16. An interlude for Education

In between my return and the meeting with Helena and Caroline, and an intimate dinner with them that would - probably - lead to me taking my sister to bed, the vicar called to see me.

Rogeringham Hall has its own attached church on the edge of the Home Park, as most country houses do, and we share it with the village of Rogeringham. It is our personal place of worship, where the Rogeringhams are laid to rest - my father's tomb and memorial are there - and it is traditional that the duke and his family marry there.

The church of St Mary the Virgin, Rogeringham - or St Mary Rogeringham as it is known, is part of the Oxford diocese, and the Deanery of Buckingham. However, the duke traditionally has a huge part of the selection of the person who holds the living there. The current vicar, Dr Abraham Locksley DD. (Doctor of Divinity) is an old family friend. As much a diplomat as he is a spiritual adviser - Dr Locksley knows the game when dealing with a man who is as powerful as the Duke of Norton, I know he sometimes bites his lip to stop himself from saying things that he might have said otherwise. But a duke who can help appoint a man to a living can also ask to have him ejected, and frankly the sleepy parish of Rogeringham was a good one for a man who enjoys many of the finer things in life, and whose interest in antiquarian history is almost as great as his calling to God.

Dr Locksley's friendship with the family gives him access to our library and the collection of old family documents. The good doctor is steadily working through these and recording our family history in a series of monographs in the local history society's journals. It was a calling, he said, a great passion of his.

One of the footmen appeared at my study with Dr Locksley's card on a salver tray, announcing his arrival. I instructed him to show the vicar in, and then to bring drinks - Dr Locksley is fond of a sherry, which I opted for as well.

The vicar has always looked old, even when I was a boy, he seemed to be ancient, yet he still carried on. Now I am older too, he seems unchanged - he still looks old enough to have known Moses personally. We shook hands and he expressed his sympathies for my father's death and asked to be remembered to my mother. I asked about his work, documenting old sets of papers from the history of the county. Once we had done this and had a drink, it was time for business.

"Forgive me for my unexpected visit, Your Grace, but a matter has come up which I need to consult with you upon."

Attached to the church is a small school for the village children to learn their letters. Most of the pupils are the children of farm and estate workers but some are children belonging to the house staff. The abilities of the pupils vary greatly and some eventually progressed to a further school. Girl children are allowed to attend but it is believed that their education is less important than that of boys, so while they will learn their letters and reading, learning trades and crafts with their mothers is seen as a better education.

Dr Locksley managed both groups of pupils. The male children he teaches himself, but the female pupils are taught by a mistress, the Widow Greene. She had recently been ill, and it was felt that it was now time to search for her replacement. It was not an immediate requirement, Dr Locksley told me, but he felt that as he had the opportunity, he thought he would raise it with me.

I thanked him for his consideration, and said I would think about it. To be honest, I reflected to myself, I had no idea how I would add to the situation. But my offered input was enough for the vicar, and he took his leave.

At that point I went to take some rest and prepare myself for the coming evening.

I allowed the footmen to set up the table and returned to find Barclay supervising the laying of the cutlery and setting the wine to breathe. It was a marvellous table setting. Some of the silver was a hundred and fifty years old (anything older had been seized by the Parliament, during the civil war). Rogeringham Hall has a fine collection of silver, and while most of it is reserved for more formal occasions, some of it is used on a daily basis. Barclay had laid out a simple setting in the way that he knows I prefer, but he chose some excellent pieces in doing so.

Normally, an informal, intimate meal such as this, would have seven or eight dishes per course. Even just sampling that many dishes would sate most people but it is my experience that eating a light meal before love-making is a better way forward. The senses are less dull and there is less inclination to doze.

The same can be said for drink. Too much, as Mr Shakespeare said, 'provokes the desire, but takes away the performance'. With this in mind, I had Barclay select dessert wines rather than anything too full-bodied, and the ones he had chosen were excellent.

Soon after that, Helena and Caroline arrived. Mother as usual wore her mourning black, though the silk was shot with a blue that shimmered as she moved and it fooled the eye as to whether the dress was black or blue. Caroline wore a dark red, almost a wine colour, and it appeared that she had heeded her mother's advice about dressing in a lighter manner, as when she moved, the material clung to her body and teased the shapes underneath.

Barclay served the meal, simple small dishes - a chicken soup with mushrooms, the main course was seared medallions of beef, sauteed potatoes and green beans, with a light gravy sauce, followed by honey cakes for dessert.

The conversation was light at first, then as Barclay cleared away the plates and took his leave, having made sure that all of the glasses were full, my mother asked Caroline how she was feeling.

I still find it easy to think of Caroline as a girl, despite the fact that she is twenty, nearly twenty-one. Yet when she took a sip of wine from her glass, placed it down on the table, and composed herself to answer, she looked less of a girl and more like the woman she is. It would have been easy for her to be nervous, uncertain, but there was none of that when she said, "I would rather know, how you are feeling mama?"

Helena looked surprised. "I beg your pardon?"

Caroline swirled her wine around gently in her glass. "Forgive me if this is indelicate," she started. "I understand why I am here, William is going to be my 'first', and I hope to learn much from him tonight, but he is your true love and I wondered how you feel about me sharing his bed, if only for a night?"

For a moment Helena just sat there. "William is my 'true love'?"

"Yes mama," Caroline replied.

"Who says this?"

"We all do, mama, Charlotte, Hermione, the twins and myself."

"All of you?"

"Yes, mama." Caroline hurried on, "Let me explain. Since William returned to us, it is as if a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. You are radiant, mama and we feel that it can only be ascribed to William. Is it not?"

Helena examined her lap closely as she did in these cases. "It could be." She admitted quietly.

"And that is a good thing." Caroline re-assured her. "We all love William dearly. He is not just our duke but as children growing up, he was our leader and our defender, our rock and our 'salvation'." Caroline giggled as she characterised me this way.

"Father was cold and remote, still we all missed him in our lives, you especially. Nothing makes us happier than seeing you with someone who pays you the attention you deserve and that which makes you happy, makes us happy too."

Helena was speechless, "You all know?"

Caroline waved the question away. "We suspected it at first, then Charlotte confirmed it with William. But that is not the point ..."

"It isn't?" I felt it was time to add something to the conversation.

"No." Caroline, looked at me. "You are both so very good for each other, setting any issues aside, we all believe it is a good thing."

I nodded. "But if that is not the point, what is?"

"You." She said with a broad smile, "And I, mama."

"How so?" Helena asked.

"Are you truly prepared to share your lover, mama?" Caroline asked. "William is an honourable man, I understand that as a man he has had many adventures and experiences, but we, his sisters, believe he is as devoted to you as he was devoted to us when we were younger. We also believe that you will be devoted to him in the same way.

"Are you prepared to share him with us, mama?"

Once again Helena examined her dress, but this time when she spoke, she spoke with more certainty.

"I am." Her voice was calm but I could hear her decision as she spoke. "There are things you need to know before you progress on to your future. Things I didn't know. And things that you will enjoy knowing." My mother smiled girlishly.

"My future?" Caroline asked.

"As we have discussed," I reminded her, "Whatever future it is that you choose."

"Whatever?" She asked. I nodded.

"Tell me what things?" Caroline went on swinging her attention to Helena.

"It would be better if William showed you," Helena told her with a smile, "Trust me."

"Are you going to stay mama?" Caroline asked with a sly smile.

I wondered what was behind that smile. Helena considered her question for a moment before shaking her head. "No. I think not."

She rose from her seat and walked around the table, "This journey is just for you two. Enjoy." And she kissed Caroline's cheek. "Enjoy."