a score of admirers chasing her.’
Dolly gave a jealous pout. ‘She’s too young, can’t you see?’
Ginny shook her head. ‘That won’t make anydifference to ’young bucks at Scarborough! They’ll be fighting over her, if I’m not mistaken!’
They left the harbour and fishing cobbles of Bridlington behind and continued on their way to Scarborough, slower now as the road became steeper, but always keeping the sea within their sight. Between Reighton and Hunmanby they saw that Mrs Marshall’s coach, which was in front of theirs, was having difficulty getting up and down the hills and several times, as they approached a steep incline or hazardous corner, the two maids got out of the coach to walk and make it easier for the horses. ‘Blooming old coach,’ Ginny called to them as they drove past, ‘it must weigh a ton!’
They couldn’t stop to pick the others up, for their horses were struggling too, and besides there wasn’t room to squeeze another pin into the coach, let alone two more maids. ‘We always get rickety old hired carriages,’ Dolly grumbled. ‘Owt’s good enough for us. Now when Master Hugo travels to Scarborough, he drives a curricle, red and black it is, with two spanking hosses. What a sight. You should just see him!’
The sun was beginning to dip as they topped a rise and saw below them the blue-green waters of Scarborough, with the ancient castle standing proudly on the headland which divided the two bays. Emily drew in a deep breath. ‘How beautiful it is! Look at the castle on ’top of the hill, oh and the sea is so blue.’ She pushed down the carriage window and breathed in again. ‘Oh, and that smell! I never thought I would smell ’sea again!’
‘I thought you hadn’t seen ’sea afore?’ Dolly saidcuriously. ‘I thought you was from ’country!’
‘So I am,’ she laughed and told Dolly of when she and Sam used to row down the Humber almost to the tip of Spurn. ‘We used to run over ’top of ’dunes to be first to see the sea. Oh, how I love it,’ she exclaimed. ‘How I love it!’
They continued on into the town until they came to the rented house in Merchants’ Row. Mrs Marshall’s manservant, Johnson, helped their coachman to unload the luggage and lift it into the hall and then climbed wearily back into the carriage to make the return journey to Hull. ‘See you in a couple of days, ladies.’ He winked at Emily. ‘Behave yourselves now, don’t get into any mischief!’
‘Fat chance,’ Ginny muttered as she surveyed the pile of boxes waiting to be unpacked. ‘Come on, Lizzie,’ she said to the other maid, ‘let’s get moving and maybe we can have a stroll after supper. Would you like to come?’ she called as Emily and Dolly went up the stairs with a heap of gowns over their arms.
Emily glanced at Dolly. ‘Will it be all right?’ she asked. ‘Are we allowed?’
‘Nobody here to stop us,’ Dolly grinned. ‘There’s no Mrs Anderson to say what we can or can’t do. Come on, let’s look sharp and get this lot unpacked. We can do ’ironing in ’morning.’
It was still light as the four of them strolled along the foreshore towards the pier and the lighthouse, and Emily breathed in the salty air and gazed into the dark water at the cobles and fishing vessels which were moored there, then lifted her head towatch a coble coming in from the open sea with its lugsail rippling in the evening breeze.
‘Watch out for t’nets, ladies, don’t catch them pretty feet and fall.’ A group of pipe-smoking fishermen was sitting amongst a pile of lobster pots. Some of them were mending nets and others were gutting fish. It was a young man who had spoken and the other men laughed. ‘Watch out for this young lover more like,’ an older man called and got up from his seat on an upturned wooden bucket and raised his salt-stained hat. ‘Tha’d be better off with an older man, ladies. Somebody with experience.’
‘Aye,’ Ginny bantered back.
Dolly gave a jealous pout. ‘She’s too young, can’t you see?’
Ginny shook her head. ‘That won’t make anydifference to ’young bucks at Scarborough! They’ll be fighting over her, if I’m not mistaken!’
They left the harbour and fishing cobbles of Bridlington behind and continued on their way to Scarborough, slower now as the road became steeper, but always keeping the sea within their sight. Between Reighton and Hunmanby they saw that Mrs Marshall’s coach, which was in front of theirs, was having difficulty getting up and down the hills and several times, as they approached a steep incline or hazardous corner, the two maids got out of the coach to walk and make it easier for the horses. ‘Blooming old coach,’ Ginny called to them as they drove past, ‘it must weigh a ton!’
They couldn’t stop to pick the others up, for their horses were struggling too, and besides there wasn’t room to squeeze another pin into the coach, let alone two more maids. ‘We always get rickety old hired carriages,’ Dolly grumbled. ‘Owt’s good enough for us. Now when Master Hugo travels to Scarborough, he drives a curricle, red and black it is, with two spanking hosses. What a sight. You should just see him!’
The sun was beginning to dip as they topped a rise and saw below them the blue-green waters of Scarborough, with the ancient castle standing proudly on the headland which divided the two bays. Emily drew in a deep breath. ‘How beautiful it is! Look at the castle on ’top of the hill, oh and the sea is so blue.’ She pushed down the carriage window and breathed in again. ‘Oh, and that smell! I never thought I would smell ’sea again!’
‘I thought you hadn’t seen ’sea afore?’ Dolly saidcuriously. ‘I thought you was from ’country!’
‘So I am,’ she laughed and told Dolly of when she and Sam used to row down the Humber almost to the tip of Spurn. ‘We used to run over ’top of ’dunes to be first to see the sea. Oh, how I love it,’ she exclaimed. ‘How I love it!’
They continued on into the town until they came to the rented house in Merchants’ Row. Mrs Marshall’s manservant, Johnson, helped their coachman to unload the luggage and lift it into the hall and then climbed wearily back into the carriage to make the return journey to Hull. ‘See you in a couple of days, ladies.’ He winked at Emily. ‘Behave yourselves now, don’t get into any mischief!’
‘Fat chance,’ Ginny muttered as she surveyed the pile of boxes waiting to be unpacked. ‘Come on, Lizzie,’ she said to the other maid, ‘let’s get moving and maybe we can have a stroll after supper. Would you like to come?’ she called as Emily and Dolly went up the stairs with a heap of gowns over their arms.
Emily glanced at Dolly. ‘Will it be all right?’ she asked. ‘Are we allowed?’
‘Nobody here to stop us,’ Dolly grinned. ‘There’s no Mrs Anderson to say what we can or can’t do. Come on, let’s look sharp and get this lot unpacked. We can do ’ironing in ’morning.’
It was still light as the four of them strolled along the foreshore towards the pier and the lighthouse, and Emily breathed in the salty air and gazed into the dark water at the cobles and fishing vessels which were moored there, then lifted her head towatch a coble coming in from the open sea with its lugsail rippling in the evening breeze.
‘Watch out for t’nets, ladies, don’t catch them pretty feet and fall.’ A group of pipe-smoking fishermen was sitting amongst a pile of lobster pots. Some of them were mending nets and others were gutting fish. It was a young man who had spoken and the other men laughed. ‘Watch out for this young lover more like,’ an older man called and got up from his seat on an upturned wooden bucket and raised his salt-stained hat. ‘Tha’d be better off with an older man, ladies. Somebody with experience.’
‘Aye,’ Ginny bantered back.
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