Celia's House Read Online Free PDF Page A

nice too, and Humphrey had a feeling she was dressed for a “special occasion” just as he was. Her pale gray dress was of heavy silk that rustled when she moved, and she wore cobweb-fine lace at her neck and wrists. A magnificent diamond brooch, pinned in the front of her bodice, twinkled and sparkled in the light of the fire. Humphrey offered her the rose and he saw she was pleased—even though it was her own.
    â€œYou picked it in the bed beside the south wall,” she told him as she took it and pushed its stalk through the brooch. “They’re the best roses in the garden, and the Duke is my favorite.”
    â€œI think he’s my favorite too.”
    â€œDid you speak to Johnson?”
    â€œYes, I asked his permission to cut it. He said I had chosen a good one.”
    â€œSo you have,” Miss Dunne said with the sharp little nod that was so characteristic. “It’s a beautiful rose, Humphrey. I hope you were careful what you said to Johnson; he’s very much all there.”
    Humphrey smiled and replied that he had been very careful indeed. He wondered whether he should tell her about the greenhouse—she would appreciate the joke—but before he could make up his mind the table maid appeared and announced that dinner was served. Miss Dunne rose at once and, Humphrey offering her his arm, they went into the dining room together.
    They chatted casually during the meal (Humphrey spoke of Hong Kong, of his children, and of his ship), but when the port had been put on the table and the servants had gone they were free to speak of what was in their minds.
    â€œThere are several people to be helped and cared for,” said Miss Dunne after a moment’s pause. “You will do that for me, won’t you? You’ll be kind to Becky—she has been a true friend.”
    â€œOf course,” Humphrey said quickly. “You must tell me all you want done. I’ll do everything in my power.” He hesitated and then went on. “I hardly know what to say, Aunt Celia. It seems absurd to say ‘thank you,’ doesn’t it?”
    â€œQuite absurd. I can’t take Dunnian with me.”
    â€œBut I mean—I feel—” he began.
    â€œDon’t worry. I know what you feel—I can see it in your face,” replied Miss Dunne. “There’s Becky to look after, and there’s Joan. She’s the granddaughter of my youngest sister, so she’s your generation, Humphrey. That branch of the family has been rather unfortunate and I’ve helped them a good deal. If you begin helping people, you have to go on. I shall leave Joan some money, of course, but money isn’t everything.”
    â€œI’ll look after her,” Humphrey said.
    Miss Dunne took a sheet of paper from her gray silk bag and spread it out on the table. “There,” she said. “I wrote it out for you because you’ll be the head of the family—we can’t expect Maurice to do much—so you ought to know who’s who. The family tree is in the safe. You had better have a look at it sometime (it goes back to the reign of James IV), but this is all that concerns us at the moment.”

    Humphrey examined the paper with interest; the tree was incomplete, of course, but it gave him a very good idea of the ramifications of the family, which was all that was intended.
    â€œThis will be very useful to me,” Humphrey said.
    â€œThere were seven of us,” Miss Dunne told him, “but I’ve only put in five. Arthur was drowned at sea and Catherine died when she was seventeen. The diagram is just to give you a rough idea—”
    â€œIt’s splendid,” declared Humphrey. He added, “Maurice is a generation before me, of course.”
    Miss Dunne nodded. “Yes. Yes, Maurice is my nephew. He must be about fifty. You see, William married late in life and his wife was a good deal younger than himself.