Back in Service

by Rosanna Challis

  Chapter 18

  That night, Hetty lay locked in her husband’s arms thinking about what had happened in the summerhouse with Jane.

  Something had been resolved in her, a long dormant desire to share the pleasures of the flesh with her. She felt a strong affinity with the beautiful young woman. It had been a pleasure to watch her grow from a shy, inexperienced thing into a more assured and confident person.

  Part of her still felt guilty about seducing her, but she had wanted to show Jane that sexual play need not be the brutal and degrading business she experienced at the hands of Sir Victor. She had succeeded in introducing her to sensual delights, but it was George who had won her heart, and George did not exist. Once again, the conundrum puzzled her brain and she had no idea what on earth she should do about it.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by strange noises out in the corridor. She strained to listen, and fancied she heard the rolling of wheels accompanied by a firm tread approaching Lady Alice’s apartment a few doors down. Surely Nanny Baines was not wheeling Sir Victor into his wife’s bedroom? As far as she knew, he had not entered there since his accident but kept to his own apartments downstairs. It had been up to Lady Alice to visit her husband when she wished to see him, which did not happen often.

  Intrigued, Hetty continued listening. For a while there was silence, but then she heard a cry of protest followed by a muffled sound. In her wildest fancy, she thought it sounded like her ladyship being smothered by a pillow and was on the verge of getting out of bed to investigate when she heard more distinct cries of dismay, and then a strangulated bellow from Sir Victor that made her blood run cold.

  As she lay there, paralysed by uncertainty, she heard a door being opened, and soon there was an agitated tapping at the door to their sitting room. She shook Leo awake. ‘Something is happening,’ she said urgently. ‘I am going to investigate.’

  He gave a sleepy murmur, but did not open his eyes. She leapt from the bed, drew on her silk dressing gown, and went to the door of the apartment, where she was confronted by the trembling figure of Jane in her nightgown.

  ‘Miss Hetty, please come quickly! Sir Victor is in my mistress’s bedroom with Mrs Baines and there are such terrible noises! I fear something untoward is happening.’

  ‘Wait, Jane, I shall fetch Leo.’

  Hetty’s efforts to waken him were more determined this time, and eventually he was up and in his dressing gown and slippers. As the three of them hurried down the corridor they clearly heard muffled shrieks and moans emanating from Lady Alice’s apartment, punctuated by the unmistakable sound of leather striking naked flesh.

  ‘If he is assaulting my poor mother there will be hell to pay!’ Leo muttered as he pushed open the outer door. He crossed the sitting room in three long strides and flung open the bedroom door.

  Lady Alice had been hauled out of bed and forced across her husband’s knee. Her hands were bound behind her back with a dressing-gown cord and a cloth was jammed between her lips, effectively gagging her. Her cotton nightgown was bunched up around her waist to expose her buttocks, and Sir Victor was laying into her with the sole of his leather slipper, beating her rhythmically upon her bottom cheeks while Baines stood by surveying the scene with a smug smile of approval.

  ‘What the devil do you think you are doing, father?’ Leo ran into the room while Hetty and Jane hung back in shock.

  Sir Victor turned in his wheelchair to face his son, a sneering expression on his face. ‘Mind your own damn business, Leonard. This is between me and your mother.’

  ‘I will not allow you to assault my poor mother in this fashion, you monster!’ He attempted to snatch the slipper from his father’s hand, but Sir Victor held onto it firmly and a brief tug of war ensued, the younger man easily won.

  ‘I command you to leave the room, Leonard. I am still master of this house.’

  ‘Then why are you abusing your position in this disgusting fashion?’ his son demanded, and Hetty could see the muscle twitching in her husband’s jaw that meant he was having difficulty controlling his rage.

  ‘If you must know, your mother has refused me my conjugal rights. She would not take pity on a poor invalid in his hour of need. I still have a man’s desires even though my body has lost some of its former vigour, and my cruel wife has no right to deny me.’

  It seemed as though the situation was calming down between the two men, but Hetty was staring at the sprawling figure of Lady Alice with growing concern. She could see the woman was almost blue in the face, her eyes bulging and her chest heaving. ‘Lady Alice is not well,’ she cried. ‘Let Jane see to her at once.’

  Leo looked more closely at his mother’s face. ‘My God, you are right. Attend to her, Jane, she is looking quite green about the gills.’

  Reluctantly, Sir Victor sat back in his chair to allow Jane access to her mistress. Leo helped her untie the bonds around Lady Alice’s wrists, and a great gasp issued from her mouth as the gag was removed from between her lips, but her body remained limp. She almost rolled off her husband’s lap, but her son and maid managed to manoeuvre her back onto the bed, where she lay gasping and white-faced.

  Leo turned to Hetty. ‘Fetch a doctor at once.’

  She did not hesitate. She raced to the servants’ quarters and a boy was dispatched on horseback to Dr Turner’s house in the village while she called for some herbal tisane to be brought to her mother-in-law. When she returned to the bedroom, however, the scene was one of sombre silence and she feared the worst.

  Leo’s face was drained of all emotion; he looked like a carved statue. Her gaze flew to the bed, where Lady Alice was now properly arrayed with her hair brushed and her hands neatly folded over her chest in an attitude of prayer, a peaceful look softening her white features. Hetty did not need to ask what had happened in her absence as she let out a cry of anguish, but then all her thoughts were for her husband, who looked utterly stricken as he murmured, ‘We should have sent for a priest.’ Then he turned and collapsed in her arms.

  They clung to each other for a few seconds, trembling with emotion, before he pushed her away gently and turned on his father. ‘Take him out,’ he snarled at Mrs Baines. ‘I cannot bear the sight of him. He has murdered my mother!’

  Jane knelt at the side of the bed, her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at her mistress’s motionless form. She pressed one of the lifeless hands to her lips, and Hetty bent to comfort her by placing an arm around her shoulders. Leo joined them, and they all said a silent prayer before he rose wearily to his feet again. ‘I shall go downstairs to await the doctor,’ he said.

  When he had gone, Hetty murmured, ‘Come, Jane, we will lay her out together.’

  As they performed the last offices for the woman who had been mistress to them both, their silent grief formed a bond between them.

  When they completed Lady Alice’s last poignant toilet, Hetty and Jane returned to their respective bedrooms. The shock of the night’s events was almost too much to bear, the horror of them as well as the pain and grief. The poor woman must have died of heart failure induced by the humiliation of being beaten by her own husband.

  Hetty learned at breakfast the next morning that heart failure was, indeed, the cause of death as pronounced by Dr Turner. Leo told her the physician had examined his mother in the small hours. Lady Alice apparently had a history of heart trouble over the past year, for which he had prescribed Digitalis, but Lady Alice had not wished anyone to know of this so her family and servants had been kept in the dark about her weakening health.

  ‘Of course I did not mention the… incident,’ Leo added, ‘but Dr Turner believes she may have overdosed on the medicine, which means that… that what happened between her and my father last night may have had nothing to do with her death. It is apparently an easy matter to overdose on Digitalis. No doubt the coroner will give his verdict at the inquest.’

  ‘No, I
believe this is all your father’s fault,’ Hetty insisted, tight-lipped. ‘If I had my way, he would be on trial for murder.’

  ‘Hetty, you are upset and angry, but you must not speak that way. There will be enough rumours flying around amongst the servants, I dare say.’

  ‘Well they will not be spread by Jane. She is loyal and discreet and will not say a word.’ She drank her tea thoughtfully. ‘Speaking of Jane, I promised the girl we would not abandon her. Pardon me for mentioning it so soon, my dear, but we need to decide what to do about her. Do you think I could have my own lady’s maid? Jane would be the perfect candidate. After all, I am the lady of the house now.’

  Leo smiled and patted her hand. ‘Lady Hetty of Longton. You have already taken over most of mama’s duties, so in that respect I suppose little will change. Yes, indeed, you should have your own maid. I know Jane has already helped you out on many an occasion, so she is the obvious choice.’

  ‘Then I shall tell her today. Perhaps it will be of some comfort in her grief to know her position here is secure.’

  The house was shrouded in gloom. After the undertaker removed Lady Alice’s body, Jane and Hetty undertook the grim task of stripping her bed of its linen and putting her personal effects away. Then the two young women broke for tea in the late Lady Alice’s sitting room.

  ‘I cannot forget the sight of that brute of a husband of hers hitting her with his slipper,’ Jane mused. ‘All night I was kept awake thinking of it. Do you think if I had given Sir Victor his blanket bath he would not have bothered his wife?’

  Hetty caught her drift, and was dismayed. ‘Jane, do not fill your pretty little head with such thoughts, I beg of you. Her ladyship’s untimely death had nothing whatsoever to do with you.’

  ‘But if I had done as he asked perhaps his desire for his wife would have abated and he would not have been so furious when she refused him.’

  Jane, enough,’ she said sternly. ‘Put such ridiculous fancies out of your head at once. The man is an inveterate lecher. Everyone in this house knows that, although most would prefer to turn a blind eye to the fact. Why else do you think Lady Alice put such a distance between her apartments and his? Between you and me, Jane, his accident was a great relief to that poor lady, who had suffered far too many indignities in her married life.’

  ‘Poor Lady Alice,’ she sighed.

  ‘You have such tender feelings, my dear, and you served her very well in her last years. You have nothing to reproach yourself with there. Which brings me to a happier subject. I am sure you must be wondering what will become of you now your mistress has passed on.’

  Jane’s face clouded and she lowered her eyes. ‘It has crossed my mind, Miss Hetty.’

  ‘Then wonder no more, for I should like you to stay on here at Longton as my own personal maid.’

  The look on Jane’s face when she heard the news was most gratifying, indeed. Her blue eyes shone with relief and gratitude and her lips curved into a perfect Cupid’s bow of a smile. ‘Oh Miss Hetty, do you really mean it?’

  ‘Of course.’ She smiled. ‘Who better to perform the most intimate services for me than you, dear Jane?’

  A faint flush crept into her cheeks. ‘Thank you, miss,’ she murmured. ‘Thank you!’

  ‘I hope it may not seem improper to speak of it with her ladyship so recently deceased, but I intend to make a few changes here, Jane, now that I am Mistress of Longton.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Life will become easier for everyone now that I have a free rein in this household. And my husband will back me up, of course. He knows what a boorish tyrant his father has been to every female servant, past and present.’

  ‘But Sir Victor is still the master here, is he not?’

  ‘In theory, yes, but he is also a cripple and I intend to take shameless advantage of that fact. Lady Alice, bless her soul, did not have the strength to stand up to him. You saw what happened when she tried to resist his lustful advances. But I am not she, and I have both the will and the determination to flout him. Wait and see, Jane, just you wait and see.’

  It was necessary to keep up appearances at Longton Hall while the family was in full mourning. Hetty was glad of Jane’s help to get into her black bombazine gown with its high ruffled collar, which she wore with the jet jewellery passed on through the Carstairs family for generations. Sir Victor kept out of the way, excusing himself from all meals with the family and dining in his room, much to the relief of Hetty and Leo, neither of whom could stomach the sight of him.

  At last, the day of the funeral dawned and they made their way by carriage to the village church where the Carstairs had their family vault. The service was an ordeal for Leo, who quietly sobbed his way through it, but although Hetty felt sad, her grief was not overwhelming. She had mixed memories of the woman who once asked her to dress as a man and spy on her husband’s wild orgies, but she would carry those secret memories with her to her own grave.

  Later that day, once the guests left Longton and Hetty no longer had to suffer Lady Cosham’s trivial small talk or her daughter’s barbed comments, Leo invited his wife to take a turn around the grounds. ‘The atmosphere in the house is so stifling,’ he complained. ‘I long for some fresh air, my dear. Let us stroll over to the woods and back.’

  As they walked companionably arm in arm, Hetty once more broached the topic preoccupying her thoughts of late. ‘Now that your dear mother is laid to rest, Leo, I should like to make some changes in the house, with your permission, of course.’

  ‘None too drastic, I hope?’

  ‘I am not thinking of changing the running of the household,’ she told him quickly. ‘I have that pretty well under control and the servants all perform their duties diligently. However, I am thinking of hiring a new footman.’

  ‘Do we need one?’ he asked, surprised.

  ‘Maybe not, but I think Jane does.’

  He stared at her uncomprehendingly for a few seconds, and then a smile lightened his sombre expression. ‘Ah yes, the solution to the George problem.’

  ‘Precisely. Absence seldom makes the heart grow fonder when there is a handsome replacement to hand. I shall make sure the young man I engage is suitable in all respects.’

  ‘Quite. I am sure you will handle it well, my dear. What else?’

  ‘I also wish to alter the arrangements for your father.’

  ‘My father?’ The mere mention of him made Leo frown. ‘What do you plan to do with him, lock him in the cellar and throw away the key?’

  ‘Oh, that would be a pity, I mean, he might quite enjoy himself down there, drinking himself into an early grave. He might even strike up an acquaintance with the cellar rats, being of a similar disposition.’

  He chucked. ‘Hetty, you are such a wag sometimes. But seriously, what do you suggest we do with him?’

  ‘Dismiss Baines, for a start.’

  ‘But who will look after him then?’

  ‘Me.’

  ‘You? But that is impossible. You would not have the time, and besides, you could not handle him.’

  ‘Could I not? I have been thinking about it long and hard, Leo, and here is what I propose. I shall draw up a strict regime from which he will not be permitted to deviate. No more of his debauched parties, only tea with Lady Cosham and her daughter when they pay us one of their duty visits.’

  ‘But he detests the woman and her tedious daughter.’

  She smiled. ‘Precisely.’

  It took a while for Leo to catch on, but when he did, he grinned. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Pray continue, my love.’

  As she went through her list of torments, he grew visibly delighted at the prospect of making his father pay for all his past misdeeds in such a subtle and insidious fashion. He gave her full permission to implement all her plans, as soon as possible.

  Hetty could hardly wait. The followin
g morning she told Jane to accompany her when she visited Sir Victor in his room later just before tea. At first the girl was terrified, but Hetty reassured her by informing her that Leo would be coming along as well.

  ‘No harm shall come to you ever again in this house, Jane. I can promise you that in full confidence now.’ She smiled and kissed the girl’s cheek tenderly. ‘Come with me.’

  At four o’clock that afternoon the small deputation consisting of Mr and Mrs Carstairs and Jane knocked on the door of Sir Victor’s room. The door was opened by Mrs Baines, whose face registered extreme displeasure at the sight of them, and there was also a flicker of fear in her baleful eyes.

  ‘We have something of import to say to you and to Sir Victor,’ Hetty announced, for Leo had agreed to let her do most of the talking. ‘Is he able to receive us now?’

  The old man’s peevish tones rang out, ‘Who the devil is it, Baines?’

  ‘Your son and daughter-in-law, sir, and her maid.’

  ‘What the hell do they want?’ Sir Victor appeared, propelling himself along in his wheelchair. He had obviously been drinking and his bleary-eyed appearance and dishevelled hair made Hetty all the more determined to go through with her plans. She led the way across the threshold. ‘Sir Victor, I have come to tell you about some changes I intend to make in your daily routine.’

  ‘You, missy? And who do you think you are barging in here like this?’

  ‘I am now Lady of Longton and I have your son’s permission to deal with you as I think fit,’ she replied coolly, and turned to his nurse. ‘Mrs Baines, you have discharged your duty in this house with what your master would regard as commendable loyalty, but your services are no longer needed. I shall give you two months wages in lieu of notice. You may leave immediately.’

  ‘What the hell?’ Sir Victor spluttered. ‘You cannot do this, missy, indeed you cannot, damn you!’

  ‘Indeed she can, father,’ Leo broke in with an evil smile. ‘Pack your bags, Baines.’

  ‘What about my reference?’ the woman asked sullenly. ‘You cannot let me go without one. I shall not be able to find another post without one,’ she insisted.