she’d seen Lady Katherine? If she had, she might tell Sir Simon, and I’d be certain to be blamed for giving her my clothes. A knot of fear rolled in my stomach.
I tugged at Kate’s sleeve, ‘Please milady –’
Kate frowned, ‘Sssh!’ She was listening to a woman called Susan who was addressing the women.
‘Sorry. Mrs Binch was listening behind the door.’
‘What?’ Kate’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. ‘Did she see me?’
‘I don’t think so, but –’
‘What’s the matter?’ Ralph appeared.
‘The cook was spying on us,’ I said. ‘I don’t know how much she heard, but enough I‘d say, enough to guess your purpose.’
He frowned. ‘Curses. Is she for us or against us?’
‘I don’t know, but she’ll likely tell Mr Grice, the overseer.’
‘What about Lady Katherine? Will she tell her?’
‘I doubt it,’ I said . ‘Mistress Binch hardly ever goes near her. She …well, she sends me to take messages if she needs to speak to her.’
‘It’s a blow. We hoped to keep it quiet until we had the houses up and smoke coming from the chimneys. They can’t stop us once the smoke’s rising, it’s an ancient bylaw. But it’s too late to do anything now. We’d better get away from here.’
Ralph took Kate by the arm. They were in the shadow now, away from our lanterns. He whispered in her ear and they both laughed. Her expression was confiding, intimate. Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, before following the others who were hastening out of the door.
I turned away, a cold feeling spreading across my chest. Kate watched him go, like a love-struck fool.
When Jacob Mallinson caught me by the elbow I was distracted – angry with Kate and Ralph for shutting me out. Jacob said something, but it had got too dark to catch his words. Frustrated and bewildered by not being able to make out he was saying, I just shook my head.
He looked a bit affronted, gave a curt nod and then ran to catch up with the others. Afterwards I realised with shame that he had been offering to walk me back to the house. This often happened; that I’d puzzle over something someone said and the key in my mind would turn too late.
Curses. My stomach contracted with longing. Jacob Mallinson, none other than the constable’s son, had wanted to walk with me. Me, Abigail Chaplin. I groaned in frustration and wished I could have that moment back. Yes, I would have said to Jacob. Yes please.
I winced and put my hands to my hot cheeks. I had been rude and unmannerly. No wonder no young man would look twice at me. It wasn’t because I was deaf, it was because I was foolish and ill-mannered. Ashamed of myself, I followed my mistress back towards the lights of the house. Later, I was distracted with Lady Katherine when she needed to be dressed and would not say a word.
‘Ralph kissed my hand!’ she said, raising the back of it to her lips.
I tugged her hair hard with the hairbrush.
‘Careful!’ she turned and shot a look at me, as if to say, ‘what do you think you’re doing?’
I curbed my temper. Above all, I needed to keep my place.
10. Demands and Promises
The next morning I was to air all the bedroom drapes. I had taken them from the beds and strung them up on the line. I watched them sway in the breeze, thinking about the mystery of Lady Katherine’s gloves and the wet clothes in the closet, and about how my mistress seemed to be sweet on Ralph.
I was about to hang another bundle when I saw a man approaching down the drive on foot. Something about the way he walked was familiar. It looked like my father. But it couldn’t be. My father was dead. It must be a travelling tinker. I batted at the drapes half-heartedly, and the dust rose up in clouds, but still I peered through it, my eyes fixed on the lone figure on the drive.
It couldn’t be Father because the captain had brought us word that all his platoon were lost and Mother had wept for weeks. But a great wave was rising in
I tugged at Kate’s sleeve, ‘Please milady –’
Kate frowned, ‘Sssh!’ She was listening to a woman called Susan who was addressing the women.
‘Sorry. Mrs Binch was listening behind the door.’
‘What?’ Kate’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. ‘Did she see me?’
‘I don’t think so, but –’
‘What’s the matter?’ Ralph appeared.
‘The cook was spying on us,’ I said. ‘I don’t know how much she heard, but enough I‘d say, enough to guess your purpose.’
He frowned. ‘Curses. Is she for us or against us?’
‘I don’t know, but she’ll likely tell Mr Grice, the overseer.’
‘What about Lady Katherine? Will she tell her?’
‘I doubt it,’ I said . ‘Mistress Binch hardly ever goes near her. She …well, she sends me to take messages if she needs to speak to her.’
‘It’s a blow. We hoped to keep it quiet until we had the houses up and smoke coming from the chimneys. They can’t stop us once the smoke’s rising, it’s an ancient bylaw. But it’s too late to do anything now. We’d better get away from here.’
Ralph took Kate by the arm. They were in the shadow now, away from our lanterns. He whispered in her ear and they both laughed. Her expression was confiding, intimate. Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, before following the others who were hastening out of the door.
I turned away, a cold feeling spreading across my chest. Kate watched him go, like a love-struck fool.
When Jacob Mallinson caught me by the elbow I was distracted – angry with Kate and Ralph for shutting me out. Jacob said something, but it had got too dark to catch his words. Frustrated and bewildered by not being able to make out he was saying, I just shook my head.
He looked a bit affronted, gave a curt nod and then ran to catch up with the others. Afterwards I realised with shame that he had been offering to walk me back to the house. This often happened; that I’d puzzle over something someone said and the key in my mind would turn too late.
Curses. My stomach contracted with longing. Jacob Mallinson, none other than the constable’s son, had wanted to walk with me. Me, Abigail Chaplin. I groaned in frustration and wished I could have that moment back. Yes, I would have said to Jacob. Yes please.
I winced and put my hands to my hot cheeks. I had been rude and unmannerly. No wonder no young man would look twice at me. It wasn’t because I was deaf, it was because I was foolish and ill-mannered. Ashamed of myself, I followed my mistress back towards the lights of the house. Later, I was distracted with Lady Katherine when she needed to be dressed and would not say a word.
‘Ralph kissed my hand!’ she said, raising the back of it to her lips.
I tugged her hair hard with the hairbrush.
‘Careful!’ she turned and shot a look at me, as if to say, ‘what do you think you’re doing?’
I curbed my temper. Above all, I needed to keep my place.
10. Demands and Promises
The next morning I was to air all the bedroom drapes. I had taken them from the beds and strung them up on the line. I watched them sway in the breeze, thinking about the mystery of Lady Katherine’s gloves and the wet clothes in the closet, and about how my mistress seemed to be sweet on Ralph.
I was about to hang another bundle when I saw a man approaching down the drive on foot. Something about the way he walked was familiar. It looked like my father. But it couldn’t be. My father was dead. It must be a travelling tinker. I batted at the drapes half-heartedly, and the dust rose up in clouds, but still I peered through it, my eyes fixed on the lone figure on the drive.
It couldn’t be Father because the captain had brought us word that all his platoon were lost and Mother had wept for weeks. But a great wave was rising in
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