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| Read An Excerpt |
“Close the door!”
The tone of voice brooked no alternatives.
Doing as bid,
Margaret then turned back to her interrogator.
“I know that Jessie
has been writing to you, so I am sure that she will have explained some of
Rachel’s situation. I have seen your letters which means I know that you write
reasonably well, and your penmanship passes muster.”
Margaret was almost
shocked into making a reply. Her letters were for Jessie to read, not for
anyone else!
The dreadful woman
droned on. “You should know now that it is my husband who is the one who has
decided that Rachel needs to continue her education. I fail to see why, since
the doctors we have consulted give no indications that she can ever lead a
normal life. But since he insists, I therefore have particular requirements for
the person filling this post.”
Margaret wasn’t sure
what Mistress Duncan could mean. The woman was so cold and calculating when
speaking of her own daughter. However, she hoped her expression didn’t show any
of her uncertainties.
“You already know
that the successful candidate will continue with Rachel’s education. She had
barely started her schooling when this disaster descended upon us. I would
teach her the basics myself, but I have her little sister Elspeth to look after
every day.”
Margaret bent her
head slightly in acknowledgement, her gaze fixed on the woman whom she had
hoped would be her employer, though now she wasn’t so sure she could work for
such an unfeeling woman. She also wondered where little Elspeth was, because
the child was not in the parlour.
Mistress Duncan
continued; her fern-green eyes brittle. “Since Rachel tires very easily, her
lessons across in the parlour will need to be much shorter than in a normal
school classroom. I have absolutely no intention of paying for a tutor to be
idle in between those teaching times. As such, I will expect other household
tasks to be undertaken during Rachel’s naps. Is that understood by you?”
Margaret bit down a
huge wave of disappointment. Had she come all the way to Edinburgh to do the
kind of skivvy job that her father had sought to prevent her from doing?
Though, what alternative did she have but to agree to the conditions? The
travel to get to Edinburgh had been long, and she had no intention of going
back to Milnathort to work in a mill.
“I understand,” she
answered in as steady a voice as she could manage, banishing the crushing
apprehension.
“Good. See that you
do. Also know that you are here on a trial basis for one month. During this
period, you will not be paid but you will be provided with a bed and two cooked
meals per day. Our cook, Mistress Abernethy, does not have a live-in position but
she feeds our staff when she is on duty in the kitchen preparing the family
meals three times a day. If, at the end of the month, you prove to be suitable
– and naturally if Rachel enjoys her lessons with you – we will then discuss an
annual remuneration.”
What could she
answer? Jessie had been unable to share any of these conditions in her letter,
but staying in Milnathort was likely to be much worse. Margaret wasn’t sure
right that moment if Mistress Duncan was hoping, or even expecting, that Rachel
would dislike her and the tutoring.
Her mind whirled. It
seemed that time was standing still as she stared at the callous woman who
expected an answer from her. And yet, as Jessie had cautioned, she couldn’t be
too effusive in response to this awful person.
The lease for the
shop in Milnathort was due to change hands within the month, it being in a
lucrative location, but her father would make very little profit from selling
off his remaining stock to the new draper. William and Peggy were looking for a
house to rent, but housing in Milnathort was in short supply.
A conversation from
the previous evening flashed through her mind.
‘Your father
contacted your uncle when he realised our situation was so bad,” her mother had said. “James’ reply
came this morning. There might be an opening for your father to return to do
tailoring for him.’
Her father’s elder
brother lived in the town of Perth, but she’d barely seen Uncle James during
the years of her growing up. Contact was infrequent – a brief New Year
greeting, or information of some distant relative having died. A letter had
come the previous year when James’ wife had died giving birth to their fourth
child. The baby had also been poorly and had slipped into death within days of
its mother. William had gone off to the funeral, leaving Peggy to run the shop
on her own.
On her mother’s
side, there were a few Wylie relatives in Milnathort, but none of them could
offer any of them a bed. Banishing her panicked thoughts, Margaret prayed that
her reply would sound positive, and wasn’t displaying her inner fears.
“Thank you, Mistress
Duncan.”
“My husband and I have talked about how you should be named in the household. Were you a proper governess there would be no issue over you being called Miss Law. You are not a governess, and as you are still so young, you will be addressed by your first name, similar to Jessie and our housemaid, Kate. However, Mistress Abernethy, our cook, is always referred to by her title. Is that clear?
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books written by Helen Hollick
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
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| Coffee Pot Book Club Bronze Award2022 |
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| The story of the events that led to The Battle of Hastings in 1066 Harold the King (UK edition) I Am The Chosen King (US edition) 1066 Turned Upside Down an anthology of 'What If'' tales |
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| The Forever Queen (US edition) a USA TODAY BESTSELLER A Hollow Crown (UK edition) |
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THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY |
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| US editions |
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Historical Stories of Exile by 13 popular authors Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Cathie Dunn, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Loretta Livingstone, Amy Maroney Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Elizabeth St.John, Marian L Thorpe, Annie Whitehead. With an introduction by Deborah Swift |
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Thank you, Helen, for featuring the excerpt from Novice Threads today! It's very much appreciated and it's always a pleasure to visit you.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Nancy - and thank you for saying thank you!
DeleteThank you so much for hosting Nancy Jardine today, with a fabulous excerpt from Novice Threads.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club
my pleasure
Delete