I accompanied her on one or two occasions when she visited him, but I quickly began to feel that those meetings should be for the two of them alone. She told me that she was reading Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire aloud to him and he enjoyed it so much. So I excused myself and, as Lilias and I had always understood each other, she accepted my decision not to go with her.

Then came the invitation from Lakemere House.

“Mrs. Ellington regards herself as lady of the manor,” Lilias explained. “I think she feels that the Merrimens are rather lax in carrying out their duties. Well, the squire is getting on, David is quite absorbed in his family and Charles, of course, can do nothing. Mrs. Ellington is very efficient, of course. She is one of those women who thinks she knows what is good for people better than they do themselves. The maddening thing is that she often does. We are invited to tea. If she approves of you you will be invited again. By the way, we shall have to do something about Kitty before we go there … just in case we run into her. I wonder if I could get her over here for some reason? Let’s see. I’ll ask Jane. She might have some ideas.”

Jane did.

“I heard Father say that she has never been confirmed. She wants to be and, of course, Mrs. Ellington is all for it. Get her over here on the pretext of discussing that.”

The message was sent and on the day before we were due to visit Lakemere House Kitty arrived. We arranged that I should keep out of sight until Lilias had talked to her.

I had a glimpse of her from my window as she arrived. She looked plumper and more contented. I thought: the life here suits her.

She had not been in the house long when Daisy came to my room and told me that Lilias thought I should now go down to the drawing room.

When I arrived Kitty ran to me and threw her arms about me. Then she withdrew—a little shocked, I think, at her temerity.

I kissed her cheek and said: “It’s good to see you, Kitty.”

“Oh, Miss D … er, Miss er … It was terrible … the things they said …”

“It’s over,” I said. “We try to forget it.”

She nodded. “But I’ll never forget what you done for me, Miss … you and Miss Milne. I just don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“So you’re happy at Lakemere House?”

“Oh yes. It’s nice. I really like it there.”

“I hope it will stay like that.”

“You mustn’t forget that it is Miss Diana now,” said Lilias. “Miss Diana Grey. It is important, Kitty, that you should not forget.”

“Oh, I won’t, Miss.”

She told us how different from Edinburgh it was living in Lakemere House. She had made friends and Mrs. Ellington took an interest. She knew she had done wrong, but she couldn’t think what had come over her. It was just that … She blushed and we changed the subject.

Lilias hustled her off to the vicar that the subject of her confirmation might be broached. Lilias was a stickler for the truth and she wanted to adhere to it as much as possible.

I could not help feeling a little apprehensive when we drove over to Lakemere House in the dogcart, even though I tried to repress my fear and assure myself that I must not feel so nervous every time I was going to meet someone new.

Lilias was saying: “As she regards herself as the guardian of the village, Mrs. Ellington likes to know everything that is going on. She is especially interested in the church. I think she believes it is her duty to watch over my father. She respects his goodness, but deplores his unpractical way of going about life. She regards him with a mixture of affection and exasperation. She admires his Christian virtues and despairs of his unworldliness. I daresay she will try to get you to give a hand in village affairs while you are here.”

“I shan’t mind that. Is there a Mr. Ellington?”

“Oh yes. He’s very rich. He goes back and forth to Exeter and is often in London. He never interferes with Mrs. Ellington’s affairs—he just supplies the comforts which enable her to continue with her good works. He is said to be a lion in business and a lamb in the domestic circle.”

“So Mrs. Ellington is the resident lioness.”

“That’s about it. Then, of course, there is Miss Myra Ellington—the fruit of the marriage. She must be approaching thirty. She is unmarried.”

“I’m surprised at that. I should have thought Mrs. Ellington would have found a suitable match for her daughter.”

“There are some who say that Miss Myra is not the marrying kind. She is pleasant … but rather quiet, self-effacing almost, which seems strange in Mrs. Ellington’s daughter. I believe that she is rather well off in her own right. Rumour says her grandfather left her money … the bulk of his fortune, they say. That would give her a certain independence, I suppose.”

“I see. I suppose a great many people marry for security.”

“A great many, I fear. Well, Miss Ellington doesn’t have to think of that. Though I did hear through Kitty that she seems to be rather interested in a man who is visiting the house.”

“I suppose in a village it is difficult to keep secrets, however much one tries …”

Lilias was looking at me severely. “You’ve got to stop thinking that everyone is obsessed by your case. It was just a nine days’ wonder. People quickly forget what doesn’t affect them.”

She was right. But so many conversations seemed to lead back to the subject.

Lakemere House was an impressive building of eighteenth century elegance. Marble steps led up to a portico. On the lawn, which was bordered by flower beds, was a large pond, in the centre of which was a statue which could have been Aphrodite.

A maid took us up to the drawing room where Mrs. and Miss Ellington were waiting to receive us.

Mrs. Ellington, seated in an armchair which resembled a throne, held out a hand. “Oh, Lilias … how nice to see you.”

Miss Ellington had risen and hovered beside her mother.

“This is Miss Diana Grey,” said Lilias.

The hand was extended. I took it, feeling I should curtsy, for there was something decisively regal about Mrs. Ellington.

“So nice. Welcome to Lakemere, Miss Grey. This is my daughter.”

We shook hands.

“So pleased you could come,” murmured Miss Ellington to which I replied that it was kind of Mrs. Ellington to invite me.

I studied the rich Miss Ellington. She was tallish and rather angular. There was an awkwardness about her and she had no real claim to beauty whereas her mother must have been a very pretty woman in her youth. But there was something appealing about Miss Ellington. It was due to a certain gentleness in her big brown rather spaniel-like eyes.

“I hear you have come to stay at the vicarage, Miss Grey,” said Mrs. Ellington. “What do you think of our little village?”

“I haven’t seen a great deal of it yet, but what I have seen I find charming.”

“We’re rather fond of it. So much is going on. It keeps us busy.”

A maid came in, wheeling a trolly on which everything needed for tea was laid out, including thinly cut sandwiches and a fruitcake.

“Thank you, Emma,” said Mrs. Ellington. “You may go. We’ll manage. Miss Grey, cream? Sugar?”

Miss Ellington took the cup and brought it to me.

A few minutes later the door opened and a man looked in. He stood in the doorway conveying surprise and penitence.

“Oh, I am so sorry. I had no idea you had guests. I’m interrupting.”

“Come along in, Roger,” said Mrs. Ellington warmly. “And indeed you are not interrupting. Mr. Lestrange is staying with us,” she said to me. “Come in and meet our guests.”

He was tall and powerfully built. I imagined he was in his late thirties. He was a very striking looking man—probably because of his physique. But it was something more than that. His complexion suggested he had been in a country with a warmer climate than ours; and he had intensely blue eyes which contrasted vividly with his almost black hair.

He advanced into the room, looking at me with interest.

“We have met,” said Lilias.

“Of course, but … er …” He was smiling at me.

Miss Ellington said: “This is Miss Grey who is staying at the vicarage.”

“How interesting!”

“Do sit down, Roger,” said Mrs. Ellington. “Myra, my dear, take Roger his tea.”

While the tea was being served Mrs. Ellington said to me: “Mr. Lestrange comes from South Africa. He is in England for only a short while, and he is spending a little time with us. He and my husband have business interests in common.”

“I’ve been riding,” he said, smiling at us all. “I find the countryside fascinating.”

“A little different from where you’ve come from, I daresay,” said Mrs. Ellington.

“Delightfully so. You are visiting, too, Miss Grey? From what part do you come?”

“From Scotland.”

“A beautiful country. What part?”

“From … er … Edinburgh.” I felt myself flush a little. I must control my fears. Since my ordeal I had felt so uneasy when anyone asked questions about myself.

“And what part of South Africa do you come from, Mr. Lestrange?” I asked quickly.

“A place called Kimberley. You may have heard of it.”

“Who has not heard of Kimberley?” said Mrs. Ellington. “Your diamonds have made you famous.”

“Perhaps notorious,” he replied, smiling at her. “Oh yes. There is no doubt that diamonds have put us in the news.”

“Mr. Lestrange is attached to one of the biggest diamond companies in the world,” said Mrs. Ellington proudly.