I stared at the letter for a few seconds before opening it, wondering what Lady Harriet would have to say to me.

"My dear Drusilla," she had written.

"I have been quite concerned about you. Poor Mr. Brady is most distressed. I only hope you will not regret your hasty decision. The best thing you could have done was to marry him and continue in your rectory home. I am sure in time you will come to regret your stubborn attitude.

"However, I have a proposal to make. Lavinia is very happy in India. She has little Louise, as you know, and I am delighted to tell you that she has just given birth to another—a little boy. Lavinia would like you to go out and help her. I must say she has made me see that this could be quite a good thing. I am sending a nanny out to her. I do not care that my grandchildren should be brought up by foreigners. She has an ayah at the moment, but I want her to have a good English nanny. I have found the right person for the post and I am sending her out almost immediately. Lavinia has expressed a wish that you should go out to be a companion to her and I am of the opinion that this is an excellent idea. It would serve Lavinia's needs and your own. Lavinia wishes the children to be taught in an English manner and she believes that as well as being a companion for her you could instruct the children.

"Lavinia and her husband, the Earl, expect to return to England in two years' time. I am sure you will decide that this will be an excellent opportunity for you. I shall expect an early decision. The nanny will be leaving at the beginning of next month and it would be most convenient if you travelled out together, so there are three weeks for your plans to be made. I shall appreciate an early reply."

I stopped reading the letter. I felt numb with surprise and a certain tingling excitement. To go to India! To be with Lavinia and the children. I would see Dougal and Fabian.

Polly came and saw me staring into space.

"News?" she enquired.

"Polly ..." I cried. "It's amazing."

"Well?"

"This is from Lady Harriet."

"Interfering again?"

"You could say that ... but in a rather exciting way. Polly, she is suggesting I go to India."

"What?"

"I would be a sort of governess to Lavinia's children and a companion to her."

Polly stared at me in amazement.

"That Lavinia," she said.

I read the letter to her. I could hear the thrill of excitement in my voice as I did so. It seemed to me that the Framlings had always been a great influence in my life.

Polly said, "When do you have to say?"

"Soon. I would leave in less than a month."

"H'm," said Polly.

We talked it over for hours, but I think I had long before made up my mind that I would go. Polly came round to the idea very soon.

"It knocked me off my feet at first. India. It's such a long way. But perhaps it would be for the best. It's no life for you here ... much as we like to have you. A girl of your education ... she shouldn't be stuck here. Fleur ... ? We'd been thinking of getting a governess for young Fleur. We want her to be educated, you know. And we can use the money he put by for her. I don't see why we shouldn't. After all, he's her uncle. We wouldn't take anything for ourselves, but Fleur's different. She's got to have the best."

Eff agreed with Polly. It was no place for me here. Eff reckoned it was a bit risky going off to foreign places, but Lavinia had gone and she seemed to have survived.

I was going to write to Lady Harriet, but as there was so little time I thought it simpler to return. I had my room in the rectory still and many of my possessions were there, so it was the best place from which to make my arrangements.

Two days after receiving the letter I was on my way back.

I went straight to the rectory. Mrs. Janson had news to impart. Framling was in mourning.

"It's that Miss Lucille. She had a few funny turns and this last one was too much for her. It finished her off. I always say one funeral begets another." She often became biblical in her role as seer. "First the dear rector and then Miss Lucille. Well, it seems this was a happy release for her. We were hoping for a wedding, but I suppose that would be rushing things a bit."

"A wedding?"

"Lady Harriet was all for Fabian marrying Lady Geraldine, but he had to go back to India ... or somewhere. He had to cut his stay a bit shorter than he thought. I'll tell you what." She was the seer once more. "I reckon there's some understanding. She'll be going out there to him and they'll be joined in holy wedlock, you see."

"Is that so?" I said. "I want to see Lady Harriet immediately. She wrote to me suggesting that I should go to Miss Lavinia in India."

"My goodness gracious me! Indeed ... indeed! I don't know ... but I reckon if the Framlings are there ..."

"I think I should go now. I do need to let her know."

Lady Harriet received me at once.

"My dear Drusilla, I was expecting you."

"It seemed quicker to come than to write."

"And your decision?"

"I want to go, Lady Harriet."

A smile of satisfaction spread across her face.

"Ah. I thought you'd be sensible ... this time. There will be so many arrangements to be made. Alas, we are now a house of mourning."

"I am so sorry. I heard about Miss Lucille."

"Poor dear creature. It was really a happy release. We shall be concerned with the funeral, but in the meantime we will set our plan in motion. I shall write immediately to Lavinia. I know she will be delighted, and I am sure you will be able to teach Louise. It is a relief to me to know who will be in charge of her. Alice Philwright will be coming here for a few days and it would be a good idea for you to get to know her, as you will be travelling together. I think you will be safe with her. She has travelled before and has been looking after children in France. You will go by ship to Alexandria and there travel across country to another ship ... at Suez, I think. But there will be more details later. In the meantime you will have certain things to prepare ... your personal things at the rectory and so on. I don't know quite what arrangements you will make ... but I will leave that to you."

She went on talking, obviously pleased that at last I had fallen in with her decisions and seen the wisdom of following the plans she had made for me. There was little she liked better than arranging the lives of others.

I made my way back to the rectory. Colin was very kind. He was quite pleased with life. He had stepped into my father's shoes and was generally accepted throughout the neighbourhood. My father had been loved more for his foibles than his efficiency. Colin exuded goodwill and bonhomie; he mingled jollity with seriousness, which was very becoming to a man of the cloth. He was ideal for the job.

Moreover, he was already displaying interest in the doctor's daughter, Ellen. She was a few years older than he was, but had all the qualifications a parson's wife should have, plus the approval of Lady Harriet. What could be more suitable, when Colin's only lack to make him an ideal rector was a wife? He was obviously on the way to acquiring one.

He bore me no rancour for refusing his offer. He told me that there was plenty of room in the attics for me to store anything I wished, and after my stay in India I could decide what I wanted to do with it. He would pay me a good price for the furniture in the house, which he was now taking over, and that would save him the trouble of getting his own furniture and at the same time be a help to me.

This all seemed very reasonable and I was grateful to Colin for being so helpful in a practical way. I had to rid myself of all sentimental feeling about my old home and accept the fact that this was the best way.

My excitement grew and as the days passed I realized this was exactly what I needed. I wanted to get right away. My life had come to a dead end. I should experience new scenes, new people.

There was a great deal in the papers at this time about war with Russia. It had been coming to a boiling point for some time and now we were definitely at war.

Despatches were being sent home about the terrible conditions in the Crimea, and a Miss Florence Nightingale had gone out there with a party of nurses. I had read about it and when I was with Polly I had seen soldiers marching through London on the way to the wharf for embarkation. People cheered them and sang patriotic songs, but I am afraid I was so immersed in the dramatic change in my own fortunes that I paid less attention than I would otherwise have done.

I went to the church when Miss Lucille was buried. Colin took the service and I hovered in the background. I was aware that Lady Harriet might think it presumptuous of me to assume the status of a friend.

While the coffin was being lowered into the grave I caught a glimpse of Ayesha, who looked very sad and lost. I went over to speak to her.

She smiled at me and said, "She would be glad you came. She often talked of you."

"I felt I had to come," I said. "Although I saw very little of her, I never forgot her."

"No. And now she is gone. She was glad to go. She believed she would join her lover. I hope she will. I hope she will find happiness again."

The mourners were dispersing and I went slowly back to the rectory.

The next day one of the Framling servants came over to the rectory. Lady Harriet wished to see me at once.

I went over immediately.