A Place to Call Home

by Evie Grace

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ she said, trying to relax her grip.

  ‘Don’t be – I find it strangely comforting.’

  Rose allowed herself a small smile on hearing the humour in his voice, but if the truth be told, she was scared for her sister.

  ‘How long do you think it will take to get to Overshill?’ she asked as they followed the road towards Canterbury before turning off towards Selling.

  ‘Not long – it isn’t far as the crow flies,’ he said, but it seemed like an age, riding past the woods and orchards, and the hop gardens where the last of the hops were being picked. In the distance Rose heard the whistle of a steam engine on the London to Dover line, reminding her of the family’s fateful trip to Whitstable. Glad that Freddie couldn’t see her crying, she clung on tighter, more for comfort than necessity, for the horse’s pace had settled to a gentle walk.

  Eventually, they took the lane to Overshill and rode up the long drive across the rising parkland to Churt House.

  The horses’ hooves clattered across the cobbles as Freddie took them into the stableyard. He jumped down and helped Rose from the horse’s back before lifting Minnie from the other steed to allow his man to dismount. Together, the two men put Minnie’s arms across their shoulders and carried her into the rear entrance of the house. Rose followed them along a gloomy corridor to what appeared to be the servants’ hall, where Freddie and his man stopped.

  ‘Rose, please fetch Mrs Causton,’ Freddie said. ‘I expect she’s in the kitchen at the end of the corridor with Cook.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ She hurried along to the next door and pushed it open to find three women engaged in various tasks in a kitchen at least four times the size of the one at Wanstall Farm.

  ‘Mrs Causton?’ Rose said.

  The oldest of the three, a middle-aged lady with tightly curled dark hair and wearing a sober grey dress, looked up from a recipe book. ‘That’s me.’

  ‘Mr Wild has asked me to fetch you.’

  Mrs Causton addressed the cook, who was dressed in uniform: a white starched cap and apron over a black dress. ‘Put some extra vegetables in the pot. Mr Wild appears to have guests.’ She turned to the maid, a slender girl of about seventeen. ‘Mary, come with me.’

  ‘Yes, Mrs Causton,’ the maid said, tucking a stray lock of her chestnut hair back under her cap.

  Rose hurried back with Mrs Causton and the maid following behind her.

  ‘Oh, who is this?’ Mrs Causton exclaimed when she saw Minnie. ‘She’s sick.’

  ‘This is Miss Minnie Cheevers and I’d like a bed made ready for her upstairs – she can share a room with her sister,’ Freddie said.

  ‘I don’t think we have a suitable room, Mr Wild.’

  ‘There’s one three doors from mine. There are two beds and a washstand – we can soon find a dressing table.’

  ‘I suppose it will have to do,’ Mrs Causton said rather stiffly, before sending the maid off to find linen and pillows.

  ‘I need someone to fetch the doctor,’ Freddie said. ‘Rose, could I prevail upon you to take my man’s place? Jack, you can take a fresh horse and ride out from here – I believe the nearest physician is in Selling.’

  Rose swapped places with Jack, taking Minnie’s weight and helping to support her on their way back along the corridor. They came to a dark oak staircase and struggled up two floors to a landing, where Freddie paused for breath.

  ‘You’re doing well – you must be very strong,’ he said. ‘It’s this way.’ He pushed a door open and they entered a bedroom where Mrs Causton and the maid were already plumping pillows and straightening blankets on the beds. They stepped aside to let Rose and Freddie make Minnie comfortable on the bed closest to the window.

  Rose stroked her sister’s hand, but all she could do was roll her eyes and moan.

  ‘Please, can I have some water?’ she said. ‘She’s terribly hot.’

  ‘I’ll get it,’ Freddie said, disappearing.

  ‘I think we should light the fire to banish the damp,’ Mrs Causton said. ‘Mary, fetch some wood and matches. I wish we’d known about this in advance so we could have been prepared.’

  ‘I’m sorry to be a nuisance,’ Rose said.

  ‘I shouldn’t grumble, I suppose. You and your sister look as though you’ve been through the mill.’

  As the maid and Mrs Causton continued with lighting the fire and dusting the surfaces, Freddie returned with a tray of water, tea, bread, cheese and cake.

  ‘Thank you, but I don’t think Minnie’s up to eating anything,’ Rose said.

  ‘It’s for you as well. You need to keep your strength up.’ Freddie turned to Mrs Causton and the maid. ‘That will be all for now.’

  ‘Of course, Mr Wild,’ Mrs Causton said, collecting up the dusters and box of spare matches. ‘How many can we expect for dinner?’

  ‘I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can,’ he said.

  ‘I’ll stay here with Minnie,’ Rose said. ‘I’m not going to let her out of my sight.’

  Freddie excused himself, coming back with the doctor about an hour later. He stood in the doorway with his eyes averted.

  ‘What is the history?’ the doctor asked Rose, having introduced himself and examined the patient. ‘When did she first show these symptoms?’

  She explained that Minnie had fallen ill the day before, withholding the information about the episode with Abel, not wanting to besmirch her sister’s reputation in front of Freddie. There was no need for him to know the sordid details.

  ‘Will she get better? I need to know,’ she said, her voice quavering. ‘I’ve suffered much loss – I don’t think I could bear any more.’

  ‘I must be guarded in my prognosis as one never knows which way these cases will go. Your sister has a fever along with signs of nervous exhaustion and melancholia.’

  ‘Will you bleed her?’ Rose asked, remembering her father’s futile treatment.

  ‘Not on this occasion. I’ll prescribe a tonic to be given four times a day with chicken broth, along with regular wrapping of the arms and legs with bandages soaked in cold water to drag the fever from the vital organs.’

  ‘How will I get her to take the tonic when she’s barely conscious?’

  ‘You’ll need to sit her up and pour it gently into the mouth, a little at a time. She’s sleepy, not completely comatose.’

  Rose thanked him.

  ‘I’ll return in the morning,’ the doctor said, taking his leave. Freddie accompanied him downstairs, leaving Rose to carry out the doctor’s instructions, aided by Mary who delivered cold water, cloths and chicken broth.

  ‘The master told me what to bring,’ she said. ‘How is the patient?’

  Rose’s courage suddenly deserted her and she burst into tears.

  ‘There, there,’ the maid said, walking across to gently pat her on the back. ‘Let’s see what we can do. I nursed my sister back to health when she had scarlet fever – it was a miracle that she survived. We lost three others.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ It was hardly reassuring, Rose thought, but she was grateful for Mary’s presence.

  That night, she couldn’t sleep, getting up frequently to wrap Minnie’s arms and legs with freshly cooled bandages to bring her temperature down. By morning, when the sky began to lighten through a gap between the heavy brocade curtains and the smell of toast and boiled bacon drifted up the stairs, Minnie stirred and opened her eyes.

  ‘Where are we?’ she muttered.

  ‘Mr Wild rescued us from Faversham – we’re back in Overshill.’

  ‘Why? What happened?’

  ‘Hush now. You need to rest.’ Feeling weak with relief, Rose let Mary in when she knocked at the door, bringing coffee, buttered toast and scrambled eggs.

  ‘The doctor’s downstairs talking to the master. He’ll be up to see her soon, not that she’ll need him by the looks of her, miss.’ She placed the tray on the washstand. ‘I’d better make myself scarce. Mrs
Causton don’t like me gossiping.’

  Mary left and the doctor turned up five minutes later, pronouncing Minnie’s health much improved, the best news Rose could have wished for. He advised her to continue with the tonic and broth before riding away from the house to his next call.

  Rose ate breakfast, rinsed her hands and face, and dragged their luggage, which had appeared outside the bedroom door during the night, into the room. She rummaged through their belongings, looking for a dress that was marginally cleaner than the one she’d worn for the ride back to Overshill. As she fastened the last button on the bodice of her brown cotton gown, trying to ignore the stains down the front, and the musky smell that emanated from the cloth, she heard a knock on the door.

  ‘Come in,’ she said, looking up. ‘Good morning.’

  ‘I hear that your sister is going to be all right,’ Freddie said.

  ‘Yes, thanks to you.’ She shrank back a little, embarrassed by her appearance, although he gave no hint that he had noticed how grubby her clothes were. ‘I’m sorry, but I haven’t got the means to pay the doctor’s bill at present.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll settle it.’

  ‘I can’t let you do that. It’s very generous of you, but—’

  ‘Let’s not argue about this now. You’ll wake your sister.’

  He had a point, Rose thought.

  ‘Why don’t you come out on to the landing? Leave the door open so you can watch Minnie, while we sit and talk for a while.’ He pulled up two chairs just outside the bedroom door and offered one to Rose.

  ‘You know why we went to Faversham?’ she said quietly as she sat down.

  He nodded. ‘Your brother is locked up in Canterbury Gaol. There were plenty of people who were keen to enlighten me as to his whereabouts when I came back from my travels to find the cottage at Toad’s Bottom empty. I sent my man to ask Donald where you were – that’s how I found you.’

  ‘How was he?’ Rose interrupted.

  ‘Fed up, frustrated and worn out, as you’d expect. It isn’t right, locking these young lads up in the expectation they will learn to behave. I prefer the idea of reformatory schools, but never mind that. Back to you and Minnie. Why on earth did you run away?’

  ‘Where do I start? The villagers hated us, we’d let the Carters down, and I was too ashamed to stay. I couldn’t afford the rent on the cottage without Donald’s wages, and I knew I’d lost my place here. Who would take a convicted criminal’s sister to look after their house?’

  ‘We come from different worlds, Rose. You are nothing like your brother, and I would never have considered changing my mind over you being my housekeeper for this. I thought you were made of sterner stuff, perfectly able to withstand those tiresome people who have nothing better to do than pass an opinion on everyone else’s business. The finger-pointing would soon have passed. There must be another reason why you took your sister away from the relative safety of Overshill.’

  ‘I didn’t mean to put her in danger. I did my best – I found work and lodgings.’

  ‘Yet, I found you in quite a predicament with men chasing you for repayment of your debts, and Minnie looking very unwell.’

  ‘You don’t understand. When Donald went to gaol, the Carters’ maid told us that our grandmother was ill. Mr Carter was worried about her heart and blamed us. I couldn’t have her death on my conscience, so we fled.’

  ‘She wouldn’t have died because of what Donald had done,’ Freddie said, somewhat scathingly. ‘It wouldn’t have been your fault if she had. And she’s perfectly well, by the way. I’ve seen her since I’ve been back. Oh, she looks a little older, I grant you, but she’s alive and kicking.’

  ‘It wasn’t very long ago that I lost my mother. Her heart broke when she heard the solicitor reading our father’s will, and two weeks later she died from heart failure, having given up the will to live.’ Rose trembled at the memory of seeing Ma lifeless in her bed. ‘I didn’t want that to happen to Mrs Carter. I couldn’t be responsible for her dying from a broken heart.’

  She was aware of Freddie’s hand reaching towards hers, then moving back again.

  ‘I apologise for jumping to conclusions,’ he said softly. ‘I didn’t realise that you’d lost your mother in that way. I can see now why you’d worry about Mrs Carter. Rose, I wish I’d been here.’

  ‘Can you forgive me for running away without leaving word for you?’

  He nodded. ‘I spoke to the Carters to ask if they knew where you’d gone and for what reason.’

  ‘Mr Carter didn’t want me to associate with you in any way,’ Rose said. ‘I really don’t know why.’

  ‘I’ll explain sometime. Not now, though.’ Freddie changed the subject, a smile playing on his lips. ‘Promise me you won’t go running off again, at least not without telling me.’

  ‘I promise,’ she said, feeling chastened. ‘I’m sorry for putting you out like this.’

  ‘Forget it – it’s in the past. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you wish.’

  ‘In what capacity, though? When do I take on my role as your housekeeper?’

  His eyes sparkled. ‘Imagine my surprise when I came back to find my housekeeper in waiting gone! I’ve employed Mrs Causton through an agency.’

  ‘Oh dear.’ She dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand, burying her disappointment.

  ‘You must stay. It’s the least that—’ he stopped abruptly. ‘Your sister will take some time to recuperate. Wait until she’s fully recovered before you start worrying about where you will go.’

  ‘I can’t sit around doing nothing in return for our board and lodging.’

  ‘I see.’ His brow furrowed. ‘I’m sure I can find you some occupation. I need someone with an eye for detail to assist with decorating and furnishing the house, the main rooms first.’

  ‘I don’t think I’m qualified to do that. I’ve never taken any interest in wallpapers and paint.’

  ‘You seem to be able to turn your hand to almost anything.’ He chuckled. ‘Look at you: you can clean, cook, turn a house into a home and even make bricks.’

  ‘Oh no, I sifted the dirt for ashes to mix with the clay for the men to make the bricks.’ She felt ashamed at how far she had fallen. ‘When I lived in Canterbury, my mother ran a school for fee-paying pupils and poor children. I was a pupil teacher there. Teaching – that’s what I’m good at.’

  ‘Let me see if I can change your mind.’

  ‘How can I give my opinion on colours and curtains when I don’t know what your preferences are?’

  He stood up. ‘Come with me and I’ll show you the rest of the house, if Minnie doesn’t need you?’

  ‘She’s sleeping, but I don’t want her to wake up and find herself alone,’ Rose said, caught up in Freddie’s enthusiasm.

  ‘Mary can sit with her. I’ll send for her.’

  ‘But what about the other servants?’

  ‘What about them?’

  ‘They’ll talk.’

  ‘You are my advisor, Rose. There’s nothing inappropriate about your position in this house. You should stop worrying about what other people think.’

  She smiled, reassured. It was a hard habit to break.

  ‘Come with me,’ he repeated. ‘There’s so much I want to show you.’

  ‘It’s such a large house,’ she said. ‘Where does one start?’

  ‘At the bottom?’ He cocked one eyebrow. ‘At the top? Oh, I don’t know. What does it matter?’

  Soon, they were laughing as they moved swiftly from room to room, pulling the covers off the furniture the previous owner had left behind, and opening curtains.

  ‘This place is too big, too grand. I don’t know why I settled on it.’

  ‘Why did you then?’ Rose said, wondering if he was a little mad.

  ‘I could say it was for the magnificent views of Kent, or the beauty of the grounds, or its convenient situation, but it was none of those things.’ He paused before going on, ‘I
could see its potential – there’s plenty of space for a family.’

  ‘More than enough for several families,’ Rose pointed out, thinking of the cottage at Toad’s Bottom, as she stopped in the doorway into the next room, a dark library filled with shadows and musty old books.

  ‘I’m not a believer in evil spirits, but I don’t like this room,’ she said as a shiver ran down her spine.

  ‘There’s a draught coming down the chimney, that’s all. Apparently Mr Hadington spent much of his time here, especially towards the end.’ Freddie slipped his arm around her back. ‘Don’t worry. There are no ghosts here, just a huge number of volumes on English law, and I think we can dispose of those.’

  ‘We should replace the books with ones you’d like to read,’ she said, turning away and putting some space between herself and her host. The contact, although intended to be a gesture of reassurance, had made her heart beat faster.

  ‘I’ll let you suggest some suitable titles to fill the shelves. I’m not much of a one for reading,’ Freddie said, and they continued up to the next floor where there were several bedrooms and dressing rooms, along with a larger room at the end of one corridor.

  ‘This will make a good nursery one day,’ Freddie said.

  ‘You speak as though you’re set on having children,’ Rose said softly, her heart almost breaking as she pictured him with a wife at his side, an infant in her arms and another hiding behind her skirts. ‘I expect you will soon bring your sweetheart to Overshill?’ She shrank back at the sight of his quizzical expression. She had overstepped the mark in pursuing that train of thought. ‘All I meant was that you’ll soon be thinking of marriage, if you aren’t wed already.’

  ‘You mean that a man of my age should be planning to settle down? I’m in no hurry.’ He smiled. ‘What do you think of my idea to let in more light on this floor by installing an extra set of windows on the rear landing?’

  ‘Can you do that?’ she asked, grateful to him for changing the subject.