The Lady's Maid (5 page)

Kate followed her round dutifully, carrying the mounting pile of brown paper packages containing Josie’s impulsive purchases. As they flitted from stall to stall she was aware that they were attracting the attention of several well-dressed young men who lounged casually about, their sole purpose seeming to ogle any female who was neither old nor ugly. Josie paid them little attention until they entered another
large
room when she stopped, clutching Kate’s arm. ‘Oh, no. Don’t look now, but I know that man.’

Instinctively, Kate turned her head, and received a sharp pinch from Josie’s clawed fingers. ‘Ouch. What was that for?’

‘I said don’t look. Pretend that you haven’t seen him.’

‘But I haven’t. I don’t know who you’re talking about.’

‘It’s the old man my parents have decided I should marry,’ Josie hissed. ‘He’s filthy rich and owns a castle somewhere in the country as well as a house in town. He’s supposed to be quite a catch even though his family made their money in trade.’

‘I thought you wanted to marry a wealthy man.’

Josie scowled at her. ‘Of course I do, but my parents intend to sell me off like a prize heifer to the highest bidder. I want to love the man I marry.’ She dragged Kate back through the doorway. ‘Quick, run. I don’t want him to see me. If he tells Papa he saw us here I’ll be locked in my room until we leave for the country.’ She made for the staircase but as Kate attempted to follow her she came to a sudden halt. Her skirt had snagged on a nail sticking out from the trestle supporting one of the stalls, and the parcels she had been carrying flew from her grasp, scattering in all directions.

‘Allow me to help you, ma’am.’

Before she had a chance to respond, the stranger had bent down to disentangle the coarse linsey-woolsey material from the offending metal spike. She could see Josie in the distance, gesticulating frantically
and
shaking her head. Kate could only assume that this must be the would-be suitor whom Josie wanted to avoid and she would have moved on the moment she was free to do so, but if she made a run for it she would have to abandon Josie’s purchases.

‘Thank you, sir,’ she murmured. ‘Very kind of you, I’m sure.’ She bent down to retrieve the packages, hoping that he would walk away, but he seemed hell bent on chivalry and he scooped up the remaining parcels, holding them cupped in his gloved hands.

‘These are yours, I think.’

She raised her head and found herself gazing into a pair of twinkling eyes that were a shade somewhere between blue and green. She stared at him in amazement. This could not be the gentleman who had sent Josie running for cover. He was not exactly handsome but he was certainly not plain. He had quite a pleasing open countenance and a determined set to his jaw, and there was a humorous quirk to his generous mouth. He had the look of someone who might be good company, if given a chance. She took the packages from him and bobbed a curtsey. ‘Yes, thank you.’ She started to walk away but he caught her by the sleeve.

‘There’s just one thing I must point out before you run away,’ he said, smiling.

Chapter Three

KATE MET HIS
amused gaze, resisting the temptation to smile. ‘What is that, sir?’

‘You can tell Miss Damerell, who is hiding behind that wrought-iron pillar, that she has nothing to fear from me.’

‘It might be difficult to pass on the message since I don’t know who you are, sir.’

‘My name is Harry Challenor.’ He angled his head, staring at her plain clothes and down-at-heel boots. ‘But you have me puzzled. I can’t quite place you, Miss – er …’

‘I’m nobody, Mr Challenor. Good day, sir.’ With as much dignity as she could muster, Kate walked off in the direction of the staircase. ‘You can come out now, Josie. He’s gone.’

Josie emerged from her hiding place. ‘Hell and damnation. I wish I’d never come here today. What did he say to you? And why did you stop and talk to him?’

‘I couldn’t get away,’ Kate said sharply. ‘I caught my skirt on something and he unhooked it for me. If I hadn’t been carrying all your things I might have done it for myself.’

Josie began to descend the stairs, glancing nervously over her shoulder. ‘But what did he say? Did he see me?’

‘Of course he did. You were waving your arms like a windmill.’

‘I was trying to attract your attention.’

‘You told me that he was old.’

Josie frowned. ‘Well, he’s twenty-five at least and he’s got a certain reputation with the ladies. I won’t be pushed into marriage with a man I don’t know and can’t trust, just because he does business with Papa.’

‘He seemed quite nice, and he gave me a message for you.’

‘Which is what I’ve been trying to ascertain, you ninny.’

Ignoring the insult, Kate smiled. ‘He said that you had nothing to fear from him.’

‘And what did he mean by that, pray?’ Josie tossed her head. ‘Is that a veiled threat that he might tell Papa that I came here when it was out of bounds, or did he mean that I’m too poor and too plain to be of interest to the great Harry Challenor whose grandfather made his money in trade?’ She pulled a face. ‘I expect he had a whole fleet taking cargoes of slaves from Africa to the West Indies.’

‘Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?’ Kate followed her out of the building into the crowded square. ‘You know you’ll have to marry one day and I can’t imagine you living in a farm worker’s cottage or a tradesman’s town house.’

Josie stopped, turning on her with eyes blazing. ‘Do you really think I’m so shallow, Kate? We’ve known each other all our lives. Surely you don’t believe that I’m so avaricious and unfeeling?’

‘No, of course not. But perhaps you should give Mr Challenor a chance. He seemed pleasant enough, and very well mannered.’

‘You have him then,’ Josie said, flouncing off in the direction of Oxford Street. ‘Anyway, I thought we were going to buy you some new boots. I can’t have my lady’s maid looking like a pauper.’

Kate caught up with her, clutching the packages to her bosom. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘If I’m to be treated like a proper young lady I want a maid to look after me. I’m not having Hickson, and I’m tired of seeing you turned into a drudge when we’re in London. I’m going to tell Mama what I want and she’ll inform Mrs Evans. I’d give anything to see old Hickson’s face when she finds out.’

Josie walked on briskly with Kate hurrying after her. ‘Stop a moment. I’m not sure about this.’

‘Well I am. You’re worth so much more than doing menial work, and you’re my friend. I wouldn’t have been able to do much about it until now, but if I’m considered old enough to be married off to the highest bidder, then I should have some say in who looks after me. I want you and that’s that.’

Lady Damerell, as ever, acceded to her daughter’s wishes without much argument. Josie had taken advantage of Hickson’s afternoon off, and had used all her considerable powers of persuasion to great effect. ‘Very well, my dear, you shall have Coggins as your maid,’ Lady Damerell said at last, sounding resigned and weary.

Kate had been outside the drawing room door and had heard every word of the mainly one-sided conversation. As she resumed her task of dusting the staircase, she had to acknowledge that Josie was a force to be reckoned with once she had set her mind on something. Kate waited to be summoned to the drawing room.

Mrs Evans’ face was a picture when Lady Damerell told her of Kate’s promotion. She demurred as far as she dared, but without Hickson to back her up she soon capitulated and agreed to advertise for a housemaid. She retreated to her own private domain visibly put out but unable to relieve her feelings, Kate suspected, until Hickson’s return.

Kate took advantage of her new status to slip home for a few moments before she had to help Josie get ready for the dinner party. She was eager to share the news of her promotion with her father as it would add considerably to her wages, and make their lives more comfortable.

Lawson, one of the under grooms, was attending to one of the coach horses when she entered the stable.

‘Is my pa upstairs, Mr Lawson?’

He nodded. ‘He’s up there, but I think he’s had a bit of bad news, Kate. I’d go carefully if I was you.’

She hurried upstairs and discovered her father sitting at the table with a piece of paper clasped in his hand. He looked up and his expression was grim. ‘The old man’s dead, Kate. Passed away in his sleep two nights ago, according to young Molly. She’s the one who penned the letter. She says that Sam’s working hard to keep
things
going till we gets down there.’ He shook his head. ‘I dunno what to do, girl. I ain’t no farmer. My life’s been spent with horses, not sheep and hens and such.’

Kate bit back a sob. ‘Poor Grandpa.’

‘He was old, love. Old and tired. It comes to us all in the end.’

‘I know, but I’ll miss him.’ She dashed her hand across her eyes. ‘What will we do without him?’

‘I dunno and that’s a fact. But as there’s no other close relation, I suppose I’m the head of the family now. I’ll have to get permission from the master to travel down to Dorset as soon as I can be spared. Someone will have to sort out the funeral arrangements and see that things don’t go to rack and ruin before the master finds a new tenant.’

Aghast at the thought of another family living in her old home, Kate stared at him in dismay. ‘But, Pa, the Coggins family have tenanted the home farm for a hundred years or more. And what will happen to Sam and Molly if someone else takes over?’

He shook his head. ‘They ain’t blood relations, my duck. They’ll have to fend for themselves.’ He folded the letter and tucked it back in the envelope. ‘Anyway, what are you doing home at this time of day? You ain’t got the sack, have you?’

‘No, Pa. As a matter of fact I’ve just been promoted to lady’s maid.’

‘Don’t tell me that old Hickson has got the push.’

‘No. I’m Miss Josie’s maid. She’s coming out next season. Lady Damerell has high hopes that she’ll find a rich husband.’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t envy the man who gets landed with that young bundle of trouble.’

Saddened by her grandfather’s death and grieved at the thought of losing the only real home she had ever known, Kate returned to the house where she received a cool reception from Mrs Evans. ‘You may have wheedled your way into Miss Josephine’s good books, but you’ll still have to help serve dinner tonight, Coggins. We’re short-staffed until I can hire another housemaid, so don’t think you’re going to take things easy.’

‘No, Mrs Evans.’

‘Like I said this morning, you’ll stand in for Polly this evening. She took over your duties above stairs when Minnie had to help Cook. Your gallivanting with Miss Josephine put me to great inconvenience, Coggins.’

‘Yes, Mrs Evans.’

‘I’ve left a uniform out for you in the linen room. You’d better put it on now.’

‘Yes, Mrs Evans.’

‘She thinks she’s too good for us,’ Cook muttered, ripping the skin off a Dover sole. ‘I can’t be doing with her airs and graces.’

Kate left the room, her cheeks burning and her spirit rebelling. No matter how hard she tried to fit in with the servants in the London house there had always been an undercurrent of resentment amongst them. She knew she was different from them, but she had always put it down to her country upbringing, or maybe her father’s moody disposition had tipped the
scales
against her. She had tried to overcome their prejudices but it was an uphill struggle and now she knew that things were going to get even more difficult. She went to the linen room to change into the plain black dress, starched white pinafore and frilled cap worn by the upstairs servants. The uniform was two sizes too large, and she had to tie the apron strings tightly around her waist to prevent herself from tripping over the hem, but there was no time to do anything about it now and anyway she did not really care. The sudden change in her status within the household and the shock of her grandfather’s death had left her feeling slightly dazed, as if she was in the middle of a weird dream from which she would wake up suddenly and find everything back to normal.

Falling back on the years of disciplined training that she had been forced to endure, she put her personal problems to the back of her mind as she tidied the linen room, making a bundle of her discarded garments ready to take to the laundry room for washing and ironing ready for the next housemaid. She stood for a moment, taking deep breaths and using every ounce of self-control to put a brave face on whatever difficulties she might encounter above stairs. Moving like an automaton, she made her way to Josie’s bedchamber.

Josie was sitting at her dressing table, brushing her hair when Kate entered the bedroom. She gave a hoot of laughter when she saw Kate’s reflection in the mirror and she spun round on the damask-covered
stool
to stare at her. ‘Good heavens, Kate. It’s not fancy dress.’

‘I’m glad you find it funny. This is Mrs Evans’ way of putting me in my place. I’m to help serve at dinner this evening.’

‘Oh, Lord. I’ll never keep a straight face with you hovering behind me at table,’ Josie said, chuckling. ‘If you dare so much as look at me when I’m speaking to hateful Harry, I’ll collapse in a fit of giggles.’

Kate took the hairbrush from her. ‘I shan’t do anything of the sort. I’ll have to be on my best behaviour as Toop and the rest of the servants will be watching me like hawks, just waiting for me to make one little slip so that Mrs Evans can get me sacked.’

‘Ouch, that hurt.’ Josie jerked her head away as the hairbrush tugged at a particularly knotty tangle. ‘I’ll sack you myself if you can’t do better than that.’ She met Kate’s troubled gaze in the mirror and smiled. ‘Don’t look so tragic. It will be all right. I promise to be on my best behaviour tonight, if only for your sake, although I’ve no intention of encouraging Harry’s advances no matter how much it would delight Papa if I caught a rich husband.’

Kate began twisting Josie’s gleaming black curls into a coronet on top of her head, fixing them in place with tortoiseshell combs and hairpins. ‘I’m sure that Sir Hector has your best interests at heart.’