JANE

JANE Chapter Nineteen: Engagement

Chapter Nineteen

Engagement

After I'd travelled from Devon to Cornwall, I took a taxi from the bus stop in the village to Hay Lane. I wanted to re-live the extraordinary sight of the estate in what was left of the summer sun. It was afternoon by then and Thornton Hall in the sunset was truly memorable. I took a photograph to add to my collection. All of the angles of the old mansion swept up into the fading light. The image of pink and gold took my breath away as I snapped a few more photographs. Sophie had texted me and had ridden to the gate with her father on her horse, Xavier, to greet me. I was very surprised, but I shouldn't have been. Sophie and her father were excellent riders.

My heart sank when I saw Nathanial's handsome, smiling face. 'If you had telephoned earlier, Jane , we would have driven to the station to collect you. It was Sophie's biggest wish to greet you in the twilight,' he said enthusiastically.

I smiled again.

'I wanted to make my own way to Thornton. I wanted to take some photographs.

These moments in the summer light won't come again for a long time.'

It had been a privilege to see the faces of Sophie and Nate waiting for me at the gate, even more exciting than any photographs I could take.

'Bienvenue! Jane ! You've returned to us!' Sophie squealed as she slid off her saddle and ran into my arms to give me a welcome hug. Nathanial led the horse up the track as Sophie spoke to me in a rush of tumbling over sentences while the three of us walked towards Thornton Hall.

'... and I know all the words you left for me to learn and we got Mrs Fairfax to prepare dinner especially in your honour – she made apricot chicken.' I must admit, just the thought of my favourite dish excited me. Apricot chicken consisted of chicken pieces mixed with onions, apricots, nectar and spices then baked in a casserole dish until the sauce simmered and reduced in the oven. The chicken would be served with rice or my favourite creamy potatoes. Sophie talked on excitedly as my mouth watered. Even with a delicious meal, I wondered how I could endure another dinner with the Ingrams. I could always plead exhaustion after my lengthy day's travel.

Before dinner, I spoke with Mrs Fairfax in the kitchen. She was showing me how to make bread and butter pudding, a recipe I'd always wanted to make. I'd looked it up on the web but Mrs Fairfax had cooking skills passed down through generations of women in her family, skills that couldn't be taught online and I'd resolved to learn some of them.

For this delicious recipe, I was spreading the fruit bread with strawberry jam as Mrs Fairfax stirred the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla all the while chatting to me like a close relative. I'd changed into an evening skirt, one I'd bought from the most fashionable shop in London and wore a cream antique blouse and bracelets I'd bought from a market store in Notting Hill. I'd even curled my hair in an effort to look my best. It was as if, knowledge of my family and the wrong that had been done to me, was a weight from my shoulders. It was no hardship to dress up tonight. Deep inside, I knew I wanted to look my most desirable, to make it harder for him to say our inevitable goodbyes.

I'd already bought a jobs magazine from the train station and had started looking for employment on the internet. I'd told Mrs Fairfax that I'd be ready to leave when summer ended and had started looking for work closer to Cambridge, where I intended to start my classes.

'I'm so proud of you, Jane,' she said. 'You are such a smart girl; it's no wonder you have been accepted into one of the best universities in the world.' 'Thank you,' I replied.