And with those few, well-chosen words, Grace Partridge silenced the gossiping tongues. Constance was well liked and respected in the village. There was hardly a soul in the community that she hadn’t helped in one way or another at some time.
‘George Bayes is a good man,’ Josh said, as he shook Trip’s hand on their first visit home after the news had broken. ‘I’m sure they’ll be happy. Where are they going to live, d’you know? And is he giving up work at the factory?’
Trip laughed. ‘I don’t know anything yet, but we’re hoping to find out a little more this afternoon after we’ve had luncheon with you.’
Josh’s face clouded. ‘You’re welcome, of course, you know that, but it might not be quite what you’re used to. Things are tough at the moment. The candle-making business is dying, Trip, and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve asked about finding work on the local farms, but no one will take me on.’ He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Mr Clark’s doing all right, but we can’t expect him to keep all of us. I’ve even tried my hand at blacksmithing, but I’m useless at it.’
‘Then we won’t stay—’
‘Oh, you must. Amy would be mortified if she thought I had breathed a word to you. Please don’t say anything to her or to my mam. They’re both very proud women.’ He sighed. ‘I catch me mam looking at me sometimes as if to say, you should have stayed in the city.’
Trip shook his head. ‘It’s no better there, Josh. Unemployment is still quite high. The papers say it’s about one million nationally and the north, with its industries, is harder hit than the south.’
Josh blew out his cheeks. ‘Then I wouldn’t have been any better there, then?’
‘No,’ Trip said firmly. ‘Believe me, you wouldn’t.’
At lunch, which the Ryans still called dinner, both Trip and Emily noticed the meagre portions of meat. They were all gathered around the table in Amy’s best parlour and Emily saw that both Amy and Martha went without meat. She said nothing and dared not even glance at Trip.
‘How are things in the city?’ Martha asked.
‘Difficult,’ Trip said. ‘And, sadly, I can see them getting worse before they get better. The decision to return to the gold standard, which has meant an overvaluation of Sterling, has made exports more expensive and therefore our coal and steel exports have become less competitive and consequently—’
‘Oh Trip,’ Emily cut in, trying desperately to steer the conversation away from such matters. ‘It’s way over my head.’
Trip laughed. ‘It wouldn’t be, if you were interested and set your mind to understanding it. You’re an intelligent woman, Emily.’
‘All I care about is having enough customers to keep my employees occupied so that I can pay them a decent living wage at the end of the week.’
‘But don’t you see . . . ?’
‘I understand what you mean, Trip,’ Josh said quietly. ‘And I expect we’re still in debt – as a nation – for the war.’
‘Exactly! And the export industries are talking about lowering workers’ wages in an effort to cut production costs.’
‘That could cause another strike, if they do,’ Bob murmured.
‘Well, I’m not lowering my girls’ wages,’ Emily said, firmly. ‘We’ll keep going somehow.’
‘I think the larger factories in the cutlery industry are turning to the little mesters and little missuses even more than before because they can’t afford to pay men to work full time. Placing work with outworkers is more economical.’
‘Work’s still coming to me,’ Bob Clark ventured. ‘Though I’ve noticed a slight drop off in business. I think some farmers are trying to do their own repairs instead of paying a blacksmith. I must admit, I’m finding it harder to cope in my advancing years.’ He smiled ruefully. He was still a very strong, active man, but his work was hard, physical graft. ‘Anyway, we’re managing.’
Martha sniffed. ‘Josh isn’t,’ she said bluntly. ‘His business is all but dead. He’ll have to find some other work soon.’ She glanced at Trip. ‘Could you find him something, Thomas? He is your brother-in-law now.’
Before Trip could answer, Josh’s head shot up and he exclaimed, ‘Mam! Don’t put Trip in such an awkward position. You’ve just heard what he said. Things are as bad there too. Living in the country, we can still get food direct from the farmers. City folk can’t do that.’
‘You wouldn’t really want to come back to the city, Josh, would you?’ Emily asked.
Amy was quiet, but her face was bleak. She didn’t want to lose her husband to the city for a second time. Now, she had three young children . . .
To her relief, Josh was adamant as he said, ‘No, I wouldn’t. I know you’ve taken to it, Em, but city life’s not for me and I certainly wouldn’t take my family there.’
Martha stood up and began to collect the plates, crashing them together with quick, angry movements. ‘Well, you’d better think of something soon, Josh, else we’ll all starve. Looks like I’m even going to lose my little cleaning job at Riversdale House now that Mrs Trippet – I mean, Mrs Bayes – has got herself married again. I expect they’ll be leaving. They won’t want to live there, will they?’ It was more of a statement than a question directed at Trip as she turned away and marched out of the room carrying the stack of dirty plates.
Twenty-Four
A little later, as they were about to leave Josh’s home to visit Constance and George at Riversdale House, Amy said, ‘You can leave Lewis with us, if you like. If – if you want to talk to your mam, Trip.’
‘Heavens!’ Trip laughed. ‘It’s a kind offer, Amy, but I wouldn’t dare walk into that house without her grandson in my arms.’ He kissed the young woman’s cheek and whispered, ‘Don’t worry, love. Things will work out, I’m sure.’
Amy smiled weakly, but stood to wave them off as they climbed into the car to drive the short distance to Trip’s former home.
Constance and George were seated in the window of the morning room overlooking the driveway, watching for their arrival. Trip parked the car in front of the house and, by the time they were climbing out, Constance was at the front door.
‘Here he is. My little man,’ she cried, reaching for Lewis. ‘Come in, come in. We’ll go into the sitting room.’
George was hovering in the hallway. Trip shook his hand. ‘Good to see you. Did you have a lovely time? All go well, did it?’
George looked a trifle embarrassed, a little out of place, but Trip’s warm handshake and Emily’s kiss on his cheek seemed to relax him as he followed them through to the sitting room where, already, Constance was nursing her grandson. George was smiling as he answered Trip’s questions. ‘We went all the way to Gretna Green. We did it properly and then we had a week touring the southern part of Scotland. We got up as far as the Trossachs and Loch Lomond. Beautiful countryside up there.’ He chuckled. ‘Nearly as nice as Derbyshire.’
They sat down together as they exchanged news.
‘Hasn’t Lewis grown?’ Constance said, carrying him around the room to show him the pictures on the wall and ornaments in the glass cabinet and then setting him on the floor to watch him walking. ‘Such a big boy now, aren’t you? I can’t believe how he’s grown since we last saw him.’
‘They alter so quickly when they’re little, don’t they? We’ve seen a huge difference in little Phil today. They played quite nicely together today, didn’t they, Trip?’
Trip laughed. ‘With Harry acting as referee – yes.’
There was a pause before Trip asked, ‘Well, you two, what are your plans? Where are you going to live, for one thing, and, for another, are you coming back to work, George?’
The older couple, the love shining from their faces, glanced at each other as Constance said softly, ‘We have talked about it, of course. We both feel we need to move out of this house and buy a home together. But, as for continuing work, that must be George’s decision.’
‘I’d like to stay on, Master Thomas . . .’
T
rip chuckled. ‘I think “Thomas” or even “Trip” would be all right now, don’t you?’
George laughed and continued. ‘I’m well aware of the difference in our stations in life . . .’ he nodded briefly towards Constance, who murmured, ‘Oh George . . .’, but he only shrugged and went on, ‘There’s no getting away from it and we’d be foolish to try to pretend it doesn’t exist. So, I’d be happier working and contributing something to our living expenses.’
Constance glanced at her son and smiled. ‘Very different to your father’s attitude, isn’t it? He actually married me for my money and made no secret of the fact. And now, George doesn’t really want to touch a penny of it.’
‘Well, I, for one, admire that,’ Trip said, ‘but I think you should both regard yourselves as equal partners.’ He glanced at Emily. ‘That’s what we do. We pull together. Whatever we have is ours, not mine or hers. And we’ve made it all legal. We’ve both made wills so that Lewis is protected and any more children we might have too.’
‘Very sensible,’ Constance said quietly, her gaze still on her grandson. She couldn’t take her eyes off the little chap.
‘So,’ Trip pressed on, ‘where were you thinking of living?’
‘Probably on the outskirts of Sheffield. There are some lovely areas not too far from Creswick Street.’
‘I could bike in or—’ George began and Constance added, ‘Or use my car.’
‘And what would you do with this place?’
Constance wrinkled her forehead. ‘There are several things we could do with it. We could sell it, but I am reluctant to do that. I don’t really want to sever my ties completely with the village. We could keep it and all of us –’ she waved her hands to encompass Trip, Emily and Lewis – ‘could use it as a weekend retreat and for longer holidays in the summer. That way, I could keep the staff on to look after it for us. There’s only Mrs Froggatt, the two maids and Kirkland. Nurse Adams has gone now, of course. Or –’ she paused for a moment – ‘we could rent it out, but if we did that, we wouldn’t be able to use it ourselves and I couldn’t be sure tenants would keep the staff on. The girls would find other employment easily enough, but I’m not sure about Mrs Froggatt and Kirkland.’
‘There is another way, Mother,’ Trip said softly.
‘Is there? I believed I’d thought of all the options. What is it, Thomas?’
‘You could turn it into a high-class hotel with a superb restaurant offering meals to non-residents too. That way you could keep on all the present staff and probably employ more. You – and us – could no doubt still come and stay here if we wanted to. This area is very popular with visitors; beautiful scenery, wonderful walks and so many places of interest to visit.’
Constance stared at her son and then said, ‘Now, that is a good idea, Thomas.’ She turned towards her husband and asked, ‘What do you think, George? And don’t say it has nothing to do with you, because it has.’
George smiled. ‘I think it’s an excellent suggestion, but there’s a lot to go into. And I think you’d have to employ a manager and, yes, you would need more staff. If you were thinking of keeping Mrs Froggatt on as cook, she would need help. You can’t expect one person to cook around the clock. And this sort of hotel would need to offer full board and half-board, too, as well as catering – as Thomas suggests – for casual diners. And there’d have to be a bar, so you’d need to be licensed. You’d need cleaners, waiters and probably a hall porter.’
‘And I’ve got just the people to fill some of those positions,’ Trip put in, glancing at Emily. ‘Josh’s candle-making business is just about on its last legs. He’d be glad of any kind of work you could find him and Martha is already worrying that your marriage will mean the end of her cleaning job here. And although Amy has three children to care for, she might even be glad to train as a waitress and work one or two evenings a week. There’s always Bob to keep an eye on the children.’
Constance laughed, picked up Lewis and tossed him high in the air. The little boy squealed with delight. ‘Do you know, Lewis Trippet, I think your grandmother is going into the hotel business?’ She sat down and set him on her lap as she said, more seriously, ‘I think we can do better than that. Do you think Josh might like to train to be the manager, Emily? And I think your mother – and perhaps Grace Partridge – could help out as cooks. Or do we have to call them “chefs” in a hotel?’
They talked for a long time, mulling over the ideas, each of them coming up with suggestions, and the more they talked, the more enthused they all became. They had tea together – Lewis sitting in the brand-new high chair Constance had bought for him – and then it was time to leave.
‘Don’t say a word about this to anyone yet,’ Constance warned. ‘We’ll look into it thoroughly and find out what it entails before we announce our intentions to the world. But we’ll both see you later this week. We’ll be coming house hunting in Sheffield and George will be back at work tomorrow morning. He can use my car to travel to and fro until we find a house there. Oh, it’s all so exciting!’
‘Do you know,’ Trip said, as they drove back to the city, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mother looking quite so happy?’
Seated beside him with Lewis on her knee, Emily chuckled. ‘Only the first time she laid eyes on her grandson.’
Trip laughed with her. ‘Ah, yes. Nothing will ever surpass that moment.’
Twenty-Five
Events moved very swiftly once the decision had been made. Constance and George found a house the following week in the Walkley district of Sheffield, which wasn’t too far from Trippets’ works. Because Constance had no property to sell first, the purchase was concluded in record time. With the help of both her son and George, Constance found out everything they needed to know about turning Riversdale House into a hotel. She made copious lists of all that needed to be done, the authorities she needed to consult, any licences and insurances that needed to be applied for, and she sought the help of other hoteliers for guidance and warnings of any pitfalls she might encounter. Surprisingly, even the local hotels were helpful. ‘There’s room for us all, Mrs Trippet,’ the managers said. ‘In fact, we recommend each other if we’re full. Business is still good for us – for which we’re thankful – despite the tough times the country is going through.’
‘I did wonder about the common sense in opening up a new business just now, but you’ve made me feel more hopeful.’
By Christmas everything was in place for Constance to make an announcement about what she intended to do.
‘I want to tell family, friends and my staff myself before they hear it from anywhere else. Rumours are bound to start since I’ve been talking to the other hotel managers in the area. So,’ Constance said to Emily, when they were back in the city after spending Christmas at Riversdale as usual, ‘are you going to tell your family what I hope will be good news for them to start 1928?’
‘Oh no,’ Emily said swiftly. ‘You should do it.’
‘Very well, then, if you’re sure. I intend to go home – oh dear, I mustn’t call it home any more, must I? My home is here in Sheffield with George and so much nearer to you three too.’ She clapped her hands. She and George had moved into their house just before Christmas and were well settled. Constance already employed a cook and housemaid. But far from being daunted by this, George was pleased. The difference in their former lifestyles would always be there, but Constance was such a down-to-earth woman with no airs and graces and her son was obviously happy to see his mother so content, that George ceased to worry. He cycled to work or, if Constance did not need her car, he used it to drive to the factory. And he even tried to get used to having his meals cooked and his clothes washed and ironed by employees. He even no longer had to make his own bed. It was all very new to George, but he was married to the woman he had loved secretly for most of his life, and a few changes in his lifestyle were easily surmountable.
‘Emily thinks I should be the one to tell them all in Ashford,’ Co
nstance said, as she and George sat down to dinner one evening during the first week in January. ‘Shall we go at the weekend and tell everyone?’
‘I think you should go on your own, my love,’ he said.
Her face fell. ‘Really? Why?’
‘Because this is something in which I really have no part and I think it would be so much nicer for them to hear it from you personally.’
‘But I want you to be involved, George. You know I do.’
‘I know, and I love you for it, but the folks there hardly know me. When we were young together –’ they smiled across the table at each other at the shared memories – ‘it was in Over Haddon – not Ashford. That was your life with Arthur and Thomas and your village friends – not me. I’m always there for you to talk to and to be of practical help if I’m needed, but this is your venture, yours and Thomas’s. Our life – yours and mine – is here in our new home together.’
Constance didn’t quite understand, yet she respected his feelings. After a moment’s pause, she nodded and said, though with some reluctance, ‘Very well, then. But will you do something for me?’
‘If I can, you know I will.’
‘I’ll be going backwards and forwards between here and Ashford, at least until things get settled, so will you buy yourself a little car to go to work in? I can’t bear to think of you cycling in all weathers in winter.’ She was careful to phrase her words so that he should not feel she was suggesting that she should buy him a car. But George knew her so well that he chuckled and played along with her. ‘Very well, my love. I will promise you that.’
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