The Forget-Me-Not Sonata(66)

Every morning there was a sweepstake to guess how many miles they had travelled and the winner would receive a voucher to spend at the shop. Alicia won twice, not because she knew, she hadn’t the remotest idea, but because Mr Linton guessed right every time and on a couple of occasions she peered over his shoulder to see the number he’d written down. Everyone knew she had cheated, but due to her charm and her age they liked her all the more for it. At eleven a steward would appear on deck with a tray of steaming hot Bovril or tea and cream crackers which the twins thought disgusting being used as they were to Mercedes’ sweet dulce de leche and cake. The salty smell of the beef tea caught at the back of Audrey’s throat and she winced as she watched the other passengers drink it with relish. Mrs B, busy rushing around being efficient, would pause by the tray, drain an entire cup, then hurry off to find paints or glue or one of the wayward children who had disappeared, attacking a dry biscuit with her dentures. This morning, however, Mrs B had time to sit down next to Audrey and tell her in her direct manner that not only was Alicia encouraging the other children to behave badly, but also, more criminally, that she was deliberately leaving her sister out.

‘But Leonora has said nothing about it to me,’ protested Audrey, who couldn’t believe that Alicia would be so unkind. Mrs B looked at her indulgently; she was a mother herself and a grandmother besides, she knew maternal pitfalls better than anyone.

‘My dear Audrey, Alicia is a strong little girl and very spirited. She has a charisma that draws other children to her, this she can choose to use for good or for bad. Like many children who have not yet learned to put themselves in other people’s shoes she is choosing the latter at Leonora’s expense. Might I suggest that you talk to her, otherwise she is going to run into a lot of trouble at Colehurst House.’ Audrey lowered her eyes and the fleeting image of Cecil passed rapidly through her mind. She sighed and put down her book.

‘You know, my husband despairs of Alicia’s behaviour, that is why they are being sent to be educated in England.’

‘Don’t worry, dear girl,’ said Mrs B, patting Audrey’s hand with her fat, freckled fingers. ‘It’ll be the making of them. Nothing like it in the world.’

‘But I want them at home with me,’ she explained sadly.

‘Oh, I know, it’s hard, especially if you’re not brought up with it. One just has to bite the bullet and get on with things. I have three daughters and eight grandchildren. My eldest, Sally, lives in Belgrano with her husband who was sent out to Buenos Aires five years ago on business and never came back. I’ve just been visiting. I try to go once every two years. When I look back at the years of boarding school now it seems to have passed in a moment. It isn’t the end of your relationship, my dear Audrey, but the beginning of a new one. They’ll grow up and blossom into young women and you won’t miss a bit of it, I promise you. Then you’ll have years ahead of you to enjoy them. You’ll all appreciate each other more because of the long absence, believe me.’

‘It seems so unnatural.’

‘Not at all unnatural. It teaches them independence and besides, surely one wants nice English husbands for them. The Argentine is all very well but really, there’s no place like England, is there?’ Audrey didn’t know because she’d never been there and she wanted to say that she really didn’t mind if her daughters married Argentines or Africans as long as they were happy. But Mrs B believed in the Great British Empire and the superiority of its people. Her eyes shone with pride when she talked about her country and she simply wouldn’t have understood Audrey’s unconventional attitude.

‘I’ll talk to Alicia then,’ she conceded, changing the subject.

‘Good,’ said Mrs B firmly, pushing herself up from her chair. ‘Sometimes one has to be cruel to be kind. Children need to be told how to behave otherwise they turn into horrid little savages and one wants to avoid that at all costs.’

‘Absolutely,’ Audrey agreed meekly.

‘Must rush, we’re rehearsing Peter Pan at five.’

‘Goodness, isn’t that a bit ambitious?’

‘Not at all. Not at all. These children are most gifted. If I could play the piano I’d have them all singing La Bohème.’ Audrey didn’t volunteer.

That evening when the twins returned to the cabin to change for supper Audrey was waiting for them with a serious look on her face. Alicia immediately felt guilty for she was fully conscious of her actions. She was unable to help herself. The power she wielded was intoxicating. ‘I want to talk to you both,’ began their mother. ‘Sit down.’