On Sunday morning, Marcie arrived at the funeral parlour for her monthly day off looking disgruntled and out of sorts. Even so Nessie greeted her warmly and ushered her into the living room where a fire was glowing. The smell of the meal she was cooking filled the room and everywhere looked homely and cosy. Marcie barely glanced at Joseph, who was fast asleep on the sofa covered with a thick blanket, but flinging her shawl off she eyed Nessie’s new gown jealously.
‘Come into money, have you?’ she asked sarcastically.
Nessie giggled. ‘No, of course I haven’t. Andre bought it for me because I help in the shop now dealing with the clients, so I have to look the part. I could hardly greet them in my old clothes, could I?’ As she filled the kettle at the sink she hurriedly told Marcie of all that happened since she had last seen her.
‘Seems to me that Mr Chevalier is eyeing you up as possible wife material,’ she sneered. ‘An’ speakin’ of him, where is he?’
Nessie shook her head. ‘It’s not like that at all. Andre and I are just on friendly terms. He’s never been anything other than a gentleman towards me. And as for where he is – I have no idea. He goes off every Saturday evening and comes back on Sunday. While he’s gone I’m able to deal with anything that crops up here so he doesn’t have to close the funeral parlour. It’s the sort of business that never really closes. People don’t choose when they’re going to pass away, do they?’
Marcie shrugged. ‘I suppose not but if you play your cards right I still think you could become Mrs Chevalier. He’s a lot older than you, admittedly, but he’s quite handsome an’ you’d be set up for life.’
‘I have no intention of getting married to Andre, or anyone else for that matter, at the minute,’ Nessie assured her as she warmed the teapot.
Marcie glanced around before asking, ‘And where’s Reuben?’
Nessie grinned. ‘Ah well, I could be entirely wrong but I have a feeling he’s met a young lady,’ she confided. ‘He’s been going out of an evening quite a bit this last couple of weeks when he hasn’t been needed here.’
‘Huh!’ Marcie snorted. ‘He’s so grumpy I’m surprised anyone would be interested in him, but I suppose stranger things have happened.’
Nessie could have replied that Reuben was usually only grumpy with her because she seemed to go out of her way to try and annoy him but she thought better of it. She got to see so little of her sister that she didn’t want them to spend the time they did have at odds with each other. So instead she told Marcie about the doctor that Andre had arranged to come from London to see Joseph.
Marcie wasn’t much interested, she had enough problems of her own, and when Nessie eventually placed her drink in front of her she sipped at it, staring thoughtfully into the flames flickering up the chimney. Things were hectic at Haunchwood House at present as the family prepared to leave for London where they would spend Christmas. She’d only got to see George twice that week, despite the fact that she had sat shivering in the hay loft every night waiting for him. Even when he had come she had sensed that he was distancing himself from her and now she was really worried. Somehow, she was determined that she would tie him to her but what would happen if her plan to snare him didn’t work? George was still convinced that she was practising a method of birth control so was still quite willing to lie with her when it suited him. But she wanted to be a lady and this time the following year she had promised herself that she would be living the life of Riley if all went to plan.
‘Penny for them?’
Nessie’s voice brought her thoughts sharply back to the present and she looked around, thinking how different from their previous home it looked. Nessie had made these rooms into a comfortable home and she’d noticed how smart it was in the funeral parlour too. But then that was Nessie all over. She took after their mother for being a homemaker. Marcie, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in that sort of thing at all and the only reason she had stuck her job for as long as she had was so that she could be close to George.
‘So where exactly does the handsome Frenchman disappear off to each week then? Does he go to visit his family?’ she asked.
‘No, his family are still in France and during the time I’ve been here there’s been no correspondence from them so I wonder if there’s been a family rift.’
‘Hmm, he must be going to see a woman then. Perhaps you’re not in with a chance after all.’
Nessie laughed. ‘I’ve told you, there is no chance of anything like that between us so can we change the subject now? You can tell me all about what you’ve been up to.’
So Marcie told her all about the family’s proposed trip to London and during the conversation her sister couldn’t help but notice that George, the family’s younger son’s name, popped up fairly often.
‘You’re not getting a crush on this young man, are you?’ she asked worriedly. ‘Because you must know that there could be no future together for you. We’re working class and they have money. They’ll want him to make a good marriage. That’s how it works in their circles.’
Marcie’s pretty face flushed. ‘What you’re forgetting is the family might have money now but his parents started with nothing.’
‘Even so, their children have been brought up with private tutors and nannies.’ Nessie was concerned that Marcie might get her heart broken but she soon realised that her warnings were falling on deaf ears. Marcie could be as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be, so eventually she changed the subject and went about the finishing touches for their meal.
Both Reuben and Andre arrived back within minutes of each other shortly before lunchtime. Reuben seemed to be in fine spirits, fuelling his sister’s suspicions that there might be a special young lady on the scene. Andre, however, entered by the front entrance looking waxen and distraught. During the times she’d been there she’d more than once noticed him discreetly taking a small white pill from the drawer of his desk, which he kept locked, but today he didn’t seem to care if she saw him take it and quickly unlocking the drawer he took a pill from the bottle and swallowed it back.
‘Andre, are you all right?’
Hearing the concern in her voice he turned to see her standing by the door that led into her rooms and he nodded wearily. ‘Yes … yes thank you … But I wonder, do you think you could cope without me for this evening too? I have to go out again but I will be back tomorrow for the funeral we have on Tuesday.’
‘Are you quite sure you’re well enough to go out again?’ she asked worriedly. He really did look very ill indeed.
He nodded. ‘I shall be fine but thank you for your concern. A very close … friend of mine is grievously ill so I need to be with them. I only came back to check that all is well.’
‘We shall be fine and of course you must go. But will you have something to eat first? The meal is almost ready.’
‘No, thank you.’ He ran his hand distractedly through his thick thatch of hair as Marcie came to stand behind her sister, watching him curiously. Seconds later he had gone off to his own living quarters for a quick change of clothes and minutes after that he was off out of the door again without so much as a goodbye.
‘What did you make o’ that, then?’ Marcie asked as they heard the parlour door close behind him. ‘Anyone would ’ave thought his tail was on fire he was in an’ out so quickly.’
‘I have no idea what to make of it and it’s his business, at the end of the day,’ Nessie responded. ‘But now I’m going to dish the dinner up. It’ll be ruined if I leave it much longer.’
Soon they were all sitting down to a succulent roast beef meal and for a short time none of them gave a lot of thought to Andre Chevalier.
Marcie left early that afternoon. She hoped that she might catch a glimpse of George if she hovered about by the house for long enough, although she wasn’t looking forward to standing about in the cold. Reuben had said that he wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have snow soon and for once Marcie agreed with him. It was certainly cold enough.
‘Do try and get Christmas Day off so you can come and spend it with us,’ Nessie urged as she hugged her sister at the door. Christmas would be hard for them all that year, as it had been every year since their mother died.
‘There’s every chance I will if the family all stay away,’ Marcie told her.
‘Why don’t you let Reuben walk you back?’ Nessie suggested worriedly. ‘Another woman has been killed and I really don’t like you being out and about on your own.’ The light was fast fading from the afternoon already.
‘I know, I read about it in the paper.’ Marcie tied the ribbons of her bonnet beneath her chin. ‘Cook reckons it’s got to be someone local responsible, but I shall be fine.’ And she set off for her lengthy walk back to the house without giving her sister a backward glance, leaving Nessie to worry and fret about her.
As luck would have it she saw George cantering towards her on his stallion the second she turned into the drive leading to the house. The trouble was, Leonora was beside him on her much smaller horse so there was no opportunity to speak to him. As they drew closer she stepped to the side, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on his face but he hardly gave her a second glance as he rode past and she fumed inwardly.
‘I think that little maid is smitten with you,’ Leonora commented when they had gone past. ‘Did you see the way she was watching you?’
‘Can’t say that I noticed,’ George replied, and digging his heels into the stallion’s sides he urged his horse into a gallop and was gone like the wind, leaving Marcie to stare after him with tears in her eyes
Marcie found Cook in a rare good mood when she entered the kitchen and Eliza was quick to tell her why as she removed her bonnet and shawl.
‘The mistress has just informed us that the whole family will be away for Christmas an’ the New Year,’ she chortled gleefully. ‘Which means that we can all get to spend some time with us families. Ain’t that great news?’
Marcie’s heart sank. She thought it was anything but, but she managed a weak smile.
‘They’re goin’ four days before Christmas Eve,’ Eliza rambled on. ‘So then we can more or less do as we please till they come back.’
‘Exactly how long are they going for?’ Marcie asked with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had allowed herself to believe that George would tell the family about how he felt about her at Christmas and now he wasn’t even going to be here!
‘I think Mr Dorsey and Master George are comin’ back after a couple of weeks but the missus an’ Miss Leonora could be gone fer a couple o’ months.’
‘Right, well I’m going to go up to my room for a bit of a rest now,’ Marcie told her, turning away abruptly and setting off up the steep, narrow stairs that led to the servants’ quarters.
Once in her room she flung her bonnet onto the bed and sobbed. How could George do this to her? And how much longer would he expect her to be a skivvy for the family? He’d better come and meet her tonight otherwise it might be time to have a little word in his mother’s ear!
The hours passed intolerably slowly and things got worse when Eliza finally rolled into bed with her chatterbox head on. She was as excited as a child about Christmas, but at last she became silent and soon after began to snore. Only then was Marcie able to sneak down the stairs and make her way to the hay loft.
‘I’m here.’ A voice came from the darkness as she neared the top of the ladder.
Crossing to her George put his hands out towards her but she slapped them away. ‘Just what the bloody hell do you think you’re playin’ at?’ She was so angry that it was all she could do to stop herself from smacking him. ‘I ain’t some little floozy you can pick up an’ drop at will, you know! An’ now I find yer goin’ to be away all over Christmas! I thought that was when you was goin’ to tell your mam about us?’
‘Calm down,’ he soothed. ‘Who says I wasn’t going to? I thought it would be better to tell her while she was staying at the Lewises’. She’s far less likely to kick up a fuss there, isn’t she? And then by the time she comes back she’ll have had time to get used to the idea. That’s why I agreed to go, not because I wanted to leave you, you silly little goose.’
‘Oh!’ Marcie felt suddenly foolish for doubting him. ‘Then in that case …’
‘Come here.’
She went willingly into his arms and for the next hour she forgot about everything but being with him and all was forgiven … for now.