Виктория Холт: Curse of the Kings

"Yes," I said, "the great Tybalt!"

"You said he stooped and wore glasses."

"Well, I was wrong. He doesn't. We'd better go now."

I heard Tybalt's voice as we went down the stairs.

"Who is that insolent girl?"

He was referring to me of course.

Sabina joined us in the hall. "Theodosia is to go back in the carriage," she said. "You two are to walk back. There's going to be trouble." She seemed rather pleased about it.

There was trouble. Miss Graham was waiting for us in the schoolroom.

She looked worried—but then she often did. She was constantly afraid, I realized later, that she would be blamed and dismissed.

"Young Mr. Travers came over in the carriage, with Theodosia," she said. "He has told Sir Ralph all about your wickedness. You are both going to be severely punished. Theodosia has gone to bed. Her ladyship is most anxious and has sent for the doctor. Theodosia is not very strong."

I couldn't help feeling that Theodosia was making the most of the occasion. After all what was she worried about? She knew now that I had been the mummy.

We went into the library, that room where three of the walls were lined with books and the other was almost all window—large, mullion, window-seated, and with heavy dark green curtains. It was a somewhat oppressive room because so many objects seemed to be huddled together under the enormous glass chandelier. There were carved wooden tables from India and figures with similar carving. Chinese vases and an ornate Louis Quinze table supported by gilded cherubs. Sir Ralph had had this assortment of treasures brought to him from all parts of the world and had gathered them together here irrespective of their suitability. All this I noticed later. At this time I was aware only of the two men in the room. Sir Ralph and Tybalt.

"What is all this, eh?" demanded Sir Ralph.

Hadrian always seemed to be struck dumb in the presence of his uncle so it was up to me to speak. I tried to explain.

"No right to be in that room! No right to play such silly tricks. You're going to be punished for this. And you won't like it."

I did not want Tybalt to see that I was afraid. I was thinking of the worst punishment that could befall me. No more lessons with Evan Callum.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Sir Ralph was glaring at Hadrian.

"We only . . . pretended."

"Speak up!"

"It was my idea," I said.

"Let the boy speak for himself, if he can."

"We ... we thought it would be a good idea for Judith to dress up . . ."

Sir Ralph made an impatient noise. Then he turned to me. "So you were the ring leader, eh?"

I nodded and I was suddenly relieved because I was sure I saw his chin move.

"All right," he said. "You'll see what happens to people who play such tricks. You go back to the rectory now and you'll see what's in store for you." Then to Hadrian, "And you, sir. You go to your room. You're going to have the whipping of your life because I'm going to administer it myself. Get out."

Poor Hadrian! It was so humiliating—and in front of Tybalt too!

Hadrian was severely beaten which at sixteen was hard to endure.

When I arrived back at the rectory it was to find Dorcas and Alison very disturbed, as they had been already informed of my sinful folly.

"Why Judith, what if Sir Ralph had refused to have you at Keverall Court again?"

"Has he?" I asked anxiously.

"No, but orders are that you are to be punished and we daren't go against that."

The Reverend James had retired to his study muttering something about pressure of work. This was trouble and he was going to be out of it.

"Well," I demanded, "what are they going to do to me?"

"You are to go to your room and read a book which Mr. Callum has sent for you. You are to write an essay on its contents and to have nothing but bread and water until the task is completed. You are to do this if you stay in your room for a week."

It was no real punishment for me. Dear Evan! The book he chose for me was The Dynasties of Ancient Egypt which fascinated me; and our cook at the rectory in the safety of her kitchen declared that she was not taking orders from Keverall Court; nor was she having me on bread and water. The next thing, she prophesied, would be Dr. Gunwen's brougham at the door and nobody was going to make her starve little children. I was amused that I who had often been called a limb of Satan should have suddenly become a little child. However during that period some of my favorite foods were smuggled in to me. There was a hot steamy pasty I remember, and one of her special miniature squab pies.

I had quite a pleasant two days for my task was finished in record time; and I learned later from Evan that Sir Ralph, far from expressing his disapproval of my exploit, was rather pleased about it.

We were growing up and changes came, but so gradually that one scarcely noticed them.

Tybalt was frequently at Giza House. One of my favorite dreams at that time was that I made a great discovery. This varied. Sometimes I dug up an object of inestimable value; at others I found some tremendous significance in the hieroglyphs about the sarcophagus at Giza House, and this discovery of mine so shook the archaeological world that Tybalt was overcome with admiration. He asked me to marry him and we went off to Egypt together where for the rest of our lives we lived happily ever after piling up discovery after discovery, so that we became famous. "I owe it all to you," said Tybalt, at the end of the dream.

The truth was that he scarcely noticed me, and I believed that if ever he thought of me it was as the silly girl who had dressed up as a mummy and frightened Theodosia.

It was different with Theodosia. Instead of despising her for fainting he seemed to like her for it. She had opportunities for knowing him which were denied me. After lessons were over I went back to the rectory while she, now that she was growing up, joined the family at dinner and the guests were often Tybalt and his father.

Hadrian went off to the university to study archaeology, which was his uncle's choice rather than his. Hadrian had confided to me that he was dependent on his uncle, for his parents were in meager circumstances. His father—Sir Ralph's brother—had married without the family's consent. As Hadrian was the eldest of four brothers and Sir Ralph, having no son of his own had offered to take him and educate him—so Sir Ralph had to be placated.

"You're lucky," I said. "Wouldn't I like to go and study archaeology."

"You were always mad about it."

"It's something to be mad about."

I missed having Hadrian to order around. He was so meek; he had always done what I wanted.

Then Evan Callum ceased to come to teach because he had graduated and had taken a post in one of the universities. Miss Graham and Oliver Shrimpton continued to teach us and we still had music lessons with Tabitha Grey; but the changes were setting in.

Dorcas tried to teach me a few of what she called "home crafts" which meant trying to impart a light touch with pastry and showing me how to make bread and preserves. I was not really very good at that.

"You'll need it one day," she said, "when you have a home of your own. Do you realize you're nearly eighteen, Judith. Why some girls are married at that age."

When she said that there was a little frown on her brow. I believed that she and Alison worried a little about my future. I knew that they hoped I would many—and I knew whom.

We all liked Oliver Shrimpton. He was pleasant, not exactly ambitious but he had an enthusiasm for his work. He was an asset in the parish and for the last two or three years since the Reverend James seemed to get more and more easily tired he had—as Dorcas and Alison admitted—practically carried the parish on his own shoulders. He got on well with the old ladies and the not-so-old ones liked him very much. There were several spinsters who couldn't do enough in church activities and I guessed their enthusiasm had something to do with Oliver.