“But I can’t bear the thought of him touching me. It makes me feel ill to think of it.”
“I do understand. It is a shame he is not to your liking. Affection could grow, but an absolute physical aversion is difficult to overcome.”
“Yes,” said Mariot, her dark eyes widening.
The girl was only a little older than Lettice. Thomasin tried to imagine if it were her sister in this situation.
“What if there was another solution? A better future for you?”
“But what?”
“Listen, I am to go to London soon. I may be gone for a few weeks at least, but we may return there for other visits. I might need a maid to go with me, as mine must stay behind to be close to her ailing mother.”
“That’s Nell? Old Fogarty’s girl?”
“That’s right. And because Nell isn’t coming with me, I could use a bright, helpful, polite sort of girl to fill her shoes.”
“You aren’t thinking of me, Miss?”
“Why ever not? Would you like to do it?”
“Like it? It would be like heaven. To go to London! But are you sure, Miss?”
“It would a trial at first: if you prove yourself on this trip, I may take you into my household. Now, surely that is a better prospect than marriage to a butcher’s son.”
“A thousand times so, my lady. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Well, stay a while, and let me speak with your father first. I have to convince him, and it may not be as easy as convincing you. Where is he at the moment?”
“In his workshop, Miss, down by the river.”
“Lead the way, Mariot Gull. Let’s see what he says.”
Joseph Gull’s carpentry workshop sat in a clearing on the eastern side of the village. A short walk from Green Hollow Place led them down the path between the fields, past the church and into the village centre. A few heads turned to see the lady of the manor walking along with Mariot at her side, and the landlord came out of the Ram Inn and stood to watch them pass. A boy drawing water at the well almost dropped his bucket at the sight of them, and ran off in the direction of the butcher’s. A short, squat youth with thin hair and a pockmarked face wasbutchering a piglet on a bench outside, and looked up in vacant wonder at the sight of them.
“Is that him?” asked Thomasin quietly, at once seeing the girl’s dilemma.
“Yes,” whispered Mariot.
She pushed open the door of the carpenter’s, unleashing a scent of chipped wood and resin. At the far end of a cluttered room, full of half-finished frames and cut timbers, a man was working with a hammer, banging nails to fix the legs and seat of a bench. He was a sturdy figure, dark-haired like his daughter, with an unruly beard. He started at their approach and frowned at Mariot.
“How now, Mariot. What trouble have you got yourself into?”
“Nothing, Father!”
“Mr Gull?” began Thomasin. “I’m Lady Waterson from the manor house; please forgive this intrusion into your work.”
His expression was a mixture of confusion and cynicism.
“I have a proposition for Mariot. I have observed her attending my chapel and judge her to be just the kind of girl I need. Along with my husband, I am due to depart for London in the morning, for a stay of several weeks. My current maid is unable to attend me, and I would like to take Mariot along with me, to perform various duties such as assisting with my wardrobe, basic cooking and attending my needs. My younger sister Lettice is around the same age and will also be present. It would be a good opportunity for Mariot to see a little of the world outside the village, and might lead to permanent employment.”
The man looked uneasy. “Outside the village?”
“She would be in my care all the time, and that of my husband, Lord Waterson.”
“But London? What is to become of her marriage?”
Thomasin tutted to herself. “I am offering your daughter an opportunity, Mr Gull. London will give her so much morethan the village can offer. My first trip to London led to my employment in the household of Queen Catherine, where I met my husband. I have danced with the king, met ambassadors from across Europe, eaten foods I could never have imagined, and been at the heart of the court. As my companion, Mariot can experience things she has never dreamed of.”
