Battles Lost and Won (14 page)

‘I understand, and I would like all of you to feel you can speak freely.’ Ben’s glance rested on everyone in turn. ‘If Ruth didn’t take the brooch, then someone else must have done, and I intend to find out exactly what happened here.’

There was an uncomfortable shuffling as the servants all looked at each other.

‘Cook, the housekeeper and the stable staff may all leave.’ There was a pause while those servants left the room, then the captain continued. ‘That leaves the housemaids, who have easy access to the entire house. Do you have anything to tell me?’

‘I never took the ruby brooch!’ one of them blurted out.

Emma joined her husband, speaking softly. ‘Mother has many brooches, and we never said which one it was.’

He nodded and dismissed the other two maids, leaving only one. ‘Only the thief would have known it was a ruby brooch, Betty. Why did you do it?’

Seeing she had given herself away, she became defensive. ‘I didn’t want it for myself; I just wanted that girl out of the way. I should have had that job. After five years as a maid I deserved it.’

Steve drew in a breath of relief. Ruth’s name had been cleared, and that was what he had come here for. It was up to the captain to deal with this mess now.

‘You are quite wrong. The fact that you were prepared to hurt an innocent girl shows your character to be flawed.’ The captain turned to Steve. ‘You have our sincere apologies, Mr Cooper. You may decide what happens to this girl.’

This was the last thing he wanted, but there was no backing away from it now the captain had placed it firmly in his lap. He nodded and stepped towards Betty. ‘In my view what you did is unforgivable . . .’

The girl started to shake with fear. ‘Please sir, I’m sorry. Don’t set the police on me. I need this job . . . my mum’s not well . . . please,’ she begged. ‘I’ll never do anything like this again. I promise. I was jealous . . .’

‘Nothing you say can excuse your actions. You have caused my daughter great distress and I cannot forgive you for that. However, Ruth is of a gentler nature and she would not wish you to lose your job.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ she whispered as tears trickled down her face. ‘I’m ever so sorry for what I’ve done. I should have owned up when Ruth was sent away, but I was too frightened.’

‘I’m glad you understand that, but of course, it is not up to me to say if you can keep your job or not. Captain and Mrs Russell are your employers, and the final decision is up to them, but you will write a letter of apology to Ruth, and I will take it with me.’

When the maid nodded agreement, Steve joined the captain again. ‘Thank you for the way you have handled this. My daughter’s name has been cleared, and that is all that concerns me. How you deal with your staff is your business.’

Before speaking Captain Russell gave a slight inclination of his head. ‘Because Mr Cooper’s daughter has so generously said she doesn’t want you to lose your job, you can stay – with the following conditions. You are no longer allowed in the main house. You must help in the servants’ quarters only, and do what work the housekeeper gives you. Is that understood?’

‘Yes, sir, thank you, sir.’

Ben called the butler over. ‘Take Betty downstairs and wait until she has written the letter of apology, then bring it to Mr Cooper.’

When the butler and maid had left the room, Ben turned his attention to his wife and mother. ‘You also owe Mr Cooper and Ruth an apology.’

They did so, appearing upset and contrite about the way they had dealt with the theft. They both said they would write letters of apology to Ruth.

‘And I will also pay what is owed her,’ Emma said.

‘Now that is settled, will you stay and lunch with us?’ the captain asked Steve.

‘No, thank you, Captain Russell. As soon as I have the letter from the maid and Ruth’s money, I’ll leave.’

‘Please lunch with us, and then, with your permission, my wife and I would like to come with you. A very great wrong has been done to your daughter, and I do not consider letters good enough. Please allow us to apologize in person.’

‘I’m not sure about that. She was close to collapse when she arrived home, and very frightened.’

‘All the more reason for us to reassure her that the culprit has been found and she now has nothing to fear. At least give us the chance to put her mind at rest.’

Steve pictured his terrified daughter and nodded. ‘Very well.’

Voices could be heard in the scullery, so Steve took the Russells straight there. When they walked in, Ruth took one look at the couple with her dad, and shot to her feet. Seeing their big sister’s alarm, Eddie, John and little Sally clustered protectively around her.

‘You leave our Ruthie alone!’ John declared, standing right in front of her. ‘What did you bring them here for, Dad?’

‘It’s all right, sweetheart.’ Steve moved the kids out of the way and took hold of his daughter’s hands, smiling reassuringly. ‘The maid has admitted that she did put the brooch in your room, and the captain and his wife have come to apologize.’

Mrs Russell spoke first. ‘We were wrong to dismiss you without looking into the matter thoroughly. Our treatment of you was harsh and we offer our sincere apologies. I am so sorry, Ruth. Would you please consider coming back with us?’

‘No, I can’t do that. I would be terrified in case something else went missing because I don’t feel you would ever really trust me again.’

‘That isn’t so, Ruth,’ Captain Russell said. ‘We know you were not responsible for the missing brooch, and that you would never do such a thing. Please reconsider.’

‘No, sir.’ Ruth shook her head firmly.

‘I suppose it was too much to hope that you would forgive us and come back.’

‘You weren’t there, sir, so there’s no need for me to forgive you. Mrs Russell did what she thought was right at the time, but it hurt me badly. I expect I could forgive you in time, but I would never work for you again.’

‘No, I don’t suppose you could.’ Mrs Russell was visibly upset. ‘I am ashamed.’

‘What will happen to the maid?’ Ruth asked.

‘She will be kept on, but under strict supervision.’ The captain handed Ruth an envelope. ‘That is the money we owe you. Would you write to us now and again to let us know how you are getting on?’

‘Er . . . yes, if you want me to.’ She thought it was a strange request in the circumstances, but she would do as he asked.

‘Thank you. Now we will take our leave, and again, please accept our sincere apologies.’

Steve saw them to the door, and then returned to his family. ‘Do you know, I feel sorry for that man. He has a mess to sort out at home, but as soon as he found out what had happened, he acted quickly and with honour.’

‘And that’s all we can ask of anyone.’ Daisy put the kettle on the stove. ‘I don’t know about you, but I need a strong cup of tea.’

Later that evening Steve noticed that the envelope the captain had given Ruth was still on the dresser, untouched.

‘Aren’t you going to open that?’ Steve asked his daughter as she helped to lay the table for tea.

‘It won’t be much. I wasn’t there for very long.’ But to please him, Ruth slit open the envelope and looked inside, gave an exclamation of disgust, and then threw it down on to the table. ‘Don’t they think I have been insulted enough?’

Seeing Ruth’s furious expression, Steve picked it up and took out the letter, frowning as he read. ‘What’s this about a gown you altered?’

‘Mrs Russell was going to a regimental dinner with her husband and none of her gowns fitted her after the birth of her son. I let one out, that’s all. Why?’

‘Captain Russell says the enclosed money is payment for your excellent work.’

‘Five pounds! That’s more than you earn in a week.’

‘It would have cost her more if she’d had to have a new gown made, sweetheart. I expect it was an expensive gown.’

‘Hmm, it was the most beautiful silk, and a challenge to work on.’

‘And was she pleased when she was able to wear it?’ Steve asked.

Ruth nodded. ‘She looked lovely, and the captain was pleased because he said it was his favourite gown.’

‘Then you must accept the money.’ Daisy took it from her husband and pressed it into her daughter’s hand. ‘Don’t be too proud to take payment for a job well done. And don’t go spending it on the kids or us. You buy yourself something nice with it.’

‘Thank goodness that’s over.’ Emma placed a hand over her eyes. ‘In future I will always give someone the benefit of the doubt. You know, darling, sometimes when you’re hiring and firing staff for a large household, it’s easy to forget that these are people with hopes and fears, just like us. Your mother is our guest, and I was upset to discover something of hers had been stolen while she was in this house. But that is no excuse for allowing her to overrule me so easily. I liked the girl and should have been suspicious when the jewel was found so quickly. If she really had stolen it then she would have done a better job of hiding it. I was so upset at the time that I didn’t see that.’

‘It’s easy to see that now the truth is known. Mother was pressing you to take immediate action, and you bowed to her wishes. She always ruled her household with a fist of iron, dismissing staff for the slightest misdemeanour, but things have changed, Emma. I fought beside men of all ranks and stations in life. It didn’t matter where they came from; they were fighting and dying with courage. It brought home to me that the class divide is unimportant. Everyone has the right to a decent life, and I had hoped that things would change once the war was over, but all anyone appears to be doing is talking about improvements.’

‘It will come, darling, but it takes time, and education is a vital step to help the poor improve their lot. Young Bob knew that, and had the desire to do something about it by becoming a teacher himself.’

Ben sighed. ‘If only he had stayed I would have helped him. Dear God, Emma, if I was still a drinking man I’d have a stiff brandy now.’ When he saw his wife’s expression he grimaced. ‘Don’t worry; I’m not going to. It’s obvious that we can’t change the world tonight, but we do have to put our own house in order. Do you know where Mother is?’

‘I haven’t seen her since we arrived back. I’ll send Green to find her.’

‘I’ve ordered tea,’ the captain’s mother announced as she entered the sitting room. ‘How did your trip to London go?’

‘Upsetting,’ Emma said.

‘I don’t know why you went. We made an honest mistake and letters would have been enough.’

The tea trolley arrived and Ben waited until they were on their own before speaking. ‘Mother, I will not have you interfering in the running of this household. All this unpleasantness could have been avoided if you had let Emma wait for me to return.’

‘Benjamin, I have been used to doing things my way. It is kind of you and Emma to have me here, but I am going out of my mind with nothing to do. My body may be creaking, but my mind is still sharp.’

‘There is no denying that, and we need to find a solution. What do you think about setting up your own small household in the Gatehouse? You could have your own servants to look after you, and you would have your independence to live as you please. But you would still be close enough for us to keep an eye on you.’

His mother looked startled for a moment, and then broke into a huge smile. ‘That is a splendid idea, but is it habitable, Benjamin, because it hasn’t been used for some time?’

‘I will have it put into good order for you.’ Ben was relieved his mother seemed so pleased with the idea. ‘You may choose the wallpaper and furniture.’

‘That is wonderful, and very generous of you both. I shall enjoy overseeing the refurbishment.’

Ben doubted that the workers would, but he said nothing, and wondered why he hadn’t thought of this before. He loved his mother, but the two of them under one roof would never work.

Emma joined in the enthusiasm, also relieved that this was going so well. ‘Mother, there are some good pieces of furniture in the attic storage rooms. There might be something there you would like.’

‘Splendid. We shall sort through them tomorrow.’ She looked intently at her son. ‘You will employ the workers quickly, Benjamin?’

‘It will be my first task tomorrow, and you should be able to move in within a couple of weeks.’

‘The sooner I’m out of your way the better for all of us.’ She patted her daughter-in-law’s hand and stood up. ‘May I ask Green to accompany me to the Gatehouse before dinner? I should like to have a look at it before it’s too dark.’

‘Of course.’ Ben rang for the butler, and when they had left he sat back and closed his eyes for a moment.

‘Are you all right, darling?’

He turned his head to look at his wife. ‘I’m suddenly tired, and feeling unsettled. This has not been a pleasant day, Emma.’

‘I agree, but we have put things right with Ruth, and Mother is happy about moving to the Gatehouse. Not a pleasant day, as you say, but not a wasted one either.’

Three days later Ben opened a letter from Ruth. It was short, thanking them for the money, and saying that she thought it was kind of them to come in person to see her.

He replied at once, but his letter was long and chatty, telling her about the horses, his children and what was happening on the estate. He also asked questions about her brothers and sister, hoping this would prompt her to write again. He really wanted to stay in touch with the Coopers and Bob’s father, but after the way Ruth had been treated by them, he knew they would be reluctant to keep in contact. If Ruth wrote again, then he would try to keep the correspondence going, but if she didn’t reply then he would have to leave it at that.

Ever since Bob had arrived here and urged him to stop drinking, he had felt a strong connection to all of them. That was why he had taken the trouble to find Alfred Hunter, and offered Ruth a position with them. His good intentions had ended in disaster and he hoped to be able to make amends one day.

‘I’m going to a birthday party!’

Ruth put down the mending she was doing and smiled at her little sister. ‘That’s very exciting. Where is it?’

‘At Mr Hunter’s new house. Mrs Selby’s giving it for Alice. She’ll be five. Eddie and John are coming as well.’