I looked angrily at the back of the horseman and turned on the small Jarman whose mud-spattered face was lifted to mine, one finger in his mouth while he regarded me with curiosity.

“You dirty little creature,” I stammered. Then I was sorry because it wasn’t his fault.

“All right,” I said.

“Go in and get one of your brothers and sisters to dry you. And don’t dare walk into the pond again.”

I strode off to the Dower House. As soon as I reached my room I looked at myself in a mirror. There was a smudge of dirt on my cheek; my blouse was muddy, my skirt wet at the hem and my shoes saturated. “ What a sight I looked. And the man on horseback had taken me for a cottage girl! I guessed who he was. Hadn’t he asked for Oakland Hall? Hadn’t he behaved in a per fe arrogant manner? Hadn’t he the conceited looks of a peacock?

To think that my first meeting with him should have been like that!

“I knew I’d hate him,” I said aloud.

I could not bring myself to go to Oakland Hall the following afternoon. I thought: He’ll be there, and I don’t want to see him. Ben will be all right, I thought jealously. He’s got his precious Peacock.

He won’t want me.

I was wrong.

Maddy came knocking at my door.

“Hannah gave me a message for you.

It’s from Mr. Henniker. He’s asking you to go over there. He wants you particular I had to go then, so I dressed with care. I wore my blue alpaca, which if it was not my most becoming gown gave me an air of dignity.

As soon as I arrived at the Hall I was aware of the change. There was tense excitement in the atmosphere. Wilmot greeted me in the hall, urbane and dignified.

“Mr. Henniker wishes you to go straight up to his room, Miss Clavering.”

Thank you, Wilmot,” I said.

I knew it was no use asking the questions which came into my mind.

Wilmot would be too correct to discuss one visitor with another. But I did see Hannah at the top of the staircase where she was lurking, obviously hoping to catch me.

“Oh, Miss Jessica,” she said in an awe struck voice, ‘he’s come. the gentleman from Australia. “

“Oh?” I said, waiting.

“My word!” The expression on her face irritated me. Usually sensible, Hannah looked quite foolish.

“He seems to have had an extraordinary effect on you,” I said sharply.

“Mr. Henniker’s that pleased. I reckon ifs given him a new lease of life. He came into the hall yesterday it was … You’d have thought he owned the place. Wilmot says it looks like the place could belong to him. I don’t know when I’ve seen such a big gentleman, and he’s got a way of talking too. You can hear him all over the place… one of them carrying voices. My word! I reckon he knows what he’s about.

Wilmot seems to think he’s some sort of relation. A son, Wilmot’s heard. Though we didn’t know Mr. Henniker had been married, and he’s a Mr. Madden. “

“I suppose I’m to meet him,” I said, cutting her short, ‘so I must go and see this-‘ I was going to say ‘peacock’ but I changed it to ‘paragon’- “of yours whose huge body and booming voice seem to have bewitched you.”

I went past her, knowing she was thinking I was very touchy today.

I knocked at Ben’s bedroom door and heard him say: This will be Jessica. ” Then loudly: ” Come in, my dear. “I went in. Ben was sitting in the chair by the bed in a dressing-gown and with a rug about his knees. A tall figure rose and came towards me. I was annoyed because I had to look up so far.

Of course it was the man I had met on horseback outside the Jarman cottage.

He took my hand and kept it too long for me.

“So,” he said, ‘we meet again. “

“Hey? What’s this?” cried Ben.

“Come over here, the two of you. I want to make a proper introduction. This is a very important occasion. I want you two to know each other, and when you do you’re going to like each other a good deal. I’ve never had any doubt of that. You’re two of a kind.”

I couldn’t help showing the resentment which flared up with me at the thought of being compared with this man. I noticed his eyes then-those deep blue eyes the colour of a peacock’s feather; I noticed the rather large nose, slightly aquiline, which suggested the arrogance I was convinced I would find, and the long, rather thin lips, which could have been cynical or sensuous or both. It was not so much a handsome face as a distinguished one-the sort that would never be passed in a crowd and once seen remembered. The brown velvet jacket and the very white cravat suggested fastidiousness, but the brown riding boots and corded breeches were essentially masculine.

What I disliked most was the mocking expression in his face which told me that he was remembering the sight of me emerging from a muddy pond with a grubby Jarman in my arms. That was his first impression and it was something he was not going to forget.

“We have met before, Ben,” he said.

“Come and tell me about it.”

I said quickly: “I went to the Jarmans. Mrs. Jarman produced again and my grandmother sent me over with son things. As I was coming out of the house one of the children fell into the pond. I got him out and Mr. er …” I nodded towards him.

‘you must call him Joss, my dear,” said Ben.

“We don’t want any formality. We’re all too friendly for that.”

“But I don’t know him,” I protested.

“We have met before,” said Joss Madden, and I sensed the mockery.

I said firmly: “Mr. Madden came by, asked the way-and paid for the information.” I turned to him.

“I can assure you the fee was unnecessary and would have been returned to you had not the children seized whatever it was and run off with it.”

Ben laughed.

“Well, fancy that! And you didn’t know each other?”

“Having heard that Mr. Madden was due, I guessed it was he. His actions fitted what I had heard of him.”

Joss Madden laughed. It was a quick bellow of a laugh. It exploded and was over.

“I trust that was meant as a compliment,” he said, ‘because I’m going to take it as such. “

“I will leave you to judge,” I replied.

Ben Was smiling as though-I found I was using this simile often in connection with him-he had found the Green Flash.

“It does me good to see you here getting along so well with Jessica,” said Ben.

“It’s the best thing that’s happened since my fall. Now, let’s all sit down and get comfortable, shall we? We’ve got a lot to talk about, and I don’t know how much time there is left to us.”

“Don’t say that, Ben,” I cried.

“You’re going to be so much better now that er … Mr. Madden has come.”

“Let’s look the truth straight between the eyes,” said Ben.

“It’s always the best way. That’s so, eh. Joss ?”

“I believe it to be,” he answered.

‘now come on . bring the chairs up . one of you on either side of me. There. That's what I’ve been wanting for a long time. Now I’m going to be sentimental. It’s allowed for a poor old man who hasn’t got much time left to him. There’s two people who mean more to me than anything eke in the world, and I’ve set my heart on one thing and that is that I want them to be together . work together . “

I could feel Joss Madden’s eyes on me, assessing me in a way I felt offensive. No man had ever looked at me like that before. It made me strangely aware of myself. I had expected him to be arrogant and offensive, but I had not guessed he would arouse such hitherto unexperienced feelings in me. I found myself remembering that there was a strongish breeze which had made my hair untidy and that my alpaca was not in very becoming. I must have looked quite terrible yesterday when I had emerged from the pond.

I heard myself say shrilly: “Work together … I Whatever do you mean, Ben?”

“Well, that’s something I’m coming to. I can see Joss here thinking it’s a bit soon. I reckon he’s thinking you and he ought to get better acquainted first. Is that it. Joss?”

“It may be that Miss Clavering would find the shock too great. Give her a day or two to get used to me.”

This is all rather mysterious. “

“Ifs really very straightforward and practical,” said Joss Madden.

“Are you practical. Miss Clavering?”

“Now what did I say,” interrupted Ben.

“No formality.”

“Are you practical, Jessica?” asked Joss Madden.

“I think I am,” I answered.

“Yes. You have that air. I would say you take a pride in being a sensible young woman.”

“It seems a sensible thing to take a pride in,” I retorted.

“Brisk,” he said.

“No nonsense. That’s going to be very helpful, I can see.”

“Look here,” said Ben.

“I’m rushing things. I begin to see that. I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Tomorrow we’ll have a good talk. The three of us together, eh?”

That seems a good idea,” said Joss Madden.

All right, then,” said Ben. That’s settled. We’ll just chat now, eh?

Tell me how things are back home. “

“I’ve told you the essentials already,” said Joss with a laugh.

Things-are running as smoothly as they can be expected to. There are no dire problems. We struck a rich vein near Deny Creek. “

“Good black opal, eh? And not too much potch. That’s what I like to hear. Jimson Laud coming along all right?”

“He’s all right.”

“You sound lukewarm.

“Jimson’s the one who’s lukewarm.”

“Can’t expect everyone to blow hot like you. Joss. Jimson’s a figure man. They don’t get excited-but accounts arc important to the business.

And Lilias? “

The same as ever. “

“And Emmeline?”