Page 285 of The Armor of Light

Kit said: ‘There’s a lot more to do.’

Fan said: ‘I can hardly wait to get on with it. But the squire and his family shouldn’t be doing the work. I could manage it, with a bit of help.’ Platts had gone – not that he was ever much use – and Fan was the only servant.

Kit said: ‘We’ll get you some help, eventually, but we have to live frugally for a while. Our machinery business makes money, but we have to pay off all the debts Will left.’ He decided not to mention Roger’s debts. ‘I have to investigate the finances of the manor and start repaying the mortgages out of income from rents.’

Kit continued to control all the money. Roger got a monthly allowance, and when it was gone he had to stop gambling until the next month. He had got used to it, and now he said he preferred it that way.

They went to the kitchen and Fanny prepared a supper of bacon and potatoes. Kit saw a rat wriggle through a crack in the skirting board and said: ‘We need cats to keep down the rats and mice.’

‘I’ll get you some cats,’ said Fan. ‘There’s always someone in the village trying to sell a litter of kittens for a few pennies.’

When it got dark they all went to bed. Kit and Roger had bedrooms with a shared dressing room in between, but that was for show: they always slept together. Fanny had guessed their secret, but when they had more servants they would have to rumple one of the beds every morning to keep up the appearance of respectability.

Kit undressed and got into bed but sat upright, looking around by candlelight.

‘Aren’t you sleepy?’ said Roger. ‘I’m exhausted after all that painting.’

‘I’m just remembering the time I slept here as a boy,’ Kit said. ‘I thought it must be the biggest house in the world, and the people who lived here were like gods.’

‘And now you’re one of the gods.’

Kit laughed.

Roger got into bed. ‘Greek gods, probably,’ he said. ‘And you know about the Greeks, don’t you?’

‘No. I never had your education, you know that. What did the Greeks do?’

Roger put his arms around Kit. ‘Let me show you,’ he said.

THE END