The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster

by Cathy Spencer

  “Well then – I would love to know how you and Mr. Gwinn are getting on. I expect great things from both of you.” She turned to the carriage and the colonel handed her in.

  “Have a good journey. I hope to see you again in London some time, sir.”

  The colonel tipped his hat. “I’m sure that our paths will cross again, young man. The best of luck to you.” Colonel York jiggled the reins, and the carriage made a circle at the end of the drive before trotting past Steven.

  “Goodbye,” Harriet called, turning to wave over her shoulder. Steven waved back, and then they were past the house and down the lane.

  On their way through the park, the colonel said, “Well, what an eventful few days it has been, Miss Walters.”

  Harriet looked straight ahead, her face composed. “It was an eventful few months for me. What a lot has happened since I left Rexton back in April.”

  “Do you regret coming to London?”

  “Oh no, Colonel. I’ve always wanted to see London, and someday, in better circumstances, I shall return. I met many good people there – Steven, Abigail, Mr. Gwinn – and you, of course.” She smiled. “But I‘ve had enough society and parties and intrigue to last me a good long time. We’re going home to Rexton, Colonel, where I will show you Mrs. Evans’ home and introduce you to Mother and Aunt Edna. You will stay and have a good long visit with us, won’t you?”

  He grinned at her. “I would enjoy a long visit with you and your family, Miss Walters. My nerves have taken quite a beating these past couple of days, and I deserve a vacation.”

  “You shall have one, sir,” she said, relaxing back into her seat and looking forward to going home.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Hello, Grace, I’m back,” Harriet said when the maid opened the door and gawked at her. “This is Colonel York. Where are Mother and Aunt Edna?”

  “They’re in the sitting room, Miss.”

  “Thank you. We’ll show ourselves in, Grace.”

  Harriet took the colonel’s arm and rushed him down the hallway. “Mother! Aunt Edna! I’m home,” she called along the way. The door to the sitting room burst open, and Mrs. Walters ran out.

  “Harriet, what a surprise!” she squealed. She clasped her daughter in her arms and rocked her back and forth ecstatically. Harriet looked over her head at her aunt, who smiled from the open doorway.

  “I can’t get out, Edwina. You’re blocking the way,” the smaller woman protested, poking her sister in the back. “Make room. I want to see Harriet, too.”

  Mrs. Walters stepped out of the way and her aunt embraced her. It was then that Aunt Edna noticed the colonel lingering behind in the hallway. "But who is this gentleman? Where are your manners, girl? Introduce him to your mother and me.”

  “Of course. My apologies. This is Colonel York, an old friend of Mrs. Evans’ and a dear friend of mine. He drove me home from the Fitzwilliams’ estate in Hampshire.” The colonel bowed while Aunt Edna nodded and turned back to Harriet.

  “You did not write to say you were coming, Harriet. We didn’t expect to see you until the end of the month. What happened?”

  Mrs. Walters gently pushed her sister aside to address the gentleman. “How kind of you to bring my daughter home, Colonel York. Do come into the sitting room and let us offer you a cold drink. It’s warm today. Grace!”

  “Yes, ma’am?” The maid had been hovering nearby in the hallway.

  “Please bring us some chilled orgeat lemonade and some other refreshments.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Harriet spent the remainder of the afternoon telling her family about her London adventures. She spoke so long that Grace finally stepped into the room to inquire if Cook should hold dinner?

  Aunt Edna glanced at the mantle clock. “Goodness gracious, look at the time. I had no idea that it was so late. Harriet, you’ve talked the day away.”

  “It was fascinating listening to you, Harriet. I feel as if I’ve been to London myself,” her mother declared.

  “Now you don’t ever need to go, Edwina,” her sister said.

  “I don’t suppose I ever shall.” Mrs. Walters smiled at Colonel York. “I never venture far from home, sir.”

  He smiled. “No reason to, Mrs. Walters. You seem to have everything you need right here.”

  “You’ll have to judge that for yourself when Harriet takes you for a tour of the village tomorrow, the lady replied.

  “Grace,” Aunt Edna said, “Colonel York is going to be visiting for a while. Tell Cook to hold dinner for half an hour, and then take him upstairs to his room. Tell George to carry up the luggage. He’s put away the colonel’s horses, hasn’t he?”

  “He has, Ma’am,” Grace said, hurrying from the room.

  Harriet and her mother exchanged glances; Aunt Edna never delayed her dinner.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Slater. It’s kind of you to let me impose upon you with no advance warning,” the gentleman said.

  “We’re happy to have you, Colonel. I look forward to sharing stories about Mabel with you. She mentioned you and your wife on several occasions.”

  “I would enjoy that, Mrs. Slater.”

  Harriet offered to show the colonel to his room. After they had left, Edna looked at her sister. “Well, well, Edwina, there’s more story here than Harriet has told us.”

  Mrs. Walters rose from her chair to join her sister on the couch. “I agree, Edna. I don’t believe that Harriet and the colonel would leave Diane’s so precipitately just because Harriet was afraid that she had overstayed her welcome.”

  "You see what you can get out of her in her room tonight, and if you can’t get anywhere, we’ll work on the colonel. We’ll get to the bottom of this yet.”

  During dinner, Harriet inquired after her sister and her family and heard that all was well. “Helen writes that the twins have not been practicing their piano lessons as industriously as they should, and I may find them sadly regressed on my return,” Mrs. Walters said.

  “I’m sure that you’ll soon have them set right, if you return to Helen’s,” said Harriet.

  “What do you mean, dear?”

  “Only that we have not made any plans, Mother – you, Aunt Edna, and I. There is no need to go back to Helen’s house unless you want to.”

  “Edna and I wondered what you would do when you got back. We weren’t even certain of your return when your visit got extended. You seemed to be enjoying yourself so much in your letters.

  “Oh, there was never any danger of me remaining in London, Mother. I’m a country girl at heart. But you haven’t told me how everyone is in Rexton?”

  Aunt Edna and Mrs. Walters spent the next half hour relating the village gossip, including the dressmaker’s vacation in France, and the inferior beef that the butcher had been selling.

  “It’s really very stringy and tough, Harriet. Quite inedible,” her mother said.

  “Only good for stewing,” Aunt Edna agreed, “and still he tried to sell it at the same price. Disgraceful.”

  “And how is Mrs. Higgins?” Harriet asked.

  “Not at all well, I fear. She fell earlier this summer, and hasn’t been able to leave her cottage,” her mother said. “She was bed-ridden until last week.”

  “The poor dear!” Harriet exclaimed. “I shall visit her tomorrow, after I’ve taken the colonel on our tour.”

  “Don’t let me detain you from visiting your friend, Miss Walters. Our tour can wait until the afternoon, and I think I would enjoy a lie-in and a lazy morning.”

  “That sounds like a good plan," Harriet said. “I’m very tired myself. Perhaps I shouldn’t have had that glass of Madeira after dinner. I’m finding it difficult to keep my eyes open.” The two travellers wished the ladies a good evening and went upstairs to bed.

  “Drat,” Edna said, suddenly frowning.

  “What is it, Edna?”

  “We didn’t get any information out of Harriet about that ‘Bell’ man. You’re getting forgetful, Edwina.”r />
  “Oh, Edna,” her sister sighed.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Harriet left before breakfast to visit Mrs. Higgins the next morning. When she arrived at the cottage, she was pleasantly surprised at how tidy it looked. The tall grasses bordering the front walk had been cut, the roses were tied back on the trellises, and the shutters had a fresh coat of white paint. After admiring the improvements, she walked up the path and knocked loudly on the front door.

  “Just a moment. I’m coming,” the widow called. After a few minutes’ delay, the door opened and Mrs. Higgins appeared, leaning on a cane. “Oh, Miss Walters, you’re back. I’m so glad to see you,” she said, giving the young woman a hug. “Come in, come in.”

  “Cook sent you some seed cake. Shall I carry it into the kitchen for you?” Harriet asked.

  “How kind of her. Yes please, dear. You just go on ahead and I’ll follow. I’m not very fast on my feet these days.”

  “Yes, Mother told me about your fall. I do hope that you’re feeling better?”

  “I wrenched my back and knee when I fell, my love. My son moved my bed downstairs to the dining room so I could manage better. Everyone’s been looking after me, including your mother. The doctor said that I can walk with the cane for a few hours each day, but after that I must rest and put my feet up. I’ve never been so lazy in all my life.”

  “I’m glad that you’re able to walk now. No doubt you’ll be as good as new in a few more weeks.”

  Mrs. Higgins hobbled over to the stove to fetch the tea kettle. “I’ll just make us a pot of tea,” she said.

  “No, please, let me,” Harriet said, hurrying over to lift the tea pot down from its shelf. The widow settled on a cushioned chair beside the kitchen table and sighed.

  “There, that’s much better. Dr. Mackenzie thinks it will take longer than a few weeks for my back to mend. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t think I should live alone in my cottage any longer. He’s afraid it will be too much for me.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, Mrs. Higgins,” Harriet said, steeping the tea. She unwrapped the seed cake, cut two large slices, and placed them on plates. “What will you do?”

  “I’m afraid it’s time to sell the place and move on, my dear,” the widow said, glancing around the kitchen. “My nephew – that’s Henry, Oliver’s father – has a big house. He’s got a bedroom on the ground floor that they can spare, and he’s asked me to come live with them. My own two sons would take me, but I can’t manage the stairs in their houses. Besides, Henry is like a son to me. I helped raise him after his mother died.” Mrs. Higgins shook her head. “It will be hard, leaving here. It’s the only home I’ve ever known, besides my parents’ house. I’d like to get a little money for the place to help with things. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. It may not be a fancy house, but it’s snug and sound. Of course, it’s a little bit out of the way, but the walk is easy. We used to ride in a cart when we still had the horses ‒ the cart is in one of the sheds. Well, the good Lord will provide. And I’m grateful to your Mr. Ash for helping me to get the place in better shape. He’s been really good to me with all his help.”

  Harriet had been pouring out the tea when Mrs. Higgins let that comment slip. “Mr. Ash? What do you mean he’s been helping you with the place, Mrs. Higgins? Isn’t he in Bath on holiday?”

  Mrs. Higgins put down her cup and stared at Harriet. “In Bath? No, he couldn’t go because of his sister’s trouble. I’m surprised that you didn’t know, Miss Walters.”

  “No, I haven’t heard from him since I left for London. What trouble did his sister have?”

  “Well, it was actually his sister’s husband that had the trouble, my dear. He’s a sailor, you know, and he got sick in some foreign place. He came home, but the sickness went into his lungs. The doctor said he should get away to some place hotter and dryer, so he and Mr. Ash’s sister went to Spain. They couldn’t afford the trip, so Mr. Ash and his parents gave them the money. The children stayed behind with their grandparents, but Mr. Ash is home now. The headmaster has been letting him lodge at the school. But didn’t your mother tell you that, Miss Walters? I told her about Mr. Ash when he came back.”

  “No, Mrs. Higgins,” Harriet said, taking a sip from her tea, “it must have slipped Mother’s mind. But then, I’ve only been home since yesterday, and there was so much to talk about.”

  “Yes, I’m sure that’s what it was. I had a dead apple tree in the garden, so he and the school’s groundskeeper took it down for me. Mr. Ash is coming by in the morning to chop up the pieces for fire wood. It’s too bad he has to do it when the weather’s so warm, but he wants to tidy up the mess. Last time he was here, I was still in bed, and my son’s wife, Ellie, left them some sandwiches and ale for after all their hard work. Now that I’m up again, I’d like to make Mr. Ash something special to thank him for his labour. I was thinking of a meat pie, but it’s hard to make for someone using a cane.”

  Harriet heard herself say, “Would you like me to help you, Mrs. Higgins?”

  The widow smiled. “Well that’s very kind of you. I didn't want to ask, but I’d be glad of your help. I was wondering how I was going to grind up the beef and the pork. That’s a two-handed job, that is. If you don’t mind coming by early tomorrow morning, a meat pie takes a bit of time to make, and I don’t like to fire up the stove in the worst heat of the day.”

  “Of course not, Mrs. Higgins. I should be able to come by eight o' clock, if that will suit.”

  “That would suit me fine, my love,” she said, reaching across the table to pat Harriet's hand. “It will be like old times having you and Mr. Ash sharing a meal together in this house.”

  Harriet walked home very quickly afterward, fuming. She suspected that her aunt had deliberately omitted the information about Mr. Ash, and had persuaded her mother to remain silent as well.

  The two sisters had finished their breakfast and were drinking tea on a crumb-scattered cloth when Harriet entered the morning room.

  “Has Colonel York come down yet?” she asked, joining them at the table.

  “No, dear, we haven’t seen him yet this morning,” her mother said. “He must be having his lie-in.”

  “Just as well – there’s something I’d like to discuss in private with the two of you,” Harriet said, pouring herself another cup of tea. “I’ve just returned from Mrs. Higgins’ house. She told me that Mr. Ash has been helping her to tidy up her gardens this summer.” The young woman looked up in time to catch her aunt shaking her head at her mother.

  Harriet continued, “I was surprised to hear that Mr. Ash didn’t go to Bath this summer, Aunt. No doubt you’ll remember his plans to study the Roman excavations there. Apparently his sister’s husband had some health problems, and Mr. Ash used his holiday money to help pay for a rest cure in Spain.”

  “I think I remember you mentioning something about that, Edwina,” Aunt Edna said.

  “Yes, that’s right. Of course, I don’t know Mr. Ash personally.”

  “Is that any reason to ignore him when I asked for news of the village yesterday, Mother? Aunt?”

  Aunt Edna banged her cup down on its saucer. “I’ll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, Miss. We were doing it for your own good. Do you know what that young man has sunk to? He’s working as a gardener at the school.”

  “A gardener? What are you talking about, Aunt?”

  “I’m telling you, Harriet, the school has employed him as one of their gardeners. I saw him on the street the other day, and he was brown as a nut from working outdoors. You don’t imagine that I would encourage a friendship between you and a gardener, now, would you?”

  “There must be some mistake. Mrs. Higgins told me that he is boarding at the school this summer. Perhaps he’s just helping out.”

  “Or maybe they discovered something about him that makes him unfit to continue as a teacher.” The elderly lady shook her head.

  “Aunt Edna, you’re impossible. That is p
urely malicious conjecture. Mr. Ash is a fine man and he has been a good friend to me. I shall not ignore him, and if you do not care to entertain him in this house, then I shall entertain him at Mrs. Evans.’” Harriet and her aunt glared at each other while her mother hurried to intervene.

  “Now Edna – Harriet – let’s not fight. You’ve only been home a day, dear. Besides, we don’t want the colonel to come downstairs and find us bickering.” Mrs. Walters turned to her sister, who folded her arms across her chest and stared out the window. “Edna, I know you think that Mr. Ash is unworthy of Harriet’s friendship, but he sounds like an honourable young man to me, and you have to admit that he has done a favour or two for you and Harriet.” Aunt Edna shrugged. “There. Don’t worry, Harriet, we shall be happy to entertain your schoolmaster here, should he call.”

  Harriet nodded. “Thank you, Mother. As a matter of fact, I’m returning to Mrs. Higgins’ cottage first thing in the morning to help her make a meat pie for Mr. Ash’s dinner. He’s chopping firewood for her tomorrow.”

  Aunt Edna turned to stare at her. “You’re going to cook, Harriet? Whatever will you do next – polish her silver?” Harriet sighed.

  Mrs. Walters said, “Come, now, Edna. Mrs. Higgins has just finished bed rest, and she’s not very strong yet. I’m sure that she doesn’t have much money laid by, and Mr. Ash has been helping her prepare the house for sale. What else can the poor widow do to show her appreciation? Harriet is just being neighbourly.”

  Harriet added, “You can blame yourself for my friendship with Mrs. Higgins, Aunt. You’re the one who wanted me to visit the parish widows.”

  “Visit them. Not cook for them,” her aunt retorted.

  Colonel York cleared his throat loudly in the hallway before entering the room.

  “Good morning, Colonel, and what a fine morning it is," Mrs. Walters said with a cheery smile. "Won’t you take a seat and have some breakfast?”

  Aunt Edna rang a bell, and Grace appeared in the doorway. “Grace, the colonel is ready for his breakfast now. Bring some fresh toast and hot tea.”