Castle of Secrets by Amanda Grange

discomfit
his guests. His manner to them was polite, but there were hidden barbs beneath
the surface, and she suspected he did not like them. Mrs Fairdean had looked
uncomfortable at first, but now ignored his strange manner, as did her
daughter.
    ‘No, my lord,
I have not,’ Helena replied.
    ‘What does
that signify?’ asked Miss Fairdean impatiently. ‘She can learn. Please, Simon,
let us have one,’ she went on in a wheedling voice. ‘I have thought of my costume
already.’
    ‘I suppose it
is very beautiful?’ he asked her.
    Helena was shocked to hear that
he spoke with barely concealed contempt, but Miss Fairdean did not seem to
notice.
    ‘It is,’ she
said coquettishly.
    ‘Then we must
not disappoint you. Mrs Reynolds, you will continue with the arrangements for
the costume ball. It will be held  at the start of next month. You will engage
any extra staff you need to help you. Miss Fairdean will delight us all with a
beautiful costume, and I . . . ’
    ‘Yes?’ said
Mrs Fairdean encouragingly.
    ‘I will come
as a crow.’
    Miss Fairdean
looked startled, but then she carried on as though he had not said anything.
    ‘We must move
quickly, Mama. That sluggard of a seamstress must be made to work harder. She
is always dragging her heels, and making some excuse or other. She is idle,
like all of her kind. We will make her see she must work for her money. We will
go to London tomorrow and chivvy her.
There are gloves to buy, jewels to be set . . . ’
    Helena poured the tea whilst
they continued to talk about the ball, roundly abusing the seamstresses, wig
makers, milliners and shopkeepers who would provide them with everything they
needed. Lord Torkrow said nothing, but the Fairdeans did not seem to notice. Helena , having poured the tea,
returned to the kitchen.
    ‘I’ve just
learnt we’re to arrange a costume ball for the start of next month,’ she said.
    ‘Ah, so he’s
going ahead with it, is he?’ asked Mrs Beal. ‘I thought the Fairdeans wouldn’t
want him to cancel it, but I’m surprised he gave in to them so easily. He’s
never liked that sort of thing.’
    ‘When are we
to hold it?’ asked Helena .
    ‘On the
third,’ said Mrs Beal. ‘And a lot of work it will be. Did Mrs Willis say she
would find out some maids?’
    ‘I didn’t
speak to her,’ said Helena .
‘It was raining too heavily and I had to turn back. But I managed to send a
message to her.’ She didn’t mention Mary. She felt instinctively that the fewer
people who knew about Mary the better. She felt safer for having a place to run
to, should she need it. ‘What has been arranged so far?’ she asked.
    ‘The
invitations have all been written, and the guests have all very likely had
their costumes made. The ball’s held every year, it’s a big event hereabouts,
and everyone looks forward to it.’
    ‘The food will
not have been ordered?’
    ‘No. That’s
something that will have to be done, and done soon. We’ll need a sight of meat
and vegetables. And eggs, we must have plenty of eggs. There’ll be puddings to
make, and custards and meringues. Cream, too,’ she said. ‘Ah, well, the
shopkeepers are expecting it, that’s one thing in our favour, they’ll see to it
we have everything we need. A chance for them to make some money, it is, and
that’s always welcome.’
    ‘Who sees to
the wine?’ asked Helena .
    Mrs Beal shook
her head.
    ‘Dawkins,’ she
said. That one word conveyed her dissatisfaction, and Helena guessed that he drank the wine he
was meant to guard.
    ‘He has the
key to the wine cellar?’ asked Helena .
    ‘One of them.
I keep the other one. I look in every week, to make sure that not too much has
gone missing.’
    ‘I’m surprised
his lordship does not want a butler.’
    ‘His
lordship’s lost heart, since . . . Ah, well, it was a long time ago, and he
never bothered to replace the butler when he left. “Dawkins can manage” he
said.’
    Her tone
plainly said that Dawkins could