‘That’s good isn’t it, my love?’
Louisa glanced up as she realised that Barnaby was expecting a reply. ‘Yes, yes, you are very clever,’ she replied a little sarcastically.
Realising that she wasn’t in the least interested he changed the subject. ‘With regards to the baby, I was thinking perhaps this time we ought to send for a doctor from London to keep an eye on you? We don’t want anything to go wrong with this one, do we?’ he said gently.
When colour burnt into her cheeks, Barnaby rushed on, ‘You mustn’t get worrying, I have a good feeling that all will be well this time. And you must promise to take extra care of yourself,my darling.’
Louisa nodded numbly. Barnaby could always have this effect on her. Sometimes, she rued the day she had agreed to marry him and although she knew it was wicked to have such thoughts, she often wished he would just die.
As soon as the meal was over and she could excuse herself, Louisa left Barnaby and hurried up to her room where she found Ruffy waiting for her with her new afternoon gown laid out ready on the four-poster bed.
‘Barnaby is already talking about fetching a doctor from London,’ she said bitterly as she stamped her small satin-slipper-clad foot on the floor.
‘Calm down, my love.’ Ruffy hurried over to her and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead before helping her to undress. ‘At least he’s showing his concern for you.’
Louisa pouted and once she had taken off her gown, she slipped on a silk robe and lay down for a short nap. The bed was draped with thick, pink velvet curtains to match the ones that hung at the window, and a deep pile carpet of a slightly paler colour covered the floor. The walls had been decorated in a soft dove-grey silk wallpaper which she had ordered from London, and the furniture was all highly polished rosewood. Everything had been chosen by Louisa before her marriage, and the room was beautiful and luxurious and never failed to make her smile. She just wished she didn’t have to share it with Barnaby whenever he came to demand his marital rights.
‘After dinner this evening you may tell Barnaby that I have a headache,’ she told Mrs Ruffin pettily as Tumble bounced onto the bed and snuggled down beside her. ‘And that I am requesting that he doesn’t disturb me and stays in his dressing room.’ With that she burrowed down the bed and pulled the silken sheets over her head.
Mrs Ruffin sighed. As much as she loved her young mistress, there were times when she tried her patience sorely and she almost felt sorry for the young master. Oh, she’d heard the rumours about the shenanigans he’d got up to with the young laundry maid but, she asked herself, in truth could she really blame him when his young wife was so indifferent to him? Louisa loved to be kissed and petted admittedly, but anything beyond that clearly filled her with dismay so was it any wonder that the poor soul wandered? It was very rarely that Louisa allowed him into her bedchamber now. It was a shame, she thought, that Louisa hadn’t found the same joy that Ruffy herself had found so briefly with her own husband. But seeing as she hadn’t, then what else was Barnaby to do? With another sigh she dimmed the lamp that stood on the bedside table and quietly left the room hoping that her young mistress would be in a happier frame of mind when she woke up.
Chapter Four
‘Now are you quite sure you have the letter for your uncle, lass?’
Amber smiled weakly as she tapped the carpetbag she was holding. ‘You’ve asked me that at least ten times already, Mam, and the answer is still the same. Yes, it’s tucked safe here in me bag.’
Her mother glanced at the tin clock ticking away on the mantelshelf. ‘Reet, in that case you’d best be off, lass.’ She hastily swiped away the stray tear that trickled down her face with the back of her hand as she turned her daughter towards the door. She was painfully aware that this might be the last time she would see her until after the baby had been born and her heart broke at the thought. Alice would have her very first grandchild, one she would never see. But even though the thought was painful she knew it was for the best, and pulling herself together with an effort she looked her daughter up and down.
Today Amber was wearing her Sunday-best skirt made from black alpaca and her white frilled blouse. She also wore her new straw bonnet and Alice’s best shawl about her shoulders, and with her long blonde hair hanging down her back in thick gleaming curls she looked reet bonny!
‘You’ll do,’ she said with a wobble in her voice as she leant forward to kiss Amber one last time. ‘Be off with you. An’?.?.?. stay safe, lass.’
Amber nodded as she opened the door and stepped out into the yard where she almost bumped into Mrs Preston who was making a great show of cleaning her windows for the first time that either Amber or her mother could ever remember.
‘Off on a little ’oliday are you, lass?’ she asked as her eyes rested on the bag Amber was carrying.
‘Actually, Molly, Amber is away to look after me poor brother in Scarborough,’ Alice told her before Amber could answer. ‘He’s been reet poorly so she’ll stay there till he’s back on his feet again.’
‘Oh ar!’ Molly sniffed. ‘An’ what’s up wi’ him then?’
Amber gave her mother a hasty peck on the cheek and hurried away, well aware that Alice was more than capable of handling Molly Preston, and soon she turned out of the yard and headed for the town hall. It was a grand building, paid for by the lord of the manor, Nathaniel Cholmley, and built by Jonathan Pickernell, and normally Amber would always take time to admire it but today she had other things on her mind.
The coach was already parked there and the four black horses that would pull it were pawing the ground restlessly as the driver fastened the passenger’s luggage to the roof. Amber quickened her steps, afraid it would leave without her.
‘Is there room for one more?’ she asked breathlessly.
The tall man paused and nodded. ‘Aye lass, just one seat left. You’re lucky, another two minutes an’ we’d have been gone.’
When he had taken her luggage and fastened it to the roof of the carriage, Amber quickly paid him and climbed aboard. There were three other people inside the coach: a stout, finely dressed gentleman who looked quite well-to-do and an elderly couple who gave her warm smiles.
Amber settled back against the grubby leather squabs and watched miserably from the window as the horses pulled away and began their journey.
The first part went slowly as the horses plodded up the 199 steps, the steep hill that led out of town, and Amber swallowed deeply to try and prevent the tears that had sprung to her eyes from falling. How changed her life would be the next time she returned. By then she would have given birth to her baby and parted with it. It was a sobering thought and as the horses picked up speed and hurried past Whitby Abbey, perched high on the hill, her mood was sombre.
‘Off to visit someone are you, lass? Or perhaps it’s a day out?’
Amber started as she realised that the elderly lady was talking to her. In truth, she just wanted to be quiet but not wishing to be rude she answered, ‘I’m, er?.?.?. going to work there for a time?.?.?. for my uncle.’
