A tiny bit of Alexandra felt she should reprimand Félicité for this, but the rest of her thought there was probably a reason for the girl’s reaction.
‘Let’s go and find out. Stéphie? Would you be a dear girl and carry in the water? It makes the tray so heavy.’ Really, Alexandra felt that Stéphie would like a job. Having something to do could be helpful in a possibly worrying situation.
‘Well, I’ve found the children!’ said Alexandra as they all came back into the salon. ‘Now, what would you like? Rosé? Water? A mixture?’
Lucinda took no notice. She was staring at her children as if she’d never seen them before.
‘You’ve grown so much,’ she said with a crack in her voice. ‘I hardly recognise you.’
‘Papa has sent you lots of photographs,’ said Félicité, an edge of sarcasm in her voice. ‘That should have helped.’
There was a lot of resentment there, thought Alexandra, wondering how old Félicité had been when her mother left.
‘It doesn’t matter now,’ said Lucinda. ‘I want you to come and live with me, now I’m back.’ She smiled and Alexandra saw that she was actually very beautiful as she opened her arms.
But no one moved. Alexandra had gleaned that Félicité had been young when Lucinda left, so Stéphie must have been a tiny baby. This was not going to be easy.
‘Come on, my darlings. Do neither of you want to give your mother a hug?’
‘Papa won’t want us to live with you,’ said Henri. ‘We’ve got Alexandra to look after us.’
‘I’m sure Alexandra is doing her best, but what you need is a mother’s love, not that of a paid employee.’
‘Why didn’t you think of that before?’ said Félicité, her resentment evident.
‘Darling, when you’re older you’ll understand these things. I’ll explain it all to you then.
‘I’m fifteen,’ said Félicité, ‘in case you’ve forgotten. Explain it to me now!’
‘What a very rude person you’ve become!’ said Lucinda crossly. She looked at Alexandra. ‘It’s typical of my husband to employ someone who is far too young and inexperienced for the task. Are you a Norland nanny?’
A picture of brown-uniformed women taking enormous prams full of children to Kensington Gardens floated into Alexandra’s head. ‘I think Félicité is too old for that sort of nanny,’ she said.
‘Now, maybe, but in the beginning, when she could still be moulded, that’s when she should have had a properly qualified nanny.’ Lucinda sighed. She clearly had strong opinions on the subject. ‘Now it’s too late. She has terrible manners.’
Alexandra felt that if she cared so much about how her children were brought up, she shouldn’t have abandoned them.
‘I haven’t got terrible manners,’ said Stéphie, possibly resenting her feeling of guilt by association.
Lucinda turned her attention to the little girl. ‘Who are you?’
Alexandra felt sick. What sort of a woman would ask a question like that?
Stéphanie looked at Félicité, Henri and Alexandra in turn.
‘She’s our sister!’ said Félicité, angry now.
‘No, she’s not!’ said Lucinda indignantly. ‘Not unless your father had an affaire I didn’t find out about!’
Alexandra cleared her throat. ‘Excuse me, but I don’t think this conversation is suitable for children. Henri? Will you take Stéphie and see if you can find some biscuits? She knows where they are.’
‘Madame,’ she went on once Henri and Stéphie had left. ‘I can’t believe you’ve forgotten how many children you have!’
‘Of course I haven’t! And that little one isn’t mine!’
Alexandra looked at Félicité for an explanation.
‘Stéphie’s parents died when she was tiny. Her father was Papa’s best friend. Papa brought her to live with us,’ Félicité explained.
