Mrs Winton’s tone was firm but kindly and Kate was grateful for it, but the unwelcome stare and sharp manner of Mr Winton made her uneasy. She didn’t trust a man whose mouth seemed to be in a constant fixed smile whilst making his expectations clear. She hoped she wouldn’t have much occasion to be in his company, she would avoid him at all costs.
Chapter Three
October 1912
‘Well, thank God, you’ve arrived is all I can say,’ Eliza whispered to Kate as they followed the children upstairs. Clara went straight to her room, closing the door immediately and giving a clear signal that she wanted privacy. Philip, on the other hand, turned to the twins and said, ‘Now, you two rascals. You behave yourselves for your new nursemaid or you’ll have me to answer to.’ He looked across at Kate and held her gaze until she felt her cheeks glowing and was relieved when Eliza said they should get on with the business of baths and bed.
Eliza showed Kate the bedtime routines and where everything was in the bedrooms that the children might need. She gathered the laundry together and explained how to check shoes for cleaning and clothing for any missing buttons or minor repairs. Kate hoped she’d be able to remember it all.
She looked around for the twins who were very quiet. Eliza pointed to one of the beds. They were hiding underneath it saying that they wanted to play hide and seek before bedtime.
Eliza said, ‘I’ll leave you to it then,’ and left.
Now what? Kate thought.
Mrs Winton had said that she would come upstairs to kiss the children goodnight and that made Kate feel nervous. She wanted everything to go well. Eventually with the promise of a longer game of hide and seek tomorrow and an extra biscuit at elevenses, the twins came out of hiding and accompanied her to the bathroom.
Thomas was a more amiable child, thankfully. He was slow but he eventually got on with the business of night-time preparations. Simon and Sophie, however, needed telling several times to wash properly and not just flick the flannel overtheir faces. Kate had the feeling that those two were going to be a bit of a handful. Now they were asking to be read a bedtime story but couldn’t seem to agree on which one.
‘Goldilocks,’ said Sophie. ‘I like the bears.’
‘Not that one. It’s my turn to choose and I wantLittle Red Riding Hood,’ Simon insisted.
‘Goldilocks.’
‘Red Riding Hood.’
‘Goldilocks.’
‘Red Riding Hood.’
‘What’s all this noise?‘ a voice said. ‘Why aren’t you in bed yet? Your father is trying to read some important papers in his room and mustn’t be disturbed.’
It was Mrs Winton standing in the doorway.
At the mention of their father, the twins immediately stopped. Kate’s heart jumped. She thought quickly. ‘How about I tell you one instead?’ she asked. They nodded their agreement. She began the story she knew so well:The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Their delight was evident on their faces and Kate could see that even Thomas, who had already settled to his own choice of book, was listening to her tale. Mrs Winton stayed and listened too and then kissed the children goodnight.
Once the other side of the door she congratulated Kate on the way she had dealt with the situation.
‘That was well handled,’ she said. ‘They’re both such determined characters, neither one of them wants to give in. But then all my children are strong-willed, Kate, as you will find out, I’m sure. It has always been important to me that they should develop their own personalities and find their own way in the world. Education is not just book learning. Having said that, you will please let me know if any of them display any rudeness. Bad manners will not be tolerated.’
Kate was feeling pleased with herself when she joined Mrs B and Eliza for their evening meal. She’d managed to avert that little crisis quite successfully, she thought. The conversation over their dinner was relaxed and good humoured and Kate felt at ease. After they’d washed the dishes, Mrs B sat back in her favourite chair and folded her arms in her lap.
‘Now, Kate,’ she said, ‘we must go over your duties. You will be up and about before six and help Eliza to prepare the breakfast room, which in winter means setting a fire. Ten minutes for your own breakfast. Then wake the children at seven, washing and dressing, breakfast, then to the nursery. Take no nonsense from those twins, they will lead you a merry dance, or try to anyway. At eleven thirty precisely you are to take them to the mistress who will hear them recite their numbers and their nursery rhymes and she will expect a full report of how you have occupied them.’
Her speech, delivered almost in one breath, left little doubt in Kate’s mind that the housekeeper had a firm hold on the helm of Woodland House. Expectations were high, but Kate felt that she would be safe under the guidance of Mrs B and, as for Eliza, well Kate liked her already.
* * *
Kate had to take in a lot about the household routines in those first weeks. From six in the morning until eight at night it was one endless list of things to do. If she wasn’t looking after the children in the nursery, she was washing, ironing, folding and tidying. If she had a moment to herself then Mrs B would soon find something else to occupy her in the kitchen.
She didn’t mind all the household chores — she’d had plenty of practice in her own home — but the time she liked the best was that spent with the three youngest Wintons, even if they sometimes tested her patience. She reported to MrsWinton every morning and could always tell by the expression on Eliza’s face whether the mistress was in an amiable mood or not. Kate would wait outside Mrs Winton’s dressing room until Eliza emerged after attending to the mistress’s needs. As they passed each other on the landing, Eliza would send her a silent message. Eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed indicated ‘watch out!’. Eyebrows lifted and a brief nod of the head, told her that she was safe to go in. Eliza always said that she could tell how things were going to be by the way the mistress reacted to her hair-brushing and toiletries. If Mrs Winton spoke to her or smiled then all was well. If she remained silent throughout, then the whole household needed to creep around her all day.
After receiving her instructions, Kate could then turn her attentions to the children. Most mornings she could be found sitting with the twins on the highly patterned rug in the centre of the room, playing with the doll’s house or the knight’s castle or piecing together the alphabet blocks. Young Thomas would be with his tutor and the twins would be clamouring for her attention.
The nursery was a bright and airy room with high ceilings. On a fine day, the autumn sun filtered through the curtains, casting a criss-cross of windowpanes across the polished floor. The twins delighted in showing her all their toys and for the most part enjoyed one another’s company.
Two weeks after her arrival, however, Kate was struggling to keep the twins both occupied and happy. Simon had his toy soldiers lined up in battle formation and Sophie wanted to play marbles.
