Виктория Холт - The Mask of the Enchantress

At this time I could only stand beside Miss Anabel staring, speechless.

I heard her laugh and she whispered: "Do you like it?"

Like it? It seemed a mild word to express my feeling about the castle. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen. There was a picture of Windsor Castle in Miss Brent's parlor and that was beautiful. But this was different. This was real. I could see the September sunshine picking out sharp bits of flint in the walls and making them sparkle.

She was waiting for me to answer.

"It's ... beautiful. It's real."

"Oh, it's real all right," answered Miss Anabel. "It's been standing there for seven hundred years."

"Seven hundred years!" I echoed.

"A long time, eh? And think, you've only been on this earth for six. I'm glad you like it."

"Does anyone live in it?"

"Oh yes, people live in it."

"Knights ..." I whispered. "Perhaps the Queen."

"Not the Queen, and they don't have knights in armor these days ... even in seven-hundred-year-old castles."

Suddenly four people appeared—a girl with three boys. They were riding across the stretch of grass before the castle moat. The girl was on a pony and I noticed her particularly, for she seemed to be about my age. The boys were older.

Miss Anabel caught her breath sharply. She laid her hand on my arm and drew me back into the bushes.

"It's all right," she whispered, as though to herself. They're going in."

"Do they live there?" I asked.

"Not all of them. Susannah and Esmond do. Malcolm and Garth are visitors."

"Susannah," I said. "That's a bit like my name."

"Oh yes, it is."

I watched the riders pass over the bridge which crossed the moat. They went under the gatehouse and into the castle.

Their appearance had affected Miss Anabel deeply. She took my hand suddenly, and I remembered Aunt Amelia's injunctions not to speak unless I was spoken to.

Miss Anabel started to run through the trees. I tried to catch her and we were laughing again.

We came to a clearing in the woods and there Janet had undone the hamper, spread a cloth on the grass and was putting out knives and forks and plates.

"We'll wait awhile," said Miss Anabel.

Janet nodded, her lips tight as though she were holding back something she wanted to say which was not very pleasant.

Miss Anabel noticed, for she said: "It's none of your business, Janet."

"Oh no," said Janet, looking like a hen with ruffled feathers, "I know that well enough. I just do as I'm told."

Miss Anabel gave her a little push. Then she said: "Listen."

We all listened. I could hear the unmistakable sound of horses' hoofs.

"It is," said Miss Anabel.

"You be careful, miss," warned Janet. "It might not be."

A man on horseback came into sight. Anabel gave a cry of joy and ran towards him.

He jumped off his horse and tied it to a tree. Miss Anabel, who herself was a tall lady, looked suddenly very small beside him.

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her for some seconds. Then he said: "Where is she?"

Miss Anabel held out her hand and I ran to her.

"This is Suewellyn," she said.

I curtsied as I had been taught to do to people like the squire and the vicar. He picked me up and held me in his arms, scrutinizing me.

"Why," he said, "she is a little thing."

"She's only six, remember," said Miss Anabel. "What did you expect? An Amazon? And she's tall for her age. Aren't you, Suewellyn?"

I said that I was taller than Clara Feen and Jane Motley, who were older than I.

"Well," he said, "that's a mercy. I'm glad you surpassed those two."

"But you don't know them," I said.

And they both laughed.

He put me down and patted my head. My hair was loose today. Miss Anabel did not like it in plaits.

"We're going to eat now," said Miss Anabel. "Janet has it all waiting for us." She whispered to the man: "Most disapproving, I assure you."

"I don't need to be assured on that point," he said.

"She thinks it was another of my mad schemes."

"Well, isn't it?"

"Oh, you know you wanted it as much as I did."

He still had his hand on my head. He ruffled my hair and said: "I believe I did."

At first I was rather sorry that he and Janet were there. I should have liked Miss Anabel to myself. But after a while I began to change my mind. It was only Janet I wished to be without. She sat a little apart from us and her expression reminded me of Aunt Amelia, which in its turn recalled the unpleasant truth that this magical day would come to an end and I should be back in the house on the green with only memories of it. But in the meantime it was Now and Now was glorious.

We sat down to eat and I was between Miss Anabel and the man. Once or twice she called him by his name, which was Joel. I was not told what I was to call him, which was a little awkward. There was something about him which made it impossible not to be aware of him all the time. Janet was in awe of him, I sensed. She did not speak to him as she did to Miss Anabel. When she did address him, she called him Sir.

He had dark brown eyes and hair of a lighter shade of brown. There was a cleft in his chin and he had very strong white teeth. He had white, strong-looking hands. I noticed them particularly, and there was a signet ring on his little finger. He seemed to be watching me and Miss Anabel; and Miss Anabel was watching us both. Janet, sitting a little distance away, had brought out her knitting, and her needles were clicking away, registering disapproval as clearly as her pursed lips did.

Miss Anabel asked me questions about Crabtree Cottage and Aunt Amelia and Uncle William. Many of them she had asked before and I realized that she was asking them again so that he could hear the answers. He listened attentively and every now and then nodded.

The food was delicious, or perhaps I was so enchanted that I found everything different from everyday life. There was chicken, crusty bread and some sort of pickle which I had never tasted before.

"Why," said Miss Anabel, "Suewellyn has the wishbone." She picked up the bone on my plate and held it up. "Come on, Suewellyn, pull with me. If you get the bigger half you can have a wish."

"Three wishes," said the man.

"It's only one, Joel, you know," replied Miss Anabel.

"Today it's three," he retorted. "It's a special birthday. Had you forgotten that?"

"Of course it's a special day."

"So special wishes. Now for the contest."

"You know what you have to do, Suewellyn," said Miss Anabel. She picked up the bone. "You twist your little finger round that side, and I twist mine round this side, and we pull. The one who gets the bigger bit gets the wish."

"Wish three times," said Joel.

"There's one condition," said Miss Anabel. "You must not tell your wishes. Ready?"

We curled our little fingers about the bone. There was a crack. The bone had broken and I cried out in delight, for the larger part was in my hand.

"It's Suewellyn's," cried Miss Anabel.

"Shut your eyes and make your wishes," said Joel.

So I sat back holding the bone in my hand and asked myself what I wanted most of all. I wanted this day to last forever, but it would be silly to wish for that because nothing, not even chicken bones, could make that come true. I was thinking hard. What I had always wanted was a father and mother; and before I had realized it I had wished for that—but not just any father and mother. I wanted a father like Joel and a mother like Miss Anabel. There was my second wish gone. I did not want to have to live in Crabtree Cottage. I wanted to live with my own father and mother.

The three wishes were made.

I opened my eyes. They were both watching me intently.

"Have you made your wishes?" asked Miss Anabel.