by Diane Allen
‘Oh, alright, I suppose a quick look round is not going to get you into any harm. Now you take care and behave yourselves, else I’ll be out on my arse if your mother finds out I’m encouraging you both. I’ll give you the key and I expect it back later today. You just look round, and you say nowt to your parents. Otherwise I’ll not be welcome living here no more, and I’ll need the cottage.’ Archie scratched his head and went over to the drawer in his desk. ‘My Aunt Lucy will be looking down and laughing at me. She always used to have a soft spot for me and Charlotte, and now I’m in the same situation with you and Ethan. I know true love when I see it, even if you are both too young.’ He looked at Rosie. ‘Now you do nowt you’d be ashamed to tell me of and you return this key to me tonight, and then I’ll say nowt to nobody.’
‘I promise, Grandfather, and thank you. I knew you’d understand.’ Rosie took the key and kissed Archie on the cheek. She hesitated before leaving him to walk down into Austwick with Ethan. ‘I do love him, Grandfather.’
‘I know, lass, just be careful. I’d hate to see you hurt.’ Archie sat on the end of his bed and sighed as he watched Rosie nearly skipping out of the doorway. She was only young – too young to be wanting a home and family of her own, especially with raggle-taggle Ethan, even if they were made for one another. Anyway, it might all come to nothing. Time would tell.
‘It’s perfect Rosie. I know it’s only got two bedrooms, but that’s all we’d need for a start.’ Ethan looked around him.
‘For a start, Ethan Haygarth! How many children were you thinking of us having? I might not want any.’ Rosie looked out of the window at the limestone scars of the fell called Moughton and smiled to herself. Then she remembered the night when she had lain alone with her worries and her pain, bringing a pang of uncertainty back to her.
‘I’m sorry, Rosie, I should think more of what I say. But I’d love a big family. And after a good paint with whitewash, and new homes found for the various spiders that seem to be everywhere, I think we could not wish for anything better for a brood of our own.’ Ethan put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck as she looked out of the window. ‘We could be really happy here.’
‘I know, Ethan, but I’m scared,’ Rosie whispered.
‘Don’t be scared. I’ll always be by your side, I promise,’ he whispered as he held her tight.
‘I can’t help it, not after . . .’
‘Shhh. If I’d known what had happened, I’d never have gone away. I’m sorry for the hurt, Rosie.’ Ethan kissed her again. ‘We will always be together, I promise. Now let’s get the key back to your grandfather, so he isn’t worrying.’ He smiled. He’d found a spare key hanging up in the back kitchen, and now he felt for it in his pocket. He would keep his find a secret. Over the winter he would secretly put every hour he could into the cottage, because come spring Rosie would be his, and he aimed to have a home ready for them both.
‘I hope you can all make it?’ Isabelle passed to Harriet the newly printed invitation to her Christmas Ball.
‘Oh, Isabelle, it’ll be like old times. Your mother gave such grand balls in her time. I was in awe of them and inspired by the grandeur. It was the special part of Christmas – an excuse to dress in your finest clothes. I felt like a queen, when I had Danny on my arm and we were dancing in the hall.’ Harriet looked lovingly at the invitation and smiled, remembering the good times when she was younger.
‘I’m surprised he didn’t cripple you – he’s always had two left feet, our Danny. Knowing him, he’d stand on your feet more than lead you in a dance.’ Isabelle looked at her sister-in-law and wondered how to word the invitation for Rosie, but not for Ethan, without offending her.
Harriet interrupted her thoughts. ‘Is Rosie included? She can wear the new dress I made her. It matches the evening bag that you gave her. I hope you will include her in the invitation. I need her to see what she is missing, and to stop making a fool with herself with that Ethan. He’s not good enough for her. I don’t know why Danny and Archie make a fuss of him.’ Harriet looked at her sister-in-law and recognized a look of relief, as she talked yet again about her unhappiness with her daughter’s courtship.
‘Rosie is invited, but I would prefer it if Ethan didn’t attend. It just wouldn’t be right, with Mazy being our housekeeper and Jethro being the groom. He would be so out of his depth and it would be embarrassing for us all.’ Isabelle breathed in deeply and waited for Harriet’s comments.
‘I just wish Rosie was not so infatuated with him. Do you and Jane know a few eligible young men who might catch her eye and encourage Rosie not to lose her way with Ethan? Anybody would be better than him.’ Harriet put down her sewing, as she admitted her despair over the love affair that was unfolding between Ethan and Rosie.
‘Leave it to me. We both know a few young men who might take her fancy. There’s the Knowles lad at Feizor, and the Robinson lad at Horton. He’s just been left some land by his grandfather – he would be a good catch. And let’s face it, your Rosie is a good-looking girl. Dress her up and I’m sure, by the end of the night, we will find somebody more suitable.’ Isabelle smiled. ‘Now about work: when do you want to call it your last day? Do you agree with my choice of Margery Sutcliffe? I think she was the most adept of the bunch and, between you and me, she is too old and set in her ways to turn James’s head. I’ve learned by my mistakes, Harriet, I really have.’ Isabelle looked thoughtful as she thought back to the flighty Madge, and then of the woman she had just employed. ‘Plus, Margery will be a steadying influence on Jane to learn the skill of dressmaking, and it looks like she will not take any nonsense when it comes to her work.’
‘She’s a bit stern, but she does have very good skills. So, yes, you have made the best choice. If she is to start next week, as you have agreed, I’ll finish working here the following week. We seem to have caught up with the orders now. Another week here will give Margery time to settle in, and time for me to spend with Jane, although she is showing great promise in her skills. I don’t think you will have any worries with Jane. She seems to have settled down and realizes now, after her silliness with her so-called suffragette friend, just how much she thinks of this wonderful shop. Especially as she knows that one day it will be hers. I wish Rosie had as much sense. I’m sure she is going to ruin her life, if she doesn’t see sense soon. The more I moan at her, the more she digs in her heels and swears undying love for her Ethan.’
‘Oh, Harriet, it will work out alright; she’ll see the error of her ways eventually. I’ll ask Jane to make a fuss of Rosie at the ball and to introduce her, as I say, to some of the eligible young men in the district. Hopefully she will return home with her eyes open and realize that Ethan is not for her. Now, once winter is over, and if you are not too busy on the farm, you must come back and keep your hand in at Atkinson’s. After all, you are a part shareholder and you should have your say in the running of the stores. We could have tea together, if there is nothing to discuss, and it is just good that we are close again. Mother would be so happy that we are no longer at loggerheads with one another.’ Isabelle smiled at her sister-in-law; she had missed Harriet over the years and was glad of her being there now for support.
‘I will. It is just the travelling to Skipton this winter that will keep me away. The nanny has been perfect with Georgina, and Rosie is good with her, too. And as for Ben, well, he’s growing up quickly, so I would like to come back in spring, once the worst of the weather has gone. I’ve enjoyed my time here with you, albeit brief and under terrible circumstances.’ Harriet bowed her head, thinking of all the hurt James had caused with his fling. But at the same time she was glad that the misfortune had brought down the barrier between her and Isabelle.
‘Well, what he did to me still hurts me and the family, but hopefully it will make us stronger. He chose his moment, though, didn’t he? Just after my mother dying – a time when I was at my most vulnerable. It will take me a long time to forgive him. And I think a lot of Jane’s behaviour
lately is a result of his stupidity and his actions. Thank heavens Luke is away from it all at Giggleswick.’ Isabelle sighed. ‘Still, some good has come out of the bad, and just look at us two: thick as thieves once more, and for that I’m thankful.’
‘Yes, me too. We were both young and foolish, and you think only of yourself at that age. We should not forget that when chastising our own children. Even though we want the best for them.’ Harriet looked around her and remembered the time when Atkinson’s was just starting out, and all the excitement there had been in the air. Her mother-in-law had been dressed to the nines, and she and Isabelle had taken orders and fittings for dresses and clothes that no one in the district could compete with. Now things were changing. Some working-class households – the ones that could afford it – owned their own sewing machines and bought ready-made patterns in different sizes, to make their own clothes more easily. Coupled with the new ready-to-wear range that Atkinson’s now had in store, tailor-made clothes would soon be solely for the few, with alterations perhaps being the most that Atkinson’s seamstresses could offer. Times were changing, and the economy was more austere. She couldn’t help but think that the best times for Atkinson’s had perhaps been and gone now. Anyway, time would tell and she could do nothing about the ways of the world, even if she wanted to.
27
Windfell Manor was thronged with staff getting the hall ready for Christmas and the coming ball. The kitchen was especially busy, as they prepared for the many meals that would be expected of them.
‘I’m rushed off my feet. I don’t know how the mistress thinks we can cope,’ said Ruby. ‘She’s not offered any extra staff, or told me yet how many guests we have at this ball. I haven’t even got Lily any more; she used to help, if she thought we were busy. But you won’t find Dorothy getting her hands dirty down in the kitchen. Oh no, she’s far too much up her own arse to come down here too often. Too busy making sure everyone’s wardrobe is correct – as if that takes much doing in this house!’
Turkey feathers filled the air as Ruby and Nancy plucked the four birds that Jethro had brought in from Settle market.
‘You’d think Jethro would have plucked these birds for us, but no, he’s too busy faffing about with his horses and moaning about his lad. I don’t know why he’s so bothered about Ethan. I say, “Good lad.” There’s nowt wrong with aiming high, and Rosie is a grand lass – unlike our snooty Miss Jane.’
‘I can understand Jethro not being happy about it. Ethan should know his place. Although I’d never say so to Mazy – her lad can do no wrong, in her eyes. We should never mix with them above us; it only ends in tears. Think of that flighty bit that turned Master James’s head.’ Nancy picked up the meat cleaver and aimed it at the feet of the turkey she had just plucked and came down hard with it onto the chopping block, before moving on to cutting off the crinkled pink-and-blue wattle. ‘I don’t mind plucking the birds, but I hate cleaning them.’ She went over to the kitchen sink and put her hand down the turkey’s neck to remove the crop, which was filled with the remains of the turkey’s last corn supper. ‘It’s the smell.’ Nancy retched as the odour hit her nostrils.
‘You have never had a strong stomach.’ Ruby turned round quickly and shook her head at Nancy. ‘Thank heavens Christmas is only once a year, and at least I can prepare quite a bit in advance. But I’m sure it was never this chaotic in Miss Charlotte’s time, and she’d have been down here making sure we were alright. Mistress Isabelle just says what she wants and doesn’t think of the consequences – she’s always been like that. Always wanted her own way and never thought how it affected anybody else. Miss Jane is just like her; she’ll have to learn by her mistakes or it’ll be the worse for her.’ Ruby examined her plucked turkey. ‘I’ll have to singe this fine down off. I’m tearing the skin, trying to pluck it off.’ She walked over to the mantelpiece and got a spill from the container above the fire and lit it. Holding the turkey up in one hand, she ran the lit spill over the fluffy down on the turkey’s neck and chest, watching it brown and curl up and disappear, while filling the kitchen with the smell of burnt feathers and acrid smoke. ‘I can’t hold this bird much longer, it’ll have to do.’ Ruby looked at her handiwork and then put the heavy turkey down on the kitchen table. ‘Open the back door and then clean me this one, Nancy. At least we’ve done half of them. It’s coming up to lunchtime, I need to put the cock-a-leekie soup on the stove.’
Nancy opened the back door wide, letting fresh, cold air into the kitchen, before returning to cleaning the turkey. ‘I don’t want any dinner.’ Her stomach churned as she looked at her next victim and thought of the chicken in the soup that she usually enjoyed, but not today.
‘You don’t know what’s good for you, lass. You’ve got to eat,’ grinned Ruby, as Nancy retched again and gave her a look that said everything.
‘I know I do, but the thought of any fowl in anything makes me want to be sick. You could have made mushroom soup – or anything other than what I can envisage running around a farmyard.’ Nancy breathed in and took courage as she picked up her carving knife to operate on the dead bird.
‘Now, doesn’t that look beautiful?’ Mazy stood back and admired the decorated pine Christmas tree that stood proudly in the hallway of Windfell.
‘It certainly does. I do love Christmas.’ Dorothy Baines stood next to her with an armful of mending and cast-offs from the Fox family.
The tree looked magnificent; glass baubles shone and tinsel glittered in the light of the chandelier that had recently been hung in the entrance hall. The tip of the tree was finished off with a sparkling golden star reaching halfway up the staircase from the base on the marbled hallway’s floor.
‘The mistress has really gone to town on things this year. I thought it would be a quiet Christmas, after she lost her mother this spring and after the scandal that hit the family, but it seems it has not affected her Christmas plans.’ Mazy looked at Dorothy, knowing that she was her mistress’s ears when it came to the staff.
‘I think that is exactly why she has planned such a big event. To show that there is new life in Windfell, and to make her and Mr Fox look strong. You can’t mourn forever – life goes on.’ Dorothy balanced her pile of clothes over her arm and watched as Eve wrapped a long garland made of holly and fir around the iron handrail of the stairs. She smiled slightly as she watched Eve stop and nearly swear as the holly pricked her, in defiance of being twined around the banisters.
‘You’ve got an armful of mending, I’d better not keep you.’ Mazy had tried to make friends with Dorothy, but she found her hard work and even though she knew it was not Dorothy’s fault that she had replaced Lily as lady’s maid, she couldn’t forgive her for filling her shoes so readily.
‘Oh, most of this is to be thrown out. It mainly belongs to Mister James. The mistress says he should have a new dinner suit for the party, and Miss Jane goes through clothes like nobody’s business. In fact let me give them to you, and then you can give them to the rag-and-bone man when he comes again.’ Dorothy held each item up, passing nearly all of them to Mazy as she did so, before going into the morning room to sit and mend the few items she had kept.
Mazy looked at the armful of garments that Dorothy could have taken to the outhouse herself, to await the weekly rag-and-bone man’s visit. She was so lazy, thought Mazy. But she knew Dorothy didn’t want to show her face in the kitchen, realizing that she would probably be given a job to do. Mazy picked through the garments one by one: the pretty silks that had once adorned Jane, the frills and fancies of the best quality. On the bottom of the pile was a perfectly good dinner suit, which Isabelle had decided was not good enough for her unfaithful husband, with a bow tie still attached. Perhaps she was getting rid of it because he had worn it with his lover, Mazy thought, as she held it up and looked at it carefully. Whatever the reason, the suit was too good to give to the rag-and-bone man. Neither of her two would ever wear anything like it, but she could sell it to the second-hand shop in Settl
e and boost her pay a little. Snooty-drawers Dorothy need never know it had not gone to its rightful place, she thought, as she moved to put the contents of her arms in a secret location in the stable, to be taken home later. The money was better in her purse than in the kitchen funds, where it would have gone if the rag-and-bone man had bought them, she thought, as she walked back smiling into the kitchen.
‘Been to see your Jethro, have you? Did you tell him it’s nearly lunchtime, if he fancies joining us in this kitchen that’s in disarray?’ Ruby looked up from stirring her soup.
‘He’s not here today; he’s gone to the blacksmith’s to shoe two of the horses.’ Mazy glanced at the red-faced cook, who looked as if she was going to burst with heat and stress from running the busy kitchen.
‘There you go – nobody tells me anything. I’ve made enough soup for an army and there’s only going to be the four of us having it, because madam here says she doesn’t want anything, and Thomson has gone into Settle to pick up Master James’s new shoes. I suppose he will have gone in with Jethro, when I think about it. Those upstairs will have to have cock-a-leekie for their starter tonight, and they’ll just have to lump it.’ Ruby placed the bread board down on the table in front of Mazy and looked at her face. ‘Aye, and you needn’t pull that face – that’s what we are having, despite the smell of turkey guts. If your Jethro had cleaned them, then my kitchen wouldn’t smell like it does.’
‘He’s busy as well, you know. You are not the only one who’s rushed off their feet. He’s been told to collect people all over the dale, for this ball at the weekend, and he’s busy with Christmas jobs just like the rest of us.’ Mazy was holding her own with the angry cook.
‘Busy poaching pheasants off the Maudsley estate, I suspect. I don’t suppose he’s got a spare brace, has he? I could do with one, if he’s some spare. Only if he has the time, of course,’ blustered Ruby.