Part 49 (1/2)

Carlotta turned her full-lidded eyes on my sister. 'For a purpose?' she asked.

My sister shrugged her shoulders, and Gwenifer said: 'You came back with Bastian the other day, Bersaba.'

'Yes,' said Bersaba, 'I lost you, and so did Bastian, and then ... we found each other.'

It seemed a long and unnecessary explanation. I knew Bersaba had deliberately lost herself. I wondered whether Bastian had too.

'Ah, Bastian, the brother,' said Carlotta. 'He is a very pleasant young gentleman. I shall miss Spain where life is so much more gracious, but I think I shall like being here ... for a while.'

'Shall you go back to Spain?'

'Of course.'

'Are you betrothed?' asked Rozen.

Carlotta shook her head. 'No, I could have been but he was not to my liking. He was old, a great n.o.bleman with large estates and a great t.i.tle, but I said, No, I am too young yet for such a union. I will wait a little while. There might be someone to my liking.'

We all regarded her with awe.

When we came to the Seaward Tower, she said: 'Why do we not enter here?'

'We rarely go in there,' said Rozen. 'That's where our grandfather lives with his servants. There has to be a special reason for going ... for instance, when my aunt arrives with the twins. She is expected to call on the first day of her arrival and after that wait for an invitation.'

'That mad old man!' said Carlotta. 'What a scene he made! He did not like my mother nor me. He does not want us here.'

'He gets very angry. For so many years he has been crippled. At first they thought he would kill himself, but he didn't; and now he goes on making everyone's life unbearable, but somehow the servants who look after him admire him. I can't think why?'

'It is time he is dead,' said Carlotta, blowing her lips in an odd gesture as though he were so much dust and she were blowing him away.

We were all a little shocked. Perhaps it had occurred to us that Grandfather Casvellyn's life must be a burden to him and others, but while he had life in his body that life was sacred. Our parents had taught us that.

Carlotta sensed our thoughts. There was something uncanny about her. Perhaps she was indeed a witch or had such experience of life that she understood how the minds of simple country girls worked. She cried out: 'Oh, you don't talk of such matters, do you? You all pretend you're fond of him because he's your grandfather. How could anyone be fond of such a horrible old man? He wanted us turned away. Did my grandmother really marry him? She is so beautiful ... the most beautiful woman I ever saw ... and she married him!'

'He was no doubt very handsome in those days.'

She was thoughtful. 'Tall and strong and powerful ... the lord of the castle ... perhaps. Well, how I say it is time he was dead and I shall say what I think.'

'Don't let anyone hear you,' I said.

'I shall not care who does, little twin. Which one are you? How can people tell you from your sister? What fun you must have.'

'Yes,' said Bersaba, 'we do.'

'I do not think I should care to have someone so like myself,' said Carlotta. 'I like to be different ... no one like me ... all by myself ... unique.'

'We have our differences,' I said. 'It is in our natures.'

'One is the saint and one the sinner, I believe,' said Carlotta.

'That could be true,' said Bersaba.

'And which is which?'

'Our mother says that no person is all bad, none all good. So we shouldn't be so neatly divided,' I said.

'How you quote your mother!' said Carlotta contemptuously. 'You will have to learn your own lessons from life, won't you? Is the old man watching us now, do you think?'

'It may be,' said Bersaba. 'I have sometimes seen him at a window watching.'

Carlotta turned and looked up at the Seaward Tower. She clenched her fist and shook it.

Again we were horrified, and seeing this she laughed at us.

'Let us ride,' she said. 'I have a fancy to see the countryside.'

'We are not allowed to ride alone,' said Rozen.

'We shall not be alone. There are five of us.'

'We are girls, so we have to take some grooms with us.'

'What could happen to us?'

'We could be set upon by robbers.'

'Who would take our purses,' said Gwenifer.

'Or worse,' added Rozen.

'Rape?' said Carlotta with that strange laughter in her voice.

'I think that is what they fear.'

'We could elude them,' said Carlotta. 'Come, we are taking no grooms with us.'

'And if we are robbed or ...' began Rozen.

'Then we shall have gained in experience,' answered Carlotta. 'Let us change into our riding-habits.'

'You have yours with you?' asked Rozen.

'My dear cousin ... for I suppose we are related in a way, since your grandfather was my grandmother's husband, and ”cousin” covers these complicated relations.h.i.+ps. So, dear cousin, let me tell you that the pack horses brought our clothes and there are plenty of them, for my mother said the fas.h.i.+ons here at Castle Paling will not be of the latest and your English ones of course could not compare with those of Spain.'

'I believe the fas.h.i.+ons at Court are quite splendid,' said Rozen warmly.

'Gaudy, no doubt,' said Carlotta, 'and I suppose that could be called splendid here. But let us change and then you can show me the countryside.'

As we went to our rooms to change Bersaba said to me: 'I don't like her, Angelet. I wish they hadn't come.'

'You don't know her,' I insisted.