Chapter 3
Florence had decided that she would go into town with Faith on the first Thursday. It wouldn’t hurt to show her around and even stand by her should anyone wish to discuss her qualifications. Nessie was happy enough to stay at home, as she had baking she wanted to do. It meant getting up early because market day began about six and was finished by midday. Most people knew what they wanted when going, so there was no point in the market spilling over into the hot afternoon.
As they’d gone in the pony trap, they’d taken two stools with them, which would allow them to sit in case there wasn’t a lot of demand. Her aunt had also had the good sense to write all her particulars on two half sheets of notepaper. If anyone were interested but hesitant, she could give them one of the papers so they had time to think about it and perhaps contact her at the market the following Thursday.
As it happened, no one seemed to need more than a milkmaid. There were some men that were taken on for early harvesting but that was about it. The market had begun to thin out with people going off with the wares they’d bought or taking their animals and poultry home with them for yet another Thursday. Faith looked at her aunt, wondering if she thought they ought to go home too.
“I don’t think it will serve to stay much longer,” her aunt stated. “Wait here for me while I buy us some eggs to take home. I’ve never wanted to have hens myself, so I only get eggs when I come to the market.”
She took her basket and headed off towards one of the women selling them. Faith sat on the stool looking down, not seeing anything as her mind wandered off thinking of the events leading up to the day. She came back to reality when a black pair of men’s boots stopped in front of her and then didn’t move. She looked up, but as the sun was already high in the sky, she couldn’t quite see the face of the person belonging to the boots. She stood rapidly out of politeness and addressed the person in front of her.
“May I help you, sir?” she wondered.
She felt herself blushing as she realised just how unwaveringly the man was scrutinizing her. If she’d been a horse, he’d be looking at her teeth by now. She refused to be intimidated, so stared back.
He was probably bordering on six feet tall and was of a solid build. She tried to ease back a little so she could look up into his face but the stool banged against her legs causing her to lose her balance. He quickly took her arm to prevent her from falling but didn’t say anything. He released the arm as soon as she was once again steady on her feet.
“Sir?” she repeated.
“I’m looking for a young woman capable of caring for two young children,” he informed her, rather brusquely.
“Are you?” he continued.
She had now had the time to observe him as he spoke.
Dark brown hair cut short in a roguish style; sideburns coming down to a square jaw and largish mouth under a hook nose that might have been broken at some time. The colour of his eyes seemed to fluctuate from hazel to brown but the excess of light in the marketplace might play her false on that point. The general impression he gave was rugged, not quite handsome, but certainly not ugly either.
“In the first instance, I am a young woman. As for being capable of caring for young children… that would certainly depend on the children,” she answered with a bit of a bite in her reply. There was no point in pretending to be submissive when she wasn’t.
“The boy is nearly five and his sister is three. They are motherless, and their nanny leaves in two days’ time to be married. I need someone immediately, and it could be a permanent position or temporary, if I’m given the time that I need to find someone else.”
He waited with his head tilted a little to one side.
“I am interested, but there are certainly a lot of questions needing to be answered by both of us. If you would care to sit a moment, we may be able to eliminate the most important points rapidly.”
Here she indicated the second stool. He looked a little doubtful but asked her to be seated first before sitting a little awkwardly with his long legs stretched out before him.
“If you would permit me to start, I would like to know if the children are in good health and if they are difficult?” she began.
“Yes and no” he answered.
‘Well, no time wasted there. He must be in a hurry,’ she thought.
“Where do you live?”
“I live in a house in Marshalswick, which is between here and St Albans. I am willing to pay £12 per annum with board and keep included.”
“I am happy to hear that you live near. I would also be happy to consider the position on a temporary basis with the view of a permanent fixing by mutual agreement. However, as there are two very young children, and you obviously want someone to start immediately, I feel that my qualifications allow me to ask for £20 per annum with board and keep.”
She was taking an enormous risk by asking for so much more money. She even felt a little guilty when she thought of how hard she had worked for her father for nothing. She watched his face as he evidently considered his alternatives.
“What are the qualifications that permit you to demand such a sum? Do you have references?”
He wasn’t going to let the matter go without being convinced.
“If I were to stay on a long-term basis, I am perfectly qualified to teach your children, so it would not be in the position of a nursemaid but rather that of a governess. But more important than that, I feel qualified to really care for children and wouldn’t hesitate to show them affection should they ask for it. Unfortunately, I don’t have references with me here at the market as I was not hopeful of securing such a position. I will be able to give them to you at a later date.”
She had the letter that Dame Hilton had given her all those years ago, so she wasn’t misleading the man — well, perhaps a little.
Her bonnet had become loose on her head, so she undid the ribbons and lifted it a little. She tidied her hair with a sweeping gesture before replacing the bonnet and retying the ribbons to her satisfaction. It was this simple gesture that decided in her favour.
The Baron Isleworth, Quentin Wolfe, saw that she was perfectly natural and at ease. There was no sign of subterfuge or pretension. Besides, he like that she was not subservient. So many of the locals would pretend docility while muttering under their breaths. This young woman with character would do, but then, did he really have much choice?
“Very well. I am willing to accept you for the position subject to you meeting with the children.”
It was at this moment, Quentin noticed a little old lady standing to one side. He jumped up waiting to be introduced.
“May I introduce you to my aunt, Mrs. Florence Warren. Aunt, this is…
“Wolfe, Quentin Wolfe, Madam. At your service.” He finished with a slight bow in her direction.
“Delighted to meet you, sir,” she responded with a querying glance at her niece.
“Your niece and I have agreed to a position in my household as governess,” here he looked at Faith emphasizing the word, “subject to presentation of the children.”
Faith beamed. For some reason, the way he had stressed the word ‘governess’ gave her the impression he might have a dry sense of humour.
“Have you an idea when your earliest convenience will be?” he directed his question to Faith. “I would appreciate it if you were able to come rapidly. You are already aware of the situation…” he trailed off his phrase watching her reaction.
“If you will excuse me just a moment while I speak with my aunt,” she said with a gracious smile.
He turned away, and Faith pulled her aunt a little to one side.
“He needs someone to care for two young children as his present nursemaid leaves at the end of the week to marry. He has agreed to pay me £20 per annum after originally proposing £12. His house is in Marshalswick, do you know it?”
She spoke quickly not wanting to waste anyone’s time.
“Yes, I know Marsh
alswick. It is nearer to St Albans than it is to here. I wouldn’t like you to go on your own, so let’s suggest to him that we both go now in the pony trap. It is only about three miles. If everything is in order and you are happy to stay, we can organise that your belongings be picked up and brought to you. There is no point in you coming back with me only to retrace your steps. What do you think of that?”
Faith could see from the corner of her eye that Mr. Wolfe was now watching them with a bit of a frown on his face. He took a pocket watch out of his waistcoat and glanced at it superficially.
“Yes, that would suit me, if he is agreeable. I shall just be a little sorry not to say goodbye to Nessie. Let’s see, anyway.”
She turned and came nearer to him with a smile, saying exactly what she and her aunt had decided in the case that he were agreeable. He seemed surprised that her earliest convenience was now.
“I appreciate your alacrity, Miss…”
“Eversley, Faith Eversley.”
“I will just retrieve my horse and join you.”
She watched him walk away fascinated by those long legs encased in well-tailored riding trousers and black boots.
-o0o-
Polly seemed happy to trot along next to Mr. Wolfe’s magnificent black stallion. Faith wondered if it were a particular breed, because he looked perfect. His coat shone in the sun as if it were wet; his mane was thick and long and his neck was graceful. For all his grace, she could see that he was powerfully built too. She didn’t know much about horses, but she did know that this one was a beauty.
They finally arrived at tall iron gates that stood open next to a small lodge. The long lantern-lined drive leading to the house was direct, so they immediately saw that his residence was a mansion. What they couldn’t immediately see were the stables and carriage house at the left side of the house and farther around, the extensive flower and vegetable gardens and behind them, stretching a good distance, the orchards of apples, plums and pears. The rest of the land was either crops or fields lying fallow.
The mansion alone intimidated them, although they made every effort not to show it. They followed him up the wide drive and around to the side of the house where a groom arrived to take his horse. Another arrived to take the pony in hand while Mr. Wolfe helped Florence down first. Before he could return to assist Faith, she had already joined them.
She is an independent woman, he thought.
“Come with me, if you will.” He indicated that they were going to enter by a side door which in fact was a continuation of the front entry in an “L” shape. No doubt, if the weather were bad, it would be easier to enter this way than by the front. He took them into the drawing room, waving away the butler.
“If you could arrange for refreshments, Stokes, I would appreciate it. Ask Mary to bring the children in too. Thank you.”
Faith was beginning to have second thoughts. This was not the environment she had anticipated. Everything seemed much too big and cold and impersonal. There was practically an echo in the place. The cream marble fireplace in the room drew attention being centred in a wall divested of any other shape or form. Much too bare and gloomy she thought. The whole room was a pale blue bordering on grey that she found depressing. Thank goodness, the carpet had some colour, as the armchairs and sofa were the same blue as the room. She looked at her aunt to try and guess her thoughts, but it was impossible to judge.
Mr. Wolfe (was that his real name after all? She began to have doubts about everything) asked them to be seated and then sat in an armchair near them. It was more than she could abide. The oppression of the place was suffocating. She really could not see herself living here, and she had to say so before any more time was wasted.
She stood saying, “I’m sorry Mr. Wolfe, but I have been under a misapprehension as to your situation. I regret to have to inform you that I can’t accept the position after all. There is no point in wasting any more of your time, I am sorry.”
She didn’t quite know what else to say. She didn’t want to be rude and call his home a mausoleum but there was even a whiff of one.
His face had gone blank with this announcement. He was left speechless for a minute, while he took in the impact of her refusal. Her aunt didn’t look at her or say anything but was apparently prepared to accept her decision. Faith was on the point of leaving, but Mr. Wolfe now stood too. He made an impressive sight as his astonishment had turned to anger.
“I am afraid that you have already agreed, even if it is only to be temporary,” he said forcefully.
“Subject to meeting the children,” she added, “and I haven’t met them yet and don’t intend to. Please come, Aunt Florence,” she said with a pleading voice.
Her aunt stood to follow her out.
“Mr. Wolfe.”
She automatically gave the faintest hint of a curtsey as she joined Faith at the door. Faith’s hand was already on the handle about to open it when there was a knock. She instinctively stepped away, expecting the door to open. Mr. Wolfe grinned like the wolf that he was. It did not suit him.
“Come,” he said in a loud, deep voice.
The door opened to reveal a young woman holding on solidly to two small children. Faith groaned. She had lost. She was trapped and it was not because of the agreement. The look alone on the little boy’s face had made her forget all her objections. He seemed to be the unhappiest child she had ever seen. He wasn’t crying or showing any emotion, he was simply a lost soul. The little girl seemed lively enough, but the nurse had a tight grip on her that Faith didn’t like too much.
“All right, you win for a temporary position,” Faith ceded with a glance at him over her shoulder.
Mr. Wolfe’s grin irked her, but this was no longer about him.
He dismissed Mary who retreated leaving the children. Faith turned to him and asked if she might spend a few minutes with them on her own without any outside influence, which meant him. He was astute enough to realise that it would be to his advantage if all went well, so he invited her aunt to come with him into the library across the hallway. Faith noticed that her aunt seemed more relaxed now that the situation had eased.
Faith sat in the nearest chair so that she didn’t dominate the children. She took off her bonnet so that the children could see her as she was.
She held out her hand to the boy saying, “How do you do? My name is Faith Eversley, what’s yours?”
He stepped forward and, instead of taking or shaking her hand as she thought he might, he took it and kissed the back of it. She was shocked to see a four-year-old acting so stiffly.
“My name is Christopher Wolfe, and this is my sister Helen, ma’am.”
He was a slender child without being thin. He had thick, dark brown hair that curled a little with big hazel-coloured eyes. The lashes were dark and luxuriant for a boy, but they didn’t make him look effeminate. His face was pale with pleasant features. She could imagine that he would turn into a good-looking young man, if only he could be shot of his sorrow. With no sign of inhibitions, Helen was scrambling onto Faith’s lap, which she was more than happy to accept. Helen was a different matter, even if she did resemble her brother. She exuded a “joie de vivre” joy of living, which came naturally without effort. They were both lovely children.
“I suppose you know that your nanny is leaving, and I am to come and replace her for a while?”
Christopher looked down at the floor without making a comment. Helen had begun playing with the mother of pearl buttons on the front of Faith’s dress.
“Very pretty,” she said, smiling up at Faith who smiled back. Faith was worried about the boy’s detachment, so she tried to engage his attention.
“This is an awfully big house,” she began. “I am sure that I would soon be lost if I tried to find my way. Do you think you know the way from here to your rooms? I would so like to see where I will be staying.”
She watched his reaction hopefully and was rewarded by Christopher looking at her directly
.
“I could show you, ma’am. Our rooms are next to the nanny’s, but there are a lot of stairs to climb. I think the house is very big too.”
There was a tap on the door, and it opened to show Stokes carrying a large tray with refreshments. As she didn’t want to lose the contact she had created with Christopher, she immediately told Stokes that Mr. Wolfe was in the library, and that she was going upstairs with the children. Stokes placed the tray on a low table before doing an about-face and crossing the hall to the library. She stood in a flash with Helen in her arms and grabbed Christopher’s hand.
“Quickly, let’s go before they come back and bore us,” she laughed heading for the stairs with Christopher running alongside her as fast as he could. She’d gone up half a dozen stairs before she had to put Helen down. She was far too heavy. They’d reached the first landing when Mr. Wolfe came out and saw them.
“Where are you going?” he asked loudly.
She didn’t answer but said to Christopher loud enough that he might hear, “Quickly or the wolf will catch us.”
They went the rest of the way up with Christopher taking quick looks over his shoulder.
“I’m only joking,” she tried to reassure him. “Your papa wants me to take care of you, so he won’t mind us leaving him behind.”
“He’s not my papa.”
It was all he said. They’d reached the first floor and she stopped abruptly to look down at him. Helen was hanging on to the skirt of her dress laughing at all the excitement. Faith crouched down so her face was on the same level as that of Christopher’s.
“If he’s not your papa, who is he?” she asked quietly.
“He’s my uncle. Papa is dead.”
Tears immediately misted her eyes. What a hard reality for such a young child. The tears overflowed and began to run down her cheeks. Christopher saw them and touched one with a finger as though not sure it was really there.
“Did you know Papa? Are you crying for him, too?”
She pulled his stiff little body to her and said, “No, I didn’t know your papa, but I am crying for him.”
She could hardly tell Christopher that she was crying for them. She felt him relax and sink into her embrace. Helen pulled at her saying,
“Me, me too.”
So, Faith gave her a quick cuddle and a kiss on her curly head before standing again.
“Come on you lazy bones, you have to show me where we will be together.”
Christopher took her hand without her asking and pulled her along to another flight of steps that took them to their bedroom, the schoolroom and the governess’s two rooms.
Her temporary position had begun.
A quarter of an hour later, a maid knocked on the schoolroom door before peeking in.
“The Master asks that you go down as your aunt would like to see you before she goes.”
Oh, my goodness. She’d forgotten that her aunt was with Mr. Wolfe. An illustrated child’s book had occupied her, as she read to the two children sitting in her lap. She reluctantly got them to move and asked Christopher to hold the book for her while she went downstairs. He was to try and keep the place in the book so she would know where to begin again. He nodded, sat in the armchair holding the book open and his finger on the page. She smiled to think what a serious little boy he was.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please don’t go away.”
Without a smile, Christopher replied by saying, “We have nowhere to go.”
‘This is not going to be easy,’ Faith thought. ‘What must be going on in the child’s head…?’
She hurried down not getting lost and was soon at the bottom of the stairs across from the drawing room. There, with the door ajar, she saw her aunt with Mr. Wolfe inside.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. The children showed me the rooms and then we got distracted.”
“I have to be going, Faith,” her aunt explained. “I hadn’t planned to be away so long. Nessie may be worrying. Mr. Wolfe is going to send someone with me for your things. He’ll bring them back later. If you need anything, just let me know and of course, you know you will always have a bed waiting for you,” she said, this without looking at Mr. Wolfe. She had wanted him to know, though, that he wouldn’t be able to hold dismissing Faith out of hand as a means of controlling her. They took leave of each other with Faith saying she would come and see them as soon as she could. She asked that her aunt apologise to Nessie on her behalf for not saying goodbye.
She felt a pang as she heard the pony trap returning down the drive, probably with a groom sitting next to her aunt in the spot where she herself had sat. She was having very mixed emotions all at the same time. A lot had happened.
Mr. Wolfe apparently had said something that she hadn’t heard properly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you as I was thinking of something else.”
“Come into the library now, Miss Eversley.”
No ‘please’, no ‘would you’. That was unacceptable.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible now,” she retaliated.
She wasn’t feeling very happy so was more sensitive to his manner of asking.
“There are two children who are waiting for me upstairs. There are also some points I would like to discuss with you, and I would be happy to do that after the children are in bed, or if not, tomorrow?”
“Good God, woman. Who is the employer here?” he was annoyed again.
“Who is the one who desperately needs children to be looked after?”
She could be annoyed too.
She had him over a barrel until he could find someone else. Tomorrow he would go into St. Albans and start enquiries with an agency. They would perhaps take longer than he had at the market, but their nets would be cast out farther afield; to London even.
“I see… then shall we say in the library at ten tomorrow morning, if that wouldn’t interfere with the children? I would hate for them to feel that I was intruding on their lives in any way.”
His sarcasm was not subtle.
“We might as well do everything in one go. After the library, I’ll introduce you to the staff officially,” he added, nonetheless thinking as he spoke that her time there was already limited.
“Thank you. Tomorrow morning at ten. You are always welcome to come and see the children while they are in my care.”
In her mind, the job would be temporary, so the idea of being dismissed for impertinence did not cross her mind. She turned and quietly left the room. There was no point in tackling him about anything until they were both calmer, and she’d had the time to go over the situation in her mind. If it hadn’t been for the children, she would have happily left with her aunt, and he knew it.
She quickly returned to the schoolroom where she found Helen trying to undress a doll and Christopher still sitting in the armchair with his finger in the book.
The room was a fair size with sash windows looking out over the drive and the parkland. A series of doors in alignment went from the schoolroom to their bedroom to her bedroom to her sitting room. It meant that from her bedroom, with the intervening door open, she would hear the children at night, if there were any disturbance.
All the rooms were just too plain for Faith’s approval. She wanted to brighten them up for the children and herself, as a good portion of their lives would be spent up here on the second floor. As all the rooms faced north overlooking the drive, she thought a warm yellow or a pale apricot colour with white paintwork would make the rooms more cheerful. She would have to see what she would be allowed to do to change it. She went over to Christopher.
“You are a sweetie,” she whispered to him, “to have kept the place in the book all this time. You didn’t have to worry though. If you’d lost the place, it wouldn’t have taken me long to find it again.”
He looked at her with big eyes that didn’t blink as though they might miss something if they did. She lifted him and sat in his place wh
ile holding him on her lap. He wiggled so his head came against her breast and her arm around him. Helen got the hint and dropped the doll to climb on her lap, too. They were soon ensconced in her embrace as she held the book in front of them so they could see the pictures as she read.
By the time their tea was delivered to them, they’d already finished several books and had begun drawing. Teatime meant their evening meal. This evening it was slices of ham with lettuce, potatoes and beetroot. There was plenty of bread and butter and their dessert was a custard tart. There was a blackcurrant cordial to be diluted with water for their drink.
Faith had discovered that the schoolroom had a table with four chairs that served nicely for their meal. They were a little low for her but she didn’t mind. It wasn’t surprising to discover that Helen had a good appetite. She was a cheerful little girl bordering on being plump. Or perhaps she had been plump and was shedding some of it? Christopher was warier of his food. Faith had realised from the start that the little boy had been troubled and was still an anxious child with good cause. She didn’t know what had happened to Mary. She hadn’t seen her since the time she had delivered the children to the drawing room. Just as well, because she hadn’t left a good impression on Faith.
She washed their faces and got them to rinse their mouths with water as they didn’t have toothbrushes. She would have to see about remedying that. They got into their nightwear without a fuss and both jumped into bed looking a lot happier than earlier in the day. It was still light outside, so she drew the curtains ready for them to sleep (the dull curtains would have to go too).
“Now, I shall sing you to sleep,” stated Faith.
“How can you do that?” asked Christopher.
“I don’t know how it works but I suspect you’ll just get tired of listening to me and go to sleep.”
She began with lullabies that she’d learned at Dame Hilton’s. Her voice was low and quite deep, and it wasn’t long before Helen succumbed. She could see that Christopher was watching her closely, and then he reached for her hand as he closed his eyes too.
It had taken less than half a day for her to fall completely under the charm of these children. She was in a mess now, because she didn’t want her ‘temporary position’ to come to an end. These children needed a mother and failing that, the next best thing was stability with a woman who cared for them. She was going to have to put water in her wine tomorrow when she came face to face again with Mr. Wolfe.
The children had already shown her to the water closet on the floor below. It was placed near to the back staircase that led all the way down to the ground floor or up to the servants’ rooms. Its plumbing was connected to another water closet in a cupboard under the stairs, next to the kitchen. Whoever had been charged with emptying the chamber pots previously would be especially happy with this new convenience.
She had decided that it would be a good thing to make herself known before tomorrow as she didn’t want the other staff to think she thought she was better than they were. She took the tray with the empty tea things down the backstairs with her, hoping that perhaps her personal belongings had arrived with the groom. As she came into the kitchen, she could see that the staff hadn’t eaten yet. It was still relatively early and of course at eight o’clock there would be another hour and a half before the sun set. There was a middle-aged plump woman that was obviously the cook near to the stove moving a saucepan to the side. She wore a mop cap and a pinafore with a big pocket in the front. She turned when she heard Faith enter and gave her a pleasant smile. Faith couldn’t tell if she had naturally rosy cheeks or if the heat from the stove had given them to her, but the effect was of someone jovial with a happy temperament. Mr. Stokes was standing to one side and two young men and a girl were already sitting at the table, probably with the idea of keeping out of the way. She smiled as best she could when confronted by people she didn’t know.
“I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything. I’m Faith Eversley, the children’s new governess. I just wanted to bring these tea things back down and enquire if the young groom had been able to bring my belongings back with him?”
“Why, that’s very thoughtful of you. Just put the tray on the side there and we’ll take care of the rest. I’m Mrs. Miller the cook. Everyone calls me Millie and I’m happy with that,” she was pleased to explain.
“I know the master intends to bring you down tomorrow so I won’t present everyone to you now. You’ll have to deal with us all soon enough. George, the groom brought your things in here not long ago. They’re on the sideboard. Would you like a cup of tea before you go? The kettle is always on the range for one thing or another.”
The whole time she was talking, she was busy preparing a pot of tea. She realised that she had been chattering away and quickly added,
“I’m a proper chatterbox, so don’t mind me, dear.”
It seemed that everyone was deferential to Mrs. Miller. For all her light talk, she obviously was the main stay in the kitchen. Even Stokes, the butler, had a smile for her as she began to pour the tea.
“Would it be all right for me to take the tea up with me? I’ve had a very long day and hope to jump into bed as soon as I can.”
“Of course, Miss Eversley,” Mrs. Miller agreed.
“Then, I shall look forward to meeting you all officially tomorrow,” she said with a smile. “Good night.”
They wished her the same.
She picked up the mug of tea, her bag of belongings and left them to their meal. She was glad that she’d eaten with the children because she was very weary now. She prepared for bed and fell in expecting to sleep right away but didn’t. Perhaps the tea was keeping her awake now? Her mind went over the day from start to finish. She had never dreamed that she would be sleeping in a different bed, in a different town, when she woke this morning. She thought of the two children that would be there tomorrow, waiting. Her life had taken a radical swing and she sighed thinking that should the worst come to the worst, her aunt and Nessie were waiting in the background as her second resort.