When Hetty and Emmy got home they found the house in chaos. Dorcas was in the sitting room weeping loudly having just said goodbye to her lady’s maid and the first words she uttered when Emmy joined her were, ‘How am I supposed to cope without Miss Oliver? Who will look after my wardrobe and dress my hair? And who will draw my bath for me?’
Emmy sighed. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to manage the best you can, Mama,’ she said wearily. ‘I’m sure you are more than capable of dressing yourself and doing your own hair. And as for drawing your bath, well .?.?. from now on bathing will be done in a tin bath in front of the fire in the kitchen.’
‘A tin bath!’Dorcas clutched at her throat. ‘You mean there isn’t even an inside bathroom in the godforsaken place?’
Emmy shook her head. There was no point in lying. ‘It’s a cottage, Mama,’ she pointed out patiently as she took the pin from her bonnet. ‘But it’s not so bad. Or at least it won’t be when we have some of our own things around us and Hetty and I have given it a good clean.’
‘Ah, I’d quite forgotten about Hetty.’ Dorcas looked slightly mollified. ‘I’m sure she could take on some of Miss Oliver’s duties.’
Emmy took a deep breath, trying to contain her anger. ‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Hetty will be doing most of the cleaning and cooking as well as the laundry. She certainly won’t have time to pander to you. We are all going to have to pull together if we’re to make the place liveable.’
Dorcas stared at her in stunned disbelief. ‘But I wouldn’t know how to tackle household chores. I wasn’t brought up to do mundane work and neither were you and Abigail.’
‘Then we’re going to have to learn, aren’t we?’ Emmy was almost at the end of her tether. ‘You surely can’t expect Hetty to do everything!’ And with that she turned on her heel and marched out of the room leaving her mother staring after her in disbelief.
There were many tears the following morning when Emmy said goodbye to the rest of the staff. Some of them had been there for years and she had grown fond of them, especially Mrs Pierce, the cook.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Emmy told her as tears rolled down her cheeks.
The woman gave her a gentle hug. ‘Don’t you get worryin’ about me, pet. I’ve been thinkin’ it were time I retired for a while now an’ this has just made the decision for me .?.?. but I hope you’ll all be all right. An’ your dad, God bless ’im, he’s a good man. Just remember, it’s allus darkest before dawn.’ She gave Emmy a peck on the cheek and went on her way.
Dorcas was still in bed, unable to face anyone, and Emmy supposed that she would be trying to come to terms with the fact that the husband who she had thought loved her, had walked out on her. But surely her mother realised that it was just as bad for all of them? That she and Abi were hurting and missing him too?
‘Psst .?.?. Miss Emmy.’
Emmy’s sorry thoughts were interrupted as she turned to see Hetty beckoning to her from the doorway of the drawing room.
‘I’ve taken a few choice bits from the china cabinets,’ Hetty informed her in a whisper when she joined her. ‘An’ I’ve spread the rest out so they won’t be missed. We’ll take ’em with us an’ hide ’em at the cottage.’ She would have said more but Abigail breezed in at that moment and gazed from one to the other of them.
‘What’s going on now then?’
‘Nothing at all,’ Emmy assured her hastily. ‘Hetty was just saying we should be going to make a start on the cleaning at the cottage shortly. Are you coming to help?’
Abigail sneered. ‘Me!No, certainly not. Letherdo it, she’s the servant.’
Emmy’s eyes flashed as she glared at her. ‘Please yourself then! But I’ll tell you now, if you want a clean bedroom to sleep in, you’d better make your mind up to pull your weight because I shan’t be cleaning your half of it.’
‘It’s all right, miss, I’ll do it,’ Hetty interrupted hastily. Things were bad enough without the sisters being at each other’s throats. ‘Let Miss Abigail stay here to cook dinner.’
‘Cook dinner!’ Abi’s eyes were almost starting from her head. ‘But I’ve never cooked in my life!’
‘There’s a first time for everything,’ Emmy answered coldly and went off to find her oldest clothes to wear for cleaning.
Soon she and Hetty set off, loaded down with cleaning materials and a mop and bucket. They were out of breath by the time they reached the farm where they saw Jasper leaning on the garden gate with a grin on his face.
‘I could have taken you for a servant, Emmy,’ he goaded but she merely smiled, determined not to rise to the bait. She had never got on particularly well with Jasper, although she had all the time in the world for Jake.
‘Needs must,’ she said brightly as she and Hetty sailed past him.
As he watched her go Jasper couldn’t help but admire her spirit. She was easy on the eye too, he realised with a little jolt. He’d never taken that much notice before.
‘Stuck up little devil,’ Hetty muttered once they were out of earshot, then she blushed. ‘Sorry, miss. I shouldn’t say such things about yer cousin.’
‘Why not? You were only telling the truth.’ Emmy smiled at her. ‘I’ve never found Jasper easy to get on with, although I like Jake. In fact, I almost feel sorry for him at times. Aunt Sybil and Uncle Bernard never seem to have any time for him whereas Jasper has been the golden child since the day he was born.’
‘It’s per’aps cos Jasper is the youngest,’ Hetty commented and Emmy nodded in agreement. The cleaning things they were carrying seemed to be getting heavier by the minute and they fell silent until the cottage came into sight. It looked very forlorn and neglected with the bright March sun shining down on it.
Seeing her young mistress’s glum expression, Hetty told her, ‘Don’t get frettin’, miss. We’ll have it lookin’ like a little palace in no time.’ She pushed the small gate open and they went down the weed-strewn path to the front door.
