The Marvelous Magic of Miss Mabel (24 page)

Every once in a while on hot summer days, when a longing would swell up inside Mabel, a longing for the mother she would never know, she liked to spread out her family tree on the kitchen table, tracing the Ratcliffs right back to the thirteenth century. She always remembered what Nora had told her. If a sapling is moved to a new home, given the right care and love, it will set down fresh roots and flourish. Mabel was extremely proud of her Ratcliff heritage. But she never forgot her humble beginnings either. In fact, not long after moving to London, she purchased two large terra-cotta flowerpots, which she placed on each side of her front door. And every summer, as soon as the weather turned warm, she would fill them with Royal Duchess roses and ornamental ferns, in private memory of both her mothers.

T
O EXPERIENCE WHAT LIFE MIGHT
have been like for Mabel growing up in Victorian times, try out some of these recipes and ideas. Ask an adult for permission and/or to help you set up and use kitchen equipment, crack eggs, cut with knives, or take pans in and out of the oven, etc.

This is what Nanny Grimshaw tells Daisy to make for her when she has one of her headaches coming on. Nanny likes to take a cup up to her bedroom and insists on not being disturbed. Peppermint tea is extremely good for relieving head pain, and Mabel always loves it when she sees Daisy gathering mint from the garden, because she knows it probably means Nanny Grimshaw won't be bothering her for a couple of hours!

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NGREDIENTS
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1 handful fresh mint leaves

2 cups of boiling water

Honey to taste

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ETHOD
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Wash the mint leaves and put them in a teapot. Pour in boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain. Pour out and enjoy with a little honey stirred in to sweeten.

This is a lovely, warm, milky drink that Nora sometimes brings up to Mabel right before bed. It is perfect sipped between flannel sheets while listening to a bedtime story.

Serves 3 tired children.

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NGREDIENTS
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2
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cups of whole milk

4 tablespoons of treacle (molasses)

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Whisk together the milk and the treacle in a saucepan and heat until warm. Pour into your favorite bedtime mug and enjoy. Sweet, warm, and comforting.

Daisy makes these beautiful candied flowers to decorate cakes and special-occasion desserts. Her favorite flowers to use are violets, pansies, crab apple blossoms, and rose petals. After being coated with superfine sugar and left to dry, they get crisp, sparkly, and delicious.

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NGREDIENTS
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Pesticide-free edible flowers

Pasteurized powdered egg white or meringue powder (available from cake-decorating stores)

Superfine sugar (It works well if you have an empty salt shaker to put the sugar into.)

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1. Brush the dirt off the flowers but don't wash them.

2. Cover a cookie sheet or tray in wax paper.

3. Dilute the powdered egg white or meringue powder with a little water.

4. Hold the flower in your fingers or use a pair of tweezers
and dip into the liquid to cover the flower, leaf, and stem completely.

5. Sprinkle on a coat of sugar. Shake gently to release excess sugar.

6. Lay the flowers on the cookie sheet, making sure they don't touch.

7. Let dry in a cool place for 2 to 4 hours.

8. Use to decorate cakes and puddings or any special-occasion dessert. Sprinkle on ice cream for a pretty and unusual crunch, or just eat the flowers on their own, like candy!

9. These crystallized flowers keep well. You can store them in an airtight container, layered between sheets of tissue paper, for up to one month. Flowers can also be stored in the freezer for six months.

Nora and Mabel adore these delicate tea sandwiches of Daisy's. Wafer-thin rounds of cucumber layered between thin slices of buttered white (traditional) or wheat (if you prefer—but Daisy would never use) bread. It is important to cut the crusts off and arrange in dainty triangles (rectangles are also acceptable) on a pretty plate.

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NGREDIENTS
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English cucumber, peeled

Good butter at room temperature

6 slices of best quality white bread

Salt and white pepper

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1. Slice the cucumbers as thinly as you can. Lay them on a paper towel and put another paper towel on top. Gently pat to absorb some of the moisture.

2. Spread each slice of bread generously with butter.

3. Arrange the cucumbers on half the slices, overlapping
each round, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Top with the remaining bread slices.

5. Press down firmly and cut off the crusts, and then cut into neat triangles or rectangles. Try to make the sandwiches the same size.

6. Serve immediately with a nice cup of tea.

Daisy often makes this cake for tea. It is simple and delicious—a good, plain cake that won't spoil Mabel's appetite for her supper! Be careful with the caraway seeds though, because their flavor is strong and a little goes a long way. One time, Mabel decided to experiment and put in ten tablespoons, and the results were so nasty even Lightning turned his nose up at it!

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NGREDIENTS
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1 stick softened salted butter

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cup sugar

2 large eggs

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cup almond flour (finely ground almonds)

1
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cups self-rising flour

1 to 2 teaspoons of caraway seeds—depending on how strong a flavor you want

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon raw sugar (sometimes called turbinado) for sprinkling on top

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease a 7- or 8-inch cake pan or an 8-x-4-inch loaf pan.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, and then beat in the eggs one at a time.

4. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold in the almond flour, self-rising flour, and caraway seeds.

5. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until the mixture softens, and then spoon into the prepared pan.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes. The cake is ready when a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with raw sugar.

8. Slice and enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

This pretty potpourri of rose petals will add a delicate, floral ambience to your home, a must for any hostess. Display it in a glass dish and let the lovely lingering scent welcome guests when they stop by for tea.

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UPPLIES
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One dozen roses—the more fragrant the better (Nora always used her Royal Duchesses.)

A cookie tray

Newspaper

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teaspoon ground cinnamon

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teaspoon dried lavender

Rose essential oil or rose water (optional)

Sealable glass container

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1. Remove the petals from the flowers and spread them over the cookie tray. Cover with a layer of newspaper.

2. Once the petals start to get a little dry and crispy around the edges, place in a sealable glass jar. Add the cinnamon and lavender, and if your roses are not as powerful as Nora's, sprinkle over a few drops of rose oil or rose water to deepen the scent.

3. Close the container and shake. Place in a warm, dry spot and leave for about 24 hours. Shake again.

4. Pour into a pretty glass dish and breathe deeply!

Daisy makes these lavender wands every year when the lavender is in bloom. She tucks them into Nora's and Mabel's clothes drawers to scent their undergarments. Nanny Grimshaw insists on keeping a lavender wand close at hand, so she can wave it under her nose any time she smells an unpleasant odor!

These may sound a little fussy to make, but they are really quite simple if you follow the directions carefully. Read through first before starting to make your wand.

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1. Begin by gathering a bunch of lavender (between 20 and 30 stems is a good number), keeping the flower stalks long—about twice as long as the buds of the flower. If you plan to weave ribbon around your wand at the end, use an odd number of stalks.

2. Strip off any leaves remaining on the flower stalks.

3. Bundle the bunch up and, using a rubber band or piece of string, tie the bundle together right below the flowers. If you like you can tie a narrow (
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-inch) ribbon around that.

4. Holding the bouquet with the flowers pointing down, fold the long stalks around the flowers, enclosing them in a narrow, cagelike structure. The stalks should surround the flower buds like a birdcage. Some of the stalks may split a little (that's okay!), but if you work quickly while the stalks are still fresh, it is easier.

5. Evenly space your stalks and secure underneath the tips of the flowers with another rubber band. If you like you can take a piece of ribbon and weave it over and under the stalks of the cage, going around and around to make a pretty pattern.

6. Keep a wand handy to wave under your nose, or tuck one into your clothes drawer.

Mabel never remembers to carry her smelling salts, but the Ruthersfield girls always have little bags of smelling salts tucked away in their pockets. To make some of your own, simply mix up a batch of aromatic salts, personalizing them with different scents to suit your mood. Choose rosemary and peppermint if you need an energizing lift, or lavender when you want to be soothed. Spoon them into a pretty cloth bag and sniff whenever you're tired or in need of a boost.

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NGREDIENTS
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cup Epsom salts (available at most pharmacies)

3 drops of your favorite essential oil, or any combination of essential oils (available from health food stores and craft shops)

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1. Put the Epsom salts into a small bowl. Add essential oil and mix. Pour into a little potpourri bag and tuck discreetly away in your pocket.

2. You can mix different oils together, so have fun experimenting—just keep to 3 drops per
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cup. Below is a list of oils to help you decide which ones you want to use.

Lavender—calming, relaxing

Rosemary—energizing

Peppermint—energizing, refreshing

Chamomile—relaxing, calming

Rose—centering

Vanilla—warm, sunny, calming

H
UGE THANKS TO MY FABULOUS
agent, Ann Tobias, for helping me dig out Mabel's story from an extremely rough first draft and then working with me through countless rounds of revision. You are the best!

Thanks to my wonderful editor, Paula Wiseman, and everyone at Paula Wiseman Books, for taking such good care of Mabel and giving her a marvelous home!

I am so grateful to Sebastien Mesnard, for his gorgeous artwork, and to Chloë Foglia, for designing the perfect cover.

Thank you to Jane Gilbert Keith, for reading draft after draft of
Mabel
, offering your thoughts, listening to me chatter on, and never once complaining.

A special thank-you to Ann Gilbert, for sharing her wisdom and experiences with me on the subject of adoption. Your insights and comments were invaluable, and
Mabel
is a better book because of them.

I would never have written Mabel's story if my nephew Max hadn't leaned across the dinner table one day and said, “I think you should write Great-Granny Mabel's story!” So thank you, Max Lowe, for giving me the idea!

Thank you to Annabelle Fenwick, for reading early drafts, calming me down, and answering my many Mabel questions.

Thanks to Rachel Roberts and Martha Price, for reading through the recipes, and helping with directions on how to make lavender wands!

As always, thank you to my wonderful parents, for encouraging me to write the books of my heart.

And last but by no means least, thanks and love to Jon, Sebastian, Oliver, Ben, and Juliette, for putting up with me while I write!