SUNSHINE STREAMED ACROSS the whole of Greenbay and seemed to dance and jiggle through every window of Rushton House. The big house basked in the warmth of a special family day. The garden was heavy with blooms, and pink roses clung to the trellising and the bower, and trailed along near the front porch and across the terrace. Swags of cream magnolia blossoms decorated the huge trees in front of the house. The mistress had had a team of gardeners tending the lawns and filling the flower-beds for months, so now there wasn’t a weed to be seen, only a blaze of stunning colour.
There’s nothing like a summer wedding, thought Peggy wistfully, as she gazed across the beautiful gardens.
Kitty and herself had been up at the crack of dawn. Kitty was so excited you’d think she was to be bridesmaid or something, thought Peggy. They grabbed an early breakfast for themselves in the kitchen. The family had theirs on trays in their rooms, as the dining table and breakfast table were already laid for the wedding banquet.
Peggy couldn’t stop herself yawning. She had hardly slept a wink, thinking of Kitty leaving.
The minute Mrs O’Connor stepped into the kitchen it was as if the whole household staff were sucked into a whirlwind.
Young Simon was sent up and down the stairs with cups of lemon tea for the ladies. He provided the kitchen staff with a running account of the goings-on upstairs: ‘Momma has the vapours’; ‘Roxanne says she thinks her feet have swollen and her shoes are too small’; ‘Pappa is unable to find his new collar buttons!’
Mrs Whitman, the housekeeper, supervised the delivery of fresh flowers, cooled white wine, and last-minute wedding gifts and tokens, as well as showing the Rowan cousins, who had arrived to stay, to their rooms.
Luckily, Peggy caught Bonaparte, the scamp of a dog, hiding under the heavy linen tablecloth chewing a bit of old bone! Wouldn’t that be a fine to-do for one of the guests, to put their hand down to pick up a napkin and discover a mouldy old dog’s bone!
‘Go outside, you bad dog!’ shouted Peggy, and she watched as he scampered across the dining room and out through the french doors.
By mid-day steam ran down the kitchen walls and dripped onto the floor. Peggy had a go at it every now and then with the mop, but it was a waste of effort. All the doors were open in the hope of catching some little bit of cooling breeze.
No expense had been spared and there were joints of beef roasting, chicken coated in white, creamy sauce and lobster dripping in butter. There were baby new potatoes, corn and greens and all sorts of vegetables. No guest would leave the wedding table hungry – Mrs O’Connor had made sure of that. She surveyed the laden side-tables, where tarts and frosted cakes and heavy fruitcakes, sodden with brandy, fought for attention. Well satisfied, the cook beckoned to Peggy.
‘I’m going up to change, Peggy, you keep an eye on things here.’ Mrs O’Connor’s blouse clung damply to her plump folds of skin and her face was hot and flushed with all the cooking. Peggy took the opportunity to flop down on a stool near the back door.
After a little while Mrs O’Connor returned, looking refreshed and wearing a crisp white cotton blouse. ‘That’s a bit better, Peggy, I feel like a new woman now. Come on, Miss Roxanne is dressed and ready.’
The cook and Peggy stepped out into the crowded hallway just as the bride came down the winding, polished stairs.
Peggy had to admit that Roxanne Rowan looked for all the world like an angel on this her wedding day. Her blond hair hung in soft waves around her face, the back part coiled and looped around a spray of rosebuds. Her dress was pure, soft, cream silk with tiny pearl buttons up the front and from cuff to elbow. The material clung to Roxanne’s slim figure and swept back in folds at her feet. Her skin shone and her eyes were full of happiness.
An ‘Aah!’ of pleasure filled the air as the assembled household staff took in her beauty.
‘Good luck, Miss Roxanne!’ beamed Mrs O’Connor, hugging her.
‘Every happiness to you and Mister Fletcher Parker,’ said Miss Whitman, her thin face eager as she shook the bride’s hand.
Peggy stood transfixed. It was her turn. Normally she would just mumble and say as little as possible to the girl who had once made her life so miserable – the girl who had teased and jeered her and even accused her of stealing. A slight blush of colour came into the other girl’s cheeks. Peggy lifted her eyes to meet the pale blue of Roxanne’s. There she saw happiness and hope and nervousness and sadness all jumbled together. They were no longer enemies.
‘I wish you happiness and many, many good things in the future, Miss Roxanne, I really do!’ said Peggy warmly.
Roxanne smiled. ‘Thank you, Peggy, I appreciate it,’ she said, shaking Peggy’s hand before moving on to the next person.
Peggy blinked, surprised at herself. She really had meant it. She wished only happiness for this girl who was leaving her mother and father and going off to make a new life for herself with Mr Fletcher Parker. Kitty, who was standing on the stairs, caught Peggy’s eye and winked.
Mr Fletcher Parker and his family and the other guests were already outdoors in the beautiful summer gardens of Rushton, for that was where the marriage ceremony would take place. A shady spot had been chosen and the Reverend Samuel Brooke stood waiting there.
A hush fell over the garden as Roxanne, holding her father’s arm, walked out to join her future husband. Back in the kitchen Peggy and Kitty and Mrs O’Connor stood at the open door listening to the simple words of the bible drifting across the hedge as Roxanne Rowan was wed. Then Peggy and Kitty moved outside, offering the guests a glass of cooling summer punch before the meal was served.
Peggy felt such a stab of loneliness as she watched cousins and aunts, and uncles and grandchildren, all hug and greet each other. She thought of Eily and Michael, and Aunt Nano and all of them – her own family so far away from her.
Mr Fletcher Parker stood beside the bride. For once he looked actually handsome, as they both welcomed and conversed with their guests. Laughter filled the house, both inside and out, as family and friends joined in celebrating Roxanne’s wedding day.
The sun was sinking and lamps lit up the dark outside when the first guests began to slip away. Peggy’s back and shoulders ached after the long day and she longed to sit down and rest. Mrs O’Connor flopped in the kitchen chair, and thanked God that everything had gone so well. Many compliments had been paid to the cook, and her choice of menu had been considered very wise.
Peggy and Kitty and Miss Whitman stared in disbelief at the huge pile of dirty plates and glasses and servers still to be washed. Wearily they re-filled the kitchen sink with water and Peggy washed and scrubbed for what seemed like hours, with Kitty drying and Miss Whitman putting the dishes away.
Peggy had no idea what hour it was when they eventually climbed the stairs to the attic. Kitty, still wearing her uniform, fell onto her bed, pulled up the light sheet and was asleep in a second, her unsteady snores annoying Peggy. Peggy was about to jump up and shake her friend when she realised that soon Kitty would be gone and there’d come a time when she would miss even the snores of her fellow-maid.