Kate could see that she was not the only one to appreciate Edward Carnforth’s extremely good looks. Clara seemedflustered and shifted about. She bit her upper lip and her eyebrows raised a little as she let out a sigh. She reached over and took Kate’s hand.
‘I want you to do something for me, Kate,’ she said. ‘I believe I can trust you. Can I trust you?’
‘Of course, you know I will always do what I can to help you in any way, Miss Clara,’ Kate replied. ‘What is it?’
Clara put Kate’s hand gently down and turned to look directly at her.
‘Edward Carnforth and I have been writing to each other for some time, without my mother’s knowledge I should add,’ Clara said. ‘Philip has been my go-between, bless him. He’d get into such trouble if our parents ever found out. Edward and I have known one another since childhood. He could be annoying sometimes when we were young, but we’re both adults now and he’s, well what can I say, different. He’s much more . . .’
‘Engaging?’ Kate suggested.
‘You could say that,’ Clara said with a smile. We’ve met a few times at various social events. He’s in Andover on business and is coming to dinner this evening.’
‘Oh, so he’s the reason that Mrs B is in such a tizzy?’ Kate said.
‘Yes, and he’ll be here at five but will only stay for two hours at the most, and then he’ll be expected to leave and return to his hotel.’
‘So exactly what do you want me to do, Miss Clara?’ Kate asked.
‘I want you to unlock the side gate at six thirty so that he can meet me in secret. When he leaves, I shall say I need to take a turn around the garden and he will be waiting behind the summer house. We can be together, completely alone, for the first time.’
‘Without a chaperone? But what if you’re seen?’
‘If women can fight for the vote then they can make decisions about who they want to meet and when, can’t they?’ Clara insisted.
Kate didn’t know how to answer that, but what she did know was that if her part in this deception was discovered then what could she say? Clara’s request put her in a very difficult position.
‘Well, Kate, will you do it?’ Clara asked, her eyes pleading and her hands clenching.
Kate agreed, although she was more than a little worried about the whole thing.
‘Oh, thank you, thank you, Kate,’ Clara said springing to her feet. ‘Give us some time together and then lock up again. We must be very discreet. Now, help me choose what to wear for dinner. I want to look my best.’
Kate could only suppose that Clara knew the risk she was taking. A young woman’s reputation would soon be sullied if word got out of her unchaperoned liaisons with a young man, but Kate would not be the one to betray their secret. What puzzled her was the need for them to meet in such a way. Why didn’t he just propose marriage to her and then all would be well? There was no one she could ask about this puzzle, except perhaps Philip. She would have to wait until his next visit home.
Chapter Eleven
September 1913
When dinner was over and before the children needed their bedtime story, Kate did as Clara had asked and opened the side gate. She carried out the night-time routines with half an ear to the front door. From the children’s bedrooms, she heard voices calling good night and tried to hurry the story along so that she could check on whether Clara’s plan had worked.
No such luck! When she tried to shorten the crucial descriptions of Goldilocks visiting each chair, bed and porridge bowl either Sophie or Simon insisted she say it properly.
By the time she got down to the kitchen, Eliza and Mrs B were in full flow complaining about the amount of washing-up. Their backs were turned and there was so much clattering of pans going on that Kate was able to open the back door very quietly, without being noticed, and creep outside. Coming back in might not be the same story, she suspected.
Kate’s eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness. The night air was cool and she shivered. She waited and then heard Clara’s voice. She moved silently along the stone path until she realized that they must be behind the pergola. She daren’t go any closer for fear of being noticed. She felt embarrassed about eavesdropping but she needed to know that everything was kept within the bounds of propriety, for Miss Clara’s sake. Not that Mr Carnforth seemed to be the sort who would take advantage, at least she hoped not.
Clara’s voice carried through the night air. ‘Oh Edward. How will I ever be the woman I want to be? It’s all right for young men, they are given so much more freedom to make their own choices in life. For us women, our lives are mapped out for us.Piano playing, needlepoint and polite conversation. I want so much more than finishing school and a good marriage.’
‘So, marriage isn’t part of your plan?’ Carnforth asked.
‘I didn’t mean that. Of course, I want to marry, eventually. I meant it’s not the only thing I want and I don’t want my husband to be chosen for me.’
‘Is that the suffragette in you talking?’
‘I thought you were in support of women’s suffrage?’
‘I am,’ Carnforth replied. ‘I just don’t want you to get involved in something that you might regret. I don’t want anything to get in the way of us being together.’
