The Girl from Old Nichol

by Betty Annand

  “Of course, you are right. So she should. Well then, perhaps you could train her to be your lady’s maid.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea. Do you suppose she could stay with me until we move? That way I could have her trained by then, and she could help me around the house and look after Dolly whenever I need her.”

  Andrew knew this would mean Gladys could spend more time with Hugh Mason without having to ask him to stay with Dolly, but he couldn’t think of a good excuse to refuse and so he agreed.

  As Christmas drew near, Gladys appreciated Priscilla’s help. The girl not only helped with the housework, but she looked after Dolly while Gladys went about town with Hugh and their friends, carolling and wassailing. Wassailing had begun in England in the 1400s, when a group of well-wishers went from door to door with a wassail bowl full of hot spiced ale. After they passed the wassail around, they were rewarded with drink, money for the poor, and Christmas goodies, all gladly given since it was believed to bring them good luck in the New Year. As they went from house to house, they sang the wassailing song.

  The day before Christmas, Andrew, Gladys, Dolly, and Priscilla went to Oaken Arms to look for a Christmas tree. It was a cloudy day, and as they were tramping through the woods, it began to snow, adding a festive ambience to the scenery. Gladys remembered Sally describing what a forest looked like to Toughie and her, but even though she had a lively imagination, the forest she pictured was nowhere as lovely and mystical as the one she was walking through this day.

  When Dolly pointed to a tall, bushy fir tree, Andrew laughed and said it would never fit into their parlour. A few minutes later he spotted a little Scots Pine and, tapping her on the shoulder, said, “Look over there, my little turtle dove. See that poor little tree? It looks so sad.”

  “Why is it sad, Gamby?”

  “Well, you see, it is quite an honour to be chosen as a Christmas tree, and most people choose only the great big ones, so that poor little fellow is probably sad because no one will pick him.”

  Dolly, taking the story to heart, ran up to the tree and exclaimed, “I think you are the most beautiful tree in the whole forest, and I would love to have you for my Christmas tree.” After Andrew cut down their tree, Priscilla was delighted when they found a small one for her to take home. Gladys had insisted the girl take a few days off over the holiday to be with her parents. Andrew cut boughs off some of the other evergreens and they all returned to the buggy with arms full of greenery.

  Everyone had rosy cheeks and high spirits as they climbed in and pulled the fur rugs over their knees. Andrew had attached bells to the horses’ harnesses, and as they were riding home, the lively jingle brought on a chorus or two of a Christmas carol. The pungent smell of the pine and the other greenery lying at their feet, along with the soft, white flakes of snow falling on the horses’ backs, left them all with a memory to treasure.

  Once the tree was set up in the parlour, Dolly was allowed to stay up past her bedtime to help decorate it. She had worked very hard helping her mother and her grandfather make the decorations, and Gladys thought it only fair to allow her to take part in putting them on the tree. They used dozens of candles, dried fruit, and walnuts that looked like little mice after they glued on tails and ears made from leather. These they hung on the tree in little cradles that Gladys crocheted. They made dainty little cone shaped containers made from old greeting cards that Gladys filled with delicious sugar plums.

  Andrew had bought some very dainty and intricate pieces of miniature furniture to hang on the tree as well. This seemed odd to Gladys, but never having a tree before, she thought he must know more about decorations than she did, and Dolly was delighted with them. Unbeknownst to Gladys and Dolly, Andrew had purchased the furniture to fit a dollhouse that he intended to give to Dolly on Christmas morning. It was even more special because it was made in the likeness of Oaken Arms by a talented craftsman Andrew knew.

  The gift he bought for Gladys was a pretty glass ball containing winter scenery that she had seen and admired in a jewellery store window. He hoped it would remind her of their visit to the Great Exhibition since she had mentioned it when they were there.

  They had never exchanged gifts before, but this year seemed special. Gladys made a silk shirt with ruffles and intended to give it to Andrew from both her and Dolly, but Dolly was determined to buy her own presents and begged to go shopping. Their shopping trip took most of a day. Nothing she saw seemed to suit her, and Gladys was just about to lose patience when Dolly exclaimed. “Oh, look, Mama, look at that pin. It’s a dove. I must buy that for Gamby, so he can think of me whenever he wears it.”

  The tiny silver dove was on a stick pin and had a little diamond eye. The pin was stuck in a cravat that was on display in a tailor shop window. The cost was more than Dolly had saved, but when the tailor saw how desperately she wanted it, he reduced the price and even gave her the cravat to go with it.

  Andrew also took Dolly shopping, and they spent the entire day going from store to store enjoying the decorations and the crowds. They had dainty sandwiches and fancy cakes in a small tea shop and then had their tea leaves read by a plump, blonde-haired, fair-skinned lady whose gypsy-styled costume looked comically out of character. Uncannily though, she did predict that they would soon be moving.

  It was a wonderful day for them both, and after Dolly found some lovely pearl earrings for her mother, Andrew asked, “And what do you want Father Christmas to bring you, my little turtle dove?”

  “I shall like anything he brings me, Gamby. A book, or a frock, or even an umbrella! I expect it would be nice to have an umbrella of my very own. But I am far more excited about what I am giving you and Mama. You will never, ever, guess what I have for you. It is simply the best present ever, and you are going to be so happy when you see it.” Andrew laughed then lifted her up and hugged her so hard, she cried, “Gamby, you’re squishing me.”

  __________

  Putting a tree in the house at Christmas was a fairly new custom in England, but putting greenery about during the Yuletide was an ancient tradition. Gladys and Dolly had never had either before, but Millie had always hung as many boughs and holly around her house as she could afford to buy. In Old Nichol, nobody could afford such frivolity, nor was there easy access to unclaimed greenery, so Gladys was not in the habit of following these traditions, until Andrew intervened. Andrew had cut so many branches for them that the house was filled with greenery. As Dolly described it, “Every time I come inside, it’s just like going outside.”

  After Dolly hung her stocking on the mantle and Andrew read her the poem, “’Twas the Night before Christmas,” she went to bed and fell asleep in minutes. Gladys tried to convince Andrew to stay the night, offering to move Dolly in with her so he could have her bed. She said it would be nice if he was there to see Dolly have her stocking in the morning. Finally, he agreed, but said he had to take care of his horse and buggy first and would return as soon as he could.

  He told Gladys to give him her key and to go to bed after promising to lock the door before he retired. This way he was able to return home to pick up the dollhouse and Gladys’s present before taking his horse and rig back to Bob Hennessey’s along with a big ham and some candy for Bob’s little ones. Bob, in turn, not only delivered Andrew and his presents to Gladys’s, but helped him place the dollhouse beside the tree. Before taking his leave, he and Andrew enjoyed a generous glass of whiskey and toasted one another for a very merry Christmas.

  Andrew didn’t get much sleep—the bed was far too short, and besides, he was so excited thinking about what Dolly would say when she saw the dollhouse, that his eyes refused to stay closed. Worried she might not like it, he cursed himself for not talking it over with Gladys before he had it made.

  He needn’t have worried. Dolly was so pleased with it that she jumped up and down and screeched with joy—an unusual show of emotion for her. The gentleman who made
the dollhouse had never made one so large and detailed. It measured four feet in height and about the same in width with a depth of eighteen inches. The front of the house opened to allow a view of the entire three floors. It also had two big bay windows and a balcony on both the second and third floor. “Oh, Gamby, it looks just like Oaken Arms!” Dolly cried.

  “Now how do you suppose Father Christmas managed such a thing?” he said laughing. Dolly suspected that her grandfather was the one who had bought the dollhouse, but because Gamby and her mother seemed to enjoy pretending, she didn’t want to spoil their fun. After opening their gifts, they had a hurried breakfast, then left for church. Andrew even consented to go with them. “Just don’t be surprised if your God strikes me dead when he sees me there,” he warned. After church, they were invited to Sorenson Hall for Christmas dinner and the evening. Hugh had been invited as well, but because he had to attend the evening church service, he wasn’t expected to arrive in time for dinner.

  Not surprisingly, the Sorenson children were allowed to choose their own Christmas tree. As a result, the fir they chose was so tall that the only place it could stand upright was in the ballroom. It was a beautiful deep green colour, but because there were quite a few bare spaces, Lord Cedric found it necessary to have his handyman drill a few holes and add more branches. No one seemed to notice that the added branches were not from the same species of tree, but many remarked on its pleasant and unusual fragrance. As for the decorations, with the aid of a ladder, the handyman had managed to hang ornaments on the highest branches and tie a star to the top, but most of the decorations on the tree were only as high as the children could reach.

  There was also a decorated tree in the servant’s hall. As was the custom in the Sorenson home, the servants were allowed to invite their families to join them for Christmas dinner and the evening. Of course, their celebrations didn’t begin until the Sorensons and their guests finished their meal and retired to the ballroom. Although the servants were expected to work longer hours during the holiday, they were always left with enough energy at the end of the day to celebrate. Having more than a few musicians among them, it seemed as though they were all born knowing how to sing and dance. At times, their lively music was so loud that it could be heard over the music played in the ballroom by the musicians hired by Lord Sorenson. Fifty guests, plus Lord and Lady Sorenson and their three children, sat down to Christmas dinner in the large and ornate dining room. They began the meal with a serving of raw oysters followed by bowls of clear turtle soup. There were roasted turkeys and geese, and legs of tender lamb, roasts of beef with all the trimmings including caramel coloured gravy, horseradish, applesauce, and cranberries. There were vegetables of every kind: potatoes cooked with sprigs of aromatic mint leaves, beetroot cut into little cubes and dotted with butter, deep yellow coloured squash mashed and seasoned, and carrots, all set out in the Sorenson’s best English china. At each place setting there was a fancy wrapped keepsake, and displayed on a small table were a number of small gifts of gratitude for the Sorenson family from their guests.

  After all the courses, a delectable assortment of pies, puddings, cakes, and tarts was brought out, along with various cordials. When everyone had eaten until they could hold no more, and all the toasts had been made, it was time to retire to the ballroom where the musicians were waiting to start playing for the dance.

  For the first hour, the children enjoyed taking part, although they did more hopping about than dancing. They soon tired and began to act silly, falling down and bumping into people, so Lady Madeline sent for their nanny, who, after allowing the children to shake hands with all the guests and bid them a very Merry Christmas, marched them off to bed. Dolly was invited to spend the night with the children and only agreed to stay after Gladys promised to come for her early the following day. Dolly was anxious to start playing with her new dollhouse.

  Andrew was an experienced dancer and danced with most of the ladies, but it was Gladys he preferred as a partner. Hugh arrived just as the dancing began, but the poor fellow had never danced before and wasn’t even sure he approved of it, so he just sat on the side-lines looking on with a mixture of distaste and envy. Gladys was amazed at her father-in-law’s dancing skills, and when the last dance was over, she gave him a hug and said, “I could dance with you all night long.” Andrew, reluctant to remove his arm from around her waist, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek then replied, “Maybe we will do that some time, ma cherie!”

  “Why Andrew, I think you’ve had a little too many of Lord Cedric’s hot toddies,” she replied with a laugh. Pulling his head down, she gave him a kiss on his forehead, and left to find Hugh.

  As soon as Hugh saw her approaching, his mood changed, and he greeted her warmly and asked, “Gladys, my dear, I wonder if Andrew would mind if I took you home. I haven’t spent much time alone with you tonight, and I thought it would be nice if we could ride home together?”

  “I am sorry if I have neglected you, Hugh, but I have not danced in ever so long. I am certain he will not object.”

  Andrew wanted very much to object, but he didn’t; and a short time later, Gladys and Hugh were sitting snuggly in a buggy with a blanket covering their knees. Although it wasn’t snowing, it was chilly, and the full moon shining down on the frosty road made it seem as though they were riding along on a magical carpet sprinkled with sparkling diamonds. It was clearly a night made for romance, so Gladys was pleased when Hugh, who had never made any advances toward her before, put his arm around her, and said, “Isn’t this a beautiful night?” She nodded, laying her head on his shoulder. “But it is not nearly as beautiful as you,” he added as he pulled the buggy off to the side of the road and kissed her.

  Gladys thought it was nice, but more like a kiss one would expect to receive from a brother or one’s father. Nevertheless, since it was their first, she thought the second one might be more passionate. Instead of a kiss, Hugh surprised her by taking both her hands in his and saying, “Gladys, you know how I feel about you, and I know you are aware that I plan to take a wife with me when I leave at the end of April.”

  Gladys had known for some time that this might happen, but she had selfishly thought only of her own pleasure and not what she would say when it did. She gave a weak smile and said, “My goodness, Hugh, was that a proposal?”

  “Yes, but I am afraid I did it rather clumsily, didn’t I? But then I have never proposed before. Oh, dear that sounded foolish too. I should have gotten down on bended knee. I am sorry, Gladys, but I do love you, and I want to share the rest of my life with you.”

  “But I—” Hugh stopped her by putting a finger over her lips, “I know what you are going to say, Gladys, but you need not worry. Even mother thinks you shall make a fine minister’s wife, and she can give you a lot of good advice.”

  Gladys started to tell him that she needed a bit more time to think about it, but he interrupted again, “Oh, my darling, close your eyes and picture us on board the ship with our Bibles in our hands and our hearts full of love. What joy we shall bring to those poor souls that are living in ignorance and sin. Oh, dear God, I don’t deserve to be so happy. Let us pray!”

  Then, without pausing, he began, “Oh, Lord in Heaven, thank you for the love this wonderful woman and I share. Grant us the strength and the faith to stand firm in our convictions in the face of whatever iniquities await us. Dear Lord, we humbly ask for your blessing in our upcoming union. Look down on us now on this the most blessed time of the year and give us—”

  “Stop! Stop!” Gladys shouted as she pulled her hands away.

  “What is it Gladys? Are you ill?”

  “No, Hugh, I am not ill! I am angry. You didn’t even wait for an answer before you began asking God to bless our union. What union? I have not even agreed to marry you.”

  Suddenly, Hugh realized how impetuous he had been and apologized. “Perhaps I did get a little overzealous. It is just that w
e don’t have much time. There is the wedding to plan, your passage to arrange, and so many other things we shall have to see to.”

  Gladys knew she could no longer continue to delude herself. If she ever had any serious thoughts about marrying Hugh, they were destroyed by his weak proposal and his ill-timed prayer. She liked Hugh, but she could never love him.

  “Hugh, listen to me. I am really sorry, but I do not love you. The answer is no.”

  “What do you mean, ‘No’?”

  “I mean no, Hugh; I cannot marry you.”

  “How can you say that? We have been keeping company for months now. You cannot do this to me, Gladys! I have made all these plans for us.”

  “That is just it, Hugh. You have made all the plans, not I. You have never even mentioned getting engaged before, let alone married. I am so sorry, really I am, but there is nothing more to say. Now please take me home.”

  Hugh felt devastated. Gladys was such a vital part of the future he had envisioned, and now to find out that she was just dallying with his emotions was more than he could bear. For the first time in his structured and passive life, he was overtaken with anger, an unfamiliar emotion that helped ease his disappointment. In a voice as loud as he often used in his sermons, he declared, “Maybe you have nothing more to say, but I do!”

  And talk he did. By the time he had finished, Gladys fully realized the damage she had done with her selfish flirtation. Never had she felt such shame and guilt. She tried to offer an apology, but Hugh didn’t listen. When he was through talking, his jaws clamped tight and, without another word, he took her home and didn’t even offer to help her down from the buggy. There were tears running down her cheeks as she stood and watched his buggy until it was out of sight. She had never intentionally hurt anyone before. She knew what it felt like to suffer a broken heart. She was heart-broken when she left Old Nichol knowing that she would never see Toughie again, and her heart broke once more when Tom was killed. Now she had caused poor Hugh, who had treated her like a princess, to go through the same agony. She looked up at the stars and prayed, “Please, God, help poor Hugh find someone more worthy of him, and I promise I shall never hurt anyone again.”