The Song of the Siren by Philippa Carr Read Free Book Online Page B

Harriet had played a major part in all our lives and she was like a member of the family. My grandfather was the only one who disliked her and as he was a man who would not bother to hide his feelings, this was obvious. But there again I think he enjoyed his battles with her and I was sure she did. So it was always good when Harriet arrived.
    It was the usual Christmas, getting in the yule log, decorating the great hall, giving the carol singers mulled wine out of the steaming punch bowl, feasting and dancing under the holly and mistletoe.
    The Willerbys were there of course. Little Christabel was taken off to the nursery by Sally and she and Emily shook their heads and
    45muttered about the less efficient methods employed at Grasslands compared with those at Eversleigh.
    As we sat drowsily over the remains of the Christmas dinner, our goblets full of the malmsey and muscadel of which my grandfather was justly proud, Thomas Willerby again raised the question of his giving up Grasslands.
    “I don’t know,” he said looking at my mother, “there is too much to remind us of Christabel.”
    “We should hate you to go,” said Priscilla.
    “And it would be so strange to have someone else at Grasslands,” added my grandmother.
    “We’re such a happy community,” put in Leigh. “It’s really like one big family.”
    Thomas’s expression grew very sentimental. I guessed he was about to say again that he owed his happiness to the Eversleighs.
    Christabel had been my grandfather’s illegitimate daughter. He was a wild man, my grandfather; it always delighted me, though, to see how devoted he was to my grandmother.
    Harriet once said: “He
    was a rake till he married Arabella. Then he reformed.” I liked to
    *
    think that that was how Beau would have been had we married.
    “It is only the thought of leaving you all that has stopped my going before,” went on Thomas. “When Christabel went I knew I could never forget while I was here. There’s too much to remind me. My brother in York is urging me to go up there.”
    “Dear Thomas,” said Priscilla. “You must go if it makes you happier.”
    “Try it for a while,” suggested Harriet. “You can always come back.” She changed the subject. She was a little impatient of this sentimental talk, I knew.
    “Strange if there were two houses for sale,” she said. “Ah, but Carlotta has changed her mind. She is not going to sell Enderby .,. for a while. I wonder what our new neighbors would have been like.”
    “Carlotta was rather taken with her, were you not, Carlotta?” said my mother.
    “She was very elegant. Not exactly beautiful but attractive with Basses of red hair.
    I was very interested in Mistress Pilkington.”
    “Pilkington!” said Harriet. “Not Beth Pilkington!”
    “She was Mistress Elizabeth Pilkington.”
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    “I wonder, was she tall with rather strange-coloured eyes-topaz colour she used to call them? In the theatre we said they were ginger like her hair. Good Heavens. Fancy that! If Priscilla would have allowed her to, Beth Pilkington would have bought Enderby.
    She was a considerable actress. I played with her during my season in London.”
    “I see it now,” I said. “She was an actress. She said she had a son.”
    “I never saw him. I believe she had a rich protector. He would have to be rich to satisfy Beth’s requirements.”
    My mother looked uneasy and said she thought it was going to be a hard winter. She disliked what she would think of as loose talk before Damaris and me. Leigh, who was always protective towards her, came in to help and talked about what he intended to do with some of the land he had acquired. My grandfather looked sardonic and I thought he was going to pursue the subject of Beth Pilkington, but Arabella gave him a look which surprisingly subdued him.
    Then the talk turned to politics-beloved by my grandfather. He was fierce in his views-a firm Protestant and never afraid to state his feelings. These views of