The Royal Lacemaker (4 page)

When Lily woke, she was trembling and
drenched in perspiration. Clambering wearily out of bed, she dressed quietly, so as
not to wake her mother and sister and then tiptoed out to the yard.

Quickly she splashed her face with water
from the pail, hoping it would cool her fevered thoughts as well as her skin.
Hurrying past the linney to the barn, she grabbed a handful of straw to quieten
Doris whilst she hitched up the cart. Then, anxious to be away before anyone woke,
she snatched up the reins and urged the reluctant donkey out into the cool air and
onto the rutted track.

Although her conscience was troubling
her, she needed to think things through before facing Aunt Elizabeth and Robert. She
knew they expected her to put family duty before her own wishes. But then, like most
of the county, they believed Squire Clinsden to be an honourable man. And he could
be charming when he got his own way, which he usually did as few people dared to
cross him for fear of losing their livelihoods and the homes that went with
them.

Preoccupied with her thoughts,
she'd just reached the narrowest part of the track, when a chestnut stallion
came galloping straight towards her. Tugging on the leather straps to avoid a
collision, she glared at the rider as he thundered by. But just as she opened her
mouth to shout
after him, he reined in his horse and trotted back
towards her. As soon as she saw those hazel eyes glinting, her stomach dipped to her
toes and the words died on her lips. It was as if her dream had conjured him up.

‘Well, what a surprise. If it
isn't young Lily,' the squire said, tipping his hand to his hat in
salute, while his mocking smile sent shivers of revulsion sliding down her
spine.

‘Squire Clinsden,' she
acknowledged, gathering up the reins ready to urge the donkey on.

‘How opportune, Lily. I take it
your mother has told you of my generous offer?' he asked pleasantly, but she
saw the hard set of his jaw and wasn't fooled for one moment.

‘My mother's in no fit state
to deal with anything, let alone the shock of learning she's to lose her
home,' Lily retorted. ‘Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be
late for work if I don't hurry.'

‘Ah, yes. That'll be for Mrs
Bodney,' he stated. She stared at him in surprise. Then, remembering her aunt
had told him about her job, she realized this was no accidental meeting at all.

To her dismay, he dismounted and moved
closer until she could feel the heat emanating from his body. He smelled of sweat
and stale liquor, and she shivered as he put one hand on the cart, preventing her
from moving on.

‘Of course, your work there is
only temporary whereas the position I'm offering could be permanent,' he
said, raising a wiry eyebrow suggestively. As his eyes dropped to her chest, her
throat tightened like a wound bobbin. Hastily, she readjusted her shawl, which had
slipped from her shoulders when she'd yanked the reins. ‘I've been
impressed by the conscientious way you've cared for your
family since the sad demise of your father.'

‘Sad demise?' She heard her
voice rising and took a deep breath. ‘Father never stood a chance. That
building was on your land and had needed seeing to for years. He told your agent
every time he called for the rent. It was an accident waiting to happen, everyone
knows that.'

Ignoring her remark, the squire
continued, ‘You're a dutiful young woman, so I'm sure you'll
wish to ensure your family continue to have a roof over their heads. As I explained
to them, the accommodation I'm offering is much better than the cottage they
have at present.' He paused, smirking at her with the air of a lion playing
its prey. But she was no mouse and had no intention of rising to his bait.

Forcing a smile, she said, ‘The
wellbeing of my family is my main concern, sir, you can be sure of that. Now, if
you'll excuse me, I really must be on my way. Mrs Bodney will be
waiting.' Ignoring the podgy hand resting on the cart, she urged the donkey
onwards. The squire's caustic laugh followed her, but she didn't look
back.

‘Be sure we'll meet again
soon, young Lily, for there's nothing I love better than breaking in a
spirited filly. Remember I always get what I want, one way or another,' he
shouted after her.

Dear God, he was loathsome. How
she'd like people to know his true worth. But he was deemed a pillar of the
community, always seeming to be helping people when really he was furthering his own
needs. Of course, people spoke well of him – they couldn't afford not to when
he was the largest employer for miles around. She shuddered,
remembering his improper behaviour at the manor. Just the thought of his lecherous
leers and furtive fumbling made her feel sick. She cringed, knowing that the finger
of suspicion would be pointed in her direction if she spoke up, for people would say
there was no spark without fire.

‘Lily, wait for me.'

Roused from her reverie, she looked up
to see Mary hurrying towards her. Lost in her thoughts, Lily hadn't realized
she'd already arrived in Bransbeer.

‘You're late this
morning,' the other woman gasped, stooping to catch her breath.

‘I know, Mary. I started out in
good time but Squire Clinsden waylaid me.'

‘Oh, he's such a charming
man and kind with it. Only the other day he gave my Jimmy a penny for returning his
horse,' the older woman gushed.

A whole penny for returning his
thoroughbred; how generous, Lily thought. And as she looked at the woman's
beaming face, she knew she'd have great difficulty persuading people the
squire was anything but a gentleman.

The morning passed in a blur. Luckily,
Lily had mastered the pattern, for her thoughts were whirling as fast as her bobbins
as she desperately tried to think of a solution to her domestic problem. She could
never work for the squire. Yet, the family were relying on her and if she
didn't agree to go into service at the manor, they would be left without a
roof over their heads. More than ever, she wished she'd confided in Tom but
she hadn't dare risk him confronting the squire; for they'd have been
out of their cottage as fast as a fox snatching a
chicken. Yet
wasn't that the situation they found themselves in now?

‘Well, Lily, you appear to be
making good progress this morning, despite being in a trancelike state these past
few hours.'

Looking up guiltily, she found her
employer's all-seeing eyes staring shrewdly at her.

‘Thank you, ma'am. I admit
this pattern does take some concentrating on,' Lily said, but the woman had
already moved on.

‘No, no, that will not do at all,
Abigail,' Mrs Bodney berated, making the girl jump so that her slender fingers
caught one of the pins.

Lily watched in horror as berry-red
blood dripped onto the virginal white of the lace. Silence hung heavy in the air as
the lace makers all waited to see what would happen. Mrs Bodney, her face as stiff
as a starched napkin, ushered the sobbing Abigail from the room and the remaining
women glanced at each other in dismay. Then, anxious not to be the next person to
incur their employer's wrath, they bent their heads over their pillows in
fierce concentration. They didn't even dare to look up when, a short while
later, Mrs Bodney reappeared with a woman they'd never seen before and began
showing her the pattern to be pricked out.

‘Heavens, that was quick,'
Nell whispered to Cora as she quickly straightened her cap. But for once even the
quick-tongued Cora didn't reply.

Lily shivered. Obviously, Mrs Bodney
didn't take any prisoners and, true to her word, had replacements ready and
waiting if any of them were found wanting. Not
wishing to risk her
job, Lily made a determined effort to push her domestic problems to the back of her
mind, and bent her head over her pillow.

Their nuncheon break was a subdued
affair with none of them feeling inclined to talk. The realization that one mistake
could see them instantly out of work had sobered their mood. Lily leaned back
against the stone wall, wishing the sun would appear and warm her numbed body. The
workroom as well as the atmosphere had been decidedly chilly. She was also hungry,
for in her haste to leave the cottage, not only had she skipped breaking her fast,
she'd forgotten to bring her noon piece.

She wondered how things were at the
cottage and if her mother was feeling any better today. No doubt Aunt Elizabeth and
Rob would be discussing the squire's proposition.

‘Where's your nuncheon,
Lily?' Mary asked, breaking into her thoughts.

‘I was in such a hurry this
morning, I forgot to bring it,' she answered, shrugging as if it wasn't
really important.

Mary broke her bread in half.
‘Here, have this. I've plenty,' she said, handing a piece to
Lily.

‘Oh, I couldn't,
Mary,' she protested, for the other woman was a bag of bones and looked as if
she needed all the nourishment she could get.

‘Go on, Lily, it's been a
bad morning already without you starving yourself,' Mary insisted and, smiling
her thanks, Lily took the proffered bread and bit into it hungrily.

The solemn atmosphere continued
throughout the afternoon and, although Lily concentrated on the lace
growing on her pillow, time dragged like the legs on a lame horse. She wondered
how Beth and Rob were. It was surprising how much she missed them, but a relief to
know her mother was being looked after as well, for, if Lily were honest, she had to
admit she'd been finding it difficult to cope with her.

Finally, when the shadows had grown long
and they were all bleary-eyed from staring at the white thread, Mrs Bodney rang her
bell to signal the end of work. Relieved to have made it through the day without
making any mistakes, Lily quickly covered her work, called goodbye to the others and
hurried outside.

Her head was throbbing and her eyes
burned from the continual concentration. Although it was a short walk up to the
stables, she was bone weary and couldn't wait to climb into the cart and let
Doris take her home. But to her horror, the door was hanging open and the stall was
empty. Frantically, she stared round the yard but there was no sign of Doris at all.
Nor was Ned there to help her.

Fighting back tears of frustration, and
feeling sad she'd have no time to meet Tom now, she put her head down against
the rising wind, and began the long trek up the cliff towards Coombe. As her feet
trudged the path, her boots throwing up red mud in her wake, her thoughts were in
turmoil. She was certain she'd tethered Doris securely so how could she have
got free? Could someone have taken her?

Gaining the brow of the hill, she paused
to catch her breath. Surely she could hear the sound of hoofs? Squinting into the
distance, she could just make out the outline of a donkey with someone seated on its
back,
coming towards her. She watched as they drew steadily closer.
Then the rider waved and her heart flipped. It was Tom.

Tiredness forgotten, she tore down the
hill towards him. As she reached him, he sprang from the animal's back,
landing so close she could smell the salt on his skin. Then a soft, velvety muzzle
nuzzled its way between them and they burst out laughing.

‘Where did you find her?'
she asked, stroking the donkey's ear.

‘I happened by on my way back to
Bransbeer to meet you, and there she was cropping the grass,' Tom replied.
‘Thinking you must have come home early, I knocked on the door. Your aunt was
in a right old lather when she realized you weren't there so I offered to come
and find you. What's going on, Lily? What's happened?' His blue
eyes, serious for once, studied her intently.

‘I went to collect Doris after
work, but the stall was empty. It gave me a real fright, I can tell you.'

‘Didn't you ask Ned where
she was?' he asked, looking concerned.

‘He wasn't around so I had
no choice but to walk back.'

‘You look exhausted, poor thing.
It seems right strange that old Doris here would set out to walk all the way back by
herself. Your aunt reckoned she's a lazy beast and never goes any further than
she has to.' Tom scratched his head, trying to fathom it out.

‘I can't think what
happened,' Lily said, but then she remembered the squire's words and a
germ of suspicion flickered. ‘Anyway, what were you doing passing by the
cottage?' she asked, eager to change the subject. ‘And why
are your hands caked in soil?' To her surprise, his cheeks
flushed and he didn't meet her gaze.

‘Oh, I had something that needed
seeing to,' he said, winking. ‘Anyhow, you'd best be getting home.
Your aunt was that worried she was flapping around like a broody hen. I'll
wait outside Mrs Bodney's tomorrow and we'll take a walk. It'll do
you good to get some fresh air after being cooped up indoors all day.' Then
tipping his hand to his forehead in salute, he continued along the path to
Bransbeer.