She hastily followed him upstairs, but after a quick glance into their room she saw that he wasn’t there so she moved further along the landing. Approaching Mel’s bedroom, she heard the sound of muffled sobs and flinging the door open, she saw the girl curled on the bed as her father towered threateningly over her.
‘What’s going on here?’ she demanded.
‘I was just trying to find out why she pulled that stupid stunt and almost scared us to death last night,’ Simon retaliated. ‘Somebody’s got to get to the bottom of it. You’re just pussyfooting about and making things worse.’
Without waiting for her to answer he then pushed past her with a face like a thundercloud and disappeared off down the landing as Jess hurried over to Melanie. ‘Are you all right, love?’ she asked as she wiped the limp hair from her daughter’s damp brow.
‘Y . . . yes,’ Mel sniffed.
Unsure of what to do or say, Jess backed towards the door. ‘Well, I’m here if there’s anything you want to talk to me about.’ She closed the door softly behind her feeling more useless than she had ever felt in her life. Simon had just gone and made things worse now with his bull in a china shop attempts to find out what was troubling the girl. But then that was Simon all over. Tact had never been one of his strong points.
She followed him to their own room where she found him climbing into clean jeans and a sweatshirt.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
‘Out!’ he informed her shortly. ‘And expect me when you see me.’ And with that he marched past her and seconds later she heard him thudding down the stairs. Wearily, Jess sank onto the edge of the bed and after a moment or two she looked towards the sketch of the girl on the wall.
‘Oh, Martha,’ she whispered. ‘Everything seems to be falling apart and I’m not sure what I can do about it.’ She heard the Land Rover roar out of the courtyard. No doubt Simon would clear off now and get legless with his pals, or worse still, he might find solace in the arms of another woman. Either way there was nothing she could do about it – and she realised with a little shock that right at this minute she didn’t much care.
Later that evening, when both the girls were fast asleep, Jess once again went up to Martha’s room in the attic. The peace of the place calmed her as she sank down onto the side of the bed. She could understand why Martha had liked this room for all it was sparsely furnished and cold. She could imagine her lying here, writing in her journal by the light of a candle. And after all, the poor girl had had far more to put up with than she had. Jess had taken her anger and frustration out on an enormous pile of ironing and now she just wished that Simon would come home so that they could talk and hopefully put things right between them. Her gran had always told her that a married couple should never go to sleep on an argument, and it was a piece of excellent advice that Jess had always tried to live by.
‘Goodnight,’ she whispered as she left the room and went down the attic stairs to her own room, to undress, jump into bed and return to Martha’s journal.
3 October
We were all in the kitchen having a cup of tea this afternoon before starting preparations for the Master’s evening meal when Bertie entered with a face like thunder, not that this is a rarity nowadays . . .
‘I were just talking to Farmer Codd while I were down in the lower field an’ he reckons he’s heard on the wind that the Master’s mill is in serious financial trouble,’ he told them.
‘Aye, well happen it were only a matter o’ time,’ Granny muttered philosophically.
Grace stroked her swollen stomach fearfully. Her baby was due in January and she had been praying that they would still have a home when it was born. But now this latest news made them all wonder.
Granny suddenly began to cough, a deep wracking cough that had them all looking towards her. It had come on her some weeks ago and she couldn’t seem to shift it, much to Martha’s concern. She saw the old woman cough into a piece of muslin she took from her apron pocket and, hoping that none of them was still looking, she flung it hastily into the heart of the fire – but not before Martha had seen the smear of blood on it.
It was then that the door opened and Hal Tolley appeared, his shoulders stooped. He quickly took his cap off and nodded towards Granny respectfully before telling them, ‘The Master just called into the cottage to see us an’ he’s given us notice to quit.’
‘Aw, lad, no.’ Granny sighed loudly. ‘An’ just when I were thinkin’ things couldn’t get no worse an’ all. When do yer ’ave to be out?’
‘End of the week,’ Hal replied dismally. ‘Though God knows where we’ll go. One thing’s fer sure, I’ll take to the open road afore I’ll let me family go into the workhouse.’
They were saved from replying when the sound of a horse and carriage reached them. Seconds later the great brass knocker on the front door reverberated through the house.
‘Grace, change yer apron quick an’ go an’ see who it is,’ Granny ordered.
Grace quickly took off her great bibbed work apron and slipped on the white linen one that she wore for waiting on table before she hurried off to do as she was told. Minutes later she was back with a face whiter than her apron. ‘It’s the bailiffs,’ she told them in a low voice. ‘They had an official paper from the magistrate and they said they’ve come to do an inventory of all the furniture an’ silverware. I told ’em the Master weren’t at home but they just barged right in. What shall I do?’
‘Ain’t nothin’ yer can do,’ Granny replied with a toss of her head. ‘Eeh, who’d ’ave thought it would come to this, eh?’
Bertie rose from his seat after slamming his fist on the table so hard that the teapot danced across it, then commenced walking up and down the room like a bear with a sore head.
‘It’s just a matter o’ time afore we’re all chucked out on us ears an’ all now,’ he muttered to no one in particular.
Unable to listen to any more, Martha fled to the sanctuary of the barn where she perched on a hale bale, rocking herself to and fro. The thought of having nowhere to live and no job was daunting, but the atmosphere in the house was such that she wondered if it wouldn’t in fact, be preferable. One thing was for sure, things certainly couldn’t get any worse. The pantry was empty, as was the cellar, and the evening before, when Grace had served the Master with vegetable soup for his dinner he had flung it up the wall and roared at her, ‘What sort of meal do you call this to lay before a working man?’
‘The pantry is sadly depleted, sir, an’ no one will let us have any more supplies till the bills are settled,’ Grace had whispered fearfully.
‘Get out! You’re all bloody useless! Do you hear me? GET OUT!’
Poor Grace had arrived back in the kitchen in a right old tizzy and once again Granny had had to stop Bertie from going in and knocking the Master’s block off.
But now it seemed that none of them would have to put up with the Master’s tantrums for much longer . . .
10 October
We were all going about our business this morning in a melancholy frame of mind when a splendid horse and carriage drawn by four matching black stallions drew to a halt outside. The Master had told us to expect his nephew and his wife and we could only assume that this was them arriving . . .
‘Hasten away an’ let ’em in, our Grace,’ Granny urged, suddenly all of a dither. Hal Tolley had called in at the Anker Inn the evening before to drown his sorrows and had heard talk that Leonard Fenton, the Master’s nephew, had been called upon to help him out of his dire financial situation. They could only pray that the rumours were true.
The Master greeted Leonard and his wife personally in the hallway and then whilst Melody, Leonard’s wife, went to her room to freshen up after her journey, the two men closeted themselves in the Master’s study. The Master had made Martha prepare the best guest bedroom for them and when Martha showed Miss Melody to her room, the woman smiled at her kindly.
‘Eeh, she’s so beautiful,’ Martha sighed dre
amily once back in the kitchen. ‘An’ kind – an’ yer should have seen the costume she were wearin’ . . . I reckon it was made o’ velvet an’ she had on a lovely little hat to match, all trimmed wi’ feathers.’
‘Aye, well, it appears that young Master Leonard stands to inherit this place when owt ’appens to the Master, seein’ as the Mistress never had no children, so it’s in his interests to help ’im out o’ the mire.’
‘We’ll see,’ Bertie replied grumpily, then rising from his seat on the wooden settle at the side of the fire, he wrapped a warm scarf about his neck and donned his heavy work coat before going about his chores.
The family had their first glimpse of Miss Melody later that morning when she swept into the kitchen like a breath of fresh air.
‘Ah,’ she smiled, holding out her hand and addressing Granny. ‘You must be Mrs Reid. Do forgive me for intruding in your kitchen but I so wanted to meet you all.’ Granny bobbed a curtsy as Melody turned to Grace. ‘And you must be Grace.’ Her eyes dropped to Grace’s protruding stomach. ‘And when is the baby due? You must be so excited.’
‘In January, ma’am,’ Grace said awkwardly.
‘Oh, please call me Miss Melody.’ Lastly the young woman turned to Martha and winked at her. ‘And you and I have already met, haven’t we, when you showed me to my room this morning.’
Martha was suddenly tonguetied as she looked into the eyes the colour of bluebells and nodded numbly.
‘Right, now that we have all been introduced, shall we get down to business?’ Melody turned back to Granny. ‘I believe from what I’ve been told that your supplies are running quite low, so if you could write me a list of all the things that you need, my groom will ride into town and get them ordered for you straight away.’
‘Thank you, Miss Melody.’
‘Excellent! Secondly, I wanted to congratulate you all on the way you keep the house running. It’s a credit to you. As my husband and I will be dividing our time between here and our country seat in Herefordshire for the foreseeable future, I thought it might be pleasant to carry out a little refurbishment here. I shall be going into Coventry tomorrow for samples of curtain material and wallpapers. I thought it might be good to do the drawing room and the dining room first. But there . . . Leonard is always scolding me for chattering on. I am sure I must be keeping you all from your work, so I shall leave you in peace now. Do let me have your list as soon as it is completed, Mrs Reid, and be sure to write down everything you need. Good morning.’
With that she lifted her skirt and left the room in a swish of silk, leaving a waft of perfume in her wake.
‘Well I’ll be.’ Granny scratched her head. ‘I understand what yer mean now, our Martha. She does seem to be a lovely young woman. Perhaps this is the start o’ better times?’
‘I don’t reckon the Master thinks so,’ Martha said with a wry smile. ‘I saw him go off to the mill a while back with young Master Leonard and he had a face on him like a slapped arse. Happen it’s goin’ against the grain fer his young nephew to bale him out o’ trouble.’
‘Happen it is,’ Granny replied with a stern glare. ‘But that don’t give you licence to go usin’ bad language so watch yer lip, me gel. An’ it don’t make things no better fer the Tolleys either, bless their hearts. Phoebe’s been packin’ all day, though God alone knows where they’re goin’ to go.’
Martha nodded in agreement. She had seen Phoebe and Hal loading their meagre possessions onto a handcart and it had almost broken her heart.
‘What time will they be leaving?’ she asked.
‘No doubt when the Master gets back from the mill and pays Hal his dues,’ Granny commented and they then both went about their business.
It was mid-afternoon when Miss Melody’s groom knocked at the kitchen door.
‘Just to inform you, ma’am, that I have placed all your orders and they will be delivered shortly,’ he said, addressing Granny Reid.
Her eyes gleamed as she nodded her thanks. ‘He must have settled the bills up,’ she said to Martha once he had tipped his cap respectfully and left. ‘It’ll be nice to ’ave some decent food to cook wi’ again after havin’ to make do.’
Sure enough, within the hour, the deliveries began to arrive: meat from the butcher’s, wine for the cellar, and all manner of foodstuff that had Granny smiling as she put it all neatly away in the enormous walk-in pantry. The Master and young Master Leonard had arrived back home by then and were closeted in the study when Hal tapped on the kitchen door and entered.
Granny Reid was suddenly stuck for words. What could she possibly say that would make things any better for their poor friend?
Nodding towards the green baize door she informed him, ‘He’s in the study, lad. Go on through an’ I’ll mek yer a nice cup o’ tea fer when you come back.’ She swung the kettle into the heart of the fire to boil as Hal made his way to the study with his head bent.
Minutes later he was back, but instead of being upset he had a broad smile on his face.
‘God bless that young Master Leonard,’ he grinned. ‘Me an’ the family are goin’ to be allowed to stay on, after all.’
‘Eeh – never!’ Granny’s jaw dropped so low that it almost rested on her chest.
‘It’s true,’ he nodded. ‘The Master was about to pay me off when his nephew asked why me an’ the family had to leave. The Master explained that now he’s sold off yet more o’ the land, there ain’t enough to keep me in work here, so then young Master Leonard suggested that I could work in the mill. The Master didn’t seem none too pleased wi’ the idea, I don’t mind tellin’ yer. But I reckon he’s afraid of upsettin’ the young ’un so he had no choice but to agree. Eeh, I can ’ardly believe me luck!’
‘Why, that’s wonderful, Hal,’ Granny beamed as she poured boiling water into the large teapot. ‘Now get off an’ tell Phoebe the good news an’ then come back fer a sup o’ tea, eh? Happen things are lookin’ up around here, after all.’
Martha chopped the vegetables for the evening meal with a light heart. At least that was one crisis that had been averted. Long may it last.
Chapter Fourteen
The sound of the bedroom door opening brought Jess springing awake and she realised with a little start that she had fallen asleep reading Martha’s journal.
‘Simon, what time is it?’ she asked as she hastily shoved the book into the bedside drawer.
‘It’s about one o’clock,’ he muttered sulkily as he undressed and tossed his clothes into an untidy heap on the bedside chair. He then climbed into bed beside her and the smell of the alcohol on his breath made her recoil from him.
‘I hope you didn’t drive home,’ she said accusingly then instantly wished she hadn’t. There had been enough bad feeling for one night and she wanted them to make their peace before she fell asleep again.
‘Now I know who the term “the nagging wife” was invented for,’ he said drily as he snapped the bedside light off. He then turned his back on her as she blinked into the darkness.
‘Where have you been?’
‘Can we save the twenty questions until the morning?’ he snarled. ‘Or is a working man not even allowed to get a decent night’s sleep now?’
‘Sorry.’ I certainly handled that well, Jess thought to herself and then, as the sound of his snores echoed around the room, she too tried to lose herself in sleep.
Simon had already left for work the next morning when the shrill ringing of the alarm clock brought Jess from a disturbed sleep. She hated to upset Simon, promising herself that she would make it up to him that evening, but even so she went straight from dropping the girls off to the post office where she got the passport applications before heading back to the house. She was still determined to take the girls to Paris in the next school break and if Simon didn’t like it, he would just have to lump it.
Karen called in just before lunch-time, and as she and Jess sat drinking coffee she asked, ‘So what’s up with you then? You look like a wet weekend
.’
That was one of the things Jess had always loved about her friend; she always said what she thought, offend or please. Karen was totally opposite to Jess in every way, which Jess supposed was part of her charm. It was a known fact that opposites attract. Karen was well built, with lovely long thick fair hair which had a tendency to curl. She was forever complaining about it and trying to straighten it whilst Jess kept telling her that she herself would have died for it. Karen was a jolly sort of person who let nothing worry her, and sometimes Jess cringed when she saw the state of her house. Karen would never be a slave to housework as she herself was, and yet for all that she lived very happily with her husband who was a fireman, and their three sons.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Jess sighed. ‘It just feels like everything is going wrong again, that’s all.’
‘I’m not surprised, living here in the back of beyond.’ Karen glanced about apprehensively. ‘I don’t mind telling you, this place gives me the creeps.’
‘It’s hardly the back of beyond,’ Jess objected. ‘Caldecote is only a stone’s throw away.’
‘It may well be, but you still feel shut off when you start up that bloody drive. But come on, spill the beans . . . is Simon up to his old tricks again?’
Jess felt herself flushing. She always got the feeling that Karen could read her like a book, so she shrugged. ‘I’m not sure to be honest, although he is starting to stay out again. But it’s Mel too. She ran away the other night and the police brought her back in the early hours of the next morning. She won’t tell me why she went and she just seems so down all the time. It can’t be natural for a girl her age. She should be out and about enjoying herself, instead of spending half her life locked away in her room. She and Simon seem to be at each other’s throats for the majority of the time. He barely gives her an inch of space and it gets you down after a while.’
‘Well, I can understand why it would do,’ Karen agreed. ‘Although I’m shocked to hear it. Simon has his faults, God knows, but he’s always been good to the girls. Perhaps he’s just being over-protective because he’s afraid of her growing up and moving away from him? I mean, let’s face it, you and the girls are the first bit of stability he’s had in his life, aren’t you? He didn’t have much of a start, what with being shunted from place to place like a parcel when he was a kid.’
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