Dolly was very fond of James and approved of the marriage, although she was deeply hurt that her mother had neglected to confide in her before the wedding. She forgot her disappointment a few days later when James apologized for not asking her if he could marry her mother.
He explained that now that she was essentially his stepdaughter, she should have her own apartment and be treated with more respect by all the servants. It made Dolly feel very important and grown up, so she smiled and answered, “Well, sir, I would have said yes if you had asked me.”
James laughed and then said, “You know, Dolly, I realize that you are too old to begin calling me ‘father’ but I rather think that ‘sir’ is a bit too formal, don’t you?”
Dolly frowned and thought about it for a second before answering, “I rather like calling you ‘sir.’ That is, if you don’t mind. You see, I believe that ‘sir’ is a title of respect, and I respect you almost as much as I did my grandfather.”
“You never cease to amaze me. ‘Sir’ it shall be then, but, Dolly, if you ever do want to call me Uncle James or just James that will be fine with me as well.”
It took a while for Gladys to become accustomed to having Jenkins and the rest of the staff refer to her as mum instead of missus. On the other hand, Dolly took to her new title of Miss Dolly with dignity and self-assurance.
Chapter Thirteen
There was no swifter mode of communication than servants’ gossip, and all the help at Four Oaks were well aware of Gladys’s previous place in society. They also knew about the sad circumstance that caused her to take a position as a housekeeper, so they had no trouble accepting her as their new mistress.
Gladys and James were anxious to announce their marriage to everyone, but they worried about breaking the news to his Aunt Jean. They knew that she would not approve.
Soon after their new outfits arrived from London, they invited Percy, the Rudyards, and Mary Baker for the evening. When Jenkins showed them into the parlour, James and Gladys were waiting for them. Their look of surprise and admiration gave James a pleasant feeling of importance, and he greeted them with an added air of self-esteem. Gladys was dressed in a gown as beautiful as any Mary and Tina had ever seen, and her hair was pinned up and adorned with her tortoiseshell and pearl comb. She looked so elegant that the ladies were awestruck.
Percy, on first noting the change in Gladys’s attire and being aware of her past, came to the immediate conclusion that she had finally been awarded her inheritance. Taking her hands in his, he was the first to comment.
“Well now, what have we here? You look ready to be presented to the Queen herself! By Jove, Gladys, you make quite a picture, but who is this handsome and debonair chap you have beside you?”
Gladys laughed, reached up and brushed Percy’s cheek with her lips, then replied, “That, sir, happens to be my husband.” Percy dropped her hands as though they were hot coals and his mouth hung open. Mary appeared equally shocked, but Tina clapped her hands, and she and Bob offered their congratulations with such enthusiasm that no one noticed Percy and Mary’s looks of disapproval.
Tina and Mary had always been sociable toward Gladys, but because she was just a servant, they didn’t invite her to any of their society functions. Now that she was the mistress of one of the wealthiest estates in the neighbourhood, Tina looked forward to introducing her to some of Sandwich’s elite. Mary, on the other hand, had secretly hoped to marry James herself, and it was all she could do to mask her resentment.
After their company departed, Gladys and James kicked off their shoes and retired to the library where James poured them each a generous drink of brandy.
“Did you see their faces when they came in?” Gladys asked.
“We’ve given them quite a shock.”
“Tina and Bob seemed sincere with their congratulations, but Mary and Percy were rather cool, don’t you think? Did Percy say anything to you, James?”
“No, now that you mention it, he didn’t. I thought he must have said something to you.”
“He hardly spoke to me. In fact, he was unusually quiet all evening.”
“Hmm, I wonder if he had plans to marry you himself?”
“I think not. At least, he has never given me any reason to believe such a thing.”
“Perhaps he was just feeling out of sorts. Well, it has been quite an evening, so I think I shall be off to bed. I am curious to know how you are coming along with your interviews, but it can wait until tomorrow. Good night, Gladys.”
Although all the servants were pleased with the marriage, they would have preferred to have had the ceremony take place at Four Oaks. The ballroom had not been used since James’s mother-in-law passed away, and only Freda and Rita remembered her using it, and only once. Freda said that if she remembered correctly, it was more work than fun. Even so, she suggested to Dolly that if she wanted to have a small surprise celebration for her mother and James, she would be happy to make a wedding cake.
Dolly thought it was a smashing idea, and said she would invite Percy, Mary, the Rudyards, and James’s Aunt Jean. She then asked for Jenkins’s help in sending off an invitation to Jean, who lived in Hastings. Unfortunately, the invitation Jenkins sent stated that her nephew had recently married and they were having a small surprise party for him and his wife, but it didn’t mention his wife’s name. Jean was delighted with the news, but felt a little put out over not being asked to the wedding.
Mary was determined to overcome her jealousy, so when she received her invitation, she said she would be happy to attend.
Percy wasn’t able to hide his feelings nearly as well, and although he agreed to be there, he didn’t appear to be happy about it. This surprised Dolly, and she mentioned it to Freda, who remarked that men seldom get excited over fancy dress up affairs, but she really suspected Percy’s lack of enthusiasm was due to jealousy.
When Aunt Jean arrived unexpectedly a few days before the party, Gladys was taken by surprise. James had postponed telling his aunt about his marriage, and to make matters worse, he had gone to town on business that morning, so Gladys didn’t know what to say. She decided to still play the part of a servant, at least until his return.
“Why hello, mum. This is a pleasant surprise! You look well,” Gladys said and meant it. The woman’s appearance had improved since her last visit, even though she was still wearing the dress Gladys had given her. Gladys thought that perhaps an absence of facial hair might be the reason for much of the improvement.
“Surprise? Oh yes, the surprise, that is right,” Jean replied while giving Gladys, who had no idea what the woman was talking about, a collaborative nudge. Then she turned to a pleasant-looking, middle-aged woman who was standing a little behind her and said, “Gladys, this is my maid, Thora.” She then informed the maid that Gladys was James’s housekeeper and added, “She will take good care of you, my dear, but first you must come with me and unpack my case. Are the newlyweds at home, Gladys?”
Gladys had no idea how Jean learned that James was married, but her question left no doubt that she didn’t know who he had wed. The only answer she could think of was, “James is not here. I shall take you up to your room and then see that you have tea in the parlour while you wait for him to return.”
Leaving Jean and her maid to get settled, Gladys hurried down to the kitchen and called everyone together to tell them not to mention to Jean that she was the new Mrs Hornsby until James had a chance to break the news to her. She intended to leave him alone with his aunt, feeling certain the old lady was going to be quite upset.
As soon as Jean came down to the parlour, Gladys made the mistake of bringing her a cup of tea. The woman could hardly wait to ask Gladys how she liked working for her new mistress and insisted she sit down and join her. Gladys said she would love to, but there were chores she had to see to.
“Surely you can spare a few minutes,” Jean said indign
antly. “Do not tell me that Mary is working you so hard that you cannot sit for five minutes to talk to a guest.”
Gladys almost blurted out the truth but hesitated as she sat down on the edge of her chair, praying James would come through the door before she was forced to answer. When he didn’t, she tried to change the subject. “Did you have a pleasant journey here, mum?”
“Yes, it was fine, but tell me, Gladys, how are things now that James is married? You mustn’t worry what you say, dear. I shan’t repeat it!”
Fortunately, James saved the day. As he entered and made his way over to his aunt, he glanced at Gladys who shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I must say this is a surprise, Auntie,” he said as he bent over and kissed the woman on the cheek. Gladys excused herself and made a quick exit before either of them could object. An hour later, Jenkins came to her apartment and said she was wanted in the parlour.
“Wish me luck, Jenkins!” His answer was an encouraging smile and a thumb’s up gesture.
When Gladys entered the parlour, Jean was sitting in the same chair and James was standing over by the fireplace. For a few seconds, they just looked at her without speaking. She felt like a prisoner waiting to be sentenced. She even had a ridiculously funny thought that they may be planning to cut off her head and almost giggled.
Finally, Jean broke the silence. “I should not forgive you, Gladys, if James had not explained that you knew he wanted to be the one to tell me.” Her tone wasn’t nearly as reproachful as Gladys had feared, so she relaxed a little before apologizing and saying that she hoped Jean wasn’t too disappointed.
“I shan’t lie, Gladys. I had hoped James would choose that woman, Mary, as his wife.” Then, with an accusing look, she added, “But you already knew that. Mary has a far more suitable background for a man of James’s standing.
“Nevertheless, James insists that he is as much to blame as you in having to procure such a hasty marriage, and now that I know there will soon be a little one to consider, I shall not spend any more of my time wishing he had made a different choice. Instead, I shall look forward to becoming a great aunt once more.” She rose from her chair and, holding her hand out, said, “Welcome to the family, Gladys.”
The woman had a special candidness to her that Gladys couldn’t resist, and she ignored her hand and hugged her. Jean enjoyed it much more than she thought she would.
Jean proved to be a good sport and managed to keep the party a secret along with the rest of the household, so, on the evening of the occasion, James and Gladys were completely taken off guard and didn’t know quite how to behave. Stunned, they looked at each other helplessly. Fortunately, it was taken as a look of intimacy.
Just before they cut the cake, which Freda had taken such care in baking and decorating, Gladys insisted all the staff be invited to join them. James and his aunt managed to hide their displeasure, because they both felt she was being far too familiar with the servants. To make matters worse, Gladys seemed to be completely unaware of her erroneous behaviour and told Jenkins to see that they all had a full glass of spirits. Then she invited them all to stay and sing along while she played the piano.
James had never paid much attention to his household servants, and although he never treated them badly, he did ignore them, except for Jenkins. Now, the idea of spending a social evening with them was almost more than he could bear. His look of disapproval was obvious to everyone but Gladys, so at first the servants were hesitant to take part and sang very softly, but as the night wore on, they began to relax, and their voices filled the room with sounds of merriment.
James had tried to discuss Gladys’s actions with Percy, but his friend didn’t seem to want to listen. He was not only behaving in an unfriendly manner but also drinking more heartily than usual. Before the party was over, he became so inebriated that Jenkins had to help him into his carriage.
Gladys thought it was a lovely affair, and Freda and the rest of the servants were overjoyed, but the next day, James let her know how badly she had behaved.
“You are no longer one of them, Gladys, so you must not fraternize with them. Surely you did not behave that way when your father-in-law was alive?”
“Andrew did not believe in putting on airs, and I don’t either!” Gladys said in her defence.
“That may be, but here we must act appropriately. As my wife, I expect you to behave accordingly. I could tell Aunt Jean disapproved, and I am certain that the Rudyards and Mary were shocked. It is a wonder they stayed as long as they did.”
“But they said they had a wonderful time. At least the Rudyards did. As for Mary, I am not sure if she enjoyed herself or not. Sometimes I have a problem knowing what she is thinking. Anyway, I really cannot see why you are so upset, James. The girls all worked very hard to give us the party, and I only thought it fair to let them enjoy it too.”
“Up until now, I have not objected to your unconventional methods of handling the help, but I must insist you obey my rules from now on. Is that clear?”
Gladys knew he was right. She hadn’t behaved like any of the wealthy ladies she had met. She apologized and promised to do better, but she didn’t look forward to it. She had made friends with all the girls and was going to miss hearing their good-natured chatter and spontaneous laughter. She would also have liked to voice her objections to the word “obey,” but since James was going to provide her and the children with a secure future, she reasoned that he probably had a right to demand obedience.
James hadn’t mentioned Gladys in his letters to his son Horace, but now that they were married, he felt obliged to let him know. However, he neglected to mention that Gladys had been his housekeeper. Instead, he wrote that she was the widow of Thomas Pickwick, a person that Horace knew came from a respectable family. Therefore, when Horace wrote back with his congratulations, he said he was looking forward to meeting her but couldn’t see his way to returning home for at least another year.
Gladys and James soon became experts at playing the part of a happily married couple, which they were in their own way. Because she couldn’t find anyone who would treat the maids with respect and kindness, Gladys gave Rita, the eldest housemaid, the job of housekeeper and hired another girl to take her place. With a little training, Rita soon learned to manage the finances, and Gladys began living the life of an aristocrat. At James’s insistence, she even hired a lady’s maid to care for her own personal needs.
The woman she hired was in her thirties. Her name was Rhoda Pitt, and she reminded Gladys a little of Millie, even though she was much younger. Although Rhoda was very efficient, Gladys couldn’t get accustomed to having someone fussing over her, and, in order to keep the girl busy, she taught her how to use the sewing machine so she could do all the mending. She also had her look after some of Dolly’s needs. Gladys had moved into James’s first wife’s apartment, across the hall from his apartment, and Dolly was left with the one they had shared.
Although Gladys still pined over Toughie, having part of him growing inside her helped ease her sorrow. She gradually began to take her new position seriously and became a little less uncomfortable with its code of behaviour. James gave her a generous allowance so she could afford to spend afternoons in Sandwich shopping with Tina, but Mary always had an excuse not to join them. When Tina invited her to go to Dover for a day’s shopping, Gladys refused. The road from Sandwich to Dover went past Oaken Arms, and she still couldn’t bear to see it again. Besides, she didn’t want to take the chance of seeing Peter.
After James and Gladys were married, neither Percy nor Mary came to visit as often. On occasions when they did visit, their manner was not as genial as it had been. Their change of attitude hurt James more than it did Gladys, because he missed the hours he and Percy had spent together discussing books, politics, and sports.
Gladys had decided that the reason Mary was behaving so distant was because she was in love with James, but as for Percy,
she couldn’t think of any reason for his cool behaviour.
“It is almost as though he is upset over our marriage,” Gladys said after Percy had refused to stay for dinner one evening.
“You might be right,” James replied, looking up from the book he was reading. “Do you think I may have been right when I said he might be jealous? Perhaps he did intend to marry you himself.”
Gladys laughed, “I really don’t think so, but if he did, he certainly kept it a secret.”
“I shall have a talk with him the next time I have the opportunity.”
“Be careful not to embarrass him, James. I should feel terrible if it did anything to spoil your friendship.”
The next time they were alone, James mentioned to Percy that he and Gladys had noticed the change in his attitude. When Percy tried to deny it, James decided to come right to the point, “Look here, old boy, if you had romantic feelings toward Gladys, you should have said so.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
“I fail to see what’s ridiculous about that.”
“Of course you don’t, that’s quite apparent, but you could have had the decency to tell me how you felt about her.” Then, before James could answer, Percy realized how niggling his words had sounded. “I am sorry, James, I should not have said that. You certainly are not obliged to take me into your confidence. Perhaps I have, unintentionally, used your friendship to replace the one I had with Helmut. I had no right to assume you felt the same toward me.”
“But I do, Percy, I bloody well do! I value your friendship more than you know. And I am sorry we did not have time to tell you we were getting married; you see, haste was of the utmost importance.”
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