Page 58 of A Sense of Paradise
‘She has indeed,’ Pamela replied, her manner more refined than Flora had ever known her to be. Married life and perhaps separation from their father had given her the freedom for her individuality to blossom, and Flora was liking the person she had become. ‘We have been having a delightful discussion about the pleasures of France. It is a country that I have long wished to visit but probably never shall.’
‘Have you really?’ Flora permitted her surprise to show. ‘I had no idea, but then there’s no reason to image that I would have known. We were never close as children and would certainly never have dared to express such aspirations, even if we had been.’
‘I hope we shall soon be able to express our desires more openly,’ Pamela said, sounding anxious to bridge the divide that had always separated the eldest two Miss Latimers, whose characters were so diverse. Flora sensed she was doing so because it was what she wanted rather than because of what Archie could do for her husband. The possibility of enjoying the company of two of her four sisters filled Flora’s heart with joy. She was the luckiest of women who was on the point of marrying a marquess, and she wanted to share her good fortune with those members of her family who liked her for herself and not for what she could do for them.
‘I hope so too,’ Flora replied, smiling at Pamela.
‘You are all very different, you three sisters,’ Eloise said into the ensuing silence. ‘I would not have known that you were related.’
‘Some would say that is a good thing,’ Flora replied. ‘I am very much the black sheep, I’m afraid.’
Eloise looked confused. ‘Your family think you are a…unbrebis?’
The ladies laughed and it was left to Melanie to explain the idiom.
‘I came to thank you for intercepting on Mr Janson’s behalf,’ Pamela said, after the subject of sheep had been exhausted, and the tea poured and distributed. The taste of Beatrice’s fresh biscuits so soon after tasting those made by Archie’s cook decided the matter. Beatrice’s were unsurpassable and she would simply have to be persuaded to come to Felsham Hall when Flora married. ‘The bishop has put my husband’s name forward for the vacant living and given us every reason to suppose that he will be successful. This is your doing, or more to the point, Lord Felsham’s.’
‘He was happy to help, but I confess to being surprised that the bishop has given the matter his attention. You will have heard that his nephew was recently murdered.’
‘I did hear and am very sorry for it. I know how attached he was to Mr Yardley.’ Pamela looked up at Flora. ‘Weren’t Papa and the bishop both keen to see you and Mr Yardley married at one time?’
‘They were, but I did not find the prospect agreeable,’ Flora replied with feeling.
‘Well anyway,’ Pamela said, accepting a second cup of tea and stirring sugar into it. ‘I came to ask a favour. Will you join me in Bradenstoke village tomorrow and help me get to grips with the lie of the land? I am nervous about taking on my duties as a pastor’s wife, even though I have watched Mama in that regard for as long as I remember. But this will be Mr Janson’s first parish. I want to make a good impression and not let him down. You have so much more courage than I do and…’
Flora smiled as she held up a hand to stem Pamela’s nervous flow of words. ‘Of course I will come,’ she said.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Good gracious. Did your bed catch fire?’ Mrs Finch asked when Flora called upon her very early the following morning.
‘Sorry if I’ve interrupted your breakfast.’ Flora placed a loaf still warm from the oven on Mrs Finch’s table and set the kettle to boil. ‘I don’t have a lot of time but there is something that I urgently need to discuss with you.’
‘Then by all means…’ Mrs Finch spread her hands, clearly filled with curiosity.
Flora explained about Pamela’s situation and her agreement to accompany her to Bradenstoke later in the day.
‘I am glad you have made peace with another of your sisters,’ Mrs Finch said, slicing the loaf and slathering it with butter. ‘Families at war finish up tearing one another apart, but you need not have put yourself out by coming to me today to tell me that, so I suspect you have another reason.’
‘Actually, the need for your presence at Felsham Hall is now pressing. I assume you heard of the unpleasantness in the village the day before yesterday, which decided me on the matter,’ she explained. ‘I discussed the possibility with Archie yesterday and he would be delighted to welcome you to the estate as soon as you feel able to make the move—which, selfishly, I hope will be very soon—if only to stop tongues from wagging.’
‘Tongues arenotwagging. No one worth knowing believes a word that scoundrel Baldock said about you. He was conniving even as a child, and is not popular.’
‘Even so, I will not give my father the satisfaction of thinking that I am immoral.’
‘Ha! You will be a marchioness, so far above him in the order of things that his views won’t be worth tuppence.’
‘I know, but I want to do this properly.’ She sent Mrs Finch an imploring look. ‘Will you help me please?’
Mrs Finch wiped a tear from her eye. ‘You will be married in a few months, pet. Then what’s to become of me? My services will no longer be required and I shall be in the way.’
‘Nonsense! You will be able to live there indefinitely. In fact, I insist upon it. I have become accustomed to your good sense and lively conversation. Besides, I don’t have the first idea how to be a marchioness and the prospect of managing such a large household terrifies me. I shall be in hourly need of your guidance.’
‘Nothing terrifies you, lamb, but I appreciate being made to feel useful. I don’t like charity though.’
‘I am the one in need ofyourcharity,’ Flora replied.
Mrs Finch nodded, her expression pensive. ‘I suppose when you put it like that, I could move fairly quickly. This has been my home for a long time now but there isn’t much that I shall miss about it.’
