Suddenly Rachel said: “Daniel has asked me to marry him.”

I stared at her in amazement. The thought immediately came into my mind: she is the first of us to receive a proposal of marriage. Tamarisk wouldn’t like that. She’d think she ought to be the first.

“How exciting!” I cried.

“I don’t know. It’s difficult.”

“He is very nice and kind. You’d get on well with him. Have you said yes?”

She shook her head.

“Why? Don’t you like him?”

“Yes, I do. Very much. We’ve always been friends, even before his father married my aunt, but of course we’ve seen a lot of each other since. A little while ago …” She stopped and frowned.

“I … er … I do like him very much,” she finished.

“I know,” I said.

“It’s too soon. We’ve only just left school. Of course, some people marry when they are very young. And you have known each other for a long time.”

“Yes, but it’s different…”

“What have you said?”

“I hated telling him I couldn’t. He looked … well, you know, so nice. He’s always been kind to me. I felt safe with him … after ..”

I knew exactly what she meant. I thought of her in that bedroom, hearing footsteps coming . pausing outside the door most fortunately locked the second time hearing his heavy breathing outside. She wanted to feel safe after that as I did after those terrifying moments in the wood.

“You see,” went on Rachel, ‘he thought it was all right. We’d been such friends. “

“It will be all right. It’s just because it’s too soon. You’re not ready yet.”

She was staring into space.

“I don’t think I ever can now …”

“But you like him a lot.”

“Yes … I do … but…”

“You just need time,” I said, thinking that was just the remark Aunt Sophie would have made.

“Wait till Tamarisk hears!”

“I shan’t tell her. Please don’t say anything about it, Freddie.”

“Of course not. But I should love to see her face. She likes to be the first in everything.”

I was smiling. I was convinced that Rachel would marry Daniel. It would be so right, married to Aunt Hilda’s stepson. I was sure she would be as happy as Aunt Hilda was. It would be a wonderful ending after all they had suffered in a Bell House dominated by Mr. Dorian.

The ballroom at St. Aubyn’s looked splendid. Potted palms and flowering shrubs had been brought in from the greenhouses and scattered around in artistic fashion; the floor had been polished with French chalk; there was a dais at one end and on this were the musicians in pale pink shirts and black dinner jackets. It was all very grand and awesome.

Mrs. St. Aubyn, miraculously restored to health for the occasion, greeted the guests. There was only one concession to her previous state: she sat regally in an ornate chair which people approached with great deference.

Aunts Sophie and Hilda hovered round her as though to remind people that their protegees were of equal importance to Tamarisk; but of course this was St. Aubyn’s Park and Mrs. St. Aubyn was seen as the main hostess. The ball was one in which Rachel and I had been privileged to join.

Rachel and I sat on either side of Tamarisk; and Aunt Sophie was beside me. Aunt Hilda beside Rachel. I felt much less confident than I had in my bedroom when both Aunt Sophie and Lily had declared that I looked quite beautiful.

“The belle of the ball, that’s what you’ll be,” Aunt Sophie had said.

And Lily commented: “Well, Miss Fred, I never thought a dress could do all that for a girl. You look a real treat, you do.”

However, beside Tamarisk, flamboyant in flame-coloured chiffon, and Rachel in cornflower-blue crepe-de- Chine, I realized that I was far from being the Belle of the Ball, and what looked ‘a treat’ in my bedroom might look less delectable in an elegant ballroom.

As soon as the dancing began Gaston Marchmont was standing before us.

He turned his eyes upwards and said something about a trio of enchantresses. Then he asked Tamarisk if she would honour him. It was what she expected, as the important Miss St. Aubyn; and she was gracefully whisked away as the Grindle brothers came up. Daniel then danced with Rachel and I went off with Jack.

Jack danced well. He commented on the excellence of the floor, the size of the ballroom and that he expected, now that Tamarisk was growing up, there would be more such occasions as this. It was light trivial conversation.

When the first dance was over, Gaston Marchmont danced with Rachel, Tamarisk with Daniel and I with a middleaged friend of the St. Aubyns whom I had met once before.

I guessed that I should dance next with Gaston. He would have to dance with the three of us, he would decide, and I felt a little irritated.

I did not want to be selected as a matter of protocol, or duty, whatever it was. I knew he would not really want to dance with me.

When my next partner took me back I was surprised to see Crispin talking to the aunts.

He stood up when he saw me approaching and, just at that moment, Gaston Marchmont came back with Rachel. Rachel looked flushed and happy.

“That was very pleasant,” said Gaston.

“I must compliment you, Miss Rachel, on your skill on the dance floor.”

Rachel murmured something and the music for the next dance was beginning. I saw Gaston’s eyes on me, and he was about to speak when Crispin laid his hand on my arm and said firmly: “This is promised to me.”

We moved on to the floor. I saw Gaston’s startled look as we did so.

Crispin was saying: “I hope I have not disappointed you by snatching you from the arms of the fascinating Marchmont?”

I laughed. I was indeed very pleased and excited.

“Oh no,” I said.

“He was only going to ask me because he thought he ought to.”

“Are you sure that he is so mindful of what is expected of him?”

“In that way, I am sure he is.”

“Are you being a little cryptic? You think in other matters he might not be so eager to carry out his duty?”

“I didn’t mean that at all. I just thought he would always behave as he thought impeccably in social matters.”

“I see you have not been quite so deeply impressed as the others have.

I am glad of that. I am afraid I don’t dance as well as he does. He really is adept. Talking of dancing, I fear you may find me a little clumsy. Shall we sit down? I think that would be more comfortable for you. “

He did not wait for my reply but led me to two seats among the potted palms.

We sat and watched the dancers in silence for a few seconds, and I saw Gaston dance round with one of the guests.

Crispin’s eyes followed him and he said: “Yes, an adept. Tell me, how do you think Miss Flora likes the new doll we found for her? Do you think she has accepted it?”

“At times I do. At others … I’m not sure. I fancy she looks sometimes as if she knew it is only a doll. Her face puckers up.”

“Yes?”

Well, just that. “

“Did it before? I mean, her face pucker up?”

Tm not sure. I think it might have. “

“Poor Flora!” He was silent for a while, then he said:

“You still pay your periodic visits to the cottage, then.”

“Yes.”

“It’s difficult to talk with all this noise. We’ll have supper together. I’ll come for you then. Do you have a card or something?”

I gave him my dance programme and he scribbled his initials on that space for the dance before supper.

“There,” he said.

“You’ll have plenty of chances to dance with people who know how to do it. But that one is mine.”

I was disappointed that he had only asked for that dance, and at the same time his manner was somewhat peremptory. He had not exactly asked, but taken for granted that I should agree. That was typical and reminded me of Tamarisk.

I could not resist saying: “Do you always tell people what they should do?”

He looked steadily at me, raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“It is a way of getting what one wants quickly,” he said.

“Does it always work?”

“Alas, no.”

“Suppose I had already promised the supper dance?”

“You hadn’t, had you? It was not booked on your programme.”

“Well, it’s only just started and …”

“So it’s all right then, isn’t it? I thought we’d have supper together. I want to talk to you.”

I felt pleased about this and I noticed that, when he took me back to my chair, several people looked at us with interest.

I danced once with Gaston. He came up soon after Crispin had brought me back. Crispin had then departed.

I think he had no desire to dance, which he rather despised, no doubt because he did not do it well. I saw him later in conversation with a man who, I think, was one of the estate managers, and later with an elderly man who, I had heard, had an estate some miles from St. Aubyn’s and who had brought his wife and daughter to the ball.

Gaston was such a good dancer that he made me feel I was one too.

He told me I looked charming and my dress was his favourite colour. I guessed that when he danced with Tamarisk flame red was his favourite, and when he was with Rachel it would be cornflower blue. Well, he might not be sincere, but he did try to please, which was different from Crispin.

He talked about St. Aubyn’s Park and Crispin. It was a very large estate, was it not? Probably one of the biggest in Wiltshire.

“Tamarisk tells me that you are interested in an odd couple who have a cottage on the estate.”

“Do you mean Miss Lucy and Miss Flora Lane?”

“Is that their names? What is all that about a doll one of them carries around and thinks is a baby? “