One Snowy Night (13 page)

‘I have had
the box of gifts for Louisa put at the back of the coach,’ went on Hetty, as
she and Rebecca went down the steps, whilst Charles and Biddy followed on
behind. ‘I have included one or two little extra presents to make up for the
fact that she was not able to come. There is a hamper beneath your seat, and if
you get cold, don’t hesitate to take a glass of
Madeira
. It will combat any chills and warm
you through until you can reach an inn and spend an hour or two in front of a
fire.’

‘Dear Hetty,’
smiled Rebecca. ‘Thank you for everything!’

She stepped
into the coach, and once she and Miss Biddulph had seated themselves it pulled
away. They waved to Hetty and Charles until the coach turned a corner and then
settled themselves down for the long journey north.

It was a week later when
Rebecca’s coach reached
Cheshire
. The roads, although passable, had been treacherous in
places and the going had been slow. Added to that was the fact that Rebecca and
Miss Biddulph had not been able to spend more than six hours in the coach each
day because of the cold and the journey had necessarily been long.

The coach’s
first stop was at Miss Biddulph’s modest home. With many thanks - for she had
enjoyed her sojourn in
London
, despite its unhappy beginning - Miss Biddulph climbed out
of the coach. One of the footmen carried her trunk to the front door, and
Rebecca waited only until he had returned before giving Biddy a final wave and
instructing the coach to pull away.

Another hour
took her to the gates of her own home, a delightful gentleman’s residence in
the heart of the
Cheshire
countryside.

It was three
years now since her parents had been killed in a boating accident. During that
time a number of eligible gentlemen had offered to take care of her, but
Rebecca had resisted them all and had instead invited Cousin Louisa to live
with her.

Cousin Louisa,
a gentle spinster of straitened means, had been glad to accept the invitation.
It was an arrangement which had worked out well for them both. Rebecca’s
spirited character made up for Louisa’s rather timid nature and they enjoyed
each other’s company. Besides, Rebecca was glad of the respectability Louisa’s
presence conferred on her, whilst Louisa was grateful to have some companionship.

Rebecca’s
musings came to an end as the house came in sight. It was an elegant Georgian
residence, long and low, with tall windows looking out over the gardens.
Welcoming lights streamed out into the gathering gloom of the winter afternoon,
and Rebecca felt a surge of happiness wash over her. She was home!

The coach
rolled round the turning circle in front of the door. Even before it had
stopped Cousin Louisa, wrapped in a large shawl, came out to greet her.

‘Rebecca! My
dear! I am so glad you are home!’

‘So am I!’
said Rebecca, giving her older cousin a hug.

‘But come, my
dear, you must be cold. Let us go in.’

The two ladies
went into the house. It was warm and welcoming after the cold and dark of the coach,
the familiar cream walls contrasting with the brightly-polished mahogany
furniture and the gold of the long drapes.

Rebecca turned
to Louisa as she undid the strings of her bonnet and cast her eye over her
cousin, hoping that she had not had too much trouble with her rheumatism over
the last few weeks.

What she saw
did much to reassure her. Louisa was looking younger than her five-and-forty
years and her pleasing face, surrounded by soft, mousey hair and dominated by a
pair of
pince-nez
, appeared to be free of pain. Her small, rounded body
was held upright, and she seemed to be moving more easily than she had been
doing before Rebecca left.

‘You look
well,’ said Rebecca.

‘My dear, I
feel well! It is those new pills the apothecary has given me! They have removed
almost all the pain, and the salve he has prescribed has made my joints move
more freely, I am sure. But come into the drawing-room. We must not stand out
here talking in the hall.’

They went
through into the drawing-room.

Rebecca looked
around at the familiar, well-loved room. It was neither grand nor imposing, and
the furniture was decidedly shabby, but a warm feeling washed over her as she
took off her bonnet. The ormolu clock was still ticking on the mantelpiece, her
favourite chair was set by the fire, and the warm tones of the apricot walls
gave off a cosy glow. After all the turmoil of her trip to
London
, it was good to be home.

‘Now, sit down
and tell me all about it,’ said Louisa, her eyes glowing with her pleasure at
seeing Rebecca again. ‘Or perhaps you would rather go to your room and rest
after your long journey?’

Rebecca
smiled. Cousin Louisa was obviously eager for news and company, but was
thinking of Rebecca in her usual unselfish manner.

‘I will just wash,
and change my gown,’ said Rebecca, feeling a sudden longing to be rid of the
dust and grime of the road, ‘but then I would like nothing so much as a cup of
chocolate and a comfortable cose by the fire.’

‘Oh, yes, my
dear. That will be just the thing.’

Less than half
an hour later Rebecca found herself ushered into her favourite chair and a
footstool placed before her feet, and Louisa then settled herself down and
looked at her eagerly, waiting for all the news.

‘Hetty and
Charles send their love,’ said Rebecca, sipping at her cup of chocolate, ‘and
they have sent some presents for you.’ She put down her cup and went into the corner
of the room, where the box Hetty had given her had been tucked away by Collins
the coachman when he had unpacked the coach.

Rebecca picked
it up and carried it over to Louisa, putting it down in front of her.

‘Oh, how kind!’
said Louisa, as she began to open it, unfastening the straps that had been
buckled around it to keep it safely closed.

‘I managed to
carry out all your commissions,’ said Rebecca as Louisa threw back the lid. ‘I
hope you like the things I bought for you.’

On top of the
box were the lengths of material Louisa had asked for, consisting of a length
of brown woollen cloth, a length of dove grey silk and a length of olive
muslin.

‘Just the
thing,’ said Louisa, taking each length of fabric out in turn. ‘My old gowns
are growing decidedly shabby.’ She looked down at the faded gown she was
wearing, made of a drab silk. It was rather old-fashioned, and lacked any of
the ribbons and flounces that were now
à la mode
. ‘It will do me good to
have something new to wear.’

And then came
various gifts that Louisa had not expected: a
Cashmere
shawl, a new bonnet and a pair of
the softest kid boots, together with half a dozen lace handkerchiefs and a
bottle of lavender water.

‘Oh, how kind!’
said Louisa again, much touched.

There were
several more presents in the box, including one of Hetty’s cook’s excellent
fruit cakes and a bottle of
Madeira
. Then, when the last item had been exclaimed over, Rebecca
set down her cup in its porcelain saucer and began to tell Louisa all about her
visit to
London
. She told her about the
reading of Jebadiah’s will, and then told her about the shopping, the visits to
the museums, and the afternoon at Frost Fair.

The only
things she did not mention were those that affected Joshua. She told Louisa
that she had seen him, that he was well and that he sent his love - for he had
known Louisa in his childhood as she and her parents had lived with Jebadiah
for a while. But she said nothing about the uncontrolled horse and the stone
that had narrowly missed hitting him when he had been taking dinner at Hetty
and Charles’s house. Louisa was of a somewhat nervous disposition and the less
she had to worry her, the better.

‘
Freezewater Street
!’ exclaimed Louisa, as
Rebecca told her of the name that had been given to the
Thames
. And then, as Rebecca
told her all about the stalls and booths, the jugglers and the skating, she
clasped her hands together and said, ‘Oh! I wish I could have been there!’

‘As soon as
you are well enough to travel, you must pay Hetty and Charles a visit. They
would love to have you, and asked me to say so particularly.’

‘Oh, my dear!
They are so kind. And it does all sound so wonderful.’ Louisa gave a sigh. ‘I
must confess I have been lonely on my own, cooped up here day after day with
nothing to do, and the weather so gloomy, and no one to speak to,’ she said.

Rebecca put
her hand out to Louisa. ‘I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to go away and leave you
for so long.’

As if
realizing that she had made Rebecca feel guilty, when nothing had been further
from her mind, Louisa immediately contradicted herself, saying shamelessly, ‘Nonsense!
You have hardly been gone at all. I have had a wonderful time whilst you have
been away. Why, I was only saying to Betsy the other day’ - Betsy being the
general servant - ‘what a nice change it has been to be on my own for a while. Such
a tonic for my nerves. I do declare that you did me a very great favour,
Rebecca, by going away. And I have had so much to do that I have never been
bored for an instant! I have been reading and sewing, and if the weather has
been bad outside, why, it has only made me appreciate how snug and cosy I have
been inside. And if you do not believe me, you may ask Betsy, for she can vouch
for it all.’

Rebecca leaned
across and gave Louisa a kiss on the cheek.

‘Oh, my dear,’
said Louisa, flustered but nevertheless pleased, ‘what on earth was that for?’

‘Oh, for
nothing,’ said Rebecca, thinking how lucky she was to have such a lovely
cousin. Then, settling herself back in her chair she said, ‘Even so, I am sure
you would enjoy a holiday, especially as the new pills are doing you good, and
I have a suggestion to make.’

She had been
thinking it over in the coach on the journey from
London
and now she had made up her mind. ‘As
you know, Grandfather left me half of Marsden mill, and I mean to take an
active interest in it. I could do so from here, but it would mean a lot of
travelling, and with the weather being uncertain that is not a good idea. So I
have decided to take a house in
Manchester
for the next few months.’

‘
Manchester
?’ Louisa’s face broke
into a smile. ‘It would be the very thing. There are the shops - not so grand
as
London
, but still, there are
some very pretty things to be had along Deansgate and in the Exchange Hall. And
then there will be Mrs Emily Camberwell to visit, and her sister, Mrs Camilla
Renwick.’ Emily and Camilla had been at the same seminary as Louisa in their
younger days, and the three had remained friends. ‘And of course, best of all,
we will be near to our own dear Joshua, who is now in
Manchester
to take care of the mill! It will be
so wonderful to see him again.’

That was the
one thing against the idea, to Rebecca’s way of thinking, for she was under no
illusions as to the strength of her attraction to Joshua and knew that meeting
him would be difficult. Nevertheless, as they were partners in the mill it was
something that could not be avoided.

‘You like the
idea?’ she asked.

Louisa smiled.
‘Of course I do. I think it’s a splendid idea.’

‘Then it is
settled.’

‘Emily and
Camilla will help us find a house, I am sure,’ said Louisa thoughtfully.

‘Good. As soon
as it can be arranged we will move to town.’ She yawned.

‘Oh, my dear,
you must be tired,’ said Louisa sympathetically.

‘I am,’
Rebecca admitted.

‘I will tell
Betsy to serve dinner at once. And then you must have an early night.’

Whilst the arrangements
for the move to
Manchester
were being made, Rebecca had time to enjoy being at home again, at least
for a short while. The weather continued cold. Fortunately it was not quite as
bad as it had been earlier in the year, but still, she and Louisa did not get
out much. There was in truth very little for two spinster ladies to do in a
modest house in the
Cheshire
countryside in the middle of winter. The shops and concerts of
Manchester
, however, would provide a
pleasant distraction.

‘I hope we
have remembered everything,’ said Louisa, as at last the carriage was packed
and they were off.

‘I’m sure we
have,’ said Rebecca. ‘The rented house is furnished, and we have already sent
the linen and china up to town with Betsy. And besides, if we have forgotten
anything, we can always send Betsy back for it.’

‘Yes, my dear,
you are right,’ said Louisa. ‘I am so pleased we have brought a few personal
touches with us. They will make the place feel more homely. I am looking
forward to hanging Grandfather’s portrait in the drawing-room.’ She settled
herself back against the squabs and stretched her legs out in front of her.