Free The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies

They’re absolutely magical. Laurence and I used to play hide and seek there in the summer holidays.’
    ‘Did you both go to boarding school in England?’
    ‘Oh yes, though not at the same time. I was at Malvern. Laurence is much older than me. Of course, you know that.’
    Gwen nodded, and they continued to walk on the path round the lake for about half an hour. The lake was calm in the centre and very dark. At the edge it rippled white against the rocky banks, where grey birds with white breasts and cinnamon bellies stretched their wings and preened.
    ‘Water hens,’ Verity said. ‘Here’s where we turn off.’ She pointed at a track.
    The woods were sparse at first, but as they went deeper, the air was chock-full of smells and the sound of creatures shifting about. Gwen stopped to listen.
    ‘It’s just lizards,’ Verity said. ‘And birds, of course, and maybe the odd tree snake. Nothing to worry about, I promise. It’s a bit wild and woolly, but keep up with me and you’ll be fine. Single file now. You follow.’
    Gwen reached out to touch the branches of a stumpy tree, but the leaves pricked her and she quickly withdrew her hand. The woods felt wilder than anything she had known before, though not in a threatening way. She rather liked the feeling it gave her of a bygone time. Twigs cracked underfoot and the air seemed to be tinged with green in the damp spots where the sun did not reach.
    Verity smiled. ‘If there’s anything you need to know, do just ask. I’m sure you’re going to fit in wonderfully well.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Gwen said. ‘There is something. I wondered about the storeroom keys. There are two sets. Should I keep them both?’
    ‘No, that would be an awful fag for you. Give one set to the
appu
. Then he doesn’t have to bother you for every little thing.’ She pointed to some violet flowers at the edge of the path. ‘Aren’t they lovely! I wish I’d brought a basket.’
    ‘Maybe next time.’
    ‘Put one in your hair,’ Verity said and bent down to pick one of the flowers. ‘Here, I’ll do it for you.’
    She threaded the flower through one of Gwen’s escaped ringlets and then stood back. ‘There. Perfectly lovely. It matches your eyes. Shall we go on?’
    They walked on, Verity chatting and seeming so pleased to be out with her that Gwen relaxed and lost all track of time. The smell of the lake was long gone when she suddenly remembered her meeting with the
dhobi
.
    ‘Oh Lord. I had forgotten. Verity, we must turn back.’ She began to turn round.
    ‘Of course, but don’t go back the way we came. It’ll take ages. There’s a short cut just along here. Laurence and I used to use it all the time. It’ll get you back much sooner.’ Verity pointed at the path and then took a step in the other direction.
    ‘Aren’t you coming?’
    ‘I think I’ll go back the long way, if you don’t mind. It’s such a beautiful morning and I’m not pushed for time. See that track? Just go down it for about fifty yards and then turn right, where there’s a little crossroads. There’s a fig tree in the middle. You can’t miss it.’
    ‘Thank you.’
    Verity gave her a beaming smile. ‘It’ll take you straight home. Just follow your nose. See you back at the house.’
    Gwen walked on in the direction Verity had indicated, then turned where the fig tree grew in the middle of a small open patch. She had really enjoyed the morning and came to the conclusion that her sister-in-law was a lot friendlier than she had first thought. She was glad. It would be lovely if the two of them became good friends.
    She walked on, expecting to soon see the glittering water of the lake, but after some distance she noticed the path was disappearing deeper and deeper into the woods. Large boulders blocked her way and now even the birdsong had stopped. Shelooked about her, but a sense of direction had never been her strong point.
    A little further on, the path sloped steeply downwards. That couldn’t