The Song of the Siren

The door opened. My heart leapt and I felt that it would suffocate me.

Then I felt furiously angry. It was my half sister, Damaris, who had come into the room.

“Damaris!” I stammered. “What... what are you doing here?”

My disappointment sickened me and for the moment I hated my sister. She stood there, her lips slightly parted, her eyes round with astonishment; she was not a pretty child; she was quiet, obedient, and had a desire to please, which our mother said was “engaging.” I had always found her rather dull; I ignored her in the main, but now I positively hated her. She looked so neat and clean in her pale blue gown with its sash of a slightly lighter hue and her long brown hair hanging down in loose curls. There was a certain amount of curiosity in her expression which was rapidly replacing the concern.

“I thought someone was with you, Carlotta,” she said. “You were talking to someone, were you not?”

“I called out to know who was there. You startled me.” I frowned at her accusingly.

Her mouth was a round O. She had no subtlety. Perhaps one should not expect it of a child of ten. What had I said? I believed I had called out Beau’s name. Had she noticed it? I felt certain she had never heard of Beau.

“I thought you said something like Bow,” she said.

“You were mistaken,” I told her quickly. “I said: ‘Who’s there?’ “

“But...”

“You imagined the rest,” I went on sharply. I had risen from the bed and gripped her none too gently by the shoulder so that she winced a little. I was glad. I wanted to hurt her. “You have no right to come here,” I said. “This is my house and I came to see that it was all right.”

“Were you testing the bed?”

I looked at her intently. No, there was no ulterior motive in the remark. No suggestions.

No probing. One thing about my little sister, she was completely innocent. She was only ten years old in any case.

I pondered. Should I try to give her some explanation? No, it was best to leave things as they were. We went out of the house together.

”How did you get here?” I asked.

“I walked.”

I mounted my horse. “Then you can walk back,” I said.

It was two days later and a Saturday. I was in the garden of the Dower House when a man appeared on horseback. He dismounted and bowed to me.

“Am I mistaken or is this the Dower House Eversleigh and does Captain Leigh Main live here?”

“You are right. He is not here at the moment but will be back very soon, I believe.

Do come in. I’ll show you where you can tether your horse.”

“Thank you. You must be his daughter.”

“His stepdaughter.”

“I’m Gervaise Langdon. We were in the army together.”

“General Langdon!” I cried. “I have heard him mention your name. General Sir Gervaise Langdon. Is that right?”

“I see you are well informed.”

I took him to the post by the mounting block and as I was directing him towards the house my mother appeared.

“This is General Sir Gervaise Langdon, mother,” I said.

Priscilla cried: “Oh, please come in. My husband should be here very soon.”

“I was passing through the district,” explained Sir Gervaise, “and I remembered my old friend lived here so I thought I would pay him a visit.”

“He will be delighted. He has talked of you a great deal, hasn’t he, Carlotta? This is my daughter Carlotta.”

Sir Gervaise bowed again to me. “It is a great pleasure,” he said.

My mother led the way into the hall.

“I was about to call at the big house,” said Sir Gervaise, “and one of the grooms there told me that you were now at the Dower House.”

“Oh, yes,” said my mother. “My parents are at the Court.”

“Lord Eversleigh too, I believe. Where is Edwin now?”

“He’s abroad on service,” said my mother.

“Ah, yes. I had hoped to see him too.”

‘You know my husband has retired from the army, of course.”

“Yes, indeed I do. Eversleigh stays on.”

”Yes, but I think his wife would like him to do what Leigh has done.”

“A pity,” said the General. “We need men like them.”

“I always think that their families need them too.”

“Ah, the wives’ complaint!” said the General with a smile.

Priscilla took him into the drawing room and sent for wine and cakes.

Damaris appeared and was introduced.

“You have two charming daughters,” said the General.

He talked to us about his travels abroad and how delighted he was to be in England, and while this was going on Leigh arrived. He was delighted to see the General and after a while my mother said she was sure they had a great deal to say to each other and she hoped the General was in no hurry and would stay awhile.

He replied that he was going to visit his old friend Ned Netherby and planned to stay the night at an inn about four miles on and then go to Netherby the following day.

“But you cannot do that,” cried my mother. “You must stay here for the night. We wouldn’t hear of your going to stay at an inn, would we Leigh?”

Leigh said that the General must stay and the latter needed little persuasion.

“Then that is settled,” said my mother. “You will excuse me and I will see that they get your room ready. Carlotta, Damaris, come along and help.”

We went out with her.