Shadows

XXV

Dinah arrived promptly at tea time the following day. Her father insisted on punctuality, a habit instilled into my cousin's nature. Her appearance brightened the schoolroom. Since Cassandra arrived, the atmosphere declined, leaving a feeling of dread. Nevertheless, the two girls became friends almost instantly.

Anne Marie rolled in the tea trolley, and Miss Young played 'mother.' The governess sat erect at the head of the table and poured the refreshment decorously.

"Do you take sugar in your tea, Cassie?" Claudia Young asked. The child nodded vigorously, and the governess dropped two sugar cubes into the cup and added milk. Next, she poured the hot liquid and handed the cup and saucer to Cassie.

Cassandra held the saucer awkwardly and ogled the sandwiches and pastry tray. Her eyes shifted from her cup to the plate stack. She couldn't discern how to juggle all the China that confronted her.

"Would you prefer a cucumber or ham sandwich?" Miss Young asked, lifting a plate. Instead of asking for a savory, Cassie immediately pointed to the Victorian sponge. "No, dear, we'll have sandwiches first, then sweeties."

The child pouted and pointed at the cake again, jabbing her finger. Nevertheless, the governess would not relent. Miss Young selected a thin cucumber sandwich, plated it, and handed it to Cassandra. Cassie sat stiffly in her chair, adamantly refusing the offer. Dinah and I exchanged grim expressions.

"You don't eat dessert first at dinner, do you?" I finally asked. Cassie shook her head, 'no,' tears gleamed in her sapphire eyes. "Tea is a meal, like dinner or lunch. You eat the sandwiches first, then the sponge or a fairy cake. Understand?"

Cassandra nodded, then leaned forward to accept the plate Miss Young offered. Her cup and saucer slanted downward, spilling the hot liquid onto her lap.

"EEEEEEE!" she squealed, leaping to her feet. "Bloody hell! That cuppa Rosy Lee is roaring 'ot."

"Rosy Lee?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at Dinah. My cousin suppressed a giggle.

"Cockney slang for tea," Claudia snapped, cautioning us to remain quiet. She hastened to Cassandra's side and put her arm around the child. "Are you hurt?"

"Ain't hurt and ain't vazey either. Leave me be." Cassie struggled out of the governess's embrace and marched into her bedroom. The door slammed behind her.

"Before you two ask, vazey means stupid," Miss Young explained. Leaving us alone in the nursery, she strode purposefully into Cassie's room, closing the door behind her.

Dinah and I sat in the window seat overlooking the garden. A quarter-hour passed without a sound from behind the closed door. On the ground level, Joel and Lottie appeared. My brother pushed a perambulator; his wife strolled beside him. They perched at the edge of the Venus fountain.

Joel reached out to grasp Charlotte's hand, but she withdrew it. He spoke, and she turned her back on him. Frowning, my brother fell into a brown study. Lottie rose and walked along the path. After a moment, he followed her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he whispered into her ear.

"I wish I could hear what they are saying," I stated, cracking the window open. "Lottie is angry about something."

"It's private, Priscilla," Dinah warned, but she leaned closer to the crack also.

"I know," I whispered back.

We continued to strain our ears unsuccessfully until Claudia Young reentered with Cassandra. The governess took her seat and motioned for the child to sit opposite. Dinah and I returned to the tea table. Cassie accepted another cup and saucer, then a cucumber sandwich.