Langdown Manor by Sue Reid Page B

in the driving seat, turned round to say something to the other two, his hand still on the steering wheel. I felt as if something had hit me hard in the chest. It was Fred.
    â€˜Penelope! Did you hear what I was saying?’
    Something about the car? I dragged my eyes away from the window.
    â€˜I must ask you to give me your word that you will never go out in the car alone with George again. He’s a good boy, but reckless, and I could never forgive myself if any harm came to you.’ She hesitated. ‘It is perhaps fortunate that the car is to be sold as soon as it has been repaired.’
    I hate her! She has asked for my word, but she still cannot trust me.
    I clenched my hands behind my back. ‘I promise,’ I muttered.
    â€˜Let us put all this behind us now, Penelope,’ Aunt said. She stood up and I stood up, too. She proceeded past me into the hall. I’d forgotten that I’d hurt my shoulder, but now I felt it throb. Baxter would run me a bath. Warm water would soothe it. As I made my way to the stairs, I glanced out of the hall window. I could see the wheel marks left by George’s car in the gravel. So, I thought, the car was to be sold. Even elder sons it seemed didn’t always get their own way. If only I had not got into that car. If only I’d gone downstairs a few minutes earlier… But in spite of everything I still had something precious and no one – not even Aunt – could take it away from me.

D OWNSTAIRS

    You can’t keep secret what’s going on upstairs. Sometimes I wonder if they realize just how much we know. To them we scarcely exist, it’s like we’re invisible. It’s only when we fail in our duties that they seem to notice us at all. Even then it’s not us they see, it’s the inconvenience we cause them they notice. A spilt cup of tea. Look at the mess you’ve made. The gown I want to wear has a tear in it. How come it wasn’t mended in time? Oh I know I didn’t tell you I wanted to wear it until you came to dress me, but you should just have known.
    Usually it’s Robert who is the first to know what’s going on. He knew all right, but so did we! The young master had taken Miss Penelope out for a drive in his new motor car and nearly collided with his lordship’s carriage. We shouldn’t have been upstairs, but the family being out we’d taken the opportunity to nip up and finish the chores that should have been done earlier – now I’m waiting on Miss P there’s always too much to do. Ellen had burst into the library where Sarah was polishing the floor and told her. Then Sarah had run along to the study where I was dusting to tell me. We crowded together at one of the big windows in the drawing room to get a proper look. The motor car had tipped almost over on to its side, but we knew they were all right when his lordship went over to the motor and helped them out. He looked furious, waving his arms and shouting, but he was too far away for us to hear what he was saying. We were still standing there gawping when the carriage was close enough to the house for us to see the coachman’s face. If we could see them, then they could see us! We fairly leapt downstairs – it’s the eighth deadly sin for a maid to be seen upstairs by the family, unless they’ve asked for us.
    â€˜What luck the car didn’t hit the carriage,’ Maddie said as we gathered round the table later. ‘I don’t like to think what might have happened.’ She was gazing at Robert as if he’d been exposed to the most terrible danger. Robert had been riding on the box.
    â€˜It very nearly did,’ Robert said. ‘Sid pulled up those horses so tight, I nearly fell off! Would you have minded if I had?’ I heard him murmur to Ivy, who was peeling vegetables by his side.
    â€˜It would have broken my heart,’ she said. She winked at me, earning me a scowl from