Kate ran her fingers over the worn surface of the wooden table which was scrubbed within an inch of its life. There were knots in places and the one in front of her reminded her of a girl’s face edged with tousled hair, just like her sister, Dot. A dull ache rippled through her chest. She was going to miss Dot especially.
A cup of hot tea was placed before her. Kate had taken only a few sips, when Eliza returned with the bottles of ale. Eliza poured herself a cup of tea and joined Kate and Mrs Bowden at the table.
‘Let’s give Kate a few minutes to recover from her journey,’ Mrs B said, smiling at her. ‘Tell me about your family, dear. You have brothers and sisters, I assume?’
‘Yes, an older brother, Fred, a younger sister, Dot and little Henry, he’s only a few months old. I did have another sister, Ellen, but she died,’ Kate replied. She didn’t know why she was telling her about Ellen but there was something about Mrs Bowden’s kindly face that made Kate trust her.
‘And this is your first time in service?’ Mrs Bowden asked.
‘Yes,’ Kate said, ‘I worked on a farm before.’
‘Well, looking after those twins will be just like trying to herd a bunch of animals.’ Eliza grinned. ‘Just you wait and see.’
‘That’s enough of that,’ Mrs Bowden interrupted. ‘Don’t you get yourself too comfortable, young lady, there’s work to do. Drink up and go and tell the master and mistress that Kate’s arrived.’
Kate continued to answer Mrs Bowden’s questions about Micklewell and life in the country until Eliza reappeared to take her to the parlour where Mr and Mrs Winton and the five children were waiting. As she closed the door behind her, Kate’s spine locked and her face froze. A sudden desire to run out of the room and through the front door overtook her. She felt comfortable in the kitchen with Mrs Bowden and Eliza, but theluxuries of these surroundings were totally unfamiliar to her. Mr and Mrs Winton stood poker straight in front of the fireplace with the three youngest children in front of them. The older girl was beside her mother and the older boy beside his father; they were almost as tall as their parents and more like young adults than children, Kate thought. They were all smartly dressed. Mrs Winton’s hair was swept up and her dress had a high neck edged with delicate white lace.
It was Mr Winton who spoke first. ‘Now, my dear, don’t be shy,’ he said, his gaze straying from her face across her entire body. ‘Come and meet the family.’ His invitation had the effect of unsettling rather than reassuring her.
Kate bobbed a curtsey and moved cautiously further into the room. Her attention was briefly drawn to a huge china vase that stood in the corner; it was almost big enough for her to climb into.
‘Come and say hello to the children,’ Mrs Winton said. ‘Kate, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, madam,’ Kate replied.
‘As you will see, our eldest two are quite grown up. You will be spending most of your time with the three youngest,’ Mr Winton explained. ‘Let me introduce you.’
‘This is our eldest son Philip,’ Mr Winton continued. ‘He’s eighteen and studying hard for a place at university. He takes the Oxbridge entrance exam in September.’
Philip smiled broadly at her, a gesture that put Kate more at ease.
‘Our eldest daughter, Clara.’
‘I’m fifteen and will soon be studying to go to university too,’ Clara announced.
Same age as me, Kate thought, but she seemed older. She glanced at Mr Winton who cleared his throat loudly and said, without even looking at his daughter, ‘Clara has much to learnabout becoming a young lady and we are looking for the best place for her to complete her education.’
Mrs Winton cast a sideways look at her husband and took over the introductions. ‘This is Thomas, he’s seven.’
Thomas looked bored by the whole thing and fiddled with something in his pocket.
‘And the twins, Simon and Sophie.’
‘We’re five,’ they chorused.
‘Pleased to meet you all,’ said Kate, bobbing again.
‘As I said, you will work mostly with young Thomas and the twins,’ Mr Winton continued in a brisk, business-like tone. ‘The older children have a tutor. Their education is of the utmost importance, particularly Philip’s.’
‘There will be times when we will need you to accompany Clara,’ Mrs Winton added. ‘She likes to walk in the park occasionally, weather permitting. We trust you will make yourself available to walk with her?’
‘Oh yes, madam. I enjoy the outdoors,’ Kate replied with enthusiasm. ‘I was brought up in the country. I’m used to walking from Micklewell to Stoke on market days, that’s five miles or more.’
Clara stifled a giggle and Mrs Winton gave her a sharp look.
‘Very well then, I’m sure you will soon get used to our way of doing things. As long as you pay good attention to the children’s needs and familiarize yourself with my daily routines, then we shall have no cause for complaint. There are certain times of the day, of course, when I receive visitors and am not to be disturbed, but that will all be explained in due course. Welcome to our home, Kate.’
‘Mrs Bowden will explain the rules of the house,’ Mr Winton added. ‘Punctuality and high standards, Kate! If you can deliver those then we shall get along very well.’
