Jassy by Norah Lofts

Author:Norah Lofts [Lofts, Norah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gypsy, capital punishment, passion, history, East Anglia, England, Norah Lofts, lesbian, love, Suffolk, jealousy
Publisher: Tree of Life Publishing
Published: 2011-12-13T06:00:00+00:00

Book Three

NEUROSIS IN ARCADY

‘She was, by all accounts, an admirable housekeeper ... ‘

So this story is told by DILYS HELMAR, who brought her to Mortiboys.

I WAS still on my bed, crying about Charles, when Jassy ran in, breathless and looking distracted, and said, ‘Dilys, they know all about it. I didn’t say a word but apparently we were followed and watched.’

I sat up on the bed and the ache in the back of my head, which had been growing in intensity for hours and hours, made me feel sick and dizzy. ‘For God’s sake, don’t faint again!’ Jassy said, beginning to fan me with some papers she held in her hand. ‘You’ve got to think up some excuse. Could you say it was your brother whom your father had banished from home or something? You’ll have to think of something, Dilys. They’re having a fearful row. They’ll probably send you home.’

‘They won’t send me home,’ I said. ‘I’m going. I shall go crazy if I have much more of this. Twizzy’s reproaches would be more than I could bear just now.’ I swung my legs off the bed and stood up. The pain in my head made me shut my eyes and groan. ‘God!’ I said. ‘My head.’ I thought of my valise, stowed away under my bed, and of stooping to the drawers to lift out my things. ‘I can’t pack,’ I said, speaking to myself. ‘I’ll have to go just as I am.’

Jassy flung the papers she held on to my bed. ‘I’ll pack for you,’ she said in rather a savage voice. ‘I’m supposed to be taking the Junior Grammar class but it can’t make any difference. Old Twizzy is determined to sack me. I can see that.’ She stooped and dragged the valise out and then jerked open my bottom drawer. She looked small and forlorn and rather desperate.

‘Come home with me,’ I said impulsively. Jassy sat back on her heels.

‘Do you mean that, Dilys? To Mortiboys?’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘to Mortiboys! It’s the last place on earth anyone in their senses would want to go. But at least we shan’t be asked a lot of questions or be slavered over there.’

‘Wouldn’t your father mind?’

‘I don’t suppose he’ll notice.’ Jassy looked at me rather puzzled but she said soberly:

‘I’d like to come. For a little while. I’ve got to go somewhere. You’re sure it’ll be all right?’

‘It’ll be awful. But your being there won’t make it any worse, if that’s what you mean,’

I rested my head against the back of the bed and shut my eyes again. Jassy kept moving about. She was very deft and rapid in all her movements and almost before the pain ebbed enough to allow me to begin to think again she said, in a much firmer and more confident voice:

‘I’ve packed. Shall we go before anything else happens?’

‘Did you find my purse?’

She handed it to me. I opened it and took out five shillings. ‘Give that to Jessop and tell him

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.