‘So I were right about you.’ He grinned nastily. ‘Accordin’ to me mam, yer the subject o’ much gossip down in the town an’ if what they’re sayin’ is true your nowt but a filthy liar!’ He gestured towards the wedding ring on her hand.
‘What do you mean?’ Amber stepped away from him with her hands on her hips but her heart was thumping so loudly she feared it was going to jump out of her chest.
‘Well, it appears you ain’t been entirely honest wi’ us, ’ave yer?’ He plucked a piece of straw and began to chew on it as he leant lazily against the wall, obviously enjoying her discomfort.
‘Word ’as it that the Greenwoods’ nanny ’as took off wi’ his baby daughter who just ’appens to be called Charlotte. Coincidence, eh? An’ stranger still is the fact that he ain’t got the law out lookin’ fer ’em. Folks are sayin’ that’s because she’stheirbabby, his an’ the kid’s nanny.’
‘I-I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,’ Amber flustered but he was like a dog with a bone and not ready to give up on the gossip just yet.
‘I wonder ’ow much Greenwood’d pay to get his precious babby back, eh?’
‘He wouldn’t pay anything,’ Amber snapped, although fear was crawling along her spine. ‘Cos she ain’t got nothin’ to do with him.’ She tried to pass him and head back to the kitchen. But he wasn’t done with her yet and he caught her wrist.
‘You don’t fool me, girl! That kid is ’is, all right.’
‘Let me tell you now, Melvin Barstow, Charlotte ismine! And if youdaretry to take her away from me, your ugly face an’ your crippled leg’ll be the least of your problems, cos I’d get the police to lock you up and make sure they throw away the key!’ Amber yanked her wrist from his grip and with her eyes flashing fire she walked towards the kitchen, although inside she was quaking. She’d hoped that if she had settled far enough out of the town it would be a case of out of sight out of mind but it seemed the townspeople were beginning to put and two together and if Melvin did send word to Barnaby, and he came looking for her .?.?. She shuddered.Shemight be the one to find herself in prison.
Charlotte was just finishing her milk when she re-entered the kitchen and once again Amber saw that the infant’s eyes were growing heavy so, lifting her from Mrs Barstow’s lap, she carried her up to her loft room to wash her and settle her into bed before she had to set about preparing supper for the menfolk. Even though they had only just eaten the huge steak and kidney pie she’d baked that afternoon, as well as a pile of potatoes and vegetables, she knew they’d be hungry again soon. She sometimes wondered if they had hollow legs.
When she arrived back downstairs, Melvin was back sitting at the table but thankfully he didn’t mention the altercation they’d had and she was grateful for that at least.
It was late by the time she wearily climbed the stairs to her room. She started work early each morning and didn’t retire until late each night and now all the hard work was catching up with her and she was realising just how easy a life she’d had back at Greenacres where all she’d had to do was care for Charlotte and all her meals were delivered to her. Her laundry was done for her too, but now her hands were red raw, her ankles were swollen from the many hours she was on her feet and there were dark bags beneath her eyes from the hours she lay awake at night feeling guilty and worrying about how unhappy Charlotte seemed to be.
Although Amber hated to admit it and tried to convince herself that things would get easier, she knew deep down that Charlotte was like a different child now. She never lifted her arms to Amber as she had to her father and her face never lit up when Amber entered a room as it had when the child saw him. Now, as she cuddled her baby’s warm little body close to her, tears slid down her cheeks.Perhaps it’s time I started to look for another position, she told herself, but even that would prove to be easier said than done. She was given no time off and she could hardly cart Charlotte for miles searching for work. And even if she did, would she find another post now that the people in the town were questioning Charlotte’s true parentage? Eventually she dropped into an uneasy doze and the tears dried on her cheeks.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The following day, however, the decision was made for her. Every morning, once breakfast was finished and the men left to work about the farm, Amber went to collect the eggs from the hen coop and the barn where the chickens had a tendency to lay. Some time ago, Mrs Barstow had volunteered to give Charlotte her morning bottle of milk while Amber got on with the job, and hoping that this would help to endear the child to her Amber had readily agreed to allow it. On this particular morning, Amber was halfway through the task when she cursed softly as the handle on the wicker basket that she put the eggs in broke and some of the eggs spilled across the floor.
‘Damn,’ she muttered as she hurriedly placed them back in the basket before any more got broken. There were far too many eggs to put in her pockets so she lifted the basket gingerly with two hands and carried it back to the kitchen.
As she entered the kitchen, she saw that Charlotte was just finishing her milk and she crossed to take the empty bottle from Mrs Barstow.
‘I need another basket,’ she told the woman as she carried the glass bottle to the sink. ‘The handle just broke on the other one.’
Whilst she was there, she decided she may as well put the bottle into soak until she had time to clean it but as she peeled off the rubber teat the strangest smell wafted up to her and she frowned as she lifted the bottle to her nose. When she realised what it was, she gasped in disbelief and horror and spun about to look at the table next to where Mrs Barstow sat. On it was a small bottle of laudanum and a bottle of gin.
‘You?.?.?. you’ve beendruggingmy baby,’ she said with a wobble in her voice, wondering how anyone could be so cruel. ‘Howdareyou! No wonder the poor little mite has been sleepin’ all the time. You could have killed ’er!’
‘Oh, stop bein’ so sensitive,’ the woman responded nonchalantly. ‘It’s shut the brat up, ain’t it? She were near drivin’ us all mad wi’ ’er grizzlin’ an’ wailin’ all the time. An’ all mine were brought up on a drop o’ gin an’ it never ’urt them.
Slowly Amber’s disbelief turned to rage and after throwing the bottle into the sink she snatched the baby from the old woman’s arms. ‘Well, I’ll not give you the chance to do it again!’ she stormed and turning about she raced to the stairs that led to the loft. Already Charlotte’s head was nodding as the mixture she had been given took effect, so after laying her on the mattress, Amber began to throw their things into the bags she had brought with them. It took no time at all to pack their few clothes and she threw them down the ladder where they landed with a resounding thud in the kitchen. Next, she strapped Charlotte to her in her shawl and followed the bags down only to find Mrs Barstow waiting for her at the bottom.
‘Just what do yer think yer doin’?’ she demanded in a panic. She had never given Amber so much as one kind word or a single word of praise since she had been there but she was no fool and had quickly realised that Amber was a hard worker. She had totally transformed the farmhouse and had worked from dawn to dusk, unlike most of the idle so-and-sos she’d employed in the past. The old lady had had it easy since Amber’s arrival and now she was reluctant to let her go. ‘I’ll not give yer a penny o’ yer wages if you just up an’ go an’ leave me in the lurch!’ she threatened, but Amber tossed her head and snorted as she snatched up a bag in each hand.
‘You canstickthe wages where the sun don’t shine.’ She elbowed the old woman out of the way and the next minute she was striding across the farmyard.
Melvin was just coming out of the barn and seeing her with her bags and the baby tied to her he limped across to the gate. ‘An’ where are you goin’ in such a hurry?’ he asked.
Amber glared at him as she dropped one of the bags just long enough to open the gate. ‘Just as far away from this dump an’ you lot as I can get,’ she ground out.
‘B-but yer can’t just up an’ leave,’ he whined.
‘Just watch me and go tohell.’ And with that Amber moved on as fast as her legs would take her.
It wasn’t until she came within sight of Greenacres that she finally paused to rest and the tears came. Her arms felt as if they had been pulled out of their sockets and she was sweating as she stared down at Charlotte whose little head was lolling to one side.How could I not have seen what the wicked old woman was doing to her?she asked herself. But this was not the time for guilt; she finally had to face the fact that Charlotte had missed her father and she had been wrong to take her away from him in the first place. She didn’t even know what sort of reception she was going to get when she reached the house or if Barnaby Greenwood had reported her to the police for kidnapping his daughter. He could well send for them and have her arrested, but there could be no going back now and as long as Charlotte was happy again, she didn’t much care what happened to herself. So after taking a deep breath she moved on and despite the fact that she was in her oldest work clothes, she held her head high as she climbed the steps to the front door and rang the bell.
Seconds later, Nancy answered it and her face lit up like a ray of sunshine at sight of her friend. ‘Amber! Eeh lass, we’ve been so worried about yer.’ Ignoring the bags on the step she took Amber’s elbow and drew her into the hallway just as Barnaby Greenwood appeared from his study. Amber was shocked at the sight of him. His shoulders were stooped as if he had the worries of the world resting on them and he seemed to have aged ten years since the last time she had seen him. He stared at her for a moment as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, then suddenly he sprang forward and as he laid his hand gently on Charlotte’s head, she was shocked to see that there were tears in his eyes.
