Chapter 9
"The Miss Frasers are kind old ladies - well, elderly, anyway, - who look after everybody in the village," Patch explained to the boys. "They've had training as nurses and everybody goes to them for help. Their father was the factor at Vairy; that means steward or overseer. And they're very slightly related to Rosalin, for her uncle who went to Australia married a Fraser girl, who had gone out there from Vairy. I knew they'd be looking after Aunt Kirsty."
Rosalin speaks
After lunch with the Quellyn family, Roger and Rosalin paid their visit to the house known as the Herb Garden, passing again through the Abbey gardens, and through the gate-house garden, made by Rachel's sister, and now cared for by Benedicta Bennett, whom they saw working among the tall lilies and roses.
The Herb Garden was surrounded by a low picket fence, and had flagstone paths stretching between curved beds of waving herbs of many kinds, southernwood, yarrow, rosemary, and thyme. The sound of bees in the aromatic flowers was distinctly summery, and the row of dark green ilex trees provided an harmonious backdrop to the low-eaved stone and brick house which looked to have always been there, despite having only been constructed in the previous year.
"Welcome," said Joan Fraser, smiling as she walked down the path towards them. "Do come round to the sun terrace – Len is out there already with John and Mother. Do you like our new house?"
"Your house looks beautiful, Mrs Fraser," said Roger. "Did you design it yourselves?"
"Please, call me Joan! With help from our friends," said Joan. "Sir Ken and Lady Marchwood are very interested in architecture and design, and they showed us pictures of some of the arts and crafts houses in this area and down in Devon. We decided to keep some bedrooms on the lower level, and a bathroom on each level, which is just as well…"
"Hello Roger and Rosalin!" came a strong voice through the garden, as they rounded the corner of the house onto a bricked terrace, through a metal trellis planted with climbing roses. There in his invalid chair was Len Fraser, with his mother-in-law Janice seated beside him.
"Len, Mrs Fraser, what a beautiful place," said Roger, as he and Rosalin took their chairs on the terrace. "The stone you have used matches the other buildings so well."
"Thank you, Roger," said Joan, deeply gratified. "We were lucky to find that the quarry where the stones where other buildings nearby, including the Abbey, came from, was still in operation and so could match the stones exactly."
They chatted quietly, and when little John stirred, Joan took him inside to attend to his needs for half an hour. Len's nurse took the opportunity to wheel Len inside as well, inviting the others to follow in a few moments, as tea was nearly ready.
"I believe you both know Scotland very well," said Mrs Fraser, or Janice, as they had been asked to call Joan's mother.
Roger looked expectantly at Rosalin; here might be the opening she had been seeking.
"I grew up in the district near Vairy Castle," began Rosalin hesitantly.
"Vairy!" exclaimed Janice. "My grandfather Fraser was factor there for many years, to the old Earl. I was fortunate to visit my grandparents there on two occasions, and also my dear old Aunt Mary who ended her days there recently."
"There are certainly a lot of Fraser people in the area," said Rosalin cautiously. "Joan is also Mrs Fraser, I noticed."
"Yes," laughed Janice, "it can be very confusing! It's rather like when Joy Quellyn and Jen Marchwood were first married; Joy was Lady Marchwood, and Jen was little Lady Marchwood! My husband Alec is my second cousin, but Joan's husband is no relation, as far as we know!"
"Did you have other relatives in the district?" prompted Roger, ignoring a pleading look from Rosalin. Jandy noticed the look and wondered what lay behind it.
"My father's name was John Macdonald, but he emigrated to Australia," said Jandy Mac. "I never knew him and lost Mother when I was two. I was brought up by an aunt. I never knew much about his family."
Roger and Rosalin exchanged looks again. Was this the time to speak?
"My father had a brother John, who went to Australia," said Rosalin bravely. "We think that he may have been your father."
Jandy Mac looked startled, then looked hard at Rosalin as if seeing her for the first time. At that moment, Joan returned, carrying baby John, and sat beside Rosalin, as if on cue.
With the curly dark brown and golden heads side by side, the similarities in facial shape, and the same lively expression, were evident to both Roger and Janice.
"So you were Rosalin Macdonald?" asked Janice, incredulously.
"Yes," said Rosalin, as Joan looked enquiringly from one to the other. "My father only died a few years ago. We lived with my aunt Effie Macdonald. Your father's sister… your aunt."
"Your father was my father's brother," repeated Janice slowly. "You are my first cousin?"
"I think so," said Rosalin tremulously.
Janice stood up quickly and walked away to the end of the garden.
Rosalin looked after her, lips trembling as if she might break down; Joan reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry; Mother never likes anyone to see when she is upset. Wait till she comes back – she will tell you how much this means to her. This makes us a type of cousin too!" she said exultantly. "I haven't heard anything so marvellous in a long time!"
Janice came back, drying her eyes with a handkerchief. She held out her hands to Rosalin. "I am so sorry, my dear Rosalin," she said. "You must have thought me unhappy to hear this news. But the truth is, I am so very, very happy. It has been such a long time since I had people of my own – apart from Alec and the children of course! My own little cousin - " Janice drew Rosalin into an embrace and kissed her cheek, holding her close for many moments.
"Now let's go in for tea and talk this over! Everything makes more sense over a cup of tea! My goodness," she said, drawing Rosalin's arm through hers, "what will Geoffrey and Rosamund think."