Hope - Lesley Pearse [154]
‘Halleluia!’ he exclaimed. ‘I am cured. I am cured.’
There was nothing for it but for Hope to run and embrace him. ‘He’s been twisted and bent since the day he was born,’ she announced in an equally rustic accent. ‘But I must get him home now so our mother can see this miracle too.’
There were tears rolling down her cheeks, but only from suppressing her laughter. As she swept Bennett out through the door she had to bite her lips as the sounds of ‘Did you ever see the like?’ and ‘He was crippled and now he’s cured,’ and other such remarks resounded behind them.
How they managed to get around the corner without doubling up with laughter, Hope didn’t know. But once hidden from viewthey almost exploded with it, clinging to each other and laughing till their sides ached.
‘You are a disgrace to the medical profession,’ Hope spluttered. ‘They’ll all drink gallons of it now and get sick with it.’
Bennett wiped tears from his eyes. ‘Their faces!’ he exclaimed. ‘’Tis a miracle. I am cured!’
‘You should be ashamed of yourself,’ Hope giggled. ‘But can you imagine how it will be in a few hours? It will be right round Bath, everyone will be talking about the miracle.’
‘There was a real miracle today,’ he said, pulling her close to him and kissing her. ‘You agreed to marry me.’
‘That was before I discovered how silly you could be,’ she said. ‘Funny thing is, it’s made me love you even more.’
Chapter Sixteen
1853
Lady Harvey stood at her bedroom window looking down the drive towards the gatehouse. Thick frost had beautified the bare fields and trees in the kind of stark winter scene she had once liked to capture in water-colours. But she was barely seeing it now, only aware of the small grey stone cottage in the distance, which until Nell left her, she’d barely noticed.
Wisps of smoke were coming out of the chimney, and she wondered what it was like in there now Albert was alone. To her shame she had never called on Nell while she was with him; she hadn’t even asked if she was comfortable in the gatehouse, or if there was anything she needed to make it more homely.
Today she knew she must deal with Albert. She couldn’t put it off as she might not get such a good opportunity again for months. William was in London, and Rufus had returned to school yesterday morning after the Christmas holiday, so if Albert did make a scene, there was no one to know.
It was six long years now since Nell had left, and Anne’s regrets about that day grew with each passing year. At first it was just the breakdown of comfortable order. But then, she had never before been expected to dress herself or arrange her own hair, far less do laundry, tidy rooms or mend anything, but it soon became evident that Nell’s departure had caused far wider destruction than was immediately apparent.
It transpired that Nell and Baines had effectively run the house between them; they set the standards for the other servants, and made sure their master and mistress never had to concern themselves with how all the many tasks were completed, or by whom.
Baines was the captain, Nell more of a foot soldier, but it had been her energy, pride in Briargate and the warmth of her personality which had created an environment that kept all the staff happy and willing to work hard. Without Nell, Baines soon floundered, his instructions were ignored, and the remaining servants bickered among themselves, all putting the blame for jobs left undone on someone else.
These days meals were often late, rooms were not always cleaned, and a strained, surly atmosphere had replaced the old cheerful and bustling one. As for Albert, he strutted around the grounds as if he owned the place, and everyone, Lady Harvey and Sir William included, was nervous of him.
Even back in the early days of Nell’s departure, Anne knew she ought to stir herself and take control, but she didn’t. Too late, she saw Nell had been far more than a mere maid; for along with being friend, sister and mother to