Albert paused, stricken all over again by the ramifications of the actions of Williams, the much-hated overlooker at the factory where he and Alice had worked. He sipped his tea before continuing.
‘Mr Ward appeared shaken by hearing another side to the story, and when I heard the tale of the so-called poisoning of an Edgar someone-or-other I explained that Sarah here is a herbalist and that you had no doubt learnt a little of the art’ – Sarah snorted at this idea. – ‘And would surely have had no malicious intent. He said nothing further, beyond suggesting that we meet in a few days’ time to discuss the business matter properly as I had clearly had a most grievous shock. When I next attended the house he produced a letter, already addressed, that he said he wished to send to you, Ella. Having made further enquiries he now realised that there had been errors of deduction and that he might have acted hastily. It seemed that this Edgar person was now fully recovered, having not had a heart attack at all, and Mr Ward at least had the grace to look embarrassed. He wanted you to return to discuss the matter further. But when I saw him again, within the month, he looked troubled and said that his letter to you had been returned unopened, with ‘gone away’ on the envelope. He was at a loss as to how you might be contacted, so I said that once our work was at an end, I would have the time for a long-overdue visit home and I would try to find you.’
Albert paused again to draw breath and to finish his tea.
‘I thought it would be easy. Foolishly, I imagined I would walk down the street in Northwaite and find you there. But nobody was prepared to admit to having seen you.’ Albert looked troubled. ‘The mill fire is strong in people’s memories there. They still hold blame. I don’t know how easy it will be to change their minds. But when I enquired in Nortonstall, I heard that Sarah had been in regular attendance at the market. I knew then that I would be able to find you. And here I am. And here is the letter.’
Albert withdrew a rather creased, but nonetheless impressive, envelope of good-quality cream paper from his inside top pocket. Ella played for time. She could read but a single word of the writing on the front of the envelope, in a firm, bold script, and that was her name.
‘What’s in it?’ she asked, picking up the envelope gingerly. ‘What does Mr Ward want with me?’
‘Why not open it and find out?’ Albert urged.
‘I…’ Ella hesitated, embarrassed by her lack of learning, even in front of Albert who had known her so long.
Tactfully, Albert rose to his feet. ‘I’ll go and find Beth in the garden,’ he said. ‘That will give you a chance to look at it in peace.’
Ella half-rose to her feet. ‘Beth! I’d forgotten all about her! She has probably disturbed the baby birds by now.’
‘No, no you misjudge her,’ Albert protested. ‘I’ve been watching her, and she’s hard at work with a watering can. It looks as though she could do with some help.’ And with that he stepped out into the garden.
Ella pushed the letter across the table to Sarah. ‘We might as well find out what he has to say,’ she sighed, wondering whether, despite what Albert had said, some new accusation had been dreamt up against her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Sarah skimmed over the letter while Ella waited expectantly, hoping for a clue to the nature of its contents in her mother’s expression. The room was very still and Ella was conscious of the sounds from outside, the noisy, unceasing calls of the baby birds and of the indistinct conversation of Albert and Beth, punctuated by Albert’s laughter.
‘Well?’ Ella asked, nervously, as Sarah laid the letter down on the table.
‘It’s all rather surprising,’ Sarah said slowly.
‘Surprising?’ echoed Ella.
‘Yes, I don’t know quite what to make of it. I’ll read it to you,’ Sarah said. She paused, then began:
‘Dear Ella,
I have tried to reach you but my letter was returned unopened, forwarding address unknown. I trust that this second letter, which Albert has so kindly promised to carry with him in his efforts to locate you, will have more success in finding you.
Ella, I fear we have misjudged you and I owe you an apology. A little while after your departure, once Sir Edgar Broughton had fully recovered his health, Grace had the good sense to confess her part in the whole sorry misadventure. I now believe your protestations as to the nature of your ‘potion’ and fear the fault must lie with Grace in administering nearly the whole bottle –’ here Sarah paused and raised her eyebrows as Ella gasped, ‘– rather than the much smaller dosage that you advised. It was this overdose, to which Sir Edgar unfortunately proved susceptible, that resulted in his ill health. Much as I would have liked to overlook the whole matter as a piece of girlish nonsense, Sir Edgar’s illness has made this impossible and Grace has been dealt with appropriately.
I would very much like to speak with you in person, Ella, and hope that you might agree to return to Grange House. John misses you very much.
Regards,
Robert Ward’
Sarah laid the letter down for a second time, while Ella struggled to make sense of what she had heard. She wasn’t sure what was causing her the most surprise. Was it that Grace had confessed, or that Mr Ward seemed to want to make amends? Ella had just been a servant, and a lowly one at that. Why should he care about the injustice? Why did he wish to speak to her in person? The only thing that did make sense, and that cut her to her heart, was that John was missing her.
Ella frowned, then her expression cleared. There was someone who might be able to clear up some of the confusion, someone close to hand who might be able to rule out the necessity of a trip to York and the need to have a potentially difficult conversation.
On cue, Albert came back into the kitchen, hand in hand with Beth.
‘Shall we tell them what we found?’ he asked Beth.
Ella couldn’t help smiling as she looked at Beth. Her cheeks were pink with excitement and her eyes were shining.
‘We’ve found a fairy tree,’ Beth exclaimed, almost dancing on the spot.
‘A fairy tree,’ Ella repeated, raising her eyes to Albert.
‘Yes,’ he said firmly. ‘Down the garden near the vegetable plot. Do you want to show them what was there, Beth?’
Beth’s eyes were as large as saucers as she reached into the pocket of her pinafore and pulled out a silver threepenny bit.
‘A thruppence! Let me see.’ Ella bent down and Beth handed it over, although rather reluctantly.
Ella turned the small coin between her fingers and traced the outlines on front and back.
‘Look Beth,’ she said, ‘that’s the queen’s head. Queen Victoria. And here, on the other side, there’s a crown and… do you know what number that is?’
‘Three,’ said Beth, proudly.
‘I didn’t know we had a fairy tree,’ Ella said. ‘Do you think the fairies left the gift for you a long time ago and we just never noticed it?’
‘No,’ Beth said, taking the coin from Ella’s palm and quickly returning it to her pocket. ‘Albert said that the fairies told him it was a gift for watching over the baby birds.’
‘Albert, I didn’t know you could talk to fairies,’ Ella said solemnly. ‘That must be very… useful.’
Albert blushed. ‘Ah, they only ever speak to me when there are little people around. Very special little people,’ he added, ruffling Beth’s hair.
‘Well, we will have to keep an eye on the fairy tree,’ Sarah said, getting to her feet. ‘But you mustn’t expect the fairies to leave you gifts every day,’ she warned Beth.
‘It’s all right,’ Albert said hastily. ‘Beth knows that they only leave gifts on very special occasions. Like birthdays, or when you’ve done something particularly good.’
‘Or when you have special visitors,’ Ella said, smiling and pushing Sarah gently back into her chair. ‘Don’t you go getting up, Ma. You’ve been on your feet all day, and had two long walks to market and back. I’ll make us all something for supper and
I want to hear all Albert’s news.’
So while Ella peeled potatoes and carrots and chopped greens, hoping all the while Albert wouldn’t notice how frugal the fare was, she quizzed him as to what might be the meaning of Mr Ward’s comments about Grace in the letter, and why he would want her to return to talk to him.
To Ella’s disappointment, Albert was unable to furnish her with too many details about the goings-on at Grange House after she had left. He had caught a glimpse or two of John at the window, or setting out on walks with his governess. His contact with Stevens had been limited to greetings at the door on arrival, and farewells as he was ushered out. Of Grace, he had seen no sign. He was only party to what Mr Ward had told him, mainly pertaining to his quest to find Ella, and could give her no further insight into what the servants or anyone else might be thinking.
Ella sighed as she chopped and added vegetables to the pot on the stove. Many a time she had had cause to regret her lack of learning. If she had only learnt to write properly, she could have replied to Mr Ward’s letter, or written to Mr Stevens or to some other member of the household to find out what had happened. She recognised that it was her own fault; she had taken every opportunity to slip away from school and take to the fields, roaming far and wide and frequently only returning home just in time to prevent Sarah’s suspicions from being aroused. Then, at the age of thirteen, she had started work at the mill and, although schooling was compulsory there, the older she was the harder it was to admit to her poor reading and writing skills, so she would skulk at the back or volunteer to run errands rather than play any part in the lesson.
Before the food was ready, Albert pushed back his chair and stood up.
‘You’re not going so soon, are you?’ Ella asked.
‘I’m sorry,’ Albert said, a little flustered. ‘I hadn’t realised how late it was.’ He glanced outside, where the gathering gloom after the brightness of the day showed that the lengthy days of summer were yet to arrive. ‘I must get back home. I’ve barely been back a week and my company will be expected.’
‘But you haven’t seen Thomas, Annie and Beattie yet. You’ll be so surprised to see how they have grown.’ Ella could hear the pleading note in her voice. Albert’s visit had initially taken her aback and now she was doubly unsettled by the realisation of how much she was enjoying his company.
‘Then all the more reason for me to return.’ Albert was firm. ‘Sarah and I had a good talk on the way here and I would like to attend to matters relating to our conversation in Northwaite in the next day or so. But after that I will be back.’
Ella was puzzled as to what this business in Northwaite might be, but had no chance to ask. Albert hugged Sarah and kissed both her cheeks, then bent down to give Beth a hug and a squeeze. When it was Ella’s turn, she felt her heart constrict, and then thump painfully in her chest. She feared that he would notice, but he seized both her arms and held them at her side while looking her up and down appraisingly.
‘Being back here suits you, Ella. I’m so pleased that I found you, and delivered Mr Ward’s letter, but don’t go rushing back to York just yet.’
And with that Albert picked up his cap and went on his way, leaving a little flurry of excitement in the kitchen, albeit for different reasons. Ella hid her agitation behind vigorous stirring of the food and organisation of spoons and bowls in preparation for the rest of the family’s return. Beth, over-excited by the novelty of having a visitor, was jumping up and down and demonstrating how the baby birds were trying to fly, while Sarah also had a lot on her mind, trying to take in what she and Albert had discussed on the journey home from Nortonstall. Was it possible that Albert could succeed in his intentions to clear Alice’s name, and somehow put right the wrongs that the family had suffered over the years? Or were the people of Northwaite still too bitterly entrenched in their need to find a scapegoat for the fire that had destroyed their livelihoods and taken the heart out of their village?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
True to his word, Albert reappeared at their door a few days later. The weather had reneged on its promise of an early summer and dawn had found the valley thick with mist. This had given way to a steady grey rain that sapped the spirits and put Ella in a pensive mood. She wondered whether she should return to York; whether she should perhaps say as much to Albert so that he could pass the information to Mr Ward on his return. As he had been at home in Northwaite for at least a week now, she imagined his return would not be long delayed.
Mid-afternoon found her creating more labels for Sarah, who was ladling lotions into jars in preparation for the Saturday market. Beth, given some paint and paper, was being kept busy dreaming up her own designs. There was a brief rap at the door and Ella looked enquiringly at Sarah before hastening to open it. Albert stood there, soaked through by the continuous rain that had marked his journey, his boots muddied by the track he had taken across the moor.
‘Albert! Come in. Here, let me take your coat. Sit near the hearth and dry yourself and let me make tea. You must be thirsty from your walk.’
Ella found herself bustling him into a chair and fussing to hide the strange agitation she felt at his reappearance. She noticed Sarah throw her a quizzical glance but luckily Beth, delighted at Albert’s visit, created a diversion.
‘Come and see my painting,’ she said proudly, pulling at his hand.
‘Oh, I fear I am interrupting you at work,’ Albert said, eyeing the paints and Ella’s labels, spread out to dry.
Ella, suddenly mindful of his artistry for his own designs in stone, was mortified. She couldn’t gather the labels together without smudging them, so she had to resign herself to his scrutiny.
‘Why Ella, they’re beautiful.’ Albert looked up at her and smiled and Ella experienced a jolt as she looked into his blue eyes, bright beneath his dark brows. ‘I didn’t know you were an artist.’
Ella, her face hot with embarrassment, stuttered a denial but Sarah was quick to speak.
‘She is indeed,’ she said firmly. ‘Without her labels my lotions and potions would scarcely sell a fraction of what they do. It was Ella’s idea to make the labels, and she must have full credit.’
Quite scarlet, Ella gave her full attention to making tea, thankful that Beth’s insistence on showing off her own art was now taking the attention away from her. Albert seated himself beside her and began to draw, creating a row of baby birds on a branch, to Beth’s delight.
‘I wanted to call in again before I return to York,’ Albert said, sitting back to let Beth begin to colour the birds with paint.
‘York, so soon?’ Ella blurted out, even though she had expected it. She turned away from him with the pretence of hunting for the sugar bowl, to conceal how the unwelcome news had unsettled her.
‘Yes, I have work I must finish,’ Albert said. ‘I will be back though, within the month.’ He addressed his last comment to Sarah, giving her a meaningful glance, to Ella’s puzzlement, then turned his attention back to her. ‘I wondered, now that you have had time to think, whether you have a message for Mr Ward?’
‘I have.’ Ella surprised herself with her sudden resolve. ‘I thank him for his letter and I am grateful that he has seen that there is, indeed, another side to the story. I am not ready as yet to return to York –’ she hesitated, ‘– but please let him know that I miss John too, and I would hope to be allowed to see him sometime in the future.’
Neither Albert nor Sarah commented on what Ella had to say and the remainder of the afternoon went by in happy conversation, with Albert filling them in on the latest news, and gossip, from Northwaite.
Ella wasn’t sure whether it was an aversion to getting soaked once more, or delight in their company, that made Albert reluctant to depart, but he seemed to find it a struggle to leave. He put on his jacket, now warm and dry from being set near the hearth, then picked up his cap – but paused to add some eyes and beaks to Beth’s baby birds. Then he stood awhile before the fire, musing, before sighing, visibly
squaring his shoulders and turning to Ella and Sarah.
‘I must go. But I will be back within the month, as I said, and I hope to stay a little while longer next time.’ He glanced at Ella as he said this and she failed to prevent her colour rising once more, while her heart gave a start within her breast before settling to a regular, if quickened, beat. He set his cap on his head, said his goodbyes and then he was off into the mist and murk of an afternoon that looked and felt more like November than May.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Albert was a man of his word. Three weeks passed and Sarah came back from the market on the Saturday, flushed by the sudden warmth of a sunny June day, excited that sales had been good and steady, and with news that Albert had returned.
‘He stopped at the stall and bought something for his mother and then asked whether we could all walk over to Northwaite tomorrow afternoon, if the weather is fine. He wondered whether we might meet in the churchyard.’
‘In the churchyard?’ Ella queried. She was playing for time, having spent much of the last three weeks going over and over all her brief encounters with Albert since their unexpected meeting in York. Both of them had changed a good deal since he was the mill hand and nightwatchman at Hobbs’ Mill, and she was just a young mill worker who had kept him company on the path to work. Now, she realised, he had awakened thoughts and feelings within her that went far beyond those of friendship, and she had spent a good deal of time daydreaming about his return. Sarah had had cause to speak sharply to her on more than one occasion, when the potatoes were boiling dry on the stove or the pie burning in the oven while she stood at the window, gazing unseeingly into the garden.
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