the end of the day , we ’ d been congratulated by everyone in the castle , and the news of our engagement was official. Finn was planning to leave for Plymouth by the following day, his visit corresponding with the docking of Lady Violet . He would be gone for about a week, using the time to discover the whereabouts of the priest. If he couldn’t get hold of Father Stephen , we would have to be married at the parish church which the brothers attended routinely as part of their cover. One did not advertise Catholicism , and appearances had to be maintained.
I said goodbye to Finlay the following morning , and watched him gallop through the gate s and down the road leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself in the meantime, so I went to the kitchen to visit Cook. I was longing for a cup of tea and a chat with another woman. Nell was too young and had been awfully sour lately, and Betty spent every spare moment up in her bedroom, sewing herself a wedding dress. She had confided in me that there was an understanding between her and her young man , and they would be married as soon as Toby had enough money to buy her a proper ring. Betty wasn’t sure if she would go live down on the farm with him , or if he would come to the castle to live with her and go to the farm to do his work every day. Betty intended to continue working for the Whitfields for as long as she could.
I descended down into the kitchen and was warmly welcomed by Mrs. Dobbs. “Sit y e rself down, m e dear; I will put the kettle on. Are y e feeling peckish?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Dobbs, I’ve eaten already, but I won’t say no to a cup of tea. How have you been?”
“Oh, as well as can be expected , love . Happy for y e and Mr. Finlay. Too bad the wedding will not be ‘ ere for all of us to enjoy, but I understand the reasons.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink and went about making the tea. “Before y e know it, Betty will be wed and leave us too. If that girl is anything like her mother, she’ll be with child as soon as Toby unlaces his breeches.”
“Do you have children, Mrs. Dobbs?” I never thought to inquire before , and I suddenly wondered if I should have kept quiet.
“That I do, m e dear. We have four daughters , John and I , all married now . Two in Cornwall , and two down Plymouth way. I long to visit ‘ em, but we cannot leave the castle unattended , and they are all too busy with their children to spare their old folks a visit. We had a boy too, but he died when he was just a babe. We were lucky to lose only one,” she added with a sigh. “I reckon it will not be long until Mr. Finlay gets y e with child. It will be lovely to have a baby about the place again. There has not been one since Mr. Charles.”
“Mrs. Dobbs, where is Rose? Did she elope against her parents’ wishes?”
Mrs. Dobbs shook her head with disapproval. “She ran away all right , but not with a man. Rose was always a strange girl, talking about the martyrs and saints all the time , t he more gruesome the death, the more interested she was. Fascinated with St. C atherine , saying she wanted to be the B ride of Christ just like her , and consecrate her virginity onto the Lord . When Rose turned sixteen, t he M aster tried to arrange a marriage for her with the son of one of his acquaintances. He was a nice-looking lad with good prospects , but she locked herself in ‘ er room, refusing to eat, swearing she would be defiled by no man. I would take defilement over starvation any day,” said Mrs. Dobbs with a wink , and went on with her story.
“When the Flux had come, Rose was still locked in her room, so she never got ill. She would not help with the nursing , or even say goodbye to ‘ er parents as they lay dying. Mr. Charles begged for her, but she would not come to him and comfort him as a sister should . He was just a little boy,
I said goodbye to Finlay the following morning , and watched him gallop through the gate s and down the road leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself in the meantime, so I went to the kitchen to visit Cook. I was longing for a cup of tea and a chat with another woman. Nell was too young and had been awfully sour lately, and Betty spent every spare moment up in her bedroom, sewing herself a wedding dress. She had confided in me that there was an understanding between her and her young man , and they would be married as soon as Toby had enough money to buy her a proper ring. Betty wasn’t sure if she would go live down on the farm with him , or if he would come to the castle to live with her and go to the farm to do his work every day. Betty intended to continue working for the Whitfields for as long as she could.
I descended down into the kitchen and was warmly welcomed by Mrs. Dobbs. “Sit y e rself down, m e dear; I will put the kettle on. Are y e feeling peckish?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Dobbs, I’ve eaten already, but I won’t say no to a cup of tea. How have you been?”
“Oh, as well as can be expected , love . Happy for y e and Mr. Finlay. Too bad the wedding will not be ‘ ere for all of us to enjoy, but I understand the reasons.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink and went about making the tea. “Before y e know it, Betty will be wed and leave us too. If that girl is anything like her mother, she’ll be with child as soon as Toby unlaces his breeches.”
“Do you have children, Mrs. Dobbs?” I never thought to inquire before , and I suddenly wondered if I should have kept quiet.
“That I do, m e dear. We have four daughters , John and I , all married now . Two in Cornwall , and two down Plymouth way. I long to visit ‘ em, but we cannot leave the castle unattended , and they are all too busy with their children to spare their old folks a visit. We had a boy too, but he died when he was just a babe. We were lucky to lose only one,” she added with a sigh. “I reckon it will not be long until Mr. Finlay gets y e with child. It will be lovely to have a baby about the place again. There has not been one since Mr. Charles.”
“Mrs. Dobbs, where is Rose? Did she elope against her parents’ wishes?”
Mrs. Dobbs shook her head with disapproval. “She ran away all right , but not with a man. Rose was always a strange girl, talking about the martyrs and saints all the time , t he more gruesome the death, the more interested she was. Fascinated with St. C atherine , saying she wanted to be the B ride of Christ just like her , and consecrate her virginity onto the Lord . When Rose turned sixteen, t he M aster tried to arrange a marriage for her with the son of one of his acquaintances. He was a nice-looking lad with good prospects , but she locked herself in ‘ er room, refusing to eat, swearing she would be defiled by no man. I would take defilement over starvation any day,” said Mrs. Dobbs with a wink , and went on with her story.
“When the Flux had come, Rose was still locked in her room, so she never got ill. She would not help with the nursing , or even say goodbye to ‘ er parents as they lay dying. Mr. Charles begged for her, but she would not come to him and comfort him as a sister should . He was just a little boy,
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