Emeralds & Ashes

by Leila Rasheed

  “Be careful,” said Ada quietly. As they spoke they had left the college and stepped out into the quadrangle. She could see two students looking over toward them, drawn by Connor’s loud voice. She turned back to him. “Connor, I worry for you.”

  “Don’t,” he said with a smile. “I have been playing this game for long enough, and I will outwit them in the end, never fear.”

  He bowed slightly and walked away. Ada watched him go, her heart tightening with anxiety. But she had to go and meet Georgiana. The clock was booming out the hour: it was twelve already, and her train was due in at ten past.

  She found Georgiana just stepping off the train. Ada sped up to meet her, smiling as she noticed how her little sister had grown over the past year. Her hair had darkened to auburn and her figure had filled out. More than this, she had an air of dignity, of competence about her. Georgiana seemed nervous, but she smiled when she saw Ada. Ada felt a rush of pleasure and relief; there was something open in her expression that hinted that she was forgiven.

  “Dear Ada, how lovely to see you.”

  “Georgiana, I’m so glad to welcome you to Oxford,” Ada replied, slipping an arm into her sister’s.

  They walked together along the riverbank, Georgiana glancing around at the punts, the straw boaters of the students, and the old stone bridges.

  “It is so strange for me to be here,” Georgiana said thoughtfully. “I never understood your passion for studying, and the very thought of Oxford frightened me. But I can see it is a beautiful, peaceful place.”

  “I love it here,” Ada said simply. “Some of my most wonderful memories are of this place.”

  “And some of them are of Somerton,” said Georgiana, stopping and looking at her.

  “How can you doubt it?”

  “I will admit, I did doubt it.” Georgiana toyed with her parasol, clearly embarrassed. “I thought, that when you did not come back with me to Somerton…well, I felt abandoned. It seemed to me that anything mattered to you more than us, more than Father, more than Somerton.”

  “Oh, Georgiana!” Ada exclaimed. She was deeply hurt, and yet she could see why her sister had thought it.

  “But then I found out the truth,” said Georgiana. There were tears in her eyes. “You gave your fortune to William, didn’t you?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Never mind, I see it is true. Oh, Ada! You could have done so much with that money. Don’t think I don’t know. I have been struggling with the accounts at Somerton, and I know that money is a necessary evil.”

  “It was not an easy decision.” Ada swallowed, remembering what she had given up: independence and ease. “But I will earn my own money. I believe that after the war we will have more liberty, and soon female professionals will be accepted.”

  “I hope you are right. You have fought so hard for it, and you deserve it.” Georgiana placed her hand on her sister’s. “Please forgive me, Ada. I see now that you do care for your family as much as you care for your studies. I misjudged you. I am sorry.”

  Ada found her vision blurred by tears. She could not bear that secrets should separate her from her sister, whom she loved so much.

  “I was not late for Father’s funeral because of studying,” she blurted out.

  And then she was telling Georgiana everything. About Ravi, when their affair had started, how it had gone on—and how it had ended. Georgiana listened, eyes wide with shock and then soft with pity.

  “Please don’t think of me as a fallen woman,” Ada finished. “I do not think that of myself. I am glad I had the chance to know what it is to love someone, and to be loved. So many do not have that joy.”

  “Oh, Ada” was all Georgiana said, but she embraced her sister, and Ada knew that she did not judge her.

  Georgiana released her finally, her cheeks wet with tears. “You have done so much for your family,” she said.

  “Not as much as you have,” Ada replied.

  “I? I’ve done nothing. I wish I could, but everything seems so frighteningly difficult to me. I know who I would like to see housekeeper, but I don’t dare appoint her in case it goes wrong. And I want so much for Somerton to be a hospital for the war, as Father wished, but I feel so incapable of organizing it—”

  “But, Georgie, you are the most capable person I know!” Ada exclaimed. She took her sister’s hands and looked into her eyes. “You have been the guiding hand at Somerton for months. No one could know better than you what the best thing to do is. Have confidence in yourself, just as I have confidence in you.”

  Georgiana smiled up at her, blinking back her tears.

  “Thank you, Ada. I will try.”

  Somerton

  The sun came in through the diamond-paned window and made the mahogany linen press glow with a deep, rich light. Rebecca held up a fine linen sheet, monogrammed and embroidered with the Averley crest. A patch had begun to wear away, and the sun glinted through it.

  “You see,” she said to Mollie, the new tweeny who had been taken on to replace Martha, “the sheets start to wear away at the bottom, where the feet go. But we needn’t waste the sheet; we simply cut it down the middle here”—she traced a line, enjoying the soft feel of the cloth—“and sew it back to back.”

  “Goodness, won’t the ladies and gentlemen mind?” Mollie was a perky, freckled thing, good-humored, but Rebecca was already beginning to realize she was a real gossip. “I thought they’d want all new things. What’s the point of being a lady if you can’t have new sheets whenever you fancy?”

  “There’s a war on, you know,” Rebecca said reprovingly. “Lady Georgiana’s more sensible than to waste good cloth. Now set that aside and go on checking the pillowcases—if you can see daylight through the cloth, they need mending.”

  “The countess, though, I bet she’d like to do things properly,” Mollie went on, holding up the pillowcases one by one. Rebecca winced at her rough handling, but at least she was willing. You couldn’t be too picky, these days, with most girls preferring factory jobs. “She looks like a good sport.”

  “Mollie!” Rebecca was scandalized at her tone, but amused as well. She stifled her desire to giggle; it was more important to make a good job of this mending.

  “Sorry,” Mollie said, but it wasn’t long before she burst out again. “I can’t stop thinking about the Europa. It must have been awful, going down like that and drowning. Them big ships are just not safe.”

  “Well, don’t think of it,” Rebecca said. She remembered the look on Lady Georgiana’s face when she’d heard the news. It was not something she wanted to see again.

  “I can’t help it, though! I’ve always had a fear of drowning, ever since—”

  “Rebecca?” Rebecca looked up to see Annie at the door. “Lady Georgiana wants to see you in the drawing room, at once.”

  “Me?” Rebecca put down her mending, trying to think what could have gone wrong.

  “Yes, you.” Annie hesitated. “Do you want me to get on with this mending meanwhile?”

  “Well—thank you.” Rebecca was touched. Things were still awkward between her and Annie, and she wished they were not. But she was glad that Annie seemed to be trying to make amends for her behavior. She was not so bad, she thought, just easily led. It was all down to not having a housekeeper to keep the female staff in line. Cook couldn’t do it all, she thought as she went up to the drawing room, stopping to tidy her cap and straighten her cuffs. What was needed was someone with authority, someone who knew how things should be done upstairs as well as in the kitchen.

  She went to the drawing room. Thomas opened the door for her. She tried to guess from his expression what she was summoned for, but he was impassive. She walked in to see Lady Georgiana and the countess sitting next to each other on two of the elegant regency chairs that were set between the grand French windows.

  “You wanted to see me, my lady?” She dipped a curtsy, aware of the dust in the air. It was impossible to keep the place clean, and she was nervou
s in case the countess was going to blame her for it. But she looked in the best of humor—quite self-satisfied, in fact. If she were a cat, she would be purring.

  “Oh, Rebecca—I am sorry to disturb your afternoon,” Lady Georgiana began, her sweet voice somewhat nervous. “I wanted to discuss some things that are quite important.…As you know, we have not been able to find a suitable housekeeper.…” Rebecca saw that she kept glancing at the countess from the corner of her eye, as if looking for reassurance. She became aware that Thomas was tense, and she sensed his excitement. Some big news had been broken to him, she realized. Something was up.

  “…in short, it has not been easy to find someone who has the necessary authority and experience to be housekeeper here at Somerton Court. We wondered if you would be prepared to take the post—temporarily, at least?”

  Rebecca was so shocked she could not speak. Lady Georgiana hurried on. “I know you have not been with us long, but I have the utmost confidence in you. You work hard, Thomas has given us the best report of you, but most of all I feel you understand Somerton. Does that make sense? Would you be willing?”

  “I would be honored, my lady,” Rebecca managed to say.

  This meant everything to her. Her job was secure now, and even if they found a permanent housekeeper after the war, she would have had experience at the highest level in one of the grandest houses in the country, and that would stand her in good stead. And as housekeeper she had a real chance to prove herself, to show that she knew how things should be done and to do them. Now she understood why Thomas was so excited. She wondered if he had recommended her. They would certainly not have offered her the post if he had not agreed. She wished she could throw her arms around him and hug him and thank him—

  “Oh, I am so glad,” Lady Georgiana said, with such clear relief that Rebecca almost laughed. “We really were quite desperate.” The countess’s foot was tapping impatiently, and Rebecca was sure that she would have something to say to Lady Georgiana about appropriate tone with the servants, as soon as they left the room. “Now, to turn to the next subject. It does seem awful to land you with this at once, but I want…I want to attempt something quite different, and I will need all your help to get it right. I want…to turn Somerton into a hospital.”

  “A hospital, my lady!” Rebecca looked up, startled.

  “Yes!” Georgiana’s color was high; she sat up straight and talked quickly, clearly full of enthusiasm. “My father wanted it, and I feel we must do our bit. What better way to do it than this—to share the beauty of this house, and give it to those who have fought so hard for us. This is a perfect place for recuperation, and we have rooms of a large enough size to take at least a hundred and fifty beds, I am sure of it.” She glanced at the countess, and Rebecca nervously followed her gaze, certain that the countess would be against the idea. But on the contrary, she beamed.

  “I’ll do all I can to help, my lady,” Rebecca said.

  “Wonderful! I knew you would. It will mean so much organization, but we will manage it together, I am sure. And one more thing—I have another great favor to ask you. I would like to welcome Captain Wyndham—”

  “The Earl of Westlake,” said the countess reprovingly.

  “Yes, of course, how silly of me.” Georgiana blushed. “We would like to welcome him properly, as an earl should be welcomed, to the village as well as to the house. Especially if”—she hesitated—“if he is to have an even closer connection with this house, I think it so important for him to get to know Somerton.”

  Rebecca dipped a curtsy; she was not sure what Lady Georgiana meant, but she was pleased at the idea of a big event.

  “I want to organize a charity fete, to help raise money toward the conversion of the house—buying beds and so forth—on the grounds. We haven’t done such a thing for a long time, and everyone has been so sad…so many losses.” Her voice almost trailed off, but she rallied. “I think it would be the perfect thing to welcome Captain W—the Earl of Westlake.”

  Rebecca nodded, a lump in her throat. A thought had been nagging at her as Lady Georgiana was speaking, but she was not sure if she dared voice it. Then she made her mind up. She had waited too long already. This was the perfect opportunity, and she was not going to waste it for want of courage.

  “I wondered, my lady, if I could ask you a favor? I don’t want you to think me cheeky, or that I’m putting myself forward—but when you spoke of wanting to do something for the soldiers, I thought I must ask.”

  “Of course, Rebecca, please ask.” Georgiana’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

  “It’s just that…” Rebecca’s mouth was dry, and she swallowed, suddenly wondering if the question would give the wrong impression of her. “You know that James is missing in action, of course.”

  “Yes, poor James. We can only hope for the best,” Georgiana replied.

  “Well, he’s left a girl. Jenny—Jenny Adderley. The poor thing’s distraught, of course. But there’s worse—and I know it’s wrong, my lady, I don’t want you to think I don’t—but it’s how it is and can’t be changed. Jenny…” She couldn’t find the words; she regretted starting the sentence. The countess would have her head for even mentioning such a thing in the hearing of Lady Georgiana, who was not even formally out yet. “She’s…she’s…”

  Thomas broke in, stammering and embarrassed, but doggedly keeping the conversation afloat. “She’s done something that she’d like to regret, but the fact is, miss, that in a couple of months Jenny is going to have—”

  “That is quite enough!” The countess almost rose to her feet, her cheeks flushing red. “Really! How dare you introduce this subject into my hearing!”

  “Please, Lady Westlake!” Georgiana said firmly. Rebecca looked at her in surprise; she sounded quite firm, and there were spots of color in her cheeks, but she was not embarrassed. “I want to hear it. Jenny is going to have a baby, is that what you wanted to say?”

  Rebecca nodded dumbly. “If your ladyship were to show her some kind of favor,” she murmured, “just to show people that she shouldn’t be cast out…And we’ve taken up a collection, below stairs. We wouldn’t ask in the normal way of things, but with James gone…he told her he’d marry her as soon as he had leave.”

  “I cannot allow this to proceed—”

  “I will be very glad to visit her,” Georgiana said, still with those red spots in her cheeks. “I remember what happened to our nursemaid Priya, and I will not allow such a tragedy to occur again.”

  The countess sat up straight, her eyes blazing. “Have you thought, Georgiana, how it will appear for you to countenance a fallen woman? Your reputation, as an unmarried girl?”

  Rebecca saw Georgiana flush at the words fallen woman. Something about them had wounded her, she thought, but she could not guess what it was. Lady Georgiana’s next words were firm and clear.

  “This is wartime, Lady Westlake. Everything is different now. James has given his life for his country, and are we not to look after his dependents? That’s not Somerton’s way.”

  “Thank you, my lady.” Rebecca put all her heart into the words.

  “That’s quite all right, Rebecca. You may go. Please do think of what we can do to make this fete really special.”

  As soon as they were back behind the safety of the baize door, Rebecca and Thomas exchanged a look. Rebecca let out a deep breath she’d been holding. “Thank you, Mr. Wright, oh, thank you!”

  “For what?”

  “They’d never have given me the post if it wasn’t for you, I know it.”

  “Nonsense, they just asked me my opinion and I gave it honestly.” Thomas was smiling broadly at her. “No, I want to thank you—for standing up for Jenny. That was something!”

  “What else could I do? The poor girl. I wish she had said something to Lady Georgiana herself—I don’t like to speak behind her back—but I’m sure it’s the best thing for her in the long run. I know Lady Georgiana is kind.”

  “Yes, but did yo
u see the looks the countess gave her? I expect she’ll be getting a dressing-down about now.”

  “She won’t let it stop her doing what she believes is right.” Rebecca fell silent, remembering that they were gossiping. But it was too hard to keep her tongue. “Mr. Wright, sir, this fete will be a lot of work. Are you sure we can manage it?”

  “I’m not worried about the fete. I’m worried about the hospital!”

  “Oh, goodness.” Rebecca had almost forgotten. “Do you really think Captain Wyndham will be pleased by the surprise?” She covered her smile with a hand at the look Thomas gave her.

  “I think he’s got his own plans for this house and land.”

  “Do you think—” Rebecca stopped talking as Mollie came up the stairs toward them. She was embarrassed, aware of how she’d dropped her guard entirely with Thomas. She wished it didn’t feel so delightful not to be entirely professional for once. And she couldn’t forget the warmth in his eyes when he’d praised her for standing up for Jenny. She thought it would keep on lighting her heart, like a little candle, for a long time yet.

  France

  “Time for your break, Nurse Templeton,” said Dr. Field, as he came onto the ward.

  “In a moment.” Charlotte continued making the bed. The sheets were getting more and more stained and worn, she could see. She wondered when they could expect a new delivery—perhaps not for weeks. She heaved the heavy mattress over to air. A man had died in this bed just yesterday.

  “Now, please.” The man stopped by the bed and waited for her to leave.

  “But the dressing trays…” She put a hand to her forehead, as a wave of sudden exhaustion overcame her. “Yes, sir.”