The Lady of Pelham Street

by Deborah Carr

  Lastly, she and Jesse had helped John and Dorothy to hang little boxes that they had decorated under Florence’s watchful eye with pieces of doilies and coloured card. She waited until they had both gone to bed to hang up small pieces of fudge made by their cook, Mrs Rudge. Florence enjoyed wrapping each inch-sized square in coloured tissue paper. She was delighted to note that their tree not only looked beautiful, but the pine, orange, and clove scents emanating from the decorations gave the room a perfect Christmassy atmosphere.

  ‘Do you think they’ll like their toy theatre?’ Florence asked, looking at the largest present sitting under the tree, which she had wrapped the evening before. ‘I know the children each have new toys for their presents, but I wanted something that we can all enjoy together as a family tomorrow.’

  Jesse pulled her to him and kissed her. ‘I think it’s a stroke of genius, my darling.’

  Florence smiled, happy to have made the right choice for a family gift. ‘Mrs Rudge has prepared all the food that she’s certain we’ll need for the next couple of days. She’s left me a list of everything and I assured her that if we need anything cooked I’m perfectly capable of managing while she’s with her family.’

  ‘I’m aware you’re able to cook, Florence, but are you certain you want to spend your Christmas doing so?’

  She was. She used to love helping her mother in the kitchen when she prepared their family Christmases in Jersey and wanted to be able to feel like she was contributing something to making her own small family’s food extra special.

  ‘Yes, perfectly.’ Florence sighed. ‘I’ve given the staff the next two days off, but we do still have Harriet, Ethel, and your valet downstairs. I would rather they take the time to relax and celebrate this special time of year for themselves though, but I do know that if I need them for anything they’ll be happy to assist me.’

  ‘We have loyal servants, Florence,’ Jesse said thoughtfully. ‘They seem to enjoy making this a very special time of year and for that I have you to thank, once again.’

  ‘Nonsense,’ she said modestly. ‘I do know that we’re going to have a quiet day, just the five of us together. I’m looking forward to spending time together alone as a family and can’t wait to see the children’s faces when they come in here tomorrow after chapel.’

  He hugged her tightly to him. ‘Neither can I.’

  ‘I’ve had new outfits made for each of them, too,’ she said, thinking of the dark blue and white sailor suit she had waiting for John, the pretty pale blue pinafore dress for Dorothy, and a smaller version for baby Margery.

  Jesse smiled. ‘I look forward to seeing them dressed in their new Christmas finery. And you, my darling, do you have a new dress for tomorrow?’

  ‘I do, but you’ll have to wait to see it.’

  ***

  The following morning, Florence, Jesse, and the children sat in the carriage on the way home from chapel.

  ‘You’ve all been very well behaved.’ Jesse gave her a look that she knew meant he was wanting to share a surprise with them. She nodded, smiling.

  Jesse ruffled John’s hair as he sat beside him. ‘Your mother and I have a present for each of you.’

  ‘What is it?’ John asked, his eyes wide as he stared up at his father.

  Florence watched the two men in her life, and her heart swelled. John was such a sweet, kind little boy and she hoped that he grew up to be very like his father, although probably less stern than Jesse could be on occasion. She looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled at Margery’s cherubic face. Then turned to watch Dorothy sitting with her thumb in her mouth as she listened to John chatter with his father.

  ‘Do you like your new dress, sweetheart?’

  Dorothy nodded and grabbed the material where it covered her knees. ‘It’s pretty.’

  ‘It is,’ Florence agreed. ‘And you look very beautiful wearing it.’

  Jesse caught her eye. ‘I haven’t mentioned how lovely you look in your new gown, my darling. It suits you very well.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, pleased that Jesse had noticed and liked what she was wearing. ‘It’s a slight change of style for me and a simpler line compared to what I’ve been wearing the past couple of years.’

  They arrived home and, having discarded their coats and hats immediately, made their way to the living room. The first thing Florence noticed was the smell of pine filling the room. She breathed it in and smiled. For Florence, this was the second-best thing about Christmas – the festive scents from the small boxes of dates, the small crystal bowls filled with sugared plums, and visiting the kitchen to watch Mrs Rudge stir the Christmas pudding and take the spice-filled Christmas cake from the oven.

  Then she spotted a tray of cordial and holly-shaped shortbread biscuits that one of the servants had thought to leave for them. The fire was lit too and the room felt cosy. It was the perfect welcome after their outing in the cold weather.

  Florence placed baby Margery in a cot that she had asked to be brought into the room the previous day especially for the festivities. She picked up one of the sugar-coated biscuits and took a bite, the buttery pastry crumbling into her mouth and delighting her taste buds.

  ‘Look, children,’ she said, hoping to entice them with something light to eat before they began unwrapping their gifts. ‘Don’t these biscuits look pretty? They’re tasty, too. Do you want one?’

  Both children immediately turned and eagerly rushed over to her. They were hungry, as she had expected them to be after a busy morning out of the house. She handed a biscuit to each of them and then passed the tray to Jesse. ‘Try one.’

  They all did as she suggested and each stood ravenously eating their biscuit and making a crumbly mess all over the Persian rug under their feet.

  Florence smiled at Jesse as their small children ate and then raised her eyebrows questioningly as she glanced at the brightly wrapped presents under the large fir tree.

  Jesse nodded. He picked up a linen napkin from next to the plate of biscuits and shook it open, then, taking each of the children’s small hands, wiped off the crumbs.

  ‘Now, do you wish to open one of your presents? The others presents will have to wait until after luncheon, but Mother and I think you’ve both been very good and deserve to choose which one to open now.’

  ‘Yes,’ they both shrieked, jumping up and down in excitement.

  ‘Right. I’ll point out the presents that have your names on them and then you can decide.’

  Florence sat down on the sofa nearest to Margery’s cot and stroked the little girl’s chubby cheeks. She really was a beautiful baby, Florence thought happily. She gazed over at her wonderful husband kneeling in front of the tree and indicating to the older two children the presents that they would be able to open at some point during the day and knew that however successful they might be, all she ever wanted or needed in this world was to have these four people close to her to be truly happy.

  Finally, their decisions made, Jesse waited for each child to sit on the floor before handing them their present. He then joined Florence on the sofa and took her hand in his.

  ‘Look at them, aren’t they perfect?’

  She swallowed away tears of happiness and smiled. ‘They are and we are two very lucky people.’

  He raised her hand and, turning it over, kissed her palm. ‘I wonder each day how I was ever lucky enough to meet you and end up with such a delightful family. You have given me so much joy, Florence. I hope you know that.’

  She did, mostly because he told her regularly how very happy she made him. ‘And you have made me the happiest of women, Jesse. You know you have.’

  John discarded the paper covering his present. Pulling open the box, he cried, ‘Mother, Papa, it’s a boat.’

  ‘It is,’ Jesse said, waving him over to join them. John handed the boat to him and stood by Jesse’s knees, gazing at the present in front of him. ‘We’ll take it to the park in a few days and I’ll show you how to sail it. Would you
like that?’

  ‘Yes, Papa. Now?’

  Florence laughed. ‘No, poppet. It’s Christmas Day and we’re going to be eating a big lunch, but maybe tomorrow.’ She looked at Jesse. ‘What do you say, Papa? Shall we all go out to the park tomorrow so you and John can sail his new boat?’

  Jesse handed his son the boat, pulled him into a hug, then let him go and ruffled his hair. ‘Tomorrow it is then, if the weather is dry.’

  John beamed at them and went to sit back on the rug and play with his present.

  Florence looked over at Dorothy, struggling to open a large box. ‘Do you want some help?’

  Dorothy shook her head. ‘No, Mother. Dot do it.’

  She and Jesse laughed. ‘She’s such a determined little girl,’ Florence said to him.

  ‘I wonder who she takes after,’ he teased.

  ‘It could be either one of us, I think.’

  Dorothy eventually managed to take her new doll from the box and the two of them sat comfortably watching their children enjoying their new toys.

  Florence looked at the clock on the mantelpiece and saw that it was nearly one o’clock. ‘You stay here with the children and I’ll go and take the presents to the servants who have stayed behind for the festivities and then prepare our luncheon. Mrs Rudge was kind enough to put the turkey into the oven and prepare the vegetables, so all I need to do is boil them, make the gravy, and then I’ll call you to help bring it to the dining room.’

  ‘Why don’t I carry the presents through to the kitchen?’ he suggested. ‘That way I can make sure to thank them all and then I’ll come back and sit with the children while you take through the rest.’

  She helped Jesse sort through the gifts and when Florence was satisfied that every member of staff had been accounted for, she gave Jesse the presents and sat back to wait for him to return.

  Twenty minutes later, Jesse walked back into the living room. ‘They seemed very happy with the food and gifts that we’ve given to them.’

  Florence was relieved. She was confident in buying for the stores and also when choosing gifts for those closest to her, but although she knew most of her servants very well, she worried that they received few gifts in a year and wanted to be certain that what she had chosen to buy for them from her own family was the best gift possible.

  She had presented Christmas presents to each of the other servants before they had left for their family celebrations. Each had been asked to visit her in her drawing room, where she chatted to them about what they would be doing and then thanked them for their hard work serving her and her family over the previous twelve months. She knew how much she had appreciated her father, or even Jesse, noticing when she had worked extra hard and achieved something important to her and believed that to commend her staff for all that they did was something that would enrich their lives too.

  ‘I’ll go and prepare luncheon now. The children should be fine for a while.’ She reached the door, opened it, and then, suspecting Jesse wouldn’t be as strict as her about the treats in the living room for the children, she said, ‘No more than one sugared plum for John and Dorothy.’

  She knew she was right to say something when Jesse turned and grinned at her, a mischievous twinkle in his pale eyes. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it, my darling.’

  ‘Good,’ she giggled.

  ‘Call me if you need help with anything at all,’ he said moving over to sit next to Margery, who was now sleeping soundly in her cot.

  Florence left them and walked out to the hall and down to the kitchen. Mrs Rudge was standing at the range cooking.

  ‘I hope you’re preparing the food for you and the servants, and not our Christmas lunch,’ Florence said, certain that she had caught Mrs Rudge looking after their food. ‘I did want you to have time to yourself today.’

  Mrs Rudge wiped her hands on a cloth and smiled. ‘Now, Mrs Boot, we both know that I’m happiest in my kitchen preparing tasty meals for this household. The servants are just finishing their lunch now and I thought I’d come back in here and check on your meal. You work hard all year round and this is my way of helping you today.’

  ‘Well, that’s very thoughtful. Thank you.’

  ‘I know you wish to do some of the cooking though, so I will leave you to finish everything off.’ She hesitated, her eyebrows lowering into a frown. ‘Unless you would rather I finish it for you. Harriet would be happy to serve you, despite what you said about us not working today.’

  Florence was horrified. ‘No, thank you. You’ve already done far too much and I don’t want Harriet disturbed. She works very hard and Christmas is a day for everyone to take time to rest and, if it’s your choice, to worship.’

  Mrs Rudge handed Florence an apron and waited for her to put it on. ‘I’ll be leaving for my sister’s house in an hour or so,’ she said. ‘But I’ve left a game pie for you and Mr Boot for your supper in the pantry. I made it yesterday, and if I do say so myself, it looks as if it’s one of my special ones.’

  Florence put the lid on the pan of vegetables and turned to the cook. ‘That is very kind of you, Mrs Rudge. Mr Boot, as you know, is very partial to game pie. I’m sure he’ll thoroughly enjoy eating it this evening. Now, if you’ve no reason to stay here, why don’t you leave for your sister’s home now. I’m sure she must be looking forward to seeing you.’

  Forty-five minutes later, John and Dorothy chatted excitedly at their places at the big dining-room table where they were only allowed to eat on very special occasions. The table was decorated with the family’s best silver and crockery for her and Jesse, and second-best for the children. Harriet had placed the best crystal glasses for her and Jesse’s water, and tumblers for the children, but the centrepiece was a large silver epergne with one large crystal dish at the top and six smaller ones on a lower tier. The top bowl was filled with sugared almonds and the lower ones with tantalising treats and flowers. It was the only colour on the table. There were two silver candelabra, one in front of her place and one at the other end of the long mahogany table in front of Jesse, both sporting two creamy white candles.

  Jesse served the meat and passed the children’s smaller plates to Florence, who gave them a few vegetables, two roast potatoes, and a little gravy. She didn’t bother to serve them with redcurrant jelly; it was far too tart for her children’s taste buds.

  Finally, they all sat with their food in front of them. The children were impatient to eat but knew to wait until grace had been said. Florence put her hands together and gave a pointed look to each of her children. They each copied and all closed their eyes in thanks as Jesse said grace.

  ‘Amen,’ they said in unison.

  Jesse smiled at each child and then at Florence. ‘Time to enjoy your mother’s delicious meal.’

  The double dining-room doors were open to the living room so that they could hear if Margery woke, but she didn’t stir and Florence was able to sit and enjoy a perfect, if a little excitable, meal.

  ‘Mother, are there more presents after?’ her son asked.

  Florence nodded. ‘Yes, but only if you both eat up all your vegetables.’ She doubted the children would want any pudding and decided that maybe she and Jesse could enjoy their evening after they had eaten the game pie.

  They hadn’t needed a fire in the dining room with the doors open to the living room. Florence didn’t like to be too hot, nor did Jesse, and both knew that to heat the room too much would cause the children to become fractious.

  It was a perfect lunch and she was pleased to see that Jesse looked to be enjoying their small family lunch as much as she and the children were.

  ‘Well done, children,’ she said, praising them when Dorothy finally finished her last mouthful of food and placed her small fork on her plate. ‘Papa will lift you down, Dorothy, and then we can all return to the living room and open the rest of your presents.’

  The afternoon was spent playing with the children on the floor in front of the fire, while Margery chewed on her new te
ething ring that had a silver doll hanging from it.

  Later, after feeding the baby and giving the older children a light supper of soup and a bowl of delicious trifle, she and Jesse put them all to bed and returned to the living room. He added two logs to the fire and stood with his back to the hearth, warming the backs of his legs.

  ‘Shall we swap our presents to each other now?’ Jesse asked. He didn’t wait for an answer and went over to the tree to pick up a beautifully wrapped gift.

  ‘You may as well bring yours, too,’ she teased, knowing how much he loved to receive surprises from her. She had taken a lot of trouble to design this gift for him and hoped very much that he liked it.

  Jesse’s hand went straight to the small present on one of the higher branches of the tree. Florence had made sure she had placed their presents to each other on high branches well out of the children’s reach.

  ‘Here you are, my darling,’ he said passing the larger box to her and sitting next to her. ‘You go first.’

  Florence gave him a smile and did as he asked. She could tell he was impatient for her to see what he had bought for her. She carefully undid the pretty pink bow tied around the rose wrapping paper and wound it lightly around two of her fingers. Then, placing the bow in her lap, she removed the paper. Seeing the dark blue leather box, she pressed the tiny brass clasp and opened the lid to reveal the prettiest necklace she had ever seen.

  ‘Do you like it?’

  How could she not? she thought, mesmerised by the fine gold chain dotted with small diamonds every half an inch around the bottom half of it. Attached to each diamond was a tinier chain with oval aquamarines hanging from each one. The gem in the middle was double the size of the others. She gasped at its beauty. ‘Jesse, this is far too extravagant.’