‘I know that boat, I know that boat.’
‘Aye,’ Jack replied, unimpressed. ‘It leaves Belmullet every day and always has. You would have seen it from Doohoma Head.’
The sight of something so familiar from Ruby’s childhood made her feel light headed and giddy.
‘Can you imagine,’ she said, grinning. ‘I used to wave to it every day,’ and she began to wave again furiously, to the rusty hull.
Jack shook the reins and pulled the horse into a trot around to the right. Soon, the lodge house and pillars came into view and a long driveway meandered ahead.
‘Here we are then,’ shouted Jack, waving to the porter in the garden of the lodge. ‘Welcome to Ballyford Castle.’
Ruby stared straight ahead with her mouth slightly open. She had almost stopped breathing.
Jack, with his horse and cart, had driven Ruby straight into her dream.
4
Ballyford Castle
‘Do we have any idea at all when Jack will be here with the flour?’
Amy Keenan was the cook at Ballyford Castle and she was addressing Mrs McKinnon, who was sitting at the end of the kitchen table, drinking her tea.
‘I have no idea, Amy, but he wasn’t too long after ourselves. I wish he would get a move on, he has the new girl with him and I have a hundred things to be getting on with, which I can’t begin until she is settled in.’
Amy Keenan brought her bread dough down on the table with such a thud that it became difficult for Mrs McKinnon to see her through the cloud of flour.
‘Mary, in the name of Jesus, why is it taking ye so long to pluck the chickens? Get a move on, girl.’
‘Yes, Amy,’ shouted Mary. She was a slight girl who hardly spoke, but she responded to the wink from Mrs McKinnon with a wide and near toothless grin.
‘Ah, the new girl,’ Amy continued. ‘I don’t suppose she’s been brought to help me in the kitchen, has she?’
‘No, I’m afraid not, Amy. She’s for the nursery.’
‘God in heaven, why would that be? There is no child in the nursery. He’s dead. They’re all dead, God rest their little souls.’ Amy blessed herself as she spoke.
Amy had worked in the castle since she was a girl and had acquired a degree of confidence typical in a woman who rules her own domain. Amy’s realm was the kitchen and woe betide anyone who helped themselves to so much as a cup of buttermilk or an oat biscuit without first seeking permission.
‘Aye, they are all dead,’ said Mrs McKinnon. ‘God bless them. Lady FitzDeane was asleep in the nursing chair when I popped my head in this morning. Heartbreaking it is. She’s lost so much weight. I’m feared she will snap in two if we don’t have someone to help her. Someone who could do a bit of everything including writing the odd letter because she is far too melancholy to write any herself.’
Amy looked dumbfounded. ‘Does Lord FitzDeane know?’
‘How could he Amy? He’s back in Liverpool. He’s gone into a new business and bought a ship, so Mr McKinnon tells me. He is living in the big house in Sefton Park now too, so I’m told. He has had it decorated from top to bottom. I don’t like him staying in Liverpool. There has been a telephone in this castle for almost five years now, he should be able to work from here.’
‘’Tis all changing if you ask me,’ said Amy. ‘Things are so different here now altogether. No fishing parties, no shoots, no balls. It’s as if the lady has been in mourning forever and him, Lord Charles, they were his babies too but no one frets about him do they? I’ve seen the difference since the last one died, he’s moving further and further away from us and I will tell you something else too: I reckon that if they had a baby girl, it would live. There is a woman in Waterford, lives in the same village as my mammy’s cousin, ten dead boys she had until the girl came along and now she’s going as fit as you like. They have her milking and cutting the turf too and they say she’s as strong as the ten boys would have been.’
‘God help her,’ Mrs McKinnon replied wryly. ‘I cannot imagine how the mother kept going, losing ten boys. We had five years and five losses and a funeral for each one of them here and I can see the effect it has had on the lady.’
‘Mary, stop earwigging and pluck!’ Amy shouted.
She turned and filled the kettle at the enormous stone sink and as she did, she thought she heard the sound of the cart in the distance. She immediately stood on tiptoe to look out of the window.
‘God in heaven, you don’t think he has another woman do you, Mrs McKinnon? I mean, in Liverpool? Maybe that’s why he is setting up a new house there. He wouldn’t take a mistress in Liverpool, would he?’
Amy turned back and put the kettle onto the range. She had meant to whisper her question. It was one that had been playing on her mind for some time. She felt for Lord FitzDeane. It appeared to Amy that all the attention and sympathy focused on Lady FitzDeane and that the man they all knew with affection as Lord Charles, was forgotten about.
‘I don’t think so, no,’ Mrs McKinnon said impatiently. She looked towards the servants’ stairs nervously, to see if anyone was hovering.
‘Mr McKinnon is off to Liverpool sometime soon with two chests and papers from the study for Lord Charles. We had thought he was returning to Ballyford shortly, but it would appear Mr McKinnon has to take Ballyford to him.’
Amy took a handkerchief out of her apron pocket and wiped the flour from her eyes.
‘’Tis a sad state of affairs. I think of those fabulous dinner parties I used to cater for and now, I make pies for the staff meals. Five children born into Ballyford and five children dead. Who would have thought we would be saying that when they first married, eh, and what a day to remember that was? It took me three months from beginning to end to make that cake.’
Mrs McKinnon looked towards the window as she heard the sound of hooves on the cobbled path leading through the arch to the kitchen garden from the main drive. She saw Jack’s cart turn the corner and slowly make its way down the path as the wheels dipped in and out of the grooves.
‘Here’s Jack, so, let’s put on a brave face shall we? You know the man has a soft spot for you. Mr McKinnon reckons the reason he fixed up the thatch on that cottage of his is because he is working himself up to make a proposal.’
Mrs McKinnon laughed as she waved out of the window to Jack and went to open the back door.
‘Merciful God, he would be a foolish man indeed to do that at our age. That’s the notion of a young man. What would he be thinking of?’ Amy blushed as bright as the beets she had simmering on the huge kitchen range. ‘I’m too old for any of that nonsense and that man surely has more sense than wanting to spend what’s left of his life with a woman bigger, stronger and cleverer than himself.’
Amy wiped her floury hands on her powdery apron as she and Mrs McKinnon grinned at each other.
‘Can I see the new girl,’ said little Mary, hovering behind Amy.
‘No, you cannot, not until I have. Get back to the chickens.’ Mary scuttled off to sit back on her upturned pail.
Mrs McKinnon opened the door and the first sight to greet her was Ruby Flynn, standing on the doorstep with a white face and a bag in her hand.
‘Goodness me, child, you look as though you are about to faint, come away inside,’ she said.
Mary, ignoring Amy’s warning, rushed forward to greet Ruby and, taking her hand, led her into the kitchen.
‘Have ye made me another one of those pies, Amy?’ said Jack, lifting his cap in greeting.
‘Get off, you cheeky bugger,’ said Amy.
‘You are a hard woman, Amy. Ye steal my heart by charming my stomach and then ye starve me of the pleasure I have come to enjoy. I dream about your pies, Amy.’
Bustling and blushing, Amy placed a hot potato pie in Jack’s hand, then, with a tilt of his cap and a wink at Mrs McKinnon, Jack was back out of the door.
Before he left, he whispered, in an altogether more serious tone, ‘The girl, she had a funny turn as we came up the
drive, I thought she was about to fall clean off the wagon. She had been right as rain all the way here. I reckon maybe ’twas the size or the sight of the castle that did it. Had to stop for a second, I did. Maybe she needs a bit of Amy’s food in her belly. Don’t think convent food is up to much for those girls, all stick thin they are.’
‘Aye, we will feed her, Jack,’ said Mrs McKinnon. ‘I treat all my girls well, as does Amy. We look after each other.’
Mrs McKinnon turned to Ruby, as she closed the kitchen door. ‘Sit down, girl, and let’s get a cuppa and a meal inside you. You have lots to learn over the next few weeks. Now, are you feeling all right?’
Ruby nodded. ‘I am fine, thank you, Mrs McKinnon. I think it was the cart, the wobbling back and forth, it made me a bit sickly.’
Mrs McKinnon handed Ruby a cup from the staff press as Amy waddled around the table with a teapot and a slice of the hot pie, baked to perfection with its brown and glazed crust.
‘Eat up,’ she said kindly. I’ll butter you a slice of bread to have with it. Ruby, is it?’
Ruby nodded in response. The smell of the hot pie was reviving her and her mouth began to water.
‘I’m away to fetch your uniform Ruby,’ said Mrs McKinnon. ‘Amy will look after you for a few minutes and no doubt, by the time I return, you will be twice the size you are now.’
‘I feed all the staff well here. God knows, there’s no one else to cook for,’ Amy sighed. ‘I reckon I’ll have a nice bit of fat sticking to those skinny ribs of yours before the month is out. Drink up and eat the pie now. I’ve a nice stew for supper. That Mrs McKinnon will have ye run off yer feet by the end of the day. She may be fair, but she expects hard work for her consideration.’
‘I’m not afraid of hard work,’ Ruby replied defensively.
‘That’s as may be, but it’s not just hard work. There’s a reason why she hasn’t used one of the girls already on the staff for this job, I’d be thinking.’
Amy settled herself down onto the stool next to Ruby, preparing herself to question the new girl and to find out as much information as possible in the short time she had, just as Mrs McKinnon walked back into the kitchen with clean white aprons and a black dress laid across her arm.
‘Thank you, Amy,’ said Mrs McKinnon with a hint of irritation. ‘I can fill Ruby in on the details of the job very well myself.’
‘I was only making polite conversation and trying to explain. It’s not like things are normal around here, is it, with a grieving mad woman in the nursery and five small coffins lying in the tomb.’
‘Amy!’ Mrs McKinnon almost took off her head with one word and a sharp look.
And then in a much softer tone altogether, she turned back to Ruby.
‘Ruby, we needed someone with a good education and understanding, you see. It is true, you are here to work in the nursery, only there is something which is, er, slightly unusual, and you need to know. There is no child here in the castle to be looked after. The nursery is empty, except for the mistress that is.’
Ruby took a bite of Amy’s pie and gave Mrs McKinnon her full attention as she ate. It was all she could do to stop herself from drooling as the buttery pastry melted on her tongue. She had never before in her life tasted anything as good as Amy’s pie.
‘You see, Lady FitzDeane, she gave birth to five baby boys in five years and each one perished and returned to his maker without spending very long on this earth. She would like the nursery to be kept spick and span and she spends most of the day in there herself. I have to warn you, she very rarely leaves. But there is a little more to it than that. Lady FitzDeane, she hasn’t been doing too well herself in many ways. The doctor visits her every week and God knows, he tries his best, but he thinks she would improve if we had someone to help feed her, pay her some attention, read to her, even. She is a little on the thin side and needs help with the everyday tasks, writing her letters, getting her dressed. It’s more a lady’s maid job, crossed with that of a nurse, which is why we needed someone of your ability.’
Ruby looked slightly perplexed but simply nodded her head as she wiped the crumbs from her chin. She had only ever heard the words ‘lady’s maid’ when Lottie had said them in jest as she brushed Ruby’s long hair and she really had no idea what one was, whereas, having looked after Lottie and Maria a number of times when they had been sick, she had some understanding of the role of a nurse. But still, it was hardly something she had given a great deal of thought to.
She ate the last forkful of the pie and washed it down with the tea. She savoured the salty flavour. The steam rising from the gravy made her want to close her eyes and breathe in the aroma and hold it with her. The food at the convent had been repetitive. She had eaten the same thing on the same day every day for six years. She had never before experienced anything on a plate that made her mouth water.
‘Right, if you have finished eating,’ Mrs McKinnon said, breaking the spell, ‘the others will be in for a break in a moment. It will be a good time to meet them all. Then I’ll take you to the room where the girls sleep and from there we will proceed to the nursery so you can meet Lady FitzDeane.’
Just at that moment, the day servants began to file into the kitchen.
‘Here they are.’ Amy winked at Ruby as she shouted at the staff entering the kitchen through the back door, ‘Did ye all smell the pie and know it was time, did ye?’
As the noise in the kitchen grew with chatter, Mrs McKinnon could not take her eyes off the new girl’s face. There was another, just like it, which she had once known well, a long time ago and her eyes lingered on Ruby’s expression as she responded to the welcome from the other servants.
‘At least they appreciate my cooking, even if the lady upstairs does not. My warm boxty, ye cannot beat it,’ Amy said to Ruby.
The eight members of staff, male and female, joked with each other and jostled for bigger slices of the pie and the boxty bread, as they all took their plates and mugs and sat along the wooden bench table for their mid-morning break. A young girl who was not much older than Ruby sat next to her.
‘Are ye from the convent then?’ she asked.
‘Don’t go scaring Ruby away with too many questions now, Betsy,’ said Mrs McKinnon as she moved along the table, filling their mugs with buttermilk.
Betsy wore her dark hair tucked neatly under her linen hat. Her eyes were big and round and almost as black as her hair and she was so gently spoken, she immediately reminded Ruby of Lottie.
‘I am. How do you know the convent? Were you there?’ asked Ruby.
‘No, none of us were. We just heard this morning that Mrs McKinnon was off to fetch a girl who could read and write. I would love to read, I would.’
‘Why don’t you, then? My mammy taught me,’ said Ruby.
‘Where are you from then, I mean before the convent?’
‘I lived in Doohoma.’ Ruby didn’t hesitate when Betsy asked about her home..
‘Doohoma, eh? My granny came from there. Before she married my granddaddy and moved into the cottages on the estate. I thought there was something familiar, as soon as I set me eyes on you. We used to go back when I was little to visit granny’s family and we went to mass. Have I seen you at mass?’
Ruby’s face lit up. Could it really be that there was someone in the world who knew her? She had to stop herself from reaching out and grabbing hold of Betsy’s arm. ‘Do you ever see your family now, do you?’
Before Betsy could answer, another young girl came and sat on the other side of Ruby. She was as thin as Betsy was plump and the lack of welcome in her face made Ruby bristle even before she had pulled out her stool.
‘So, you are from the fancy convent then, are you?’ she asked, by way of an introduction. ‘The only airs and graces around here are upstairs in the castle, not down here in the kitchen, isn’t that right, Betsy?’
‘Shut yer gob, Jane,’ said Betsy. ‘How about saying hello or something nice for a change?’
Ruby looke
d around her, waiting for someone to tell them off for talking. No one had noticed, or at least if they had, they weren’t the slightest bit bothered. Ruby was surprised, and told Betsy as much. At the convent every mouthful had to be taken in silence.
‘Sure, we is busy working all day. When would we get time to talk if not now? It is so noisy in here sometimes, Mr McKinnon has to shout to get everyone to pipe down when he has the news on the radio and no one even noticed when one of the pigs escaped and was squealing under the table. If Danny had his way, it would have slept there, wouldn’t it, Danny?’
A young boy who was tucking into his bread grinned sheepishly back at Betsy. ‘I never heard a thing, thought it was Jane whining as usual, didn’t I, Jane?’ said Danny. ‘You will get used to Jane’s moaning, miss,’ he went on as he looked admiringly at Ruby, ‘she never stops.’
Betsy grinned good naturedly at Jane, who dismissed Betsy with a sharp look and Ruby saw her try to kick Danny under the table.
Jane noticed that Ruby was watching her open-mouthed and said, ‘You are in our room, with me and Betsy. We never shared with no one else before. Just make sure you don’t touch my stuff on the press. Isn’t that right, Betsy? We don’t want no one touching our things. Anyway, I think I might move into the empty room next door.’
‘What things, Jane?’ Betsy laughed, but Jane stood up and carried her mug and plate to the sink without answering.
‘Take no notice,’ Betsy whispered to Ruby. ‘She doesn’t like no one, does Jane. Someone needs to tell her, no one ever broke a mouth saying a kind word. I’ve pulled your bed close to mine so that we can talk when Jane is asleep and you can tell me all about yerself.’
‘Can I come and sleep in your room too?’ Jimmy, the groom and stable boy shouted down the bench.
‘Mrs McKinnon, did ye hear that? Jimmy is being bold,’ shouted Betsy playfully. Mrs McKinnon hadn’t heard, she was deep in conversation with Jane at the sink. Ruby was stunned into silence. ‘He’s a bad lad is Jimmy,’ said Betsy, half scowling half laughing with a definite twinkle in her eye..
Ruby Flynn Page 5