The Return of the Gypsy by Philippa Carr Read Free Book Online

suffused his cheeks while he was talking to the gypsies had receded and he was pale. There were beads of sweat on his forehead.
    “That was a near thing,” he said.
    “I was terrified.”
    “And had every reason to be. And another time when I tell you to do something, I expect obedience.”
    “What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t been there?”
    “Ha! You may well ask. I would have given my full attention to those rogues.”
    “Romany Jake saved us. You have to admit that.”
    “He’s a rogue, like all of them. If they are not off by dawn tomorrow, there’ll be trouble for them.”
    “That man with the knife …”
    “Ready to use it, too.”
    “And, Father, you had nothing.”
    “I wish I had brought a gun with me.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t. You had me instead, I was better than a gun.”
    He laughed at me. I believed he was very touched because I had insisted on going with him.
    “There’s no doubt whose daughter you are,” he said. “Jessica, forget I said this, but I’m proud of you.”
    “I’m so glad I insisted on coming with you.”
    “You think it would be the end of me if you hadn’t, don’t you? You’re kidding yourself. I’ve been in tighter spots. What beats me is that such a thing could happen on my land in broad daylight. Another thing … not a word of this to your mother.”
    I nodded.
    And as we rode home each of us was too emotionally stirred for words.
    The next morning the gypsies left and there was lamentation in the kitchen because of the departure of Romany Jake.

The Verdict
    L IFE SEEMED QUITE DULL after the gypsies had gone. We were all dismayed to hear of Napoleon’s great victory at Austerlitz that December. It seemed that he was not beaten yet. Trafalgar had merely robbed him of sea power and he was anxious to show that his armies were supreme.
    However, we settled into the usual routine: lessons, rides, walks, visiting the sick of the neighbourhood with comforts. It was only with the preparations for Christmas that life became eventful again. Bringing in the log, hunting for mistletoe, cutting the holly, and all the baking that went on in the kitchens; selecting the gifts we were giving and speculating on what would be given to us: the usual happenings of the Christmas season.
    Christmas came and went and it was January, three months after the gypsies had vacated our woods. I had not forgotten Romany Jake; I believed I never should. He had made a marked impression on me. I found myself thinking of him at odd moments. I was sure he had been attracted by me in a special sort of way; and there was no doubt that he had had an effect on me. He made me feel that I was no longer a child; and that there were many things I could learn and which he would teach me. I felt frustrated because he had gone before I could understand the meaning of this attraction between us.
    The winds were blowing in from the north bringing snow with them. We had fires all over the house. I loved fires in the bedrooms; it was pleasant to lie in bed and watch the flames in the grate—blue flames which were due to the salty wood which was brought up from the beach after storms. It was great fun going down to collect it and to burn the pieces we had personally found; I always said that the pictures in the blue flames were more beautiful than any others.
    Outside the wind buffeted the house; and there we were warm and cosy with our fires round which we sat roasting chestnuts and telling uncanny stories—the same which we told every year.
    It was the middle of January, during an icy spell, when Dolly Mather came over to Eversleigh in a state of panic. She asked for young Mrs. Frenshaw. She seemed to have a special feeling for Claudine. I happened to come in just as Claudine was coming down to the hall, so I heard what was wrong.
    “It’s my grandmother … Oh, Mrs. Frenshaw, she’s gone.”
    “Gone!” For the moment I thought she was dead for people say “gone” because they