About a week before we were due to leave, Alice Philwright came to Framling. I was summoned to meet her.
She was a tall woman about thirty years of age, by no means beautiful, but her face suggested character. She looked a little formidable and extremely efficient. Lady Harriet had interviewed her personally and was pleased with what she had discovered.
First we had tea with Lady Harriet, during which the conversation was predictable, mainly given over to Lady Harriet's views of the upbringing of children. But later, when we were alone together, we came to know each other, which was a pleasure for me and I hoped for Alice.
She told me that she was one of those women who did not care for interference in the nursery, and if it had been Lady Harriet's children she was to care for she would have declined the post without hesitation. "I will not be told what to do in my nursery," she declared. "And I decided that one would not be able to stir outside her ladyship's ideas, which I fear might be a little antiquated in any case."
I laughed and assured her that it would be quite different with the Countess.
"You know her well, I suppose."
"Very well. We were at school together."
"Oh. So the friendship goes right back."
"Oh yes ... earlier than that. They used to send to the rectory for me to come and play with Lavinia."
"Lavinia is our Countess?"
I nodded. "She was rather a spoilt child, I'm afraid."
"Spoilt! Under that martinet!"
"She thought her children were formed in the same divine mould as herself."
"And this is my new mistress!"
"I am convinced that you will have a free hand in the nursery."
"I believe there is a brother, too."
"Oh yes, Sir Fabian. I doubt he will be aware of us."
"He is going to be married, Lady Harriet tells me."
"I had heard that. A lady of impeccable lineage will be going out to marry him."
"That will be interesting."
"Apparently there was not time to arrange the marriage when he was home, for he was called away on sudden business."
"Connected with the East India Company, I gathered."
"Are you looking forward to going to India?" I asked.
"I always look forward to new children. I've had two families so far and it is a wrench when you leave them. One has to steel oneself not to become emotionally involved with them, and remember all the time that they are not your children, although you're inclined to think of them as such."
"I have never lost touch with my nanny," I told her. "And I never shall. In fact, she is the best friend I have."
I talked often about Polly and Eff and the house.
"She was lucky," said Alice. "She had somewhere to go. Nannies, governesses ... they spend their lives with other families and never have one they can call their own."
"Unless they marry."
"Then they cease to be nannies and governesses. It's a strange thing. In my profession we understand children ... we love children ... we would make the best mothers ... but we rarely marry. Men are notorious for turning away from the women who would make the best wives and falling in love with some flighty creature because she looks pretty in moonlight ... and often they regret it later."
"I see you take a cynical outlook on life."
"That comes with increasing years. You wait."
"Oh, you are not so very old."
"Thirty-three. Considered to be most definitely on the shelf. Mind you, there is still a chance ... a very slight one ... that someone might see one and take to one. But very, very remote."
She laughed as she made these pronouncements, and I felt we were going to get along very well together.
There was one more session with Lady Harriet. We were given letters for Lavinia, which I was sure were full of admonitions. I went round the neighbourhood saying goodbye to my friends; I took a last leave of Ayesha and then we left.
Polly and Eff were waiting to give us a good welcome.
Alice Philwright was to spend the two days in their house. They had said it would be an easy matter to put her up. I think Polly was secretly pleased to have the opportunity of assessing my companion. I was delighted that they seemed to like each other from the start. Alice was completely at home in the kitchen and even partook of a glass of poker-heated stout.
She talked of her children in France and Italy and confessed that she was finding it hard to imagine what an Anglo-Indian menage might be like.
Polly said, "I'm glad you're going with her." And afterwards to me, "She's a good sensible woman, that one. I was afraid they were going to send you out with some young flighty piece."
I reminded Polly that flighty pieces rarely worked as nannies.
"You find all sorts anywhere these days," was her comment.
I had brought the peacock-feather fan with me. I showed it to Polly.
"It was left to me by Miss Lucille."
"H'm," said Polly. "Pretty."
She opened her eyes and gasped when I showed her the jewels.
"That must be worth a pretty penny."
"I believe so, Polly. Lady Harriet referred to it as a nest-egg."
"Well, that's nice to have, I must say."
"I want you to keep it for me. I didn't know where else to leave it."
"I'll take care of it. I'll put it in a safe place, never fear."
I hesitated. I did not tell her that it was supposed to be unlucky. I knew she would have laughed at the idea in any case; and I think secretly I wanted to forget it.
She said, "I wish I was going with you. Take care of yourself. And look out for that Fabian. I expect you might run into him while you're there."
"I don't suppose I shall see much of him. He'll be engaged on business matters."
"He's the sort who'd bring himself forward and I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole."
"I believe you've said that before."
"Well, I'll say it again. And remember this. We're always here. If they try any hanky panky ... either of them ... I never did trust anyone by the name of Framling ... you just let me know ... and I'll be waiting for you when the ship comes home."
"That's a comfort, Polly."
"Remember it. There's always a home for you here."
"I will remember it," I said. "Goodbye, Polly, and thank you for coming to the rectory and being there all those years."
"Well, we was made for each other, wasn't we? Now take care and come back soon."
"Two years, Polly. It's not long."
"I'll count the days."
And shortly after that we sailed on the Oriental Queen for Alexandria.
Alice and I stood side by side on the deck until the last piece of land that was England was out of sight. Then we went down to the cabin we shared.
It was small and cramped, but, as we realized later, we were lucky to have it to ourselves. But I was too excited to think about such details then. We were on our way to ... adventure.
I had had very little experience of travelling. True, I had crossed the Channel once or twice on my way to and from Lamason. I was immediately reminded of that secretive journey back to England with Janine and a pregnant Lavinia.
That set me thinking of Lavinia and wondering whether marriage had changed her and what surprises I had waiting for me at my destination. But that seemed a long way off. There was so much to be experienced first.
Within less than an hour of our departure the sea became very rough and continued so all through the Channel and into the Bay of Biscay. We had to curb our inclination to explore for a while, for it was difficult enough to stand upright on the ship.
When we did mingle with our fellow passengers we found them pleasant enough. Many of them knew each other, as they had made the journey several times on the ship; that rather set us apart, and it was quite unusual that two women should be travelling alone, for Alice, although of a more mature age than I, was still comparatively young. I was sure Lady Harriet would not have approved if it had not fitted in so well with her plans to send us out.