‘No, I’m not sure I want to shoot them either but the stalking is a wonderful experience apparently. At least that’s what Carnforth tells me.’
‘So you’ll both be away all summer?’ Kate asked, a tinge of sadness in her voice.
‘We’ll both be back in August,’ Philip replied. Kate was relieved to hear that and allowed herself to hope that, once Clara and Philip returned, things might return to how they were in Andover. But was this just a childish wish? Life moved forward; that was the nature of things. Miss Clara and Master Philip’s lives were so far removed from her own life of service that things were bound to be different between them. They were all turning into different people and she wanted to stop the changes that separation and new experiences were making, hold up the passage of time and apply a brake to their growing apart. Whenever wishful thoughts of turning back the clock crept into her head, she reprimanded herself.
‘Grow up, Kate and accept what must be,’ she said to herself. ‘Remember the rhyme . . . If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.’
Chapter Sixteen
June 1914
Kate was due some time off and when she told Archie, he insisted that she should come to tea and meet his mother.
‘I’ve told her all about you,’ he said. ‘She’d like to meet you. Will you come?’
Kate was taken aback by this sudden invitation. She had thought that they might go somewhere else together, explore a different part of the city. Perhaps even take an omnibus ride if it wasn’t too expensive.
‘Of course, if you think it’s too soon. You know, if you think I’m being too forward, expecting too much,’ he began.
‘No, no, it’s just that . . .’
‘What then?’
She didn’t know how he would take it, but she would say it anyway.
‘Well, I’d hoped we might go somewhere. I’ve not seen anything of London except the inside of Vanburgh House, the shops hereabouts and these gardens,’ Kate replied.
‘All right, but can I tell my mother that you’ll come and meet her soon?’
‘Yes,’ replied Kate, ‘tell her, soon.’
That Sunday, at one o’clock, Archie arrived to escort her for their afternoon out. She appeared dressed in her best white-starched blouse and dark-grey skirt. Around her shoulders, she wore a warm shawl in case it got cold later on, hand-crocheted by her mother, and she had polished her one good pair of lace-up shoes. Mrs Bowden had said that she really couldn’t step out without a hat and had lent Kate her own ‘Sunday best’, with a wide brim and two large blue flowers attached to a blue and green hat band. Kate felt like a real lady as she approachedArchie, who was waiting on the pavement a suitable distance away. Kate thought he looked quite the gentleman in his clean white shirt, waistcoat and jacket.
‘My but don’t you look a picture.’ He beamed. ‘Now, I hope you’ve worn comfy shoes because we’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us.’
Kate nodded and smiled to herself. So, they were going on an adventure.
‘We’re about to see one of the—’
‘No, don’t tell me,’ Kate interrupted. ‘I like surprises, the good sort anyway.’
They walked on through the familiar route of Horniman’s Gardens and right by the museum itself. So that wasn’t it! She would like to see inside one day but she wasn’t disappointed, for to be going somewhere entirely new was much more exciting.
On a Sunday afternoon there were many people in the park, families out spending time together, children playing happily, bowling hoops and skipping. When they passed through the gates at the far end Kate felt a tingling in her fingertips and a buzzing in her head. Where were they going? Archie took hold of her arm and tucked it through his.
‘Just in case anyone should bump into you or you should step off the pavement in front of one of those motor cars. We couldn’t have that, could we? It would spoil our day,’ he said, winking.
After walking along the edge of another park they reached a high point and an elegant mansion.
‘That’s Westwood House,’ Archie explained. ‘Wouldn’t it be grand to be Head Gardener there? Not long now and we’ll be on the downward slope,’ he said as Kate paused for a rest.
It was just a few minutes later when they entered another parkland and in the distance Kate could see what looked like a glasshouse. She held her breath for a moment, stood still andstared. It was so vast that she couldn’t believe a structure of such size could be made almost totally of glass. All that she could manage to say was, ‘Oh, oh my.’
‘Isn’t it something? I knew you’d like it,’ Archie said squeezing her hand.
‘Oh Archie, I’ve never seen anything quite like it,’ she whispered.’ It’s like a glass church rising up to the sky. To the glory of . . . of . . .’
‘Of God?’
