Saraband for Two Sisters

I watched intently, determined to gain his attention. I would ask questions about the tactics and once expressed doubts as to the wisdom of employing them. Those well-marked eyebrows would shoot up as he talked to me, as though amazed at my temerity in questioning a professional soldier.

Once I took the infantry and placed it in another position. Instead of reproving me or trying to stop me, he said, “Then in that case I should have brought the cavalry over here.”

“The infantry is behind this ridge of hills,” I pointed out. “Your cavalry would not have been aware that they had changed position.”

“They would have seen.”

“No, they moved by night.”

“My spies would have informed me.”

“Ah, but my spies recognized your spies. You have used the same men too often. They misled you and you are under the impression that they are concealed by this ridge. They moved silently on to another.”

I saw the glint in his eyes as mine met his and held them.

“What do you know of battle?” he demanded.

“Battle is strategy and tactics. A woman, you know, is rather skilled in these arts.”

He was amused and, I knew, excited; and we played out our mock battles.

Angelet sat in her chair, watching us.

Afterward she said to me, “You shouldn’t have talked like that to Richard. It was rather arrogant, wasn’t it? As though you knew as much about fighting battles as he does.”

“They are only battles with toy soldiers.”

“They are real to him. He is reconstructing battles he has fought and won.”

“Then it is well for him to have an opposing general to outwit him.”

“You ... Bersaba!”

“Yes,” I retorted, “why not?”

“I don’t think he was very pleased.”

But of course he was, and we went on playing our games on the mock battlefields and the chessboard. I looked forward to those evenings when I would be so aware of him and try to make him aware of me. Then, when I was alone at night, I would think of him. I knew that the terrible fascination which I had felt when we had first met had by no means diminished. In fact it grew every day.

Once Angelet said to me, “Richard was talking of you last night.”

“Yes?” I asked eagerly. “What did he say?”

“He said that we must entertain. He would rather we did it in London, though. He said that would be more interesting.”

“But you said he was talking of me.”

“It was of you. He said we should find a husband for you.”

I felt angry with him, and I said, “Does he want me out of the house?»

“Oh, no, Bersaba! You mustn’t think that. He likes to have you here because he knows I do. He said you are amusing and attractive and ought to be married. Just for now he wants us to stay here because of my health. He doesn’t think I’m well enough yet for anything but the quiet life.”

He had said I was amusing and attractive, but he wanted to find a husband for me.

I felt half pleased yet half angry and frustrated.

I was uneasy about this household of servants. Had I been mistress of Far Flamstead I should have wanted to know more about them. The chief ones of course were the Cherrys and the man Jesson. The latter was a silent-footed, self-effacing, yet efficient man of whom one saw so little that one was inclined to forget he existed. He was a sort of gray eminence, I imagined, for the servants spoke of him with awe. His daughters were very much in evidence. Meg was Angelet’s personal maid and her sister Grace was a sort of part-time midwife, according to Angelet. Her services would not be in great demand in the house, as most of the servants were men, but she would be useful if Angelet ever needed her. She had a great belief in Grace’s wisdom, for it seemed the woman had known she was pregnant before Angelet had been sure of it herself.

I thought how like Richard it was to have a house managed by his own sex. All these men had served under him at some time, I gathered, and had left the Army for some reason. He would be their benefactor and would reason, in his cold analytical way, that they would doubtless give him better service because of this. Mrs. Cherry and her husband seemed a conventional enough couple. She was in charge of the kitchens and he acted with Jesson as a general factotum. I had to admit the house was run smoothly. Every clock kept exact time and meals were served precisely on the stroke of the intended hour. It was amusing. Angelet scarcely behaved like the mistress of the house, for she had made no changes. I thought I should have done so just to show these people that I was the mistress.

There was no doubt that I was regarded with some interest and, I imagined, mild suspicion.

I would often find Mrs. Cherry’s eyes watching me with a wary look in them as though she were pondering what I would do next I had been fascinated by the castle from the first and became more so when Angelet told me not to approach it as it was a ruin in danger of collapse and Richard had given firm orders that no one was to go near it. She told me she believed he would be very angry if any of us disobeyed his orders.