

She had obviously come to the conclusion that the new turn in my fortunes meant that I would no longer be a good object for oppression and she decided I should go at once, but she pretended to consider this.

That I was Sir Ralph's daughter was, I am sure, no surprise to her. In fact I think his behavior towards me had convinced her of our relationship and it was for this reason that she had been particularly unpleasant to me. But that Tybalt should have asked me to marry him was something which puzzled her. She had wanted Tybalt for her own daughter and the fact that Theodosia had married Evan Callum and I had won the prize was galling to her.

"I hear you are shortly to be married," she said, her lip curling.

"You have heard correctly," I told her.

"I must say I was surprised until ... er ..."

"Until?" I said.

"I know that Sir Ralph confided a great deal in Sir Ed­ward. They were close friends. I've no doubt he told him the position and it was for this reason that er . . ."

"You have always been very frank in the past, Lady Bodrean," I said. "There is no need to be less direct now that we meet on an equal footing. You are suggesting that Sir Tybalt Travers has asked me to marry him because I am Sir Ralph's daughter?"

"Sir Ralph was eager for a union with that family. Of course he would have preferred his true daughter to have made the match—instead of which she must go off with this penniless schoolteacher."

"As I may now presume to correct you, something which was beyond my range before my true identity was discovered, I must remind you that Professor Callum is far from penniless. He holds a good post in one of the country's foremost universities and the term schoolteacher is hardly the correct one to apply to a lecturer in archaeology."