by Rosie Clarke
‘I don’t care about that,’ Jessie said. ‘I never wanted to leave Kendlebury, ma’am.’
‘No more of that,’ Lady Kendlebury said. ‘I think you should call me Anne in future. It is my name, you know, and you are to be part of the family now.’
‘Am I?’ Jessie asked. ‘Priscilla did tell you?’
‘That I should expect a grandchild? Yes, she told me. Harry is very irresponsible to leave you to face this alone – and I shall tell him so when he comes home. This is a most irregular situation, Jessie. Mary said she was going to divorce him after he tried to strangle her. I can’t imagine what made him lose his temper that way. He is usually the mildest of men. I do hope Mary doesn’t change her mind. She was never right for him.’
‘Am I right for him?’
‘Yes, I think so,’ Anne Kendlebury said. ‘I would never have admitted it in the ordinary way, of course. You come from a different class, a different world, Jessie – but you’ve proved yourself honest and true. To be quite frank we need you. The house seemed to die after you went. I hadn’t realised how much we had all come to rely on you. I wish you had consulted me before you left in the first place, but I understand your reasons for not doing so.’
‘I shall try to be what you all need me to be,’ Jessie said. ‘When Harry comes back…’
‘If he comes back,’ his mother said and looked anxious. ‘I must tell you that I am extremely worried, Jessie. He was in such a state when he left that night. I believed he was coming after you, though he didn’t tell anyone what was on his mind. He had that terrible row with Mary and then he stormed out. At first we thought he must be with you. We expected a letter or a telephone call – but then we began to get worried. There are things that need to be done here, matters that cannot be resolved before Harry returns. I know he was angry, but he must be aware how difficult things are – and not just for us. He had promised work to the men he employed in that workshop. Until the barn is made ready they can’t work.’
‘Do we need to wait for Harry to return for that?’ Jessie asked. ‘Surely the renovations could be set in hand now? If the money is available?’
‘What money there is is waiting in the bank.’
‘Then I think Sir Joshua should tell the men themselves to get on with it. I imagine they know what is needed as well as anyone. If they are ready to begin when Harry comes back it will be all the better.’
‘I shall talk to my husband,’ Anne Kendle said. ‘He was half inclined to do as you suggest but I was worried that Harry might be angry if he interfered.’
‘I should think he would be grateful to his father. After all, he cares about those men or he wouldn’t have set up the workshop in the first place.’
‘How sensible you are.’ Anne Kendle smiled. ‘Thank you for coming back to us. You can see how much we need you.’
‘I never wanted to leave,’ Jessie said and smiled. ‘Now, have you taken all your medicine? We can’t have you neglecting yourself – can we?’
‘Yes, I think so,’ Anne Kendle replied. ‘Maggie sets my pills out on the tray for me. I think there’s just one left and that’s for tonight so that I can sleep.’
‘Perhaps a nice cup of tea then?’
‘Yes, I think I might like that. Ask Mrs Pearson to bring it up for me. I am afraid she isn’t pleased with me. She was expecting her niece to come and work for us when Alice left.’
‘Perhaps something can be worked out once the men have started the furniture business up again,’ Jessie said. ‘It need only be a temporary delay.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I think I ought to talk to Harry first,’ Jessie said and smiled.
Lady Kendle gave her an odd look. ‘You are determined he is coming back, aren’t you?’
‘I pray that he is,’ Jessie said. ‘If he shouldn’t – then I’ll tell you my idea anyway.’
She shook her head as Anne Kendle looked at her curiously and went away to see about her tea.
Chapter Fifteen
Jessie took Catherine for a walk in the direction of the barn that morning. The men were working on the renovation and she could hear the sound of hammering and sawing as she approached. Some of the men were working outside in the spring sunshine and she stopped to ask how they were getting on.
‘We’ll be ready to start working on commissions next week, miss,’ one of the young men told her. ‘But I don’t know when there’ll be any orders for us to start on.’
‘I suppose Captain Kendle gets the orders for you,’ Jessie said and he agreed. ‘But wouldn’t the customer whose goods were lost like to reorder at least some of those things?’
‘Don’t know, miss. Captain Kendle always looks after that side of the business. He came up with the drawings for us, and we made miniature pieces to show the customer what it would be like in the wood, but the captain was the one with the ideas.’
Jessie nodded and left him to his work. Harry was badly needed here. Surely he must know that? Why hadn’t he come home when there was so much waiting to be done?
When Jessie returned to the house she went to see Lady Kendle and told her what was on her mind.
‘Did Harry lose all his paperwork in the fire – or is it possible that some of it is here?’
‘Sir Joshua would know,’ Anne Kendle said. ‘He was asking me what I thought he should do about various things but I’ve no idea. Perhaps you would like to talk to him yourself?’
‘Would he think me impertinent?’
‘My dear Jessie, we are grateful for any help we can get. I am sure you will find my husband in his study. He had some letters to answer dealing with estate business I believe. Why don’t you go and talk to him?’
Jessie felt awkward as she made her way to the study. Her previous interviews here had not been pleasant and she had spoken very rarely to Sir Joshua. She was afraid he might think her foolish or impertinent. However, he greeted her kindly and asked her to sit down.
‘Will you have a glass of sherry, my dear?’
‘No, thank you, sir. It was about the workshop. I wondered if you had considered trying to get new orders for the men.’
‘I was just looking through some of Harry’s papers,’ he told her. ‘And yes, there are records of customers he has sold to in the past, and some interesting letters. I hadn’t realised how much what he was doing was appreciated. Apparently a lot of people want good quality individual pieces rather than this mass produced stuff they turn out these days.’
‘Yes, so Harry told me,’ Jessie said. ‘I was wondering if the customer whose goods were lost in the fire might like to reorder some of the items he had requested. You would need copies of the designs, of course, and they may have been lost.’
‘As it happens, my son has kept copies of everything he has ever sold, with all the details of the materials used and the suppliers. I hadn’t realised how efficient Harry was. He was actually a good businessman.’
‘And he drew all the designs himself initially,’ Jessie told him. ‘I am certain he will make a success of this – if there is a business for him to return to.’
‘You are suggesting we contact the customer ourselves?’
‘It can’t do any harm, can it?’
Sir Joshua looked at her thoughtfully. ‘I suppose not. I am not sure if it would be better to write or telephone. I’ve never done anything of the sort before. I’m not sure I know how to start.’
Jessie looked at the beautiful partner’s desk in the middle of the room. There was a blotter, pens, ink and good quality notepaper laid out ready, which Sir Joshua had obviously been using earlier.
‘I think perhaps a letter of inquiry on paper like that. Good quality paper makes the right impression, doesn’t it? It is so nice to touch and use. Would you like me to write a sample for you? It can’t be very different to writing applications for a job, can it?’
‘Please have a try if you feel you can, Jessie.’
Jessie got up and walked over to the desk. She th
ought for a moment and then picked up the pen Sir Joshua had been using earlier. Her letter was brief but clearly and concisely put, setting out their aims to have the business ready within days, and their terms for payment, which were on delivery. She took the finished letter to Sir Joshua.
‘I thought something like this, sir.’
‘This is excellent,’ he said after he had read it. ‘You have a beautiful hand, Jessie, and your phrasing is good. Where did you learn to write like this?’
‘At school. My teacher was very strict. If our writing was sloppy she made us do our work again. She believed it was disrespectful to write badly or to misspell our words. I always enjoyed her lessons.’
‘And she was perfectly right,’ he said with a nod of approval. ‘A sloppy letter is a sign of carelessness. But you haven’t signed it, Jessie.’
‘I thought you should do that – as a director of the company in Harry’s absence.’
Sir Joshua stared at her for a moment and then gave a startled laugh. ‘Well, I never! It seems my son knows a good thing when he sees it. You are a very intelligent woman, Jessie. I think we’ve all of us underestimated you.’
Jessie blushed and shook her head. ‘I know it isn’t my place to suggest these things, sir – but Harry needs help. I’ve no idea where he is or why he hasn’t come home, but I know this is what he would want.’
‘You care for him very much, don’t you?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘To be perfectly honest, I was doubtful about having you back when my wife told me of the situation. I believed Mary would make my son a good wife, but I appear to have been wrong about many things. We must hope she is willing to divorce him.’
Jessie smiled and thanked him. She was still a little in awe of Harry’s father. He had been both kind and generous in his acceptance of her and her ideas, but she knew his instincts would be against a marriage between her and Harry. They came from different worlds and she could not expect things to change overnight. If Harry’s parents learned to accept her from necessity, many of their friends and neighbours would not. It was a problem that would need to be faced when Harry came home. She could only pray that it would be soon.
Life at Kendlebury was much as it always had been, Jessie discovered in the days that followed. There was an empty space in their lives that no one could ever quite fill but grief for Jack could not rule their heads, only their hearts.
Jessie noticed a new respect in Cook and Maggie. They knew about her child and were aware that her status had changed. She was a part of the family now, but because she was Jessie she also belonged to them. She had somehow managed to bridge the gap between upstairs and downstairs. She was breaking old taboos and bringing a new regime to the house.
Jessie was the new mistress in all but name. She did not give orders; she asked as she always had, taking over many of the tasks Mary had reluctantly performed. She discussed menus with Cook and oversaw what was bought from the trades-people, going through the accounts with Mrs Pearson.
She asked Mr Goodjohn his opinion of the grocer and butcher they were using and when he suggested an alternative she asked Mrs Pearson if might be advisable to try a single order to see how they got on. The difference in price and quality made it difficult for the housekeeper to argue when other changes were suggested.
Maggie’s mother was invited to come in more often. She helped her daughter clean before the household was up, making it easier for Maggie to complete her other duties during the day.
Sir Joshua had fallen into the habit of eating his evening meal in his wife’s room, which meant there was less work as only simple food was required. Cook was a little put out that she had no chance to practice her skills, but Jessie told her to be patient.
‘I believe you will be busy again soon,’ she promised. ‘If things work out as I hope – but we have to wait for Captain Kendle to come home.’
Cook gave her an odd look and Jessie knew that she like almost everyone else in the house was beginning to think that Harry would never return. Almost two months had passed since the night he’d quarrelled with his wife and stormed out. Where was he and why didn’t he come home? Surely he would have done by now if he could?
Jessie was tortured by her doubts and fears as she lay in her bed at night and longed for him beside her. She was still in the nursery wing despite being asked by both Lady Kendle and Sir Joshua to move into the main part of the house.
‘I’ll move when Harry asks me,’ she said. ‘Until then it’s best that I stay where I am.’
But when would he come home? There were moments when Jessie felt close to despair, when she wondered if all they were trying to do would come to nothing. Yet even at her lowest ebb she refused to give in. Harry wasn’t dead. Something inside her would not admit it was the most likely explanation for his disappearance. She was convinced that he was alive somewhere and she believed that when they finally found him he would need her.
*
‘I wanted to tell you at once,’ Sir Joshua said. He had come to the nursery to find her that morning, knowing she would be with Catherine at this time of day. ‘I’ve had a very interesting letter from Mr Hamilton. He wants the complete order and he says he’ll accept it piece by piece as it is finished, payment on delivery.’
Jessie took the letter from him and read it thoughtfully.
‘I think he was relieved he didn’t have to pay for the items lost,’ she said. ‘This is wonderful, more than we’d hoped for.’ Jessie kissed Catherine and put her down. Curious about the man she knew but seldom saw, the child stood staring up at him, her eyes wide. ‘Yes, that’s your grandfather, darling. Say hello to him, Catherine.’
Catherine chuckled. ‘Ganda,’ she said. ‘Ganda come walk?’
‘Well, that’s odd,’ he said looking at her awkwardly. ‘It’s the first time she’s spoken to me. She’s a lot brighter these days, Jessie.’
‘I expect she’s a little shy of you. She doesn’t often see you.’
‘My fault, I dare say.’ He patted the child’s head. ‘We’ll have a walk in the garden later perhaps. I can’t manage those long treks you go on, Jessie.’
‘A toddle round the garden will suit Catherine very well,’ Jessie replied.
‘Mr Hamilton was obviously impressed with your letter. I think we shall have to make you company secretary. That reminds me, there’s something else I wanted to…’ He broke off as he heard voices in the hall outside. ‘Isn’t that Priscilla?’
Even as he spoke the door opened and Priscilla came in.
‘I am glad you’re here, Daddy,’ she said. ‘I’ve got some bad news and I don’t want to be the one to tell Mother.’
Jessie’s heart gave a sickening lurch and then began to race. For a moment she felt faint and was glad that she was sitting down.
‘You’ve heard something about Harry. He isn’t…’ She couldn’t say the word, her chest so tight that she could hardly breathe.
‘He’s not dead,’ Priscilla said hastily as she saw her white face. ‘But he was in a car accident the night he left home. His car went off the road and hit a tree. Someone pulled him out seconds before it exploded otherwise he would have died. He was desperately ill for weeks but no one knew who he was. He wasn’t carrying any papers and the car was burned out. Even when he started to recover he refused to tell them his name.’
‘The damned idiot!’ Sir Joshua ejaculated and then looked oddly ashamed as he felt Jessie’s eyes on him. ‘Didn’t he know how worried we would all be?’
‘I doubt if he was in any state to think about us.’ Priscilla took a deep breath. ‘He’s going to be in a wheelchair when he leaves hospital, Jessie. His legs were damaged in the crash. The doctors say his spine was badly bruised though not crushed, and he should be able to walk again in time – but he’s going to be an invalid for a long time. There were various internal injuries that have taken their toll. He will need care and rest and he won’t be able to do much in a physical sense for months – though h
is mind is as sharp as ever.’
‘My God!’ Sir Joshua’s face went white and he sat down abruptly as his legs failed him. ‘I can’t believe it. Why? Why did it happen? Was he driving recklessly?’
‘The man who witnessed the accident and pulled him out said that he swerved to avoid a dog that ran across the road in front of him. His car hit a patch of mud on the road and he couldn’t control it. You know Harry and animals. That’s so typical of him.’
‘Where is he?’ Jessie asked, her nerves steadying. ‘I have to see him. Please, I must see him now.’
‘He says he doesn’t want to see you the way he is. I’ve told him that we need you here, but he’s adamant. He says he won’t come home until he can walk again.’
‘That’s so silly. I can help him. He must know that?’
‘He’s proud, Jessie. He knows you would look after him but he doesn’t want to beg for help. He couldn’t give you anything before and now he’s too proud to come to you as an invalid. He told me he didn’t want anyone’s pity.’
‘It isn’t pity I feel,’ Jessie said. ‘He can’t think that?’
‘I telephoned Mary,’ Priscilla told them, her expression grim. ‘She’s back in London now, staying with her family. She was horrified. She wants a divorce. I can’t repeat what she said, it was too awful – but it was more or less that she didn’t want to be tied to a useless cripple. She said she’d had enough of lame ducks and she wants to be free of this family altogether.’
‘Good,’ Sir Joshua said, surprising his daughter. ‘The sooner their divorce can be arranged the better.’
‘I must see Harry,’ Jessie said. ‘He doesn’t mean what he says. He can’t think I would stay with him out of pity.’
Priscilla sighed. ‘I’ve been telling him that for days. We’ve had endless rows about it and the doctors finally threw me out for upsetting him. He said he would never speak to me again if I told you where he is.’
