Chapter 4
Had Esther been in her right mind, she would have enjoyed the view from here.
In those days, Walter Heather washed the windows every spring, starting on the southern side of the house and working his way round. In spring, the glass shone, and the curtains were laundered periodically and even ironed. Esther could see the river from there as the land sloped right down to the bank, but I never once saw her turn toward the view. I assumed that she didn’t appreciate the view, but perhaps I shouldn’t. Who knew what went on in that head of hers?
Every spring, my grandmother would direct us to close all the curtains and keep them closed for the whole day. She didn’t want staff seeing in to family rooms. I once opened the curtains to the sight of Walter Heather on a ladder. He was more
