Happy returns

Sydney Walk
March 30th 1853

My Dearest Boo

I do hope you are feeling better, my darling friend. When Mrs Doughty wrote to me in Blindingham with news of LB and Villiers I resolved to come back to London straight away. I could not bear to be apart from them - and by association yourself - a minute longer. I am blessed with a doting husband, as you know, and when he found me in fits of weeping at the thought of staying away another night he called a carriage for me immediately. He remains in Blindingham, staying with the Cornbenches (who are a drab pair with clingy, grey children but who are at the very least not from the village) He is overseeing the structural security of the Hall and planning to drain the lake.

But what of it, I am here! Back in Bayswater ready to welcome LB to his temporary but very loving home. I think Mrs Doughty was happy to help for a while but she is not accustomed to the sounds and smells of an occupied household - not as you and I are - and I will wager that Villiers and she did not see eye to eye. Her account of his nighttime habits have proved to me that she is not as tolerant a woman as she might appear in daylight.

But that is of no matter now. I pray for your speedy recovery, Boo! Not only so that you can have your boy back in your arms - I need your worldly advice in furnishings and fashionable decor. I have a project which I cannot wait to discuss with you.

I shall call as soon as you are well enough,

Yrs

Effie x

Neighbourly relations

Lydiatt House
March 22nd 1853

I have loved my home for so long that I have been quite blind to the parlous stupidity of its village folk. This waiting for news of Cook is so tiresome that I find I no longer care overmuch whether she is alive or dead - she is sure to be one or the other. I have spent more time than I care to contemplate wandering the village lanes in search of her. At the start I was alive with eager hope that she would come walking around the next corner, scolding me for wearing unsuitable boots as she used to do. I am only slightly sorry to confess that now I would be happy for a glimpse of her under a bush or floating in Bartle Pond - anything that would bring an end to this uncertainty.

I visit Mrs Everdown in the Forester's Arms every morning to see if she has had word, but she is becoming increasingly vague as her vigil there goes on. When all this is over I shall insist that Josiah does not employ her as housekeeper of the rebuilt Hall - she is unlikely to appreciate the sophisticated new surroundings I am planning. She is too much of a villager for us after all, and resembles her bovine daughter more closely than I had imagined.

The people in Blindingham are well meaning enough, I suppose but oh! they are so dense and harsh of feature. There is not one of them without a nose like a pineapple. Everywhere I go I see the same thick set brows and square jaws looking back at me - I feel as if I have stumbled univited upon a family gathering. I wonder I had not noticed before how dim and pockmarked they all are.

If cook does not appear soon - quick or dead - I shall return to civilisation and be thankful that I do not have to conduct my business in the sawdust and smoke of a village hostelry. The air in the streets of Bayswater is a good deal fresher, I will swear to it.

Silver Lining

Lydiatt House
March 21st 1853


At last we have had some good news. Josiah has had word from London - we are to be reimbursed for every penny we spend on restoring the Hall! What a clever husband I have. He is such a pioneer in business and financial matters and I am very fortunate to have him to look after me so well - it pains me that Papa does not see Josiah as I do. I am even more determined to get back to London now to begin choosing new furnishings. I shall fashion the East Wing in the style our dear Queen has chosen for Osborne House, I think. I do not propose to bother Josiah much with the details but I shall deliver him the most fashionable country residence in all England to show him how proud I am of his business dealings. And I shall no longer be obliged to accept Mrs Cornbench's offer of her cast off sticks - thank the Lord for Josiah and for the Prudential Insurance Company!

Unbearable Darkness

Lydiatt House
March 19th 1853


I cannot bear to stay here another day. Mrs Cornbench seems so delighted to be able to provide respite and succour to 'our poor, poor neighbours' that I could almost fancy she set the Hall alight herself.

Happily, I may not have to endure her ministrations for much longer. Josiah is anxious to get back to London and arrange our finances so that we can begin to effect the restoration. I have told him I want the finest materials and the best builders working on my home - I was grateful that the men in the village came to save the Hall for us but I hardly think them skilfull enough to rebuild it!

Having suffered such a terrible shock, I find this house far too depressing to my spirits. I need light and fine things around me, but the Cornbenches have arranged this house as though they have taken a vow of self denial. There is scant furniture to speak of and what there is is dark and simple. There are a few pieces which I myself would have chosen - indeed I am sure that we have some very similar at the Hall (if they have been spared from the fire) - but mostly it is small and uncomfortable. I do not know where the Cornbenches came from originally, but very little in this house has been passed down, I can tell.

I am desperate to see LB again - I even miss Villiers, who would be discreet but just as horrified as I am by the way the Cornbenches live. (I may inadvertently pack a pillowcase in my luggage just to watch him squeal at its ordinariness. Has she some medical condition that prevents her from having silk next to her skin?) But we should not leave here until we have some notion of Cook's whereabouts, I suppose. Jennet and a couple of the village boys have searched the lake as well as they can and Mrs Everdown has spent a great deal of time waiting for her to arrive at the Inn, but there has been no sign. I confess the concern I have for her welfare wanes with every bowl of lukewarm broth and stale biscuits I am forced to eat at the Cornbenchs' table. Their meals are as drab as their curtains - at least we have the excuse that our Cook is insane.

Every hour without news is like a lifetime. I must go to London soon, I simply must.

Remains of the Day

Lydiatt House
March 16th 1853


Dearest Mrs Doughty

I can hardly write, I am so shaken by what I have seen. I am compelled to make contact with you since you are so generously caring for LB, but I fear I will make little sense in this letter. Please grant forbearance - what you are about to read will no doubt be an outward manifestation of the turmoil I find myself in.

I was happily sitting in Sydney Walk just a few short days ago - and yet it seems a lifetime away in truth - when a messenger arrived at our door with an urgent missive from Mrs Cornbench, our neighbour back in the village. I confess I have found her nothing short of meddlesome in the past so I was not inclined to read her letter at first, but the man was insistent that Josiah should be fetched fom his work and should read the message forthwith. Oh, Mrs Doughty - the news it contained, I can barely bring myself to put in words...

Blindingham Hall, my beautiful home, has been burned beyond all recognition - and we fear that Cook has perished in the flames!

It seems that Jennet awoke one night to see the East wing ablaze. He rode straight into the village and managed to raise a goodly crowd of local men to come back with him. How lucky we are to have such standing with our neighbours that they will leave their beds to help us. Jennet arranged a string of them to pass buckets of water from our lake up to the house while he himself went inside to find Mrs Everdown and the staff. I shall make sure he is well compensated for his trouble when we are more settled - without his brave actions we should surely be homeless and without a servant to our names.

By the time Josiah and I reached home - after perhaps the most terrifying journey anyone could be expected to undertake - we happened upon the sorriest sight. The whole of the East Wing has crumbled, the Orangery is in tatters and the lawns are blackened, all shrubbery destroyed. The main Hall and West End are - by the mercy of God - intact and Jennet's lodge, being some distance from the hall itself, has been spared. We cannot spend a night in the Hall, though, until all burning ashes are extinguished and the roof has been made safe. Josiah is calculating the cost of all this as I sit here describing it - he is in a state of utter devastation, poor man.

Oh, Mrs Everdown and the undermaids are safe, but there is no sign of Cook! Her rooms were in the East Wing - did she set herself ablaze in a fit of madness? By mistake? Perhaps she thought she was back in the kitchens and was starting to prepare Supper. It is all the most dreadful mess.

I shall write more when we have found her, or at least any sign that she was there - if I make myself clear. I cannot bear to contemplate what may have happened to her. If she was not consumed in the fire - where is she?

We are staying with the Cornbenches for the present - it is strangely comforting since much of their furniture reminds me of home. I do believe I detect a little satisfaction on that woman's face but since I am at her mercy I must remain silent, for now.

Give LB a kiss from me and tell Villiers that Jennet asked after him,

Yrs

Effie H

Trouble at the Hall

Sydney Walk
March 10th 1853

My Dear Mrs Doughty

We have had the most dreadful news from home. Josiah and I must return immediately to Blindingham for I do not know how long and we cannot take Boo's boy with us. I am sending him to you in the company of our manservant Villiers and pray that you can house them both until we are back inLondon.

I am beside myself with worry, but I am sure that you will do Boo and myself this kindness - please be assured that I will be in touch again as soon as I am able. I cannot thank you enough for reading this letter in what I am confident will be a state of calm capability and compassion.

Do not be concerned about how to entertain the child - Villiers and he get along delightfully and will hardly be in your way at all. You may wish to let Boo know that he is with you and that I shall reimburse you for any expenditure you incur in the feeding of them both.

I must leave off now,

Yours in gratitude

Effie H.

Exuberance

Sydney Walk
March 8th 1853

Josiah is still reluctant to spend time with LB, but I have seen him standing over his cot when he is asleep and I know that he is as smitten with him as I am. When I heard him singing so softly last night - a tune I know his father sang to him - I could have wept with joy. My darling husband is fond of children after all and there is hope for us yet!

Mrs Doughty has been wonderful. She is managing all the business of the Press without Boo or myself to help her. Well, I have suggested that she contact Papa to see if he could offer his experience to the girls in some way and I believe he is often to be found there, no matter what time of day or night. I am glad that he has found a channel for his energies and that both he and the press will benefit from that connection, so I suppose I have still been of use to them despite my joyful incarceration in Sydney Walk.

This afternoon, LB was running happily around the hallway when he inadvertently trod on Villiers' foot. The pair of them fell to such a peal of yelping that I had to hold tight to Dauncey to stop him jumping from the nearest window! Villiers hopped about the hall for a good five minutes, while LB stood against the front door calling for his mother, his nurse and, eventually, me.

Villiers is now in the kitchen with his foot in a bowl of warmed milk and a flannel across his brow. He does not say so, but I can tell that he believes LB hurt him with malicious intent, although the boy is adamant that he did not see Villiers beside him. I told Villiers that, if were indeed a deliberate act, a child cannot be taken from his home and everything he knows without showing some degree of wilfulness, but he is an old-fashioned sort in many ways and I am sure he is praying for Boo's speedy recovery.Oh, the trials of parenthood and staff management!

LB is in his nightgown, playing in my room and is a great deal more settled. I am sure that he, too is hoping to hear very soon that Boo has been restored to good health. It is a guilty admission on my part to acknowledge that I am not.

Nothing left

Sydney Walk
March 3rd 1853

I am far too exhausted to write my journal these days. LB is only a small child, and bless his heart he is asleep for twelve hours in every day, but he fills the other twelve with such liveliness and so many demands that I am quite spent once he is in his cot in the evenings.

Striking resemblance

Sydney Walk February 27th 1853

I always knew I had a great capacity for maternal love and I will be eternally grateful to LB for allowing me to experience it - even if only for a short while. He is a delightful child and I will smother him with kisses until he has to leave us. I am quite amazed by his constant inquisitiveness. Whenever the maid or I have our backs turned he is inside a cupboard, under a bed or struggling to open a window - on a never ending quest for enlightenment, I suppose.

Sadly, Josiah has been unusually tested with his business deals at the moment and has not been able to spend much time at home with us. I hope we can have LB for a good while yet - although I know that means Boo would still be stricken in her pregnancy, poor goose - because I know Josiah will adore him in an instant. He was not happy when I announced LB's arrival but he respects my wish to do Boo this service and I am sure that when he bounces the boy on his knee for the first time he will melt as quickly as I have done. This will perhaps serve better than the occasional picnic as a ruse to turn Josiah and I into proper parents....

Oh, the boy is wondrous! He reminds me so much of Josiah as he plays with wooden bricks and demands biscuits from anyone who passes. He has a quizzical look when thwarted which recalls Josiah exactly, and when he is happy he makes a little barking sound which is Josiah to the core. It is enough to make me wonder which is the right way round - do men become fully matured by the age of three, or do boy children grow taller but never any wiser? The two states are almost indistinguishable, whether three or thirty three. I may turn my hand to a scientific study of the development of our species, since I know of none in existence.

Temporary care

Sydney Walk
February 24th 1853

We have him! Little Bradstone is in the next room as I write, snoring and snuffling as if he'd lived here all his life! I am so excited I can hardly believe it.

I arrived in the carriage at Boo's and ran up her steps with no thought of what I was about to say. When her girl opened the door I went straight in and made to go up to see Boo. I was a little overwrought, I must confess, and began calling for Boo the moment I set foot on her staircase. An enormous woman in a nurse's uniform came sweeping onto the landing to shush me, but I was absolutely set on my plan.

"I am here to collect Little Bradstone and take care of him until his mother is well enough to resume her position," I said, "And I will not hear of any other course of action!"

The nurse stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at me. She was clearly doing her best to make a speedy assessment of my mental state and my maternal capabilities. Perhaps she was as concerned as I about Boo's mother-in-law's influence on the boy.

"I fear poor Mrs Pitt will be confined to her bed for some months to come. Pray tell me who you are and what exactly your intentions may be. She is not to be disturbed on any account but if I find that you may be able to help her by setting her mind to rest about the child, I shall go to speak with her. Well?"

I stood at the stairfoot and pronounced myself to be the best friend Boo had in the world. I said I was wealthy and loving enough to look after Boo's son as if he were my own and that nothing would give me greater pleasure than to help Boo in her hour of need. I said I could not rest knowing that there was a little boy in want of a mother's arms. I told her I had rooms until the Spring and a country house capable of housing forty such children, if they needed it.

"Stop!" she whispered, holding her large hand up to cover my face from her view. "What is your name, good lady?"


And that was all, in truth. She spent a moment or two in Boo's room and then instructed the girl to go directly and bring LB back from his Grandmother's house. I waited in Boo's hallway, seeing no purpose in accompanying the girl. And we were snug here at Sydney Walk within the hour!

Josiah stayed out of sight when I brought LB in. Villiers gave a little scream, which I took to be one of welcome, and then he took the boy from me and carried him upstairs to my bedchamber, where I had instructed him to place a small bed next to ours. LB was laid into it and, after a brief bout of whimpering, which we dealt with by the application of warm milk, he fell soundly to sleep. I felt great pride in us all that we could do such a kindness for our friends.

I was so happy that I ignored the letter from meddling Mrs Cornbench. Silly, interfering old witch.

No-one at home

Lydiatt House


My Dear Mrs Hatherwick

I hope this letter finds you in good health and that your sojourn in London continues to keep you and Mr Hatherwick suitably entertained.

This is the briefest of notes to reassure you that all appears well at Blindingham. I say 'appears' since I have not in truth gained access to the Hall on either of my last two visits there. But I am sure that were there to be any cause for concern, your Mrs Everdown would have alerted us. I made sure when I last saw her, a good month ago now, that she knew how to reach us and that she was not to suffer a moment's concern when Mr Cornbench and I are so close by and so willing to offer our support. I have heard of no such worries and have had no requests for help, so am happy to conclude that all is satisfactory.

What a capable woman she must be to look after the Hall as well your old nurse without needing a soul to share her days with. She can be forgiven for allowing the grounds to become a little unkempt while your gardener is away visiting relatives, which I presume is the reason for my not seeing him for a while. It is winter and, if a gardener can be spared at all, he is best released in February, I am sure.

Having dispensed my neighbourly duties, a task that I am more than happy to undertake, I shall leave you to enjoy your metropolitan distractions. Be reassured that I will call at Blindingham again soon and am confident I will find someone at home then.

Yours

Lorelei Cornbench

Determination

Sydney Walk
February 20th 1853


I told Josiah of my plan as soon as he had breakfasted and was settling down to his newspaper and his morning cup of heated water with lemon - he is allowed nothing stronger til his gout is fully dispersed. I was a little nervous of his reaction so just took a large breath and said outright that I was sending a carriage to bring Little Bradstone to Sydney Walk. He yelped a little then gave a short cough - a sign that his foot is still quite painful, I expect, or that the lemon had caught him unprepared. He looked at me exactly as if I had aimed a shotgun to him.

"Steady on, Eff," he said, when he could speak, "When was this decided?"

"Yesterday afternoon, when I learned that the poor boy is in the clutches of Mrs Pitt, " I answered. Josiah knows how evil she is and his expression deepened.

"What does Boo say? Does her husband agree? Where shall he sleep - have you thought about this at all, Eff?" Josiah spoke in a tight voice that made me sorry for the pain his gout must cause him, even though it is all his own doing, really.

"Boo will be happy for me to be the boy's saviour, Bradstone will be powerless to argue in the face of such generosity on our part and the boy shall sleep in our room. I have thought about this as much as I need to."

I think being Mrs Doughty's friend has had a beneficial effect on me - I would brook no argument, not even from my own husband!

After that conversation, I instructed Villiers to arrange a carriage to take me first to Boo to tell her of my favour to her and then on to Mrs Pitt's lair. As I left Sydney Walk, the maid was putting an iron over Josiah's newspaper again - it had become quite crumpled during our exchange.

Child Care

Sydney Walk
February 4th 1853


It seems Boo has known all along about Mrs Doughty's domestic situation. What a dark horse she is! I would not have thought her capable of keeping such a secret from me and shall resolve to be more inquiring in future. Still, I am proud to be associated with such a selfless woman and I have much to learn from her, though I do not think I shall ever give up hope of having a baby of my own one day.

Boo is suffering for her love of motherhood, poor thing. She is confined to her bed and is as weak as a kitten. I called to see her but the maid was adamant that she could admit no-one, not even those in the closest circle. Apparently Boo's doctor has said that she must have no excitement of any kind for fear that her heart will be put under too much strain. I asked who was looking after LB and discovered that he has been sent to stay with Bradstone's Mama! I am Boo's best friend in all the world and I know how much she dislikes her husband's mother. She must be lying abed fretting that he will return with a head full of silly nonsense and cruel intentions. That woman could strip the trees of their bark with her vicious tongue - I well remember the afternoon when she told me that I had made a terrible mistake in taking Josiah for my husband. She called him a feckless wastrel and said that I was doomed to a life of loneliness and sorrow. Well, if that isn't proof enough of her twisted grip on reality I do not know what would be. She is quite unsuited to the job of raising a child with sensibilities as fragile as LB's. My blood is rising even as I write!

I shall speak to Josiah in the morning - when his gout has yet to take hold for the day - and tell him we must go to fetch LB and bring him here. What sort of friend would I be if I could not look after a little boy who is missing his mama? I shall set aside one of the upstairs rooms for him and he and I shall play with Dauncey all day long and take trips to the park for fresh air. That is decided then - I shall write to Boo imediately and tell her that we will save her boy from Mrs Pitt's malicious clutches. I am quite excited at the thought that Josiah and I will have a little person to care for - Josiah will be as keen as I am, I know it!

Saintly self denial

Sydney Walk
January 15th 1853


Boo!

I understand that you are not well enough to have visitors at the moment. Indeed I should hate to bring the dangers of the outdoors to your bedside at such a time. But I simply cannot contain myself any longer and decided that the contents of this letter would not be so shocking if delivered in writing, not in person. Please make sure that you are sitting down for the rest of this letter, if you are not already, and promise me you will not alarm Little Bradstone by crying out in amazement when you hear my news.

Boo - Mrs Doughty is not, nor has she ever been, married!

What do you make of that?

I had tea with her yesterday afternoon and after a long discussion about how I might fill your shoes at the Press while you are otherwise occupied, I asked her outright. Emboldened by the situation, I enquired about the whereabouts of Mr Doughty. I said I had always wondered where she kept him and thought he must be a remarkable man to allow her such freedom and power in the London business world. This is what she said,

"My dear, any man would need to be truly remarkable to call himself my husband. I have never met one worthy of the title and am not likely to. I use the title of a married woman to deter any approach of a romantic nature from the male of our species."

I was so shocked a little bit of cake fell from my mouth.

"But then do you live alone, Mrs Doughty? You seem too full of life not to share it with a husband. I know I could not endure these long days in London without knowing I had Mr Hatherwick to talk to at night."

" Effie," she said to me "The prospect of having to explain myself to Mr Hatherwick every night is too awful to contemplate." Before more cake could spill onto my skirts, she added "Oh, I do not mean your husband above all others, my dear. Please do not think that. I simply cannot regard any man highly enough to confide my hopes and dreams in him. Now, I must take my leave of you. I have a meeting of the London hospital board to attend."

As she stood up to go, I ventured another question,

"Mrs Doughty, you have so much generosity in your soul. Have you never thought of children?"

She turned back to face me and stifled a little twitch of her mouth, I am sure.

"When I think of children, Effie, they are never my own. I have never imagined myself giving birth to or suckling an infant conceived from the sort of liaison necessary to produce one."

When she saw my still open mouth she softened slightly and said, "I am the sort of woman who is able help many people with my work. That is enough maternity for me, more than enough. I shall no doubt be seeing you again soon at the Press, but for now, farewell." Then she swept out!

Did you know this before, Boo? Why did you not say, if you did? If you were as unaware as I, then I hope I have not caused you undue shock. But goodness me, what a revelation! Mrs Doughty has turned her back on marriage and motherhood all so she can help others in greater need. She is truly deserving of a sainthood, nothing less.

Do write back with yr thoughts, Boo. We are in the presence of greatness!

Yrs

Effx

Nursey wife too

Sydney Walk January 5th 1853

It is bread poultice time again in the Hatherwick household. I am growing weary of Josiah's 'Winter affliction'. He speaks of it in terms which he hopes will make the listener think the gout has been visited upon him, and is not the inevitable consequence of his seasonal excess. I should be pleased that he enjoyed such a convivial time with Papa, I suppose. He does love Papa and there are many wives who could not say the same about their husbands, so I shall content myself with that and pay no heed to his waspishness when the pain shoots through him. Bless him.

I told him of Boo's expected arrival and fancied I saw a cloud pass across his face. I recall that he was less than pleased for her when LB was imminent and he was similarly distant on hearing this news - I do believe he feels my emptiness and wishes me not to be saddened by Boo's burgeoning family when all I have is him. He is remarkably perceptive, my husband, and his reserve can only be borne of concern for my wishes in that direction. That, or the poultice had stiffened and reminded him of his own discomfort.

I have decided to send word to Mrs Doughty and ask her to meet me to discuss our plans for Boo's confinement. As I think of it, I should love to know more about her own domestic affairs. Perhaps a slice or two of cake will loosen her tongue enough for me to ask whether she has anyone to massage her ankles in the Winter.

Birth order

Sydney Walk
January 3rd 1853


Boo is with child again! She sent me the briefest of notes explaining why she had seen so little of me lately. It seems she has been taken quite ill with this child and has been in fear of losing it before its time. Poor, silly thing , she was scared to tell me until the baby was properly established in case I was upset for her. I think she means that I would be upset for myself - I who am in want of such happy news - and she is right, in part. Of course I do not begrudge her a brother or sister for LB. I would not be able to call myself a friend if I did. But I should so love to hold my own child and push it round the park and bathe its knees and sing to it.

Boo asked me to tell Josiah that, God willing, the child will be born in the Spring. Quite why he should care about that I am not sure, but she was anxious for him to know. Perhaps she wishes to prepare him for my wanting to stay in London after we were due to return to Blindingham. I shall be required to do more work for the Press during Boo's confinement. She is a clever old thing, really. When Josiah knows that she will be at her bed, he will not insist that I go home.

Oh, I wish I had Boo's cunning - I envy her that, as well as her nursery.

A quiet Christmas

Sydney Walk
December 20th 1852

This Winter is proving to be much duller than last. I have hardly seen any of my friends and there have been almost no parties, at least not that I have been made aware of. I told Josiah that it must be because we are in rooms people do not wish to visit, but that made him a little cross so I changed the subject. I know he tried his hardest when he comes up to town to choose where we stay for the season, so he must have felt that in speaking ill of his choice I was also speaking ill of him. What a booby I am to have complained so when I am in truth a very lucky woman.

So, I have decided to do away with any hope of hosting a party here and I shall instead make our own family Christmas as cosy as it can be. For dinner this year there will be me, Josiah and poor Papa, who is still a little vague after the assault he suffered in this neighbourhood. He has accepted my invitation to stay for a day or so, but has insisted that he be accompanied from his front door to ours, and back again when he leaves. I said Villiers would be only too pleased to escort him, but he has made his own arrangements it seems. It is as well that he has, for I have resolved to give Villiers some time off to thank him for his solicitous service of late. He, too, has been more solitary than he would like and I think it my duty as a caring employer to allow him his head whilst in London.

Josiah softened somewhat when I apologised for my ingratitude and was almost excited by the prospect of a long evening over brandy and cigars with Papa. He has a proposition to put to him, I am sure of it. I shall keep out of such discussions, since I know Papa is not impressed by Josiah's business ventures. If only I could tell them both that I, little Effie, am the most successful business brain in the family!

I shall ask the cook to prepare some special treats for Dauncey to eat and have found a delightful neck collar for him to wear. I cannot wait to see his little face when I present it to him. Which puts me in mind of the gift I must find for Josiah - I am quite worn out with trying to find something to please him. He is not a man who likes frippery or adornment - except upon his fortunate wife, of course - and he already has a perfectly adequate watch. I am not inspired to think of anything else!

The gift of love

Sydney Walk
December 19th 1852



Today, I received an early seasonal gift from Dauncey! He raced into my dressing room as if his whole life depended on reaching me as soon as possible. It really is a most heartening habit of his to make me feel so important and I only wish Josiah might greet me with the same urgency some days. Dauncey made a triumphant little mewing sound and hurled a mouse at my feet. Had I not been able to see at once that it was dead, I should have screamed like Villiers when he assists Josiah at the Hunt. But the blood, tiny entrails and lack of a complete head reassured me that it was not about to run up my skirts at any time. Dauncey sat back, clearly awaiting my thanks and praise.

I remembered looking forward to the sugar mice Mama always brought me when she came back from being away. She was a society lady who was often invited to country house weekends and was a popular face at many a ball. She would show me how much she had missed me whilst on her travels by placing a tiny pink mouse in my hand and kissing me daintily on my head. Oh, those mice were so sweet! How much they spoke of Mama's love for me! And now Dauncey was offering me the same token of esteem. I laughed at him and begged his forgiveness for not eating the mouse immediately tail first, as I used to do to amuse Mama.

Impotent rage

May the Heavens save me from interfering women! I have received a letter from Mrs Cornbench and am now all put about. If I tell Josiah what it contains he will send me back to Blindingham for sure. I must keep it secret from him whilst determining what to do. Oh, the bother of it all!

This morning Villiers skipped into the drawing room carrying an envelope on the salver that is kept on the stand in the hall. He swept up to me and presented it under my nose as if he were the finest magician in the land.

"Madam has been sent a letter!" he squealed. "It was posted in the village back at Blindingham!"

He danced about my chair like a will o'the wisp and finally produced a silver letter opener he must have concealed in his sleeve.

"Is it from Jennet, Madam? Does it contain information I should be made aware of about the Hall?"

"There is no mud or pig feed smeared on this letter, Villiers," I said to him. "I think it must have been written by someone who spends the better part of their day indoors, don't you?"

He pinched his mouth up til he quite put me in mind of Dauncey's rear end and then left the room. He did not offer me tea, so I know he must have been cross with me.

I was preparing myself for news that Cook had come to harm, or that the Hall had been destroyed or some such drama, and walked to the window so that I could pace as I read it. But this is what the letter said,

My Dear Mrs Hatherwick,

I do hope your stay in London is continuing to be enjoyable and am quite envious of your proximity to life lived in the full. It is quiet here at Lydiatt House, but we are all well and that is enough to wish for, I am sure.

The purpose of this letter is to tell you that I visited Blindingham Hall yesterday, having given you my neighbourly promise that I would, and wish to tell you of my findings. When I arrived, Mrs Everdown showed me in and was kind enough to offer me a glass of cordial, which I accepted. I must say that she appeared in a state of some dishevelment and the glass she served my drink in was not as clean as you or I would have liked. I enquired after Cook's welfare and was assured that she is in excellent health, but that I could not see her because she was resting. I offered to wait until she had risen for the afternoon, but Mrs Everdown was quietly insistent that Cook would not be downstairs for the rest of the day.

I asked whether there was anything your staff needed that I might be able to help with in your absence, such as guidance over closing down some of the rooms for the Winter since I could not help noticing that there were no covers on the furniture that is left in the dining room. Mrs Everdown told me that she was in no need of help, despite clearly being worn out, poor lady.

As I took my leave, without having assured myself that the upstairs rooms were in good order, I took the liberty of asking Jennet how he was faring. He told me that his days were filled with household chores well enough but that he wished he did not have to be called upon so often to help Cook into her bed. When I enquired what he meant, he said that most evenings Mrs Everdown calls upon him to help her carry Cook to her room, after her sleeping draught has taken effect. As I was talking to him, Mrs Everdown rushed down the steps and gave him a job to do so he scuttled off before I could know more of the evening habits of your household.

I am sorry to say that I was left with the distinct feeling that the Hall is not being run as you would wish it. Everything was in place, the gardens are beautifully kept even in this season and there was no sign of anything untoward that I could detect. It was just a feeling that I felt I should share with you.

I realise that there is nothing you can do from such a distance but worry and I am only sorry to be the bearer of troubling news upon which you are powerless to act. I know that your being three days' travel away, and likely to be so for a good few months yet, means that the situation at the Hall will not change, unless to deteriorate still further. I do hope that my bringing this to your attention does not mar the rest of your time away from your responsibilities here.

I trust you and Mr Hatherwick will have a prosperous festive season. Please be assured that I shall continue to keep a watchful eye over your home until you return,

Yours in neighbourliness

Lorelei Cornbench


The interfering harridan! I dare not tell Josiah she is in and out of the Hall as she pleases. What exactly is she trying to say in that letter - that our glasscloths are unwashed and that Cook is heavy? What does that matter and why is it any concern of hers? I should never have accepted her offer to look in on the Hall. I would not be surprised to find her and the whole of her joined-together family living there by the time we return! She is taking far too much interest in my affairs and clearly wishes the Hall to be run as she sees fit. The liberty of the woman! I am mistress of Blindingham, not she, and I have entrusted its care to the redoubtable Mrs Everdown, whose only failing as far as I am aware was not teaching her stupid daughter how to use a mangle.

I do not know what on earth I am to do about this except to toss and turn all night with imagined conversations in which I chide her for her nosiness and point out that she would do well to concentrate her efforts on her own family, who all seem to be incapable of individual thought or action.

I am so angry I could scream, but I know that if I did Villiers would faint clean away with fright. Oh how bothersome other people are!

Resolve

Sydney Walk
December 4th 1852

I have not told Josiah about the incident with Papa yesterday. I am still too ashamed that he was brought to such a dreadful position simply because we are staying here. I want us to find rooms in a better part of London but I am sure Josiah will not countenance such a move. Indeed, if I complain overmuch about spending time here while he is attending to his business interests he will probably tell me to go back to Blindingham.

I do not wish to spend a cold winter in the Hall with only a demented woman for company and the prospect of the occasional visit from an officious neighbour, so I shall have to resign myself to Sydney Walk for the rest of our stay. I must turn my attention to more social and business activity. And, since Boo and Mrs Doughty will not visit me here - and I must say that now I understand their reluctance - I shall visit them!

Surprises

Sydney Walk
December 3rd 1852


I have had the most distressing day. It is lucky that Josiah is out this evening with Mr Waterhouse - they are attending a performance by Miss Lind in Berkeley Square, apparently - for I do not feel able to arrange my thoughts in a straight line and he would doubtless press me for an explanation. I shall write down here all that occurred and see whether it makes more sense to me in the morning.

After I had finished breakfast and given Dauncey a thorough brushing, the doorbell rang. Villiers ran to answer it and gave such a shriek that I leapt to the landing as if the house were ablaze. I could hear Papa's voice urging Villiers to put a stop to his wails and as I arrived at the foot of the stairs I could see what had caused him to become so agitated. Poor Papa was holding on to the doorway, with a river of blood pouring from his temple!

Villiers flapped around arranging towels and a bowl of water in the kitchen and we helped Papa to a seat. He seemed such a crumpled sight, not like my lion of a father at all.

"Papa! Whatever can have happened to you? Should Villiers send for the police?"

"No, Effie, I simply need a poultice and some tea. Do stop that servant of yours from screeching - I have sustained a slight accidental injury, not been set upon by pickpockets ."

I bathed Papa's head and gave him a bowl of broth - the cook is always at the market in the mornings but I managed to warm the soup myself - and after some minutes he recovered enough to tell me something of what had befallen him.

"It was nothing, Effie. I was walking along Bartlett Street and I slipped on some vegetable matter that must have fallen from a grocer's cart. Really, I should do better to contact the market association than the police - I think I could make a case against them for not securing their produce properly on those ridiculous barrows they push about."

Papa seemed to become stronger with every spoonful of the broth - I must ask the cook what she puts in it - and as he regained his composure I noticed that Villiers had fallen silent and was soothing his forehead with a wet cloth. Really, he is a marvel at social occasions but as useless as a puppy if someone is in peril. I shall mention to Josiah that when we are in London we might need a butler with a more robust approach to everyday incidents. A man should be able to slip on a potato skin without causing physical distress to the servants, I am sure.

I satisfied myself that Papa's injury was much less severe than it had seemed at first. Indeed after some more broth and a couple of stout biscuits he was quite himself again, and only an eagle could have spotted his wound.

"Shall I walk with you to your destination, Papa, to make sure your fall has not disturbed your balance?" I asked him. At which point I realised that he had not said why he was walking in our neighbourhood in the first place. I had not been expecting him to visit and as far as I am aware we do not live near any legal offices or other business interests of his. As I spoke, I fancied that the same thought had occurred to him.

"Well, I was...erm....I had planned...." he faltered a little, which is to be expected in someone who has just received a blow to the head, I suppose, and then he went on. "I was hoping to surprise you with a seasonal visit, my dear, " he said, "I wondered whether you might like to take tea with me in Town."

"What a charming plan!" I answered, "And how cunning of you to call without announcement and to come so far out of your way to treat me. If you still feel able, I should be delighted to accompany you." I instructed Villiers to get our outdoor things together and then dashed upstairs to make sure that Dauncey was comfortable and unlikely to miss me. He was in a heavenly cat sleep that I could not bring myself to spoil with a goodbye kiss.

When we were out on Sydney Walk, I looked at Papa in cold daylight and saw how old he looked. I had never thought of him as anything other than my dashing Papa before, but this morning he seemed as if he had aged twenty years in the last ten. He has never truly recovered from losing Mama so cruelly, I suppose. We walked along in silence for a few minutes and then another awful thing happened. A harsh voice broke our thoughts,

"George! You old goat! You dusted yourself down quick enough, didn't you? Where did you find this one?" I looked up and saw a woman I have often seen before - when I have been out walking in the late afternoons with Dauncey - staring quite brazenly at Papa." Papa was staring back, aghast.

"Do you know her, Papa?," I asked him.

"Oooh! 'Do you know her Papa!' she's a pretty one, George!" said the woman, glancing at me. "I asked you where you found her."

"She is my daughter," said Papa, quietly.

"Daughter, indeed!" scorned the woman, "And I suppose I'm your mother, now, am I? You stay with those you know, George, else next time it won't just be your head." She threw her hair back, laughed and skittered off, leaving poor Papa looking confused. She must have seen him fall earlier and chosen not to help him, the witch.

"What nonsense she talks, Papa! Pay no attention." I held his arm as he leaned towards me and I watched as he looked around us as if trying to assure himself that no-one else had seen this exchange.

I was horrified. I had introduced my dear, proud father to the sort of people I had become used to without noticing that they had no shame and less dignity. The poor man had simply wished to surprise his daughter with afternoon tea in a London hotel and I, by living in Sydney Walk, had subjected him to public derision and physical harm. We did have tea in Town but he hardly spoke to me - I can only assume he was angry that I could expose him to such degradation.

The mortification I feel is almost unbearable. I am glad Josiah is spending the evening in civilised company. I do not feel I derve to do so myself.

Local knowledge

Sydney Walk
November 27th 1852

Good news from Blindingham. It appears that all is well and the staff are managing to look after Cook and contain her more excessive behaviour. I had not realised how worried I have been until I felt such a surge of relief at reading Mrs Cornbench's note.

It is as well that there is nothing to concern me at home, for there is plenty to occupy me here in London. I have taken Dauncey out for a stroll or two - we make quite a pair as he pokes his pretty nose from my sleeve - and have begun to feel quite the Kensington lady. I am making plans for my contribution to the Press, I am organising a lunch party and am even beginning to help Josiah in his business. For the first time I feel as though my life is full of enterprise and sociability. I have Dauncey to thank for such fulfilment, I am sure. His need for my care is most gratifying.

The streets around Sydney Walk are alive with folk at all times of the day and night - it is quite different from Belgrave Square. I was not greeted so warmly there despite the fashionable nature of our address. In Kensington, Josiah and I have both noticed that we are observed more closely and approached more often than we had expected. People feel no shyness in speaking to us here, I am perfectly at home. I will perhaps feel emboldened when Dauncey and I are next abroad - he shall act as my Ambassador and I am sure it will be no time at all before I am a common regular around these streets!

Reassurance

Lydiatt House
November 21st 1852


My Dear Mrs Hatherwick

This is the briefest of notes, intended to reassure you that all is well at Blindingham.

I took the liberty of calling at the Hall yesterday afternoon and was greatly encouraged to see your Mrs Everdown hard at work cleaning the front door and steps. She is a treasure, I can tell. I did not have sight of the poor lady who used to cook for you, but Mrs Everdown and Mr Jennet both told me that she is well and, on the whole, quiet.

I trust that you and Mr Hatherwick are enjoying your sojourn in the City. Please do not feel that you need to reply to this communication, which shall not be repeated unless there is a need to disturb you. I am confident that that will not be the case.

Yours

Lorelei Cornbench

Chagrin

Sydney Walk
November 20th 1852

I am much chastened by Boo's response to my request. She is right, of course, that we must not seek to use the Press for our own ends. I am lucky that such an honourable woman chooses to have a self-serving silly goose like me for a friend. I shall invite her to tea and try to make amends, if that ninny of a maid can see her way to arranging some cakes. The prospect of her serving my London friends with sandwiches makes me quite faint, but I must not sit alone here all Winter simply because I have an idiot in my employ.

By Return

Showcasing the Press

My Dear Boo

I am sending the banker's draft with this note - I have asked the boy to wait and bring me your response, since I shall need proof that he has indeed put it in your hands and not used it to set off for a new life in Pennsylvania, or some such place. I have heard that America is a country where poor people may cast off the shackles of their birth and rise to greatness, although the postboy I am sending does not appear to have much ambition about him. He is a thin little fellow who would be blown overboard by the merest gust of an Atlantic wind. Anyway, please write and tell me you have received the money.

I know that I have been sworn to secrecy about my involvement with The Press, but I am so amazed by our achievements that I am finding it hard not to announce my business interest to Josiah. Do you think now might be an acceptable time to show him some of their work? I only mean to have a few small periodicals or books sent to me, so that I may plan the most propitious moment to show him that I am so much more than a London socialite. Please do not be cross with me for asking - it is only that I am so pleased with the work we have done giving employment to so many eager young women. What do you think, Boo? I am fit to burst with pride.

I shall stand with Dauncey at the window and wait for the next American President to return with your answer!

Yrs

Effie x

My terrible servant

Sydney Walk
November 3rd 1852


We have employed the stupidest girl in Christendom. She can make a fire and heat water to wash with, but beyond that she is useless. She has ruined my blue dress, the one I was planning to wear if we are invited to a party, and she has mislaid my tortoiseshell dressing set, so that my hair has to be put up with horrible little pins. And yesterday she tripped over Dauncey, who was minding his own business on the stairs, and she dropped the bowl and jug from my washstand. This morning I washed from an enamel dish, like a pauper. I have told Josiah that I do not want her working for us any longer, but he insists that she needs time to adjust to our ways.

I almost wish The Girl was back with us - she was competent, despite her ridiculous weeping all the time - but she is now working permanently for Josiah's friend. And since I stopped paying her wages I no longer have any say over what she does. So I can do little but hope this booby improves. If she steps on Dauncey again I shall tread on her head myself to see how she would like it....

New Premises

Sydney Walk
October 29th 1852

I visited the new Press this afternoon - Boo and Mrs Doughty have done tremendous work. They wanted to surprise me so they asked me to take a carriage to an address in Bayswater, where they would meet me and then walk me to the premises nearby. When I alighted, they were giddy as kittens and rushed up with a pretty scarf to cover my eyes in order to prolong the suspense. They chattered over each other in such excitement that I could not work out the route they were guiding me along, and when I told them they should slow down for fear I would never be able to find the place on my own they laughed aloud at my silliness. I have never known them in such a playful mood - it was such fun to be with them again!

The Press is now housed in a most impressive building. It is much larger than the Highgate factory, with a sprawling open ground floor where all the machinery is situated. There were more girls than I could count, all rushing around looking very busy and chattering away as they worked. It is a very happy workplace, for sure.

I wanted to be shown all the upstairs offices - I could see a lot of doors leading off the upper landing - but Boo needed to get back to LB, who has a touch of the croup she said. I do not know what croup is but apparently he needs regular steam baths and Boo was concerned that the maid would not hold his head correctly, or something. So after a whirlwind tour of the shop floor I was put straight into a carriage Mrs Doughty had arranged for me and I came back to Sydney Walk. I did not mind so much because Dauncey was waiting for me in the window and I had to write to Papa's bank to authorise a withdrawal of funds to give to Boo for the Press. I can see now why they needed such a large amount! I shall go back soon and see the rest of it at my leisure - if I can recall how to get there.

Our happy news!

Sydney Walk
October 17th 1852

What a thoughtful man my husband is! He had noticed that I was somewhat deflated at the lack of visitors here since we arrived and so he has given me my very own companion. I now share Sydney Walk with a scrumptious little kitten!

Josiah said he saw him sitting at the bottom of our street steps gazing up at the door waiting patiently for it to open. He said it looked for all the World as if the kitten had been given our address and hurried over to make our acquaintance.

"I would not have been surprised to see him with a little valise, Eff, with a collar and some dried fish inside, ready to move in."

So now Dauncey is a resident, alongside Josiah, myself, Villiers and the maid. I am beginning to see why Boo always looks so exhausted - small creatures are so full of energy they leave no room for any of one's own. And we make quite the happy household. If I listened hard enough I am sure I could hear every one of us purring with contentment.

New rooms, old friends

Sydney Walk
October 14th 1852


This London arrival has been quieter than others. Josiah placed the usual announcement in the newspaper but as yet we have had no callers. I wonder whether we are a little too far away from the centre of London? The rooms are not as well appointed as we have been used to, but nobody could know that until they have visited. Villiers is delighted to be here, he says, as there is so much to do in the evenings. He dashes straight out the moment he is off duty but Josiah and I have yet to venture out after dark - the party season is not quite upon us and we have no wish to go walking abroad just for pleasure.

Even Boo has not been here. I called at hers almost the day we set foot in the City and she was welcoming and warm as ever, but when I invited her to bring Little Bradstone to Sydney Walk she was hesitant and soon found something trivial to discuss instead. I must find out why she does not wish to see us here.

In truth, Bradstone is not so little now, he strides about their house with his hands on his hips like a true gentleman and barks his orders at their maid as if he were born to mastery. It is very amusing to witness and has made me see Boo's husband in quite a different light.

Josiah is busy again, investigating some business idea or other with Mr Waterhouse and Mr Price. He said something about a machine which could harness invisible impulses in the air or some such; I was not properly attending when he told me. But it appears that this machine could make it possible for me to speak to Boo without her being in the same house! It all seems like fanciful nonsense to me but it is keeping him occupied and happy, which is more important.

I shall write again to Mrs Doughty to arrange a visit to the Press now that I am back. Josiah is not the only one to be kept busy with new enterprise.

Back in Touch

Location

Mr & Mrs Josiah Hatherwick are delighted to announce their
Winter Residence in London
at 25 Sydney Walk, Kensington
We shall be at home on Wednesdays after 2 o'clock

Property Search

Eff

Belgrave Square already gone. Have other rooms to see later today. I will stay in Town now, so you must arrange to send our things on. Will send address as soon as secured.

Encountered Waterhouse, who likes the speaking machine idea. Investment needed, I shall approach your father.

Soon

JH

Seeing Double

Blindingham Hall
September 25th 1852

It would seem that I have more in common with the Cornbenches than I thought.

Having returned home last week under the distinct impression that they had pity for me, I could not shake from my head the need to explain our 'situation' further. Quite why their opinion of me should matter I do not fully understand, but I wandered the Hall all the next day composing a speech giving my reasons for housing Cook in her hour of need. Surely they would not expect me to abandon her for ever in that hellish place full of madmen? I had thought it courteous to tell them of our impending absence - were they really concerned that Cook was to stay at Blindingham? I had clearly not explained myself properly and determined that I should see them once more before we leave for London.

So this afternoon, after waving Josiah off as he set out for London to secure our rooms for the Winter, I called Jennet and asked him to drive me over to Lydiatt House again. I had a note with me to leave with their maid if they were not at home, but as we turned up their approach I could see them all playing croquet on their upper lawns. I must say, they do seem to like to spend all their time together in a group. I wondered whether they all sleep in a huge bed and take their baths in an oversized bathtub so that they need never be separated for a moment. As Jennet stilled the horse, Mrs Cornbench swept up to me in the same alarming manner she had greeted me with before.

"Oh, my dear Mrs Hatherwick, how lucky we are to see you again so soon! Do you play?" She offered me her mallet but I did not take it. I could not see how to maintain my dignity and aim for a hoop at the same time. I was invited in to take tea and the whole family settled round me as I drank it. Really, I am sure they must be attached to each other by fine cord.

"I am sure you must be wondering what this second visit is concerning, coming so soon as it does after the first," I began.

"Delighted to see you my dear, couldn't be soon enough!" said Mr Cornbench, beaming at me. "I was only saying to my wife this morning what a pleasure it was to have met you. We have made your husband's acquaintance recently, too. He is quite a character, is he not? A memorable man, we thought." They glanced at each other like naughty children in the schoolroom. I, of course, had no idea they knew Josiah or what he must have done to earn himself such a queer description.

I hardly knew how to continue, but I simply had to explain about poor Cook.

"Mr Hatherwick and I are conscientious employers, Mr Cornbench. We could no more watch a faithful servant suffer than we could pull out our own teeth," I said.

"Of course you couldn't, anyone can see you are the most caring of people," answered he, with a slightly nervous laugh. They looked at each other and then back at me and both smiled as though I had told them a most amusing joke. It occurred to me that they might know more about lunacy than one would have imagined. That would explain why none of them was ever left alone, I suppose.

I told them about Cook's illness as well as I could and they said they had heard talk in the village a year or so ago about Mrs Everdown finding her collapsed on the Green on more than one occasion. It seems she sometimes became unwell after visiting the ale-house to look for Jennet. This was disturbing news to me, since I had thought she was only ever taken ill at the Hall. And since I do not for one moment believe Jennet to be the sort of man who frequents ale-houses, I can think of no reason why she would expect him to be there. I should not be surprised to discover that the poor woman witnessed some abominable sights in there and was overcome with shock.

As I was digesting this new piece of information, Mrs Cornbench spoke gently to me.

"Mrs Hatherwick, please do not spend a moment of your time in London worrying about what is happening here. As I said before, we are more than happy to visit the Hall regularly to keep watch over your staff. It is no trouble at all to us to help ensure you have an enjoyable Winter. It would be a pleasure, wouldn't it Arthur?" She touched my sleeve with her tiny little hands and smiled at her husband, again.

After a while I decided we had said enough about the matter. I thanked them for their kind offer and agreed that they would be allowed in whenever they chose to call. I promised to send them our address as soon as I knew it, in case they needed to contact me. Not that anything untoward would happen, they assured me.

As I went to leave the house I passed the open door of a room I assumed was Mr Cornbench's study. He has an Indian Tea-chest exactly like the one Papa gave me! I did not mention it - to do so would have been an admission that I had been looking too closely into a private room - but I was amazed to learn that there are two such chests in the County. I must mention Mr Cornbench's name to Papa - perhaps they were travelling in the Indias at the same time - heavens, they may even know of each other! Papa may be able to confirm whether or not Mr Cornbench is as unhinged as he seems.....

Neighbourhood Watch

B'ham Hall September 16th 1852

I had occasion to visit our nearest neighbours yesterday. Mr Cornbench and his tiny wife have lived at Lydiatt House for a good few years now and have become established in the village almost as soundly as Josiah and I. They are a nice enough couple and she, despite being no bigger than a sparrow, has produced two strapping boys and a brace of girls. I do not warm to them, though, for reasons I can not fully express. However, being the next family after ours in importance, I felt I should apprise them of our plans to spend the Winter in Town, leaving a lunatic living in the Hall. I hesitated, of course, to refer to Cook in such terms directly, but I cannot pretend in this my journal that she is anything other. If she runs finally mad and burns the hall to its foundations, I feel it my duty to have warned the Cornbenches in case they wonder what the distant fires might be...

Jennet drove me over to Lydiatt - it is too far to walk even though it can be clearly seen from the belltower here - and I found the whole family at dinner together. Mr Cornbench was carving a fine bird and the children were singing some nursery song or rhyme to their mother. They do not stand on ceremony overmuch so the maid had shown me straight into the dining room with no announcement at all, like a physician in an emergency. The children broke off singing as I removed my cloak.

"My dear Mrs Hatherwick!" cried Mrs Cornbench as she swept towards me "How lovely to see you in our home. Please excuse our being at table." She motioned one of the boys aside and I was welcomed to sit between him and his mother as if I had lived with them all my life. "Would you care for some guinea fowl, my dear?" said Mr Cornbench as he drew his knives together, "We have been saddened to hear of your situation, lately and have been wondering how we could be of assistance."

I flushed as red as the cranberry sauce on the table. Villiers, or somebody, must have spoken freely about poor Cook and now we were the talk of the village!

"We are happy that our 'situation', as you put it, is proving to be of some helpfulness to those less fortunate than ourselves." I answered. 'How refreshing that you view it in that way!" said he, passing me a plate laden with the best cut of the bird.

Remembering the reason for my visit, I told them in the least alarming terms I could muster that they were now neighbours to a Hall peopled entirely by servants and half-wits (I include the Everdown girl in this, of course). Mrs Cornbench was not at all perturbed at the news and even offered to send her staff over daily to check that all is in order. She held my arm and assured me that Josiah and I must not give Blindingham a second thought while we are away. Her husband and sons all nodded their commitment to keeping a wary eye on my home.

I should be feeling happier to leave for London, I suppose, but I cannot help wondering why they seemed so keen to come to our aid. I do not want their servants wandering in the Hall every day. I shall tell Josiah of their offer and see if he thinks it a generous one. I do hope they are not simply in awe of us and planning to pretend to own the Hall in our absence.

Respite

Dearest Boo

Now that the cooler winds are upon us, I can feel us being pulled ever closer to London - I am beside myself in anticipation of seeing you all again! Josiah is planning to come up very soon to secure our rooms. I am hoping we can be in Brunswick Square again and I know Josiah is keen to be near his old associate - you know, the one we have allowed the Girl to work for over the Summer. I have been quite firm about not wishing that arrangement to continue and have insisted that her wages are not paid by us for as long as she is in his household. I had to warn Josiah that I should be taking advice from Papa if he did not accede to my wishes and he was horribly stern with me in retaliation, but he assured me the Girl's income would be found from elsewhere and so I am satisfied. After all, the widower for whom she works cannot be in want of funds, living as he does at such a fine address.

Do you remember me telling you about the man from the village who had inspired Jennet with his talk of Chinese furniture, or some such notion? Well you would not recognise Blindingham now - it is practically stripped bare. Oh, it is such an improvement, Boo, you must be careful I do not call upon you to cast your belongings aside as well! Josiah has been most assiduous in his paring down operation and almost all the heavy things, which he says had been sucking the energy from us, are all gone - banished to the lumber rooms in the servants' quarters, he says. It is a remarkably freeing experience to wander the rooms downstairs now. Instead of weaving my way carefully amongst the chairs and sideboards I can dance like a dervish from one doorway to the next! Really, I cannot recommend it enough.

In my excitement about coming back to London I quite forgot about poor Cook, whose mind is still unravelled I am sorry to report. I will not countenance bringing her with us - the bustle and noise would be too much for her fragile senses to bear - so I have left Josiah to decide whether to leave her in Mrs Everdown's care or keep the Nurse on. I confess that I am so keen to relax my own duties where she is concerned that I do not much care which decision he makes.

So, we shall soon be Londoners together again.

Til October!

yrs

Effx

Clearance

B'ham Hall September 3rd

I never cease to thank Our Lord that I am married to Josiah. Of late, he has taken to urging me to take more rest during the afternoons. He knows I am frequently drained by the constant attention I pay to Cook and he is becoming concerned for my health, the sweet angel. He is also assuming more household responsibility, I have noticed. Only yesterday, I came down from a most refreshing nap to find him overseeing the cleaning of the entrance hall. He had instructed the servants to remove all the furniture, the better to effect a thorough sweeping of the floors, and he was urging the undermaids to do their utmost to shine every surface in sight. I did not feel it my place to interfere - indeed I was glad to see him so involved in the domestic arrangements here. I have in the past been overwhelmed with the responsibility myself. I have been meaning to construct an inventory of furniture and ornaments for a good while but have simply not felt up to the task. So, if Josiah wishes to undertake such a duty I can do nothing but stand back and allow him his freedom.

This afternoon, as I wandered back through the entrance hall after completing my turn of duty with Cook, I was struck by the brightness and fresh welcome of the place. The dark stuffy pieces of furniture, most of which came with me from Hangerworth, have not returned to their place in the hall. Josiah will have found a hiding place for them all in one of the upper floors, I expect. In their stead are some delightful plants in pretty pots, which give one the distinct feeling that one might still be in the garden! How well he knows me and how much I love to feel the outdoors all around me. I do not miss the chairs, or the tables, or even that huge chest which Papa brought back with him from the Indias. I love the open greenery that has taken their place. That is why I thank the very Heavens for sending me Josiah!

Under Pressure

Blindingham Hall
August 26th 1852


This has been a monstrous day, the like of which I hope never to endure again!

I have been concerned that word of Cook's fancy and aspect had got to the village - I have received some strange glances on my way around the place lately - and this afternoon I was proved tragically right.

As I walked with Cook in my small garden this afternoon, we thought we could hear whispering and laughter - at first I thought it must be Nurse since she has such an engaging nature and is often to be heard showing her amusement at Josiah's instruction. Indeed I wish it had been them, for then the rest of the day's dreadful events would not have taken place....

I looked up from helping Cook to sit on my iron reading seat and was truly shocked to see before me a gaggle of smudge-faced boys staring at us over the hedge. I knew them to be village boys at once - there is a certain physiological similarity about many of the children in Blindingham -there can be no questioning their parentage when so many of them clearly come from village stock. I moved towards Cook to protect her from view, but too late I realised they had seen more than enough. Emboldened by the dividing hedge, these boys began to jeer at poor Cook and some of them even threw small apples at her. She stood up and smiled at them, offering a sight gruesome enough to frighten even the hardest of ruffians, I should have thought. But at her stumbling approach, the boys grew more confident in their chanting and fruit tossing. So there she was walking unsteadily towards them and there they were, encouraging her with open disdain, which she appeared to take as confirmation of her status as Mistress of the hall. I was frozen with horror.

I called to the boys to desist and to go home before I reported them to their fathers, who would have been powerless to stop them I am sure. The boys were not surprisingly quite fearless at the thought of being chastised by such a collection of wastrels and redoubled their jeering at Cook and, now, at myself.

After a few more minutes of this I began shouting for the staff - they did not hear me at first, which is precisely why we were in that section of the gardens to begin with - and it was not until I shouted "Help, we are overrun with boys!" that salvation came in the form of Villiers who appeared, breathless in our midst. I have never been so pleased to see him, I do not mind confessing.

Villiers walked calmly towards the boys, who all stopped shouting and stared at him. He was silent for a while, looking at each boy in turn as if sizing him up for work, and then he said "Is there any one of you who wishes to come further into the garden and meet this fine lady, who has served The Hatherwicks royally and who is known fondly to your parents, even if you are not." I was struck with admiration for his poise, and the boys themselves were open mouthed in awe of him. He paused for a mere moment and then whispered " Now, which of you would like to come forward?"

All but one of those urchins turned and fled.

Cook whimpered a little at their flight and started to ask me where her subjects had gone. I did my best to soothe her and help her back into the kitchen, hoping that this sorry and frightening episode was ended. I hoped too soon. The next thing I heard was a tiny, terrified voice pleading not to be hurt. I turned and saw the most alarming sight - Villiers was dragging the boy in through the window to the garden room, brandishing one of Josiah's paperweights and bellowing that the boy was about to receive the hiding of his life! I concerned myself with making sure that Cook was safely returned to her rooms - interrupting Josiah and the Nurse as he was teaching her the appropriate way to arrange patient's clothing should they become distressed whilst in her care. He is a very thorough employer, I must say, so he was irked at having to leave his instruction to go downstairs and deal with the situation. Nurse then helped me to get Cook into bed and I went directly to my dressing room to calm down.

I understood at dinner tonight that Josiah and Villiers have ensured that the boy, and probably his entire family and friends, will never return. I do not know exactly what they did and have no wish to be enlightened further. It is enough for me to know that I am protected by a brave servant and a commanding husband. That is more than I could wish for. I shall sleep soundly in my bed tonight and I trust the same can be said for Cook and for Villiers. The boy, I'll wager, will not sleep soundly for some time.

Recipe for the Cook

Blindingham Hall
August 23rd 1852

Dear, Dear Boo

I am so weary of playing nursemaid! I have asked Josiah if he will let Villiers come with me to London - I am beside myself with the need to see you and LB, and Mrs Doughty and all my friends - but he says he cannot spare me from the Hall, not even for a day. I am not entirely sure what it is he needs me for, since he is hidden away in his office much of the day and overseeing the Nurse's progress in the late afternoons. She is a very capable girl and I have told Josiah that I do not think she needs daily supervision, but he insists that Cook deserves only the finest of staff to attend her and that the Nurse is still in need of some training. He is a very conscientious man, my husband, Boo, as you know. So much so that he has asked me to consider keeping the Nurse on after Cook has recovered. He wishes to retain her services so that we may look after other unfortunates, should we ever encounter any. I am overcome with admiration at his thoughtfulness and shall agree to his request.

I walk with Cook in the afternoons now. She is robust enough to withstand a stroll in my little garden, which is by far the best place since it is not overlooked and we can be sure no staff can watch us. No-one approaching from the village would ever see her, thank goodness, because she does present an alarming vision to someone unused to her condition. She has begun to fancy herself as Mistress of the Hall and is wont to give me instructions as I walk with her! I do not correct this delusion - indeed it can be quite amusing - but I do not carry out her orders, of course. She does not notice my insubordination, poor woman, and I have no wish to distress her further by asserting my true position.

My concern is with her appearance, Boo, really you should see her. Nurse gave her some clothes belonging to Josiah's Mama - who has been dead for fifteen years - and dresses her hair each morning in a variety of mountainous arrangements which make her feel quite the fashionable lady. Nurse then allows Cook to wander around the rooms she is occupying as if she were in charge. Her delusion, which gives her a frighteningly haughty demeanour, is thus fuelled by our actions. I do wonder whether this is the best course of treatment for the poor soul, but Josiah assures me that he and Nurse have drawn up a plan which requires us to pander to her fantasies for a while longer. I am tiring of it and should love to see you, as I say, but I fear that cannot be.

This has been the longest Summer in memory. Josiah is already talking about our Winter in London - I simply can not wait!

Yrs

Effie x