‘I-I . . . why, thank you, Master Monty.’
‘I’ve already told you, when we’re alone it’s just Monty.’
Carefully, he lowered himself down beside her, and when she made no effort to move away from him, he knew that she was his for the taking. If only her sister was so easy to woo. But then, he consoled himself, everything came to those who waited, and for now this tasty little tart would do nicely.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘E
eh! Will you two please stop bickering,’ Cook snapped one morning. ‘Ever since Master Monty’s accident, you’ve been at each other’s throats like rabid dogs and it’s getting me down. What does it matter who takes his tray in to him? If you don’t stop it right now, I shall bang your heads together, you just see if I don’t! And Susan will be taking all the trays.’
‘Sorry, Cook,’ Freda muttered as she glared at Eliza, who boldly glared back. With a last malicious grin, Freda lifted the laden tray and sailed out of the kitchen to take it through to the young master and his mother in the drawing room.
Eliza watched her go with a glum expression on her face. Freda wasn’t even the kitchen maid now, so why she was allowed to carry the tray through she didn’t know; it should have been her job. But then Cook made no secret of the fact that Freda was her favourite and she could get away with murder.
Taking the broom, Eliza went back to sweeping the kitchen floor, but her mind was working overtime. It had been over a week now since Monty had gone to their secret meeting place by the lake, even though she had waited there every night for him. Could it be that now he’d had his way with her, he was losing interest in her? she wondered, but then she pushed the thought away. Of course it couldn’t be that, she thought; he loved her, she knew he did, and one day when he told his parents about their love she would be mistress here and woe betide Freda then! Suddenly smiling again, she dreamed of what it would be like to wear fine gowns and be driven around in the carriage. But she didn’t have long to dream before Cook said impatiently, ‘How much longer are you going to be on that floor, lass? Get a move on and make a start on peeling those potatoes.’
With a sigh, Eliza did as she was told.
She was in her room getting changed that evening when Pearl walked in and smiled at her. ‘Off out again, are you?’ she said pleasantly. ‘I can’t say as I blame you, it’s a lovely even—’ Her voice trailed away as she spied the pretty blue ribbon in Eliza’s hair and in a wobbly voice she asked, ‘Where did you get that ribbon, Eliza?’
Eliza was instantly on her guard. Monty had told her the importance of keeping their meetings a secret for now, because he said that if Pearl or Freda found out about them, they would be jealous.
‘I found it outside in a bag,’ Eliza lied. ‘Someone must have dropped it.’
‘Oh.’ Pearl desperately wanted to believe her, and it was possible that Eliza was telling the truth, but the ribbon looked suspiciously like the one Monty had offered her. Although, Monty could quite easily have dropped it when she refused it, so why were alarm bells ringing? She stood silently as Eliza slipped her dainty feet into her shoes, and for the first time Pearl realised just how beautiful her sister really was.
‘See you later,’ Eliza said gaily, as she tripped from the room.
Pearl stared after her, worriedly chewing on her lip. Could Monty be the reason that Eliza had suddenly taken to going out for a walk each evening, and the sudden interest she was taking in her appearance? If that were the case, Pearl suspected that her younger sister might be in grave danger of being seduced; she was so young and vulnerable. I shall have to watch her as closely as I can from now on, Pearl promised herself, as she went to help the mistress prepare for bed. She had said she had a headache after dinner and that she was going to have an early night.
Eliza had just emerged from the trees bordering the lake when she saw Monty speaking to Freda and instantly her temper rose. What did she think she was doing? Surely she had guessed that Monty was her young man; she had certainly dropped enough hints. Without slowing her steps, she marched right up to them and, ignoring Freda completely, she fingered the ribbon in her hair.
‘I thought I’d wear this tonight, Monty,’ she said with a giggle as she put her arm possessively through his. ‘Thank you so much for such a lovely gift. Shall we go for a stroll?’
Freda’s mouth gaped open as Monty squirmed uncomfortably. Had he been able to, he would have run like the wind, but that would be difficult with his crutches to contend with, and so they stood in an uncomfortable silence for some moments until Monty said, ‘Actually, I’m afraid you’ll both have to excuse me, ladies. I just remembered I’m going to visit one of Mother’s friends with her this evening.’
He turned and hobbled off as fast as his crutches would take him, leaving Freda and Eliza facing each other with hatred in their eyes.
‘You just keep away from him, he’s mine,’ Freda said heatedly.
Tossing back her head, Eliza laughed. ‘Is he now? Then why did he buy this for me?’ She stabbed a finger at the ribbon in her hair. ‘Did he buy you a ribbon?’
‘He . . . he didn’t need to. I know ’e loves me,’ Freda retaliated. ‘I’ve already given meself to ’im and he truly cares fer me!’
But it was easy to see that she was upset. Just like Eliza, she had been dreaming of becoming the lady of the house, but now she was unnerved. Surely Monty couldn’t have been stringing both of them along? Unable to contain her hurt and fury any longer, Freda rushed forwards and snatched at the ribbon in Eliza’s hair. With a mighty yank, she pulled it from her hair, making Eliza howl with pain – and then suddenly they were rolling on the ground with fists flying as their screams rent the air.
Having found that her mistress wasn’t going to have an early night after all, Pearl had been strolling beneath the trees in the orchard, hoping to catch a glimpse of her sister – but as she heard the cries, she rushed towards the direction they were coming from.
On entering the clearing, she stopped abruptly in shock, before rushing forwards and catching the girls’ arms. ‘Whatever do you think you are doing? You’re fighting like a pair of alley cats. Stop it this instant!’ she cried.
Both girls’ eyes were glazed and both had cut lips and scratched faces as Pearl did her best to keep them apart. Eliza’s new dress was ripped and Freda had the beginnings of a black eye already forming. They were both breathing heavily, and Pearl had the feeling that if she were to release them they would start fighting again.
‘It’s ’er as started it!’ Freda gasped breathlessly, stabbing a shaking finger towards Eliza. ‘She’s after my chap an’ I’ll kill ’er afore I let ’er take ’im away from me!’
‘He ain’t your chap, ’e’s mine,’ Eliza retaliated furiously, as she made to lunge towards her again.
It was taking all Pearl’s strength to keep them apart and her arms were beginning to ache. She gave them both a little shake. ‘And just who is this young man you are fighting over?’ she demanded.
All at once, the fight seemed to go out of Eliza and her shoulders sagged. It was obvious that she wasn’t about to disclose his name.
‘So you tell me who it is then!’ Pearl turned her attention to Freda, but she too remained obstinately tight-lipped before turning about and slinking away.
Pearl looked back to Eliza and in a stern voice asked, ‘So let’s have the truth! Just who were you fighting over?’ The blue ribbon Eliza had been wearing was on the ground with a good tuft of Eliza’s hair in it, and again her suspicions were aroused when she thought back to the afternoon Monty had offered one just like it to her. ‘It wasn’t Master Monty, was it?’
‘No!’ Eliza denied grumpily, as she tentatively touched her split lip, which was already swelling alarmingly.
Pearl sighed. She could hardly beat the truth out of her sister, so she supposed that for now she would just have to accept what she was saying. ‘All right . . . you’d better come with me and we’ll bathe that face.
I’m afraid you’re going to look as if you’ve been in a boxing ring in the morning.’
Subdued, Eliza turned to follow Pearl back to the house, but not before she had bent to retrieve her ribbon and stuff it into the pocket of her dress.
‘Just what the hell is going on?’ Cook asked angrily as Eliza entered the kitchen with Pearl close behind her. She was sitting in a chair by the kitchen table dipping a piece of huckaback into a bowl of tepid water and bathing Freda’s face. ‘Why did you have to go and attack Freda like that?’
Behind the cook’s back, Freda gave a sly little grin as Eliza stated angrily, ‘I didn’t attack ’er! It was ’er that started it.’
‘No, it weren’t!’
‘Stop it immediately, the pair of you. Enough is enough!’ Pearl interrupted them. ‘It doesn’t matter who started it. You should both be ashamed of yourselves fighting like that. And about a boy as well!’
Cook’s mouth gaped open. Freda could do no wrong in her eyes and to the cook she was little more than a child. Certainly not old enough to be having boyfriends. Meanwhile, Pearl fetched another bowl of water and began to bathe Eliza’s face as the two girls glared at each other across the table.
‘Well, this is a fine kettle o’ fish,’ Cook grumbled. ‘I would have expected better of both of you. This is a respectable household and I’ll have none of these goings-on in my kitchen, I warn you. Furthermore, you’ll both be in trouble when the mistress catches sight of you, and serves you both right, I say!’
Both girls now had the grace to look shamefaced.
‘I reckon she’s loosened one o’ me teeth,’ Freda whined, as she moved the offending molar with her tongue.
‘That’s what comes of fighting. Perhaps you’ll both think twice next time.’ Disgruntled, Cook picked up the bowl and waddled away to the sink. ‘And now I suggest you both get yourselves off to bed and let’s hear no more of it.’
Both girls slunk away as Cook shook her head. ‘So who were they fighting over?’ she asked, when they had left the room to go and lick their wounds.
‘They wouldn’t say.’
Cook shrugged, but her mind was whirling. Surely not Master Monty? She hoped not, as she knew no good could come of that.
From then on, the girls studiously ignored each other, although whenever they were in the same room the atmosphere was so thick it could almost have been cut with a knife. They had never liked one another but now they were sworn enemies. Eliza had withdrawn into her shell again and stopped taking an interest in her appearance. The evening strolls stopped too, and now she went to her room when her chores were done and stayed there. Pearl just hoped that this was the end of it. But all she could do was keep an eye on things and wait and see.
Monty meanwhile was unhappy again, because his father had been as good as his word and set him to work in the office of the shipyard. Will would take him there each morning in the carriage and because Monty was limited on how far he could walk on his crutches, he felt like a prisoner there. The office was musty and reeked of ink and damp, but when he opened the window the heavy smell of tar and wet timber from the boatyard was even worse and he glumly closed it again. Mr MacArthur, the elderly gentlemen who had been assigned to teach him the ropes, was without humour, although Monty was forced to admit that he knew his job inside out. He was also a strict disciplinarian and so Monty had no chance to sit back and take it easy.
‘It’s slave labour,’ Monty complained to Will one evening, when he came to pick him up.
Will chuckled. ‘I’d hardly call it that, Master Monty. It can’t be that hard to push a pen about all day.’
Monty grimaced and fell silent. Everything was going wrong for him. He hadn’t dared approach either Freda or Eliza since the night of the fight in case they told his father how he had played one off against the other, and Pearl was still being distant and cold with him. But still, he consoled himself, the splints would have to come off eventually and then hopefully his life would return to some sort of normality.
In the kitchen the mood had not improved, and Cook was almost at the end of her tether. Mrs Forbes wasn’t happy either. The day following the fight, she had noticed the cuts and bruises on both of them, but when questioned about how they had come by them, both girls had remained ob-stinately quiet. She had mentioned it to Monty and her husband that night at dinner, but Monty merely shrugged and said he had no idea what had gone on. His father eyed him thoughtfully and although he made no comment, he had the strangest feeling that Monty knew more than he was saying.
As for Pearl, she blamed Freda for the entire situation – Freda had always had a spiteful streak – and she hated the fact that Eliza had become withdrawn and unhappy again. But there wasn’t a lot she could do, as she confided in Susan one day, other than keep an eye on them and pray the situ-ation eventually improved.
The summer rolled by, and before they knew it they were into October and the weather took a turn for the worse. A strong wind blew in from the sea and suddenly it was cold again. Then, one morning as Pearl collected the post that had come in with the latest ship, she noticed a letter with a French postmark addressed to her and her heart began to pound. It could only be from Nick and she could hardly wait to read it, but she would have to be patient and see to Mrs Forbes’s needs first.
She helped her mistress to dress and did her hair for her and then, while the family were at breakfast, she sneaked away to her room, unable to wait a moment longer.
Taking the sheet of paper from the envelope, she began to read.
My dearest Pearl,
I’m not sure when this letter will reach you but when it does, I hope it will find you and Eliza well. I have thought of you so often since leaving Canada and can hardly wait to get back to see you again. I am in Calais at present and due to sail for England tomorrow. Even as I write this, the ship is being loaded with cargo and we hope to set sail on the morning tide. When we get to London I intend to go and see your old neighbour, and of course if she is able to give me any idea of the whereabouts of your sister Amy, I shall let you know immediately.
I must admit I am enjoying a life at sea and hope that you are still happy in your job. Do you think you will settle there? Much as I liked Canada, I have always felt that eventually I shall settle back in England. I suppose I feel that is where my roots are, but meantime it is nice to see a bit of the world. I am saving hard and one day I would like to start my own little farm. The only drawback to my life at present is that you cannot write back to me because I am never in one port long enough to receive mail.
I so enjoyed seeing you again in the brief time I was there and wonder if you ever think of me? I hope so. I am hoping to be back in Canada for Christmas, although I can’t promise it because it all depends on if the weather is kind to us. I do hope I can make it as I so want to see you again. If I do make it, I will be staying at the Bear Hotel until we leave again.
Anyway, I should go and help with loading the cargo now but just wanted you to know that you are in my thoughts. Take very good care of yourself,
With love,
Nick xxx
By the time she had finished reading, there were tears in her eyes and she held the letter close to her heart as she thought of him. She had never forgotten the feel of his lips on hers and it came as a shock to her to suddenly realise that her feelings for him went beyond mere friendship. But that’s silly, she silently scolded herself. You can’t fall in love with someone with one kiss . . . can you?
She crossed to the window just in time to see Monty coming up the drive, leaning on his walking stick. It looked like he had left work early again, which wouldn’t please Mr Forbes at all. Ever since Monty had had the splint off his leg, he had barely worked a full day, much to his father’s disgust. Though she wasn’t one to gossip, Susan had told Pearl that she’d overheard his parents arguing about it.
‘His father thinks he’s fallen in wi’ a bad crowd o’ chaps about his age,’ she’d confided to Pearl. ‘They’re int
o gambling and all sorts apparently, but you know what the master is like. He don’t want to upset the mistress so ’e keeps ’is mouth shut fer much o’ the time, bless ’im. An’ o’ course now Monty ’as a limp he’s makin’ the most of it, sayin’ as a lot o’ the work his dad expected him to do is too hard fer him now, an’ his ma agrees wi’ him!’
Pearl shook her head as she watched him swagger along. He was a bad one, was Monty, and the further he kept away from herself and Eliza the happier she would be. But the smile came back to her face as she quickly reread Nick’s letter, before tucking it under her pillow to read again at bedtime. All being well, he would be home for Christmas and she could hardly wait!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘E
eh! That looks wonderful, Pearl! The missus will be right pleased when she sees it.’
‘Do you think so, Susan?’ Pearl smiled as she stepped back from the Christmas tree she had just been decorating in the drawing room. Will had planted it in a sturdy bucket of earth and now it took pride of place beside the fireplace, the glass baubles that Pearl had adorned it with shining in the light from the fire. ‘It does look nice, doesn’t it?’ she agreed, with a measure of satisfaction.
‘It certainly does. But tell me, when is Nick due to arrive?’ Susan was looking forward to seeing him too.
Pearl’s smile faded as she shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ She glanced towards the window, through which she could see the snow steadily falling. It was already a foot deep and she could see Will out on the drive trying to clear it away. It was a hopeless task really because as soon as he cleared it, it settled again. ‘All I know is that he’s sailing on The Mermaid, which is due in any time, but looking at the weather . . .’
‘Oh, don’t get worrying about that,’ Susan said airily, as she plumped up the cushions on the sofas. ‘I’m sure the weather won’t slow it down. Why, he could be dockin’ even as we speak.’
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