Mrs Boots Goes to War

by Deborah Carr

  ‘I’ve an appointment to speak with Sir Jesse,’ she heard the captain say.

  Florence had already tipped Meadows off about the expected visit and waited while he welcomed the captain into the house.

  The captain immediately spotted Florence and Dorothy and came up to them. ‘Good afternoon, Lady Boot.’ His eyes moved from hers and locked on Dorothy’s. ‘It’s wonderful to see you again, Dorothy.’

  Florence could feel the chemistry between her daughter and the man she wanted so much to marry.

  ‘Good afternoon, Captain,’ Florence replied, then, aware that they probably needed a moment to themselves, added, ‘I’ll go and see if my husband is ready to meet you. I won’t be long.’

  As she walked along the Parquet flooring to Jesse’s study near the back of the house, Florence could hear the young couple whispering, their anxiety palpable. She hoped Jesse wouldn’t keep him too long so that the four of them could then relax and have a celebratory drink of tea.

  Florence entered Jesse’s office and found him seated at his desk. Jesse looked up at her. ‘Is he here?’

  ‘He is.’ She rested her hands on his desk and leant forward, keeping her voice low so as not to be overheard. ‘Now, remember what we agreed?’

  Jesse gave her a stony glare. ‘Yes. No lengthy diatribes and to give him my blessing to marry my eldest daughter.’

  Florence laughed. ‘You make it sound as if you’re being forced to do this. We both like the captain, don’t we?’

  Jesse nodded. ‘We do.’

  ‘Then why the hesitation?’ she asked, worried in case he might change his mind.

  ‘I suppose I’m finding it a little strange to think that my daughter will be getting married. Selfish of me, I know.’

  Florence stood up straight and walked around his desk to give him a kiss. ‘There’s nothing selfish about you, dear Jesse. I find it difficult to think that my children are all grown and making their own ways in the world now, too. But this is what Dorothy wants and she’s an intelligent, sensible woman who is more than capable of making up her own mind. Now, let’s not waste any more time. The poor things are going to wonder what we’re chatting about in here.’

  ‘I suppose so.’ Jesse straightened the paperwork on his desk. ‘Ask him to come in then. Let’s get this over with.’

  Ten minutes later, Florence watched as Dorothy paced back and forth in the hallway outside the library door. ‘Come away now,’ she said, hoping to soothe her daughter’s nerves.

  ‘He’s come to ask Father for my hand,’ she whispered, looking terrified. ‘What if he refuses? What will I do then?’

  ‘Firstly, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about,’ Florence said, aware that Jesse was capable of changing his mind at the last minute and not doing as she had expected him to. ‘And I’m sure that you fretting out here is not going to do any good either. You don’t want them to hear your footsteps, do you?’ Dorothy’s eyes widened in horror at the suggestion. ‘Fine. Then we may as well make the most of this sunny weather and enjoy the fresh air.’

  Dorothy hesitated. ‘What if Wilfred comes out and wishes to speak to me and I’m not here. How will he find me?’

  Florence linked arms with her daughter and began to lead her away from her father’s study door. ‘I’m sure your father or one of the servants will be able to find us for him, if he’s unable to do so himself,’ Florence teased. ‘Although, I’m sure that with the captain’s experience of expeditions he should find tracing you to our garden rather simple, don’t you?’

  Dorothy nudged her mother, amused. ‘You think you’re so funny, don’t you?’ she said, then giggled.

  ‘I do have the occasional moment of comic genius. Now, let’s leave them to it and go outside.’

  Florence squinted as they stepped out into the afternoon sun. Two swifts swooped in the sky overhead and Florence heard the cooing of a dove from next door’s dovecot. She knew that she would remember this day forever as the day her daughter’s future was decided upon. She wished Dorothy wasn’t so worried though. Florence felt sure that Jesse would give the captain his permission to marry Dorothy. The man had proved to have mettle and Jesse liked that in a person, and it was obvious to them both that their daughter was very much in love with this man.

  ‘I hadn’t realised you and Captain Bruce were quite so close,’ she said, trying not to sound too alarmed by the seemingly sudden turn of events. ‘Are you certain that you are ready to be married?’

  Dorothy looked as if she was about to cry. ‘I know it sounds a bit sudden, but it isn’t really and I’m positive that he is the man I wish to marry.’ She brushed away a stray tear. ‘You do think that Father will give his permission, don’t you? I’d be mortified if he refused it. He is a special man in so many ways, Mother, he truly is.’

  ‘I believe you,’ Florence said, hurriedly trying to soothe her daughter’s rising panic. ‘I only want to be certain that you are as sure of him as you seem to be.’

  ‘I am. We’re very much in love and, after all he’s seen and done these past few years, he’s ready to settle down and be married as much as I am. I know we’re going to be very happy together.’

  Florence pulled her daughter into a hug. ‘Then I’m very happy for you both, my darling. Knowing your father, he’ll want to speak to me before giving his permission, just to be certain he’s doing the right thing. I’ll reassure him and tell him what you’ve said. I’m sure he’ll give his blessing without any hesitation after that. We both only want what’s best for you and to see you happy and settled.’

  ‘I know you do. Thank you, Mother.’

  Moments later, Florence saw Meadows hurry outside to join her and Dorothy. ‘Your presence has been requested in Sir Jesse’s study, Lady Boot.’

  Florence leant towards Dorothy and whispered, ‘I won’t be long. Stay calm and take a few deep breaths. I’ll be back here before you know it.’

  She walked to the study. The captain gave her a tight, nervous smile, which seemed to her more like a grimace, before making his way to the door.

  ‘I’m going to wait in the hallway while you speak to Sir Jesse.’

  Florence closed the door after he’d left and shook her head as she walked over to where Jesse was sitting.

  ‘Meadows said you wanted to speak to me,’ she said, her eyes locking with Jesse’s. ‘Whatever’s the matter? Has something happened to change your mind?’

  Jesse said nothing but stared at his twisted hands. ‘It’s rather strange, all this, don’t you think?’

  ‘It reminds me of the day when you asked my father if we could be married,’ she replied, unsure what Jesse was leading towards.

  He took her right hand between both of his misshapen ones. ‘Only this time, we are not going to shatter their hopes and expect them to do as we wish, are we?’ She shook her head.

  ‘Florence?’ Jesse’s voice sounded unsure, which was very unlike him.

  She looked down at her hand in between both of his. ‘What is it, my love? What is troubling you?’

  He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment. ‘Was I selfish to marry you?’

  Florence’s breath caught in her throat. ‘No, off course you weren’t. Why would you even ask such a thing?’

  Jesse took gave her a wistful smile. ‘You were so young and lovely.’ He blew her a kiss. ‘You’re still very lovely. But I was thirteen years older than you and so different to you.’

  ‘But—’

  Jesse raised his hand to stop her saying anything further. ‘No, it’s true. The thing that troubles me is that by marrying me, you’ve been attached to someone who isn’t able-bodied, someone who can’t dance with you, as you wish, or go for long walks.’

  She pushed away the anger that his words fired up in her and crouched down so her face was level with his. Taking his face in her hands she kissed him to stop him from saying another word. ‘Jesse, I can honestly say that you might have enraged me at times with your stubbornness, but I have never regr
etted –’ she raised a finger – ‘not for a single moment, that I married you.’ Her heart melted as she gazed at him. She truly was the luckiest woman in the world to have married such an incredible man. ‘You’ve not only given me three strong, wonderful children, you’ve allowed me…’ She hesitated. ‘No, you’ve encouraged me to be the woman even I never imagined I could be.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘No. You’re going to listen to me. I’ve achieved things no other woman I know has had the opportunity to do. But I wouldn’t have been able to do any of the things I’ve done and enjoyed the life I have if I’d been married to any other man. So, don’t you ever, for one second, think that I regret marrying you, because I don’t. I wouldn’t change my life with you even if I could. And,’ she added, standing back up, ‘don’t you let me hear you say such negative things about yourself ever again, do you hear me?’

  Jesse’s mouth drew back into a smile. ‘All right. You are a very bossy woman, do you know that, Lady Boot?’

  Florence laughed. ‘Yes, I learned from the best. Now, shall I go and fetch the poor captain, who must be beside himself by now out there in the hallway?’

  ‘Yes, please. Then, I’ll send him out to find you, so that he can propose to Dorothy.’

  Florence clasped her hands together excitedly. ‘This is such a momentous day, Jesse. Our first child is to be married.’ She took a calming breath. ‘The captain will find Dorothy and me in the rose garden.’ She blew him a kiss. ‘I’ll return to speak with you as soon as he comes to find Dorothy. Good luck.’

  Florence opened the study door, unable to hide her sympathy for the ashen-faced captain. ‘You may go back in now,’ she said gently. ‘Dorothy and I will be outside when you want to come and find her.’

  It was less than five minutes later when Florence left her daughter with the man she wanted to marry. She went to go back to Jesse’s study, but saw that he had asked George to push his chair into the library.

  ‘I thought we could watch the captain proposing from a safe distance here,’ Jesse said, waving for her to join him.

  Florence stood silently next to Jesse by the French windows, her hand resting on his left shoulder. Outside, the captain went down on one knee, taking Dorothy’s left hand in his, and although they couldn’t hear what he was saying, they could imagine his words.

  Florence’s hand flew to her chest when Dorothy’s joyful cry rang out as she accepted his proposal. The captain, still on one knee, retrieved a red box from his trouser pocket and opened it to show Dorothy the ring inside, making Florence gasp with delight to see the two young people so clearly besotted with each other.

  Florence slipped her arm around Jesse’s shoulders and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her daughter looked blissfully happy. It was a joy to see such a magical event. The captain took the ring from the box and, holding Dorothy’s left hand in his, slipped the ring on her finger. He stood and took her in his arms and Florence took the handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes.

  ‘I’m so happy for her, Jesse.’

  ‘I am, too, for both of them. I think they’ll be very happy together.’

  ‘I do hope so.’

  Now it seemed that they had a wedding to look forward to. Florence would have preferred a summer wedding, but the captain had other commitments and neither wished to wait until the following year to become husband and wife.

  Florence recalled only too well how desperate she had been to be married to Jesse when she was Dorothy’s age, and how heart-breaking it was when her mother had insisted that they wait a year before allowing her father to give his permission. She didn’t want her daughter to suffer as she had and decided that if Dorothy wanted to be married in November, then who was she to argue?

  ‘We only want a quiet wedding,’ Dorothy explained a few days later. ‘With everything that happened this year, losing his brother-in-law, and his sister Kathleen still grieving for her husband, it seemed wrong to have anything too elaborate.’

  Florence understood completely. The poor captain had been through so much. He might have survived the expedition, but Captain Scott and several of his friends had died tragically. ‘What do you think of these wedding invitations?’ Florence held one out to Dorothy as they sat in her office.

  ‘They’ve done a good job in the printing department,’ Dorothy said, nodding. ‘We’ll need to send them out in the next few days.’

  ‘We will. The wedding is only –’ Florence studied her diary and counted the weeks until she reached the twenty-fifth of November, the date she had circled in ink as soon as Dorothy and the captain had decided upon it – ‘six weeks away, so it’s just as well that you don’t want anything elaborate.’

  The Boots printing department had worked quickly to produce the plain white card with black lettering and Florence couldn’t help wishing that she was helping to arrange a large wedding for Dorothy. She hadn’t been able to or, if she was honest, felt the need to have a large wedding herself. Maybe things might be different for Margery, she mused, reminding herself that as long as her children were happy in their choice of husbands or wife, then that was all that truly mattered to her.

  Chapter Three

  December 1913

  Dorothy’s wedding had been a joyful affair and after heavy rain earlier that week and then the first frost of the winter striking two days before the date, everything had been perfect for the happy couple. The happy couple had returned from their honeymoon two days before to stay with Kathleen, his sister, for a few days.

  Florence and Jesse had had a lot on their hands, overseeing the build-up to Christmas. Jesse was in a lot of pain, had been since the weather turned colder, and Florence had tried to persuade him to take some time off, but he still insisted on visiting the factories and stores as usual with his driver. She wondered if he would ever take a step back from the business and hoped that his insistence on working so hard wouldn’t be detrimental to his health.

  Now, though, it was Christmas Day and Florence stared out of the library window, her arms folded, hoping that Dorothy and Wilfred would arrive soon, so that they could all spend time together for the first time since their wedding. Florence understood their wish for a little privacy. She remembered only too well how exciting it had been spending her first Christmas with Jesse in their small home and how long ago that now seemed.

  It was colder today. The thick frost on the ground gave the front garden and surrounding hedging and trees a white, magical quality. John and Margery were in the living room with Jesse. The family had eaten a little earlier and now it was the servants’ turn to enjoy their Christmas lunch, while Florence’s family played a few parlour games. She could hear John’s jolly laugh.

  She was about to turn away from the window when she heard the distinctive sound of Wilfred’s car pulling into the driveway.

  Happiness coursed through Florence. She watched as the young newlyweds stepped out of the car. Dorothy’s husband, Wilfred – or the captain, as most people referred to him – lifted a large bag from the back and, together, they hurried into the house out of the cold.

  Florence was waiting for them in the hallway as they entered the house.

  Dorothy’s face was pinched with cold. ‘You look frozen,’ Florence said, reaching up and resting her right palm gently against her daughter’s icy cheek. ‘Quickly, remove those outer things and come with me into the living room. It’s lovely and warm in there. Hurry now.’

  ‘It took us forever to finally get here,’ Dorothy said, draping her coat, scarf and hat over the leather chair in the hallway.

  ‘Everyone’s been dying to see you again and hear all your news.’ Florence turned to Wilfred. ‘Your sister, how is she?’

  His smile vanished. ‘She’s finding things very difficult without Robert, naturally, but she’s doing her best to cope. She was delighted to have us staying with her for a while and, of course, we’ll be returning to spend some time with her in the New Year.’

  ‘Go
od. She needs her family around her at a time like this. I wish she had agreed to come with you today.’

  ‘Thank you, it was very kind of you both to invite her here for Christmas. However, she preferred to stay at home.’ He noticed the Christmas tree taking pride of place in the huge hallway. ‘That’s a magnificent tree. I don’t think I’ve seen another bigger inside anyone’s house.’

  Dorothy took his hand. ‘It’s a tradition of ours to have the biggest tree my parents can find each year. Mother likes to decorate it as best she can.’

  Florence laughed at her daughter’s teasing. ‘Dorothy knows that I love to make the most of this special time of year. I do decorate the lower half of the tree and then usually Meadows hangs up the tree ornaments on the higher branches.’

  ‘With you pointing from below where you want them.’ Dorothy giggled.

  Florence noticed her shiver. ‘Let’s get you both into the warm now.’ She led the way into the living room, laughter and giggles greeting them as she opened the door and waited for the young couple to enter. ‘Look who’s arrived, everyone.’

  Jesse was seated in an armchair nearest to the fireplace. He waved them over to join him. Florence knew he was in worse pain than he had been recently and hoped it would ease soon, but she knew that he would be distracted from his discomfort by having his children around him for the day.

  He took Dorothy’s hand in his and pulled her gently down to him so he could give her a kiss on her cheek. ‘You are freezing,’ he said, darting a look at Wilfred. ‘You two need to wrap up better if you’re driving that car about this winter.’

  ‘We know that now, Father.’ Dorothy laughed, taking her hand from his and rubbing her hands together in front of the flames. ‘How is everyone?’

  Margery immediately began speaking, telling her sister all her latest news.

  Florence stood back and surveyed the scene in front of her. She was so lucky to be spending Christmas Day with her family.