nightmare, how real it all felt and how the covers had been thrown to the floor and the room was icy cold. “It was just a dream my dear. Look around you the room is nice and bright and the fire is roaring away.” Sarah threw a blanket over her friend’s shoulders. “Now listen I think we know what happened to your dress. It seems one of the dogs followed young Jane upstairs when she came to make the beds. When she left, she closed the bedroom door, but she didn’t know that the dog was still in the room trapped. The poor thing must have taken it’s frustration out on your dress. When Jane came to light the fire in the afternoon, the dog scurried past her and she was unaware of the damage it had done. So you see there is nothing to worry about and I will personally take you into town to buy a new dress.” Victoria laughed. “That’s all it was? I was thinking someone must really hate me to do such a rotten thing. Poor dog, I suppose he got a good telling off.” Sarah saw the relief on her friends face and smiled at her mother.
Charles followed Richard to the study. “Richard stay calm I don’t think your father is well and he doesn’t need another row with you.” They found John slumped in his chair his head leaning to one side. Richard knelt down beside him. He stroked his father’s hand. “Dad, are you alright?” John lifted his head and looked into his son’s face. “Hmm. What? I must have dosed off, is everything okay?” Richard sat in the seat opposite and looked at his father. Charles could see the concern on his face. He looked up at Charles and back at his father. “We thought something had happened to you. Are you sure you’re okay, you don’t need a doctor?” John brushed invisible dust from his trouser leg. “I’m fine stop your fussing. Did you want something?” Charles gently shook his head and gave Richard a cautionary glance. “No Dad we just wanted to check on you. Mum said she hadn’t seen you all morning so Charles and I thought we would search you out.” “I’m fine boys; you just go along with your business and tell your mother, if you see her, that I would like a word with her. Will you do that?” Richard nodded and together he and Charles left the room.
The three women were coming down the stairs and to Richard’s relief Victoria was smiling. She ran to his side. “Have you heard the news? It was one of the dogs that tore my dress, he sneaked in when no-one was looking and caused all this upheaval.” Richard looked at his Mother and holding Vicky in his arms mouthed a thank you to her. He wasn’t happy with the situation but at least Vicky seemed content with the reasoning and that was all that mattered at this moment. On the landing Charlotte looked down on the happy scene. Anger engulfed her. Somehow she would have to get rid of that girl, Richard was getting too involved with her. She would have to show herself and sort her out once and for all.
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CHAPTER 6
It had been a cold miserable day with a constant light drizzle, the sort of rain that doesn’t seem much but slowly soaks through your clothing and chills the bones. Both Emily and John were feeling their age and sat contented by the fireside reading and dozing for much of the day. Richard and Charles had gone off to the market and the girls were away working. The house seemed quiet and restful. In the kitchen Mrs Shaw and her daughter Mary were busy preparing the evening meal. Things had been going well for them since the Gardeners had taken them on and Mary was a quick learner and was more than capable of running the kitchen on her own now. Emily Gardener was a pleasant woman to work for and more or less left the kitchen and its running to her. Mr Gardener left the household in the steady hands of Mr Howard who ran it with an iron rod. Mrs Shaw thought he was more stuck up than his master, everything was inspected day and night and he gave what for if it