As it happened, Becky proved to be like a ray of sunshine on a dark day and by the end of the afternoon Amber had taken to her and was surprised to see just how good she was with the children. She did everything Amber asked her to do with good grace and a smile on her face and Amber noted that she was better at changing their bindings than she was. She was a lot stronger than she looked too.
‘I’ve always helped me mam do it,’ Becky explained and as she began to chatter on about her younger siblings Amber could see that she had come from a very close-knit family. ‘It were hard to lose me dad an’ me uncle though.’ Her face became solemn and Amber could feel her pain.
‘I know, I lost my dad and two of my brothers too.’
The door opened at that point and Barnaby appeared so the conversation stopped and Becky hastily stood up and bobbed her knee.
‘Afternoon, Mr Greenwood, or is it evenin’ yet?’
He smiled, clearly far more at ease with Becky than he was with Amber. ‘It’s almost evening,’ he replied. ‘And I thought I’d just pop up to see how you’ve done on your first day before I go in to dinner.’ He glanced over at Amber and she nodded.
‘She’s been a very good help, actually, and she’s a natural with the children.’
‘Good, good.’
Although David was asleep, as usual, Charlotte was whining at the sight of him and laughing now he swung her into his arms making her giggle. ‘And how have you behaved today, you little monkey?’
She cooed with delight as she buried her chubby little hands in his hair and it was clear to see how much they loved each other. In fact, Amber thought as a little pang of jealousy fired through her, she seemed to be far closer to her father than she was to her. But she supposed that was to be expected. He had been in her life since the day she had been born whereas she herself was merely a newcomer.
Once he had gone, Becky helped Amber to bathe both the infants and finally, they were both fast asleep in their cribs and Amber could relax a little.
‘What do you usually do of an evenin’?’ Becky asked.
Amber shrugged. ‘Oh, I just read usually, but why don’t you go down to the kitchen for a while and make the most of it while it’s quiet?’
Becky frowned. ‘Why don’t you come down as well?’
‘I’m quite happy up here,’ Amber answered a little too quickly. She rarely ventured below stairs apart from when she had to and Nancy now delivered all her meals and the babies’ meals to the nursery. It was easier that way as at least then she didn’t have to face the awful silences that settled on the room when she entered. Even Jimmy, the young groom who had once had a soft spot for her, was reluctant to meet her eyes and she knew she was the subject of much gossip.
Becky shrugged. ‘All right, if you’re sure you can manage. I might be able to cadge another slice o’ that lovely cake they brought up fer us at teatime.’
Amber smiled. Becky seemed to be constantly hungry, which probably accounted for how small she was, and the girl tripped away.
She returned almost an hour later and looking up from the newspaper she was reading, Amber greeted her with a smile.
‘Nancy said to tell you she’d pop in to see you afore she goes to bed,’ Becky informed her, stifling a yawn.
‘Reet, well seeing as the little ones are settled per’aps you’d like to turn in an’ get an early night? I can manage if they wake up.’
‘Are you sure?’ Becky didn’t want to look as if she was shirking, especially on her first day, although she was longing to snuggle down on the feather mattress in the room that was to be all hers. At home she had shared a bed with three of her little sisters so having a bed all to herself was going to be a luxury indeed.
When Amber nodded she left hurriedly before she changed her mind and it was only then that Amber realised it was almost Sunday and she would be entitled to a whole afternoon off. But where could she go? she wondered. There was no family left there for her to go and see anymore and it was still far too cold to just go walking about.
Nancy solved that problem when she dropped in to see her just before bedtime and told her, ‘Me mam says you’re to come home for tea wi’ me on Sunday. Now that Becky’s here to mind the bairns we can have the same afternoon off together – if you think she’ll cope, that is?’
‘I’m sure she will and I’d like that.’ And so it was agreed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
In the early hours of Monday morning there was a tap on Barnaby’s bedroom door and he opened his eyes blearily to see Mrs Ruffin standing there in her night attire.
‘I think you’d better come, sir,’ she told him. ‘The mistress is in a lot of pain and no amount of laudanum seems to be helping.’ She then quietly closed the door and hurried back to her mistress as Barnaby dragged his robe on and headed along the landing in his house slippers.
Louisa was rolling around the bed clutching her stomach but the second he entered the room her eyes narrowed to slits.
‘Come to see what you’ve brought me to, have you?’ Her voice dripped hate. ‘Well, I hope you’re happy now!’
He wrung his hands together feeling helpless as he looked at the pitiful wreck she had become. Her face was ravaged with pain and there was no longer any trace of the beauty she had once been. Her face seemed to have shrunk and there were huge purple circles beneath her eyes. Even her hair, which had once been her crowning glory, was now limp and sparse.
