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ignoring his moods altogether, sometimes by an onslaught so vigorous as to be astonishing in so quiet and timid a girl. But her methods never achieved anything anyway. Noel went his own way.
    Sue herself was also something of a puzzle. Quiet and timid—yes. And yet she ran the entire household efficiently and smoothly. Housework was done well, but with a minimum amount of disturbance. Delightful meals were invariably on time and were served with a degree of elegance that spoke of personal supervision. Flowers, too, were always fresh and perfectly arranged. Those in Kit’s room, she soon appreciated, were changed every other day. What was perhaps the most important thing of all, such of the servants as Kit came in contact with seemed perfectly happy. Clearly, there was far more to Sue than appeared on the surface. And yet Kit still found herself wondering...
    Kit tried to think of her own affairs as little as possible. As far as Victor was concerned, there was evidently nothing to worry about since, judging by the fact that he made no attempt to see her alone, he must, as she had hoped, have lost his earlier interest in her. Just what his reason for getting her down to Ravenslea had been she still had no idea unless, indeed, it was for the one he had given her. Conceivably it might be.
    Jason ... That was a different matter. She had seen him briefly when she had accompanied Mr. Baylis to the hospital and for slightly longer the next time he had visited Moneyhill. His manner on both occasions was pleasant, but quite impersonal. Obviously he had put her firmly out of his life and he wanted things to stay that way.
    Nonetheless, he was both fair and generous professionally. He told her that there was a marked improvement in Mr. Baylis’s condition, even in so short a time, and gave her the credit for it. Kit knew that she would live on that praise for days, although, not to be outdone, she made it clear that Mrs. Wickham, the physiotherapist, had contributed a lot to the improvement.
    “Quite true, she has,” Jason admitted. “But she is with him for only comparatively short times, whereas you have the task of keeping his spirits up day after day. And that’s very important.”
    And he had smiled, but there was nothing personal in it. To him the past was dead, and she would be wise to remember that. Yet when, by chance, she discovered that he was not married, she experienced a moment of foolish exhilaration. She might mean nothing to him, but at least no one else had taken her place in his heart.
    A week later Kit was wondering how on earth she could have been so optimistic as to imagine that life at Moneyhill was going to be serene and uncomplicated.
    The first hint of trouble came one morning when Mr. Baylis asked Kit if she would mind taking a message to his wife.
    “I’d ring for one of the maids,” he apologized. “But I know my wife must be on the point of leaving for work, and I don’t want to miss her.”
    Assuring him that she did not mind in the least, Kit ran lightly downstairs only to come to a halt as she reached the hall. Not that she had any doubt where to find Mrs. Baylis, for the study door was ajar, and her voice, cold but under perfect control, was clearly audible.
    “Now please understand, once and for all, Sue, that you do not make decisions in this house in any circumstances. You take orders, just as the rest of the staff does. Is that clear?”
    “But, Aunt Ruth... ” Sue protested, obviously on the point of tears.
    “You seem to be particularly obtuse this morning,” Mrs. Baylis interrupted icily. “So I’ll repeat what I have just said once more. Try to understand, because it’s your last chance. You are not to imagine that you can take advantage of the fact that I am your aunt. You are an employee here, no more. And if you don’t do as you’re told, you’ll be dismissed. Now go upstairs, wash your face and think over what I’ve said!”
    It was a most embarrassing position for Kit.