'Enter,' sounded Lady Adeline's voice at its most urbane.
Around the edge of the door peeped a very pretty face. It possessed a pair of doe-like brown eyes; a small, full-lipped mouth; and was framed by a veritable cluster of corkscrew curls of burnished gold.
Perceiving the small, white cap of a servant was tied atop these, Lady Adeline felt free to assert herself. 'Come in at once, if you have something to say. There is no need for any of this lurking.' She infused the fault with all the gravity of a capital offence.
Blushing, and with downcast eyes, the girl made her way hesitantly into the room. She was very tiny, and this, combined with her timidity, made her seem much younger than she could possibly be.
Iphigenia instantly felt sorry for her, knowing that she was to be a pigeon for Lady Adeline's plucking. As she often did, she glanced at her brother in the expectation of wordless understanding. This time, Kit's eyes did not meet his sister's. However, she could tell that he was aware of the girl's beauty; he wore an expression of awed admiration and the entirety of his attention was fixed on the girl.
Lady Adeline, however, seemed to be completely impervious to the girl's charm. 'Well? And what have you to say for yourself?' she demanded imperiously.
Bobbing a curtsey, the girl replied softly with a countrified accent, 'If you please, ma'am, I'm here for Miss Ffouldes.'
One of Lady Adeline's eyebrows went up, and the interrogation continued. 'And what do you want of her?'
'Only to show you to your room, Miss,' she replied, somewhat nervously.
Making a show of her feelings of affront, Lady Adeline looked around at her offspring for support. Not finding any, she continued implacably, 'Do you take me for my daughter! If only I could believe such obvious flattery!' She emitted a rather forced-sounding laugh, and turned to her son, to encourage him to share her amusement. He, however, was not amused, and found that his feet were worthy of attention.
Iphigenia took advantage of this lull to go over to the poor girl, who seemed almost on the verge of tears, and she smiled kindly. Softly she introduced herself, 'I think that I am the person you were looking for. And are you indeed to show me to my room? I confess that I am exhausted - would you be so kind as to direct me immediately?' Iphigenia gestured the way to the door.
The girl gave a rather quavery smile, bobbed another curtsey and preceeded Iphigenia out of the room. Miss Ffouldes met her brother's eye just as she vanished from the room - she winked saucily, and he smiled approval at her swift intervention.
As she pulled the book room door shut with a soft click, Iphigenia gave the girl another encouraging smile. 'There, now,' she said. 'My father is fond of the advice get over rough ground as lightly as you can, and I think that we can flatter ourselves that we have done just that.'
The girl managed to regain some composure, and returned Iphigenia's smile. 'Follow me, if you please, Miss,' she said as they began their walk back to the hall.
In much the same way that everyone likes a lamb, a rabbit or a kitten, Iphigenia found that she really liked this girl. She had spent most of her own life in the country, brought up among other local people who were lacking what was called sophistication or town polish. Euphemisms, in Iphigenia's opinion, for conceit and subterfuge. The people that Iphigenia knew were undeniably unrefined, but there was an honesty and an integrity in them that compensated for awkward manners. She felt that she had known this girl her whole life, because she had known people like her for that length of time.
'Can I ask your name?' Iphigenia inquired as they walked.
With another shy smile and ducking her golden curls again, the girl answered, 'Sukey Pyle, miss.'
'Well, Sukey Pyle,' Iphigenia began jokingly, 'you needn't fear that I am going to play the great lady and make every attempt to remind you of your place. That's my mother's job.'
Sukey stifled a little laugh, and glanced guiltily at Iphigenia, unsure of her.
Iphigenia was reassuring. 'No, no - you might as well laugh if that's what you feel like doing at the moment. After all, I shall probably have to ask you to do all sorts of things you might dislike, if you are to be my abigail while I remain at Wynleigh. So enjoy yourself now, by all means! Are you to be my abigail?'
Shyly, Sukey answered, 'I think so, ma'am.' She spent a moment considering something, and then said, uncertainly, 'Ive never done any abigailing before, ma'am. Just kitchen work. I hope you won't mind.'
'I am sure I shan't,' Iphigenia replied blithely. Just remember when you are stuffing me into my corset that I do not need to be coated in breadcrumbs or have an apple shoved in my mouth!'
It was a poor joke, but it worked. Sukey laughed, quietly, and Iphigenia hoped that she had found someone to talk to without reservation.
They had come to the great staircase in the hall once again. As they climbed, Iphigenia asked all kinds of questions about how Wynleugh was ordered - did they dress for dinner here, when did they dine, what amusements did Lady Wynleigh enjoy in the drawing room, when did the household retire for the night, were trays brought up to the bedchambers, or was there a breakfast parlour? The two young ladies chatted amiably and with ease as they mounted the staircase and walked for some way down the passageway at its top.
Stopping at a doorway, Sukey said, 'This one's called the Willow Chamber, Miss Iphigenia. This'll be yours for your stay.' She had her hand on the doorknob in readiness to open it when the sound of Lord Wynleigh's voice could be heard quite close behind them.
Iphigenia found it most disconcerting to discover that someone had been right behind her without her knowledge, but his lordship's presence seemed to exert a stronger influence on Sukey. She whipped her hand away from the door, grasping both hands in front of her, wringing them together, her head utterly downcast, bobbing a quick curtsey and keeping her eyes miserably fixed at a point on the floor.
Bluffly, his lordship said, 'What a charming picture you two present together! Dark and Light! But which is which, eh?' he asked, teasingly.
Iphigenia really felt that she had had quite enough of her uncle. She forebore answering and merely bowed graciously.
Laughing at his own wit, Lord Wynleigh gestured the girls to continue. Sukey opened the door and Iphigenia went in. She turned around to await Sukey's entry to the room, but was not quick enough to see what had happened. She heard first Sukey's stifled cry, and then her uncle's laughter again as he continued his progress along the passageway. Sukey entered the room cowed and timid once more and closed the door firmly behind her.
Iphigenia blinked in puzzlement, and began to ask, 'Sukey, what on earth has just ...'
Sukey was shaking her head unhappily. She said softly, 'Let me help you untie your laces, Miss Iphigenia, and you have a lie down while I unpack your trunk. You'll have to tell me what it is that you want to wear to dinner, and I'll get the creases out and help you dress.'
Without a word, Iphigenia sat down on the bed, and Sukey busied herself with the trunk that had been carried up to the room already.
She had hardly been at Wynleigh an hour, and already had decided that it was much worse than London - quite the last place in the world that she could ever feel comfortable.
END OF CH 1. CH 2 TO FOLLOW SOON!
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