Chaff upon the Wind (9 page)

His glance had rested once more, briefly, upon Kitty and then his shoulders had lifted in a tiny shrug of helplessness as if to say, ‘Sorry, but what can I do?’

The last vestige of hope in Kitty’s heart died then. She had thought that he might have objected, that he might have insisted that she, Kitty, should still be his Harvest Nell, as he
called the Queen, but no, his gaze had gone back to Miriam and now he was holding out his hand to her with a courtly little bow and leading her towards the cart, festooned with ribbons of every
colour. The two horses pulling it were bedecked in polished horse-brasses and ribbons too.

Jack was not in his normal workaday attire either. Although not in his Sunday best, he had shaved and his face was clean and bore no trace of the grime from his smoky engine. In the open neck of
his striped shirt he wore a spotted necktie and his black hair glinted in the sunlight. Even the toes of his brown boots, Kitty noticed, were polished.

Miriam sat on a square of hay in the cart. Jack climbed up beside her and took up the reins. ‘Hold on, miss,’ Kitty heard him say as he flicked the reins and shouted ‘Walk
on’ to the horses.

The rest of the field workers fell in behind the cart with whistles and drums and one man had even brought his accordion. As they paraded from the yard around the side of the house and into the
road, they were joined by the wives and children of the workers too. Even Mrs Grundy, Sarah Maybury and Milly had appeared at the side gate to see them go by, but Kitty kept her eyes downcast. She
could not bear to see the pity for her in the cook’s eyes.

At the front door of the Manor, out of the corner of her eye, Kitty saw the mistress and now she dared to take a peep. When she saw first puzzlement and then a frown of displeasure cross Mrs
Franklin’s lovely face, the girl felt a slight lifting of her acute disappointment. It was obvious, by the look on her face, that the mistress had not been a party to her daughter’s
scheme.

‘Kitty?’

Now it was her turn to be surprised as she responded to the person who had fallen into step at her side.

‘Master Edward. Oh, you’re feeling better. How wonderful!’ Even her despondency could not dim the pleasure of seeing the boy not only up and dressed, but well enough to be out
of doors and walking beside her to join in the merrymaking.

‘I came . . .’ He paused to pull in a deep breath and Kitty realized at once that he was not as well as she had supposed. ‘I came – to see – you – as the
Harvest Queen.’

‘Oh,’ she said flatly. ‘Oh I see.’ She could think of nothing else to say.

‘My sister – up to her tricks, eh?’

‘Well . . .’ she began and then bit her lip and said no more. Even though the day was spoilt for her, she could still not be disloyal to her young mistress. It was typical of
Miriam’s behaviour. As everyone had tried to warn her, she had known what she was taking on when she had begged and pleaded to become Miriam’s maid.

So now she had better just put up with it.

Kitty lifted her head and plastered a smile on her face.

‘Well, Master Edward, the dress does look a lot better on her than it would have done on me.’

But Edward did not smile. Instead he said softly, ‘As well, maybe, but not better, Kitty. I’ll not have you say that about yourself. Oh no.’

The day was not after all entirely spoilt, for as Kitty watched the men cut the final circle of corn, saw Jack bind it into a sheaf and tie on some plaits he’d made earlier in the day
– much bigger plaits than those on the tiny corn maiden he’d made for her – all the time Edward was at her side.

‘It’s an effigy of Ceres,’ he told her.

‘Who’s she, then?’ Kitty wanted to know.

‘The Goddess of Fertility. It’s to ensure a good harvest next year. Look, he’s putting it beside Miriam on the cart.’

Now the whole procession turned again and as the sun sank low in the horizon, they followed the wagon from the field back towards the big barn, singing and dancing and making such a cacophony
that Kitty felt sure the whole of Tresford must hear the merrymaking going on at the Manor.

‘Are you staying for the Harvest Supper, Master Edward?’

‘No, I think I’ll go in now and up to my room. I’m a bit tired.’

‘I’ll bring you up a tray later, if you like.’

‘No, no, Kitty, you stay and enjoy yourself.’

She pulled a face and then grinned at him. ‘I’ll still have plenty of time to do that. I’ll bring you something. About nine o’clock all right?’

He nodded and, as he turned away, she was sure she heard him say, ‘I’ll look forward to it, Kitty.’

Squares of hay had been set around the sides of the barn and down one side were trestle tables covered with white cloths. Now Kitty ran back and forth between the back door of
the Manor and the barn helping Milly to bring all the food from the kitchen.

‘You’ve been busy today.’

‘Cook’s had me on the run all day, Kitty. I’m dead on me feet.’

‘You’ll soon get ya second wind when the music and the dancing starts. You can’t disappoint that young farmhand. What’s his name? Tommy, is it? He’ll be asking you
for a dance, I don’t doubt.’

‘Oh go on, our Kitty. Don’t tease.’ But the younger girl’s cheeks were faintly pink and there was renewed vigour in her step as she scuttled back to the kitchen for
another load.

At eight o’clock, as all the farm workers and their families began to arrive, everything was ready and Kitty had time to run up to her bedroom and change into her one pretty cotton dress.
At least I’m not going to spend all night in my uniform, she told herself, whatever Miss Miriam says.

Miriam insisted on opening the dancing with Jack. Kitty, standing in the shadows near the door, watched enviously. She should be dressed in the pretty costume and dancing in Jack’s arms,
proudly proclaiming to everyone present that she was his girl. He had given her the tiny corn maiden, a replica of the effigy that now stood in pride of place at the end of the barn as a symbol of
a good harvest and an offering for a good one next year too.
She
was his girl, not Miss Miriam. What did she want from him? Kitty asked herself. He was from a different world to hers . .
.

At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted by a movement in the doorway and she shrank back further into the shadows.

Mr and Mrs Franklin had entered the barn. As they always did, they had come to look in on the festivities. Mr Franklin would say a few words of thanks to all the workers and tell them to enjoy
themselves. Lastly, Kitty thought, he would not miss the opportunity of reminding them that he expected to see them all in church the following morning and then he and his wife would leave. No one
but Kitty seemed to have noticed their arrival and the music and the dancing continued with Jack and Miriam still whirling in the centre of the throng.

Mr Franklin’s booming voice came to Kitty. ‘What on earth is the girl thinking of? Did you know about this, Amelia?’

From the shadows, Kitty saw her mistress shake her head, and then she heard a few snatched words above the noise. ‘It should have been Kitty but . . . took her place . . . Harvest
Queen.’

Mr Franklin’s head swivelled to look down at his wife. ‘The Clegg girl, you mean?’ His voice was louder and Kitty could hear every word he said. ‘Well, so it should have
been. I’ll soon put a stop to this.’ And he marched towards the centre of the barn, pushing his way through the jigging couples until he reached his daughter.

The other dancers became aware of their master and moved quickly aside. In a moment there was only Jack and Miriam left in the centre of the floor. As the music faltered and petered out, Mr
Franklin grasped his daughter’s arm and said in his loud voice, ‘That’s enough of this nonsense. You had no right to take the Clegg girl’s place as Harvest Queen.’

Miriam’s face flamed at being so publicly humiliated and by her own father too. Kitty felt a stab of pity for her. After all, she was only young and wanting a little fun, and she did look
so pretty in the shepherdess’s costume. Even Kitty, envious as she was, had to admit the truth of that.

The master was almost dragging her from the barn, but at the door Miriam twisted herself free of his grasp. For a moment father and daughter stood staring at each other while the girl turned
slowly round to face the gathering. Some looked back at her, others lowered their gaze, embarrassed by the scene.

Miriam took a step forward and, looking around her, smiled sweetly. Lifting her voice, she said, quite calmly, ‘Thank you for allowing me to be your Queen of the Harvest. I’ve had a
perfectly lovely day.’ Her bold glance went to Jack Thorndyke. ‘And thank you, Mr Thorndyke, for opening the dancing with me.’ There was a moment’s pause while Kitty saw
that their glances met and held. Then Miriam was speaking again, glancing around and graciously gesturing with her hand. ‘I have to go now, but, please, do enjoy the rest of the evening. Good
night and once again, thank you.’

Then she turned and, with her head held high, walked proudly past her startled father without looking either to right or left.

Kitty found she had been holding her breath without realizing it and now she let it out in a long sigh of utter admiration. The little minx! You had to hand it to her, she thought, shaking her
head almost in disbelief. That was the most ‘queenly’ speech Kitty had ever heard. It was just as if Miriam had been addressing her adoring subjects, and the little madam had turned an
embarrassing situation cleverly to her advantage. Now it was her father, not her, who had been made to look foolish.

As the Franklins departed, chatter broke out on all sides and the musicians began to play again. Jack was standing before her, grinning. ‘You’ve got to hand it to her, haven’t
you?’ he said without preamble.

Kitty nodded. ‘That’s exactly what I was just thinking. She always gets her own way, does our Miss Miriam.’

‘Is she like that all the time? How on earth do you put up with it?’

A wry smile touched Kitty’s lips. ‘I suppose it must be all that red hair. She has the temper to match it.’ Then she added, though a little reluctant to admit it, ‘In a
funny sort of way, I admire her.’

He was looking out through the open door at the retreating figures of the Franklin family, until through the darkness they were lost to sight. But still he continued to stare after them.
‘She’s certainly a very beautiful girl.’

‘Now listen here, Jack Thorndyke.’ Kitty reached up and gripped his chin, forcing him to look down at her. ‘Just you keep your eyes this way. Ya’ve no chance there,
m’lad, not if you want to carry on working in this district.’

Jack laughed his loud, rumbling laugh and opened his arms wide to her. ‘I’ve more sense in me head than that, Kitty Clegg. Besides, I’ve enough trouble with you, ain’t
I?’ And, putting his arms about her waist, he led her into the dance.

‘Oh, whatever time is it?’

Some time later, Kitty stopped dancing suddenly.

‘Eh? Why, what’s the matter? She doesn’t want you running after her tonight, surely?’

‘No, not Miss Miriam. Master Edward. I promised I’d take him a tray up about nine, seeing as all the staff have been given the night off.’

‘Oh him.’ Jack’s tone was resentful. ‘He didn’t look so sickly to me today, walking all the way to the field and back again. With you.’

‘Well, he is. He went up to bed straight after. He was tired.’

‘That’s just a ruse to get you up to his bedroom. You want to watch yasen there, Kitty.’

‘Don’t be silly, Jack. He’s only a boy.’

‘Oh aye?’ Jack said and the two words were laced with sarcasm. ‘Boys of fourteen are quite capable, y’know, and I’ve heard all sorts of tales about what the young
master of the house likes to do to the maids.’

She pulled away from him. ‘Don’t be disgusting, Jack Thorndyke. Master Edward’s not a bit like that.’

‘It’s you that’s the fool, Kitty, if you think that. All men are “like that” and boy or not, young Master Edward will think of himself as a man. Specially where
you’re concerned.’

‘It’s not like that,’ she said again. ‘Not between me an’ him. Besides, how could it be? I’m only a servant.’

He gripped her shoulders, roughly now. ‘Oh, so you’d like it to be, eh?’

‘No, no, of course not.’ Exasperated now, she wrenched herself free. ‘I’m not standing here arguing with you. Ya can please yarsen whether you believe me or
not.’

As she pushed her way through the dancers towards the door, the sound of his mocking laughter followed her.

He was sitting cross-legged in the centre of his bed, still fully dressed. There was no light burning in the room and the only faint light came from the window where the
curtains were pulled back. He was sitting facing the window, staring down the darkened garden, over the wall and into the lighted barn at the far side of the stackyard. The faint sound of music
drifted in through the open casement.

Kitty set the tray down on the dressing table and went towards the window.

‘Leave it open, Kitty. I want to hear the music.’

‘But it’s draughty, Master Edward . . .’

‘Teddy,’ he said gently. ‘Please call me “Teddy”.’

‘I don’t want you to catch a chill.’

‘I won’t.’ There was a pause before he said very softly, ‘I thought you’d forgotten.’

‘I’m sorry if I’m late, Master . . . Teddy, but . . .’

‘It’s all right.’ He unwound his legs and slid to the floor. ‘You’re here now.’

He was standing before her and holding out his arms to her. ‘Dance with me, Kitty. Please?’

‘Oh M— Teddy, do you think you should? I mean, won’t it make your breathing worse.’

He chuckled. ‘Just for once, Kitty, I’m going to risk it.’

She stepped towards him and tentatively put her hand on his shoulder. She felt his right arm slip around her waist and the hand holding hers was trembling slightly. He pulled her closer to him
and they began to dance, moving in time with the faint sound of the music from the barn. They did not speak and only occasionally could she see his face in the dim light. Even then, his eyes were
unfathomable depths in the shadows.