"I've loved it," said Cressida, and she meant it.

"And Charity looks lovely it must be so nice to have a baby in your home and not in a hospital ward."

Tyco chuckled.

"Ah, that is one of the advantages of marrying into the medical profession."

It was long afterwards as she got ready for bed that she wished that she had been quick enough to ask about Aldrik and Nicola; it would have been easy to say, "Oh, by the way, talking about doctors, how is Aldrik?"

"I'll never know," she muttered unhappily, 'for there is no one to tell me. "

Someone did tell her, however, the very next day.

She had come indoors with the three girls after a brisk walk and was on her way upstairs to the play room where Anna would be waiting in her chair to keep an eye on them for an hour while Cressida had some time to herself, when Mevrouw ter Beemstra came out of the drawing-room.

"Cressida, you have a caller, will you come down as soon as you have seen to the children?"

She had smiled but she had looked put out too and Cressida wondered why. Who on earth would want to see her? If it had been Tyco she would have been told at once and surely it wasn't Aldrik? Her heart leapt at the thought. It seemed to her that it took longer than usual to get the children's outdoor things off and tidied away and to make sure that they had all they needed to amuse them for an hour, and Anna wanted to talk Cressida was too kind-hearted to cut her short. By the time she had tidied her hair and done something to her face fifteen minutes had gone by. She hoped the caller, whoever he or she was, wasn't impatient. It was on the way downstairs that she remembered the do mine She was smiling as she opened the drawing-room door.

Nicola was sitting, very much at her ease, in one of the armchairs by the fire, and Mevrouw ter Beemstra, sitting opposite her, turned round as Cressida paused in the doorway.

"There you are, Cressida. Nicola has been staying up here and thought she would call and see how you are getting on. I'll leave you to have a talk you'll stay for a cup of tea?" she asked Nicola.

"No, no I must get back there is so much to do. I know you will forgive me."

Mevrouw ter Beemstra looked relieved as she went away.

Nicola glanced around the room.

"How fortunate that you are so well settled here. The children are still young too, so you can depend on staying for a long time yet. It is such a relief to us."

"Us?" Cressida asked quietly.

"Well, Aldrik and myself, of course. Who else? We have been concerned about you..."

"How kind. When are you getting married?"

Nicola looked down at her lap, hiding the gleam of triumph in her eyes; someone must have misled Cressida into thinking that she was marrying Aldrik. Well, she for one wasn't going to enlighten her; she had come to make mischief but there was no need. Let the silly girl go on believing that Aldrik and she were to marry--serve her right. She didn't want Aldrik herself now; she had been furious when he had made it plain to her that any idea of marrying her had been something she had thought up for herself without encouragement from him, as indeed it had been. Her pride not her heart had been hurt, for she had every intention of marrying a man she had known for some time, a man with a great deal of money and the lifestyle she enjoyed. It had rankled though that Aldrik had refused to dance to her tune and she at once saw a chance to get even with him and mislead the plain creature sitting opposite to her.

She said sweetly, "Very soon." She smiled and twisted the diamond ring on her finger and Cressida said, "When he comes back from his lecture tour?"

"The very next day," agreed Nicola, busy thinking up plausible lies.

"He asked me to come and see you--he had some silly idea that you had begun to like him a little too much."

She watched the colour come into Cressida's cheeks and hid a smile.

"Of course I told him that was nonsense, I mean you haven't anything in common, have you?"

Cressida didn't answer that. Instead she said steadily, "I hope you will be very happy. Janslum is such a lovely home..."

"Janslum? I hate the place." Nicola saw Cressida's surprised look and hastily amended that.

"I love his home in Leiden and after all he works there for most of the time. He travels too from time to time and of course I shall go with him."

Cressida asked politely, "I expect you know Lady Merrill?"

Nicola knew her; on the one occasion when Lady Merrill had gone over to Janslum they had met and felt a mutual antipathy for each other.

"Such a charming old lady, we got on splendidly," she said smugly.

She was clever enough to leave it at that.

"Well I must be on my way.

Aldrik will wonder where I've got to be phones each evening, luckily Janslum isn't all that distance and the roads are almost clear again. "

Cressida got up.

"I'll fetch Mevrouw ter Beemstra, you will want to say goodbye..."

"No, no, don't disturb her. She knew that I had come to see you."

Cressida accompanied her to the door, her feelings at boiling-point behind the polite emptiness of her una.s.suming features. She wished Nicola goodbye, waited until she had got into her car and driven away and then relieved her feelings by putting out a tongue in a childish gesture.

"I did not know that you were a friend of Nicola's," observed Mevrouw ter Beemstra later that day.

"I'm not, Mevrouw. She only came to see me be cause someone had asked her to."

"I do not care for her. She does not like children," said Mevrouw ter Beemstra darkly.

"I don't like her either," agreed Cressida, and went to the playroom to help the boys with their English lesson.

It wasn't until she was in her room getting ready for bed that she had the time to think about her own affairs. She went over Nicola's news, trying to're member every word that she had said. She hadn't said exactly when Aldrik was returning but she had given the strong impression that it was soon. Her cheeks grew hot, remembering what Nicola had said that he was afraid that she had grown to like him too much. She couldn't and she wouldn't see him again, she had mistaken pity for friendship and liking and that tasted bitter in her mouth.

Somehow she would have to go back to England. That was easier said than done; in fact, she couldn't think how it would be possible. The ter Beemstras had been so kind to her, paid her well and treated her as one of themselves, and she was very grateful. To leave them was unthinkable more than that, impossible.

She was sitting with the twins on the following morning, patiently showing them a large map of the world and reciting the countries in English, when their mother came into the room.

"Cressida, I would like to talk if Sepke and Galske could amuse themselves for a while?"

"I'll get their painting books. Would you like me to come downstairs?"

"Please." She went away, leaving Cressida wondering what they would have to talk about the little girls going to school, she supposed, or perhaps the boys weren't doing as well with their English at school as their father expected. She fetched paints and water and painting books, told them to be good children and ran downstairs.

Mevrouw ter Beemstra was in the drawing-room, a half-knitted pullover for one of the boys in her lap.

"Come and sit down, Cressida," she said kindly.

"While you were out with the children there was a telephone call for you a Miss Mogford. She wished to speak to you urgently. I told her that you would be back shortly and she asked that you should ring her after half-past eleven..."

"Moggy," exclaimed Cressida, 'but she's not on the phone she was our housekeeper before my father died she's retired now. "

"She was telephoning from a a box. Is that right? Therefore she tells me the time that you should ring her. It is a quarter past eleven now.

When it is time, go to the library, it is quiet there, and see what is the matter. I hope it is not bad news. "

"Was she did she sound upset?"

"Crying, I believe. I had a little difficulty under standing her..."

"Well, she's a Dorset woman, and she doesn't speak in the same way as someone from London or one of the big cities."

"I understand. Like our Anna. You are fond of her, Cressida?"

"She came to my mother and father when they married so I've known her all my life." The remembrance of Moggy's elderly face brought a lump into Cressida's throat.

"I'm very fond of her."

"We will have a cup of coffee together and then it will be time to telephone," said Mevrouw ter Beemstra, 'and if it is necessary then you must go to your home and give her what help is needed. I hope that will not be so, but if it is then we will help you. "

Cressida thanked her, put down her coffee-cup and went to the library, the one room in the house where the children were not allowed to enter unless they were invited by their father. She dialled the number Mevrouw ter Beemstra had taken down. A moment later she heard Moggy's soft Dorset voice.

"Miss Cressy? I'm that sorry to bother you but I don't know what to do. I'm at my wits' end and no one to ask. It's all so sudden like and I'm sure my sister never meant it..."

"Moggy, dear, it's all right," Cressida spoke encouragingly "Just tell me what has happened and I'll help. Is your sister ill?"

"She's dead. Oh, Miss Cressy whatever shall I do?

She meant to alter her will, see, and leave the cottage to me, but she died sudden like and it's to go to her husband's nephew and 'e says as I must be out by the end of the month, and there's 'er two cats and he don't want 'em, and who's to take in two cats? For I'll not leave them. "

"The end of the month. That's two weeks away. Moggy, I'm coming back I'll see the solicitors for you and see what can be done. Now don't worry, Mevrouw ter Beemstra has said that I can go to England if I'm needed. I'll be with you in a few days. Just stay where you are, Moggy. Don't sign anything and if anyone bothers you just say that I'll deal with them when I get there."

"But your job. Miss Cressy " I'm sure that I can come back. Moggy. " As she spoke Cressida realised that here was the chance she had wanted to leave Friesland, to go as far away from Aldrik as she could. It was strange that now that she had it she was loath to take it. All her good resolutions dissolved before her longing to see Aldrik just once more. Only for a moment; then Moggy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You will come. Miss Cressy?"

"Yes, Moggy. Just as soon as I can two or three days..."

She said goodbye and went to tell Mevrouw ter Beemstra about it.

"Of course you must go, Cressida. A seat will be booked on a plane for you and we will drive to Schiphol with you and you are to stay as long as it is necessary. We will miss you very much, but it is your duty. You wish to go at once?"

"I explained to Miss Mogford that I would try and get to her in two or three days' time and she is content with that. Could I go the day after tomorrow? I can talk to Anna and explain to the children and pack, and please may I phone Charity?"

"Better than that, you shall definitely go and see her. Tomorrow morning Sepke and Galske are to spend an hour or two at the school they will go to next term. Anna can look after Baby, the boys will not be here, so you will be free. Take the little car and go over to the van der Bronses'."

"You're so kind," said Cressida soberly, 'and I'm leaving you in the lurch. "

"Lurch? What is this lurch?" and when Cressida explained she said, "Think not of lurches," and she added magnanimously "We are in your debt. All shall be arranged."

Charity was in the nursery, where Cressida had expected her to be.

She had driven herself over in the little Mini and Jolly admitted her and ushered her without ceremony upstairs.

Charity was on a low stool dressing her infant son, but she looked up with real pleasure when she saw Cressida.

"How nice you're just in time for coffee." She did up poppers with brisk efficiency, kissed the feathery hair on the small head and popped her son into his cot.

"Nanny is in the next room..." She stood for a moment while a cosily plump person in a white ap.r.o.n came into the room and settled by the window with her knitting and then she took Cressida's arm.

Downstairs in the small sitting-room at the back of the house she said, "You never come like this suddenly what's happened, Cressy?"

Over coffee Cressida told her.

"So I'll have to go back to Templecombe," she finished, 'but I'm not sure if I shall be able to come back. "

"Do you want to?" asked Charity.

"There's some other reason, isn't there? I won't pry." She busied herself filling up their cups.

"Did you see Nicola when she came? Heaven knows why she needed to call and congratulate us; she couldn't care less. I was surprised that she was going to see the ter Beemstras they hardly know each other."

"She came to see me."

Charity handed the biscuits and waited.

"She's going to be married. She came to tell me, she said that that Aldrik had asked her to see me."

"He's not even in Holland."

"No, but he's coming back quite soon, they're going to be married as soon as he's home. I I want to go before he gets here." Cressida lifted her unhappy gaze to her friend's face.

"She said that he had sent her because he was afraid that I was getting too fond of him."

"Are you, Cressy?"

"Oh, yes, only I didn't think that it showed. I've been so careful--only I thought that we were friends. I feel so silly, I can't possibly meet him again. I was wondering what I should do and then Moggy phoned."

"I don't believe that they are going to be married," said Charity.

"In fact..." She didn't go on; she could be wrong, for she hadn't had much interest in any world but her own happy one for the last few days.

Tyco might know and if he didn't he would find out and tell her what to do.

"Ah," she asked instead, 'and when do you plan to go? "

"Tomorrow. Mijnheer ter Beemstra is driving me to Schiphol. They've been very kind. I shall be in Templecombe by the evening."