For The Sake of Her Family (11 page)

When she opened the door, her face told him what he must look like.

‘Come in, lad, come in! Master told me what you’ve done for him today. Get yourself over there and sit down – I’ve saved you some cold mutton, and there’s pickle
and fresh bread to go with it.’ Hilda Dowbiggin scurried around, fetching things from the larder and fussing over him. ‘And when you’ve eaten, let’s get you out of those
clothes – they reek of smoke. I’m sure Master won’t mind if I run you a bath upstairs and find you some of his old clothes. I’m sure we can find something that’ll fit
you and he said I was to get you anything you needed.’

Will sat at the end of the table chewing the mutton, enjoying the warmth of the kitchen. He felt much better with a full stomach. What he didn’t feel comfortable with was having a bath
upstairs in the manor’s new bathroom. He was used to having a wash in the tin bath once every six months – if that. Apart from the folk at the manor, he didn’t know anyone who had
a room just for taking baths in. The only reason he knew there were such things was because of Alice; she’d explained all about it and told him that she expected she’d have one in her
house one day. That girl was forever going on about her wants and needs. Why couldn’t she be content with her lot? With a rueful shake of his head, Will leaned back into the chair and was
just stretching his legs and making himself comfortable when Mrs Dowbiggin came bustling in.

‘Come on, then, stir your shanks – the bath’s run. I’ve put some of Master’s old clothes out ready for you, and there’s some soap in the dish that’ll
sweeten you up.’

She ushered him through the hallway and upstairs. Never had Will been in such a room. Through the steam he could see gleaming tiles on the walls and floor, a big bath with gold taps, and all the
amenities that went with a modern bathroom. He ran his hand in the foaming water of the bath and sniffed the newly laundered towels.

‘Well, get your clothes off and then I can wash them.’ Mrs Dowbiggin stood at the doorway, waiting for him to strip. ‘You haven’t got anything I haven’t seen
before, young man, so there’s nothing there that’ll surprise me.’

Will stood there blushing. He had no intention of undressing in front of the housekeeper. For one thing, she’d a reputation for gossip and he didn’t want the entire dale to know
about his privates.

‘Shy, are we? All right, I’ll wait outside and you can pass them to me.’ Sniggering to herself, she stepped out of the room leaving the door ajar. Will stripped off quickly,
wrinkling his nose at the stink of smoke that clung to his garments, then bundled everything up and stuck his hand through the gap in the door. As soon as he felt her take the bundle from him, he
quickly closed the door and listened until he heard her depart, chuckling to herself as she went.

Gingerly, Will dipped his toes into the foaming bath, followed by the rest of his body. It was bliss; the warm waters floated around his body, making all his aches and pains disappear. This was
a far cry from the old tin bath in front of the fire. For once, he could understand Alice’s longing for the life of a toff.

What a day! If someone had told him as he sat on the kitchen-garden wall that morning that by the day’s end he’d have shot a man, soaked his weary bones in the manor’s bathroom
and would shortly be wearing his lordship’s clothes, he’d have laughed in their face. His mind lulled into relaxation by the warm and fragrant waters, he was just beginning to lose
himself in dreams when he heard the bathroom doorknob turn. He quickly grabbed one of the white Christy towels from the edge of the bath.

‘Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn’t realize my brother had guests and that someone was using the bathroom. It is customary to lock the door.’ Averting her eyes, the intruder
quickly withdrew.

So that was Nancy. Though he’d heard a few of her tantrums, Will had never actually seen her. From the fleeting glimpse he’d caught of her, she was beautiful, nothing like the witch
he’d imagined. And she didn’t sound mad either. Perhaps Alice was right for once and Nancy was just lonely and grieving. It had certainly been a day full of surprises.

Feeling naked and vulnerable, he hastily climbed out of the bath and arranged the towel around him while he put on his lordship’s cast-offs. They were in better condition than the clothes
Will had given Mrs Dowbiggin to wash, and not a bad fit either. He admired himself in the mirror: in this get-up, he could pass for gentry. Wait until he saw Jack in the morning!

Hoping not to encounter anyone else in the meantime, Will quietly opened the bathroom door and crept downstairs to the safe haven of the kitchen.

‘Well, you scrub up decent, young Will Bentham.’ Mrs Dowbiggin put her hands on her hips and looked him up and down. ‘If I was twenty-one again, I’d be trying to catch
your eye! Now go on out of my kitchen, ’cos this old bird’s off to bed. It’s been a long day and unlike you young ’uns, I know when I’m tired.’

As he stepped out of the kitchen door into the night air, his hair still damp from the bath with the sweet smell of the soap clinging to his skin, Will was wondering whether his new appearance
would result in girls trying to catch his eye. With Jack intending to start courting Alice, perhaps it was time he found a nice young lady for himself.

In the stable yard, bats were emerging from their hiding places, screeching as they caught insects on the wing. Will paused to watch them. Tomorrow he knew he’d have to answer to the
police, and no doubt Gerald Frankland would want to talk to him again. Yet the prospect of these encounters no longer troubled him. For tonight, he was going to bed clean, well fed and thinking of
that fleeting glance of Nancy.

Alice sat on the rough granite trough at the base of the drinking fountain, her hand idly playing with the water as it trickled cold and clear into the sparkling pool. The
church clock was striking one o’clock, its huge bell announcing the hour to the people of Dent as it had done for centuries. Where was he? There she was, all dressed up in her Sunday best,
and he was keeping her waiting. Jack always had been one for doing things in his own time. She kicked her heels against the fountain and adjusted her hat for the fifth or sixth time, fidgeting with
her cotton gloves as she sighed and gazed up the road in the direction of Jack’s home.

‘Have you been forgotten, Alice, or has he thought better of it?’ Uriah Woodhead shouted across at his young employee as he stood on the Moon’s step, wiping his hands on his
apron.

‘Looks that way, Mr Woodhead.’ Alice sighed and crossed her arms on her lap. ‘It’s typical of Jack. Him and my brother would forget their heads if they weren’t
screwed on.’

‘He’ll turn up soon, lass. He’ll have forgotten the time, if I have to bet on it.’ Uriah smiled and disappeared into the dark interior of the pub where there were
customers waiting to be served.

Alice still wasn’t sure why she was spending her precious afternoon off sitting on the fountain’s edge waiting for her brother’s best friend. She cast her mind back to the
previous Friday when Jack had come into the Moon with her brother. The pair of them often came in for a pint or two on a Friday night, so it hadn’t struck her as anything out of the ordinary.
But on this occasion Jack had downed several pints, and then – in front of her jeering brother and all the Moon’s regulars – he had turned to her, stuttering and blushing, and
asked her to join him for a stroll the following Sunday. There was no way she could have said no, not in front of all those people. How could he have put her in such an embarrassing position? Why
couldn’t he have asked discreetly? As for Will, she could have hit him for six when he offered to be chaperone – the whole pub had laughed at that. She tugged her hat down around her
head, brushing her burning red cheeks in an effort to get rid of her blushing. And after all that, here she was, sitting outside the church like a stood-up wallflower. Knowing Jack Alderson, the
whole thing was probably a joke at her expense. More than likely Will had put him up to it. She wished she hadn’t kept asking after Jack every Sunday, but since the fire up at Stone House
she’d been worried about them both.

Having decided she’d waited long enough and might as well go on a walk by herself, Alice was about to set off along the churchyard path when Jack came racing up in his horse and trap, the
wheels nearly sparking on the cobbles in his haste not to be too late.

‘Whoa there, whoa, Patsy.’ Jack jumped out of the trap and ran towards her, his jacket flapping and his cap falling to the ground. Pausing to scoop up his cap, he rushed to where
Alice stood.

‘I’m sorry, Alice. I’m sorry I’m late. I was grooming Patsy, and before I knew it, it was one o’clock already.’ Walking back to the horse, he patted it
lovingly on its withers, then smiled apologetically at a glowering Alice.

‘That’s just typical, Jack Alderson – a horse taking the place of me. I’ve a good mind not to bother walking out with you.’ She stuck her chin out and turned to
pretend to show interest in the red roses that were growing on the churchyard wall.

‘By ’eck, you are bonny when you’re in a mood.’ Jack couldn’t stop himself, though he immediately regretted even thinking it let alone saying it out loud.

Alice turned sharply. ‘Jack Alderson, you stand me up and then you accuse me of being in a mood. What sort of a date is this?’ She started walking over the cobbles pretending to be
heading back into the Moon. ‘You can think again if you think I’m walking with you.’

‘But, Alice, I’ve made us a picnic. I thought we could go in the trap up along the high road and picnic by Nellie’s Bridge, and then perhaps call off at the manor to see
Will.’ Jack held tight to the reins of the impatient horse while beckoning Alice to join him.

Alice stopped in her tracks; she loved going along the high road. It was the old drover road where two dales met, and the views up there were magnificent: on a good clear day you could even see
the Irish Sea. She turned round and looked at the fretting face of Jack.

‘Well, if you’ve gone to all that trouble, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to come with you. It’s only this once, mind.’ She pulled up her skirts, giving Jack a glimpse
of her ankle while he held her hand as she mounted the trap. She could see him hide his blushes as he got Patsy underway with a quick swish of the whip in the air. Alice held on tight to the wooden
seat as it rattled out of the cobbled streets of Dent and joined the narrow track that led up to the fellside. They were silent on the way up the winding track, the horse taking its time and Jack
watching Alice’s face as she took in the spectacular views unfolding with every turn of the trap’s wheel.

‘I thought you’d like it up here,’ said Jack. ‘You can see for miles and it’s so quiet apart from sheep and skylarks.’

Alice sat gazing around her, holding on to her hat as the mountain breezes played with it, until finally she gave up and untied it, placing it on her lap, letting her blonde hair blow free
across her face.

‘I love it up here, Jack – it’s so wild and free, and look, you can see the sea.’ She pointed at a distant glitter of shining blue between the rolling dales. ‘How I
wish I could go to the sea. I’ve never been. My father always promised to take me, but we never got to go.’ Her voice trailed off, remembering happier times.

‘I love the smell of the peat,’ said Jack. ‘And the way when you breathe in the fresh air, it makes you feel good. I often come up here if I’ve something on my mind. It
helps me to settle.’

He stopped the horse and trap and the young couple sat for a while, the warmth of the summer’s sun on their faces, gazing out at the beautiful sprawling countryside that was their home.
Above them the skylarks hovered and sang as they rode the moorland breezes. Below them in the valley, fields of mown grass lay drying in the sunshine, making hay for the winter months ahead. The
tranquillity and the warm, pleasant breeze made them feel at ease, content in their own company. The horse chomped on its bit, impatient and wondering why its journey had been interrupted for no
apparent reason.

‘Do you know, Jack, it’s my birthday. I’m seventeen today, but you’re the only one who knows, ’cos our Will has forgotten and I’ve not told anybody else. Last
year’s birthday seems a million years ago. So much has changed. I miss my mum and dad, and sometimes I feel so alone.’ Alice sniffed into her handkerchief and stifled the tears that she
could feel welling up. ‘There now, I’m even spoiling this beautiful day out with you because I’m feeling sorry for myself.’ She sniffed again and swallowed hard, regaining
her dignity and pretending not to care.

‘Now, Alice, you know we are all fond of you. You’ve been through the worst twelve months that anyone could have gone through. And as for your birthday, Will hasn’t forgotten
that it’s today. That’s why I’ve picked you up in the horse and trap – we have a surprise waiting for you. Nay, now I’ve said too much. I promised Will I
wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, so stop snivelling and let’s be off. Besides, Patsy’s had enough of this standing around. She’s a bit like thee: no patience. Why I want
to spend my time with the pair of you, I don’t know!’

‘Jack Alderson, are you likening me to a horse? And what’s this surprise? Oh, go on, Jack, tell me, please tell me. I thought you had all forgotten!’ Alice was bouncing in her
seat with excitement. She had thought that it was going to be just another day. Lately they had all seemed to run into one another, and even she had been taken by surprise when she realized that it
was Midsummer Day and her birthday.

‘I’m not saying another word; you’ll just have to wait. But I can say it’s something I’ve never seen either, so we’re both in for a surprise today.’
Jack flicked the reins and the horse began making its way along the fellside and down the green pathway to the local beauty spot of Nellie’s Bridge. In the face of Alice’s constant
quizzing, he urged the horse to make speed, worried that he might not be able to hold on to the secret until they reached their destination.

Soon they came to the green leafy glades of the riverside, the smell of drying hay drifting in the breeze and the drone of summer bumblebees filling the air as they went about their business of
collecting pollen for honey. The meadowsweet, red campion and other hedgerow flowers swayed in the gentle valley breeze and Alice sat back and enjoyed the steady pace of the faithful horse and its
driver. She felt content for a change, and she’d made up her mind not to let anything spoil her perfect day. The anger she’d felt towards Jack for being late had given way to
anticipation and excitement about what lay in store.