Page 113 of The Secrets of Ashmore Castle

He was happy for Chloë – he didn’t take Grandmère’s warning about Sir Thomas too seriously – but what he was mostly thinking was that, with Chloë away at the Academy all day, he would have Mrs Sands to himself.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Mary Caldecott had come to tea with Aunt Schofield, and brought with her a thin-faced, intense young woman, Octavia Liston. She was much exercised by the new Education Bill being brought by Mr Balfour, who had taken over as prime minister from his uncle Lord Salisbury when he retired owing to ill health. She spoke so rapidly it was hard for Nina to understand whether she was for or against it.

Mrs Caldecott’s more measured tones sounded almost languid by contrast. ‘Of course, the ratepayers won’t like it. Some of them hardly accept that children should go to school at all, let alone after the age of twelve. If these new local education authorities start putting money into secondary education, they’ll riot in the streets.’

‘I hardly think so,’ said Aunt Schofield. ‘Rational people will see the need for more technical schools—’

‘And for general education, too,’ Miss Liston broke in eagerly. ‘The LEAs will be charged with seeing that teachers are properly qualified, which surely must mean education beyond the elementary level …’

Nina felt herself sagging, and straightened her back hastily. She ought to be interested in this sort of thing if she was to be a teacher, but her mind kept wandering.

Mrs Caldecott turned to her as Miss Liston had to stop to draw breath. ‘How is your search for a teaching post going, Miss Sanderton?’

‘Oh, is Miss Sanderton going to be a teacher?’ said Miss Liston, with new interest.

‘I haven’t found anything yet,’ Nina said. ‘But Miss Thornton says her sort of school usually starts a new year in January, so there’s plenty of time. She’s still looking out for something for me. May I offer you some more tea?’

Mrs Caldecott saw she didn’t want to talk about it, and turned the conversation to the Free Library. ‘How are things progressing? Have you any news?’

‘I have indeed,’ Aunt Schofield said. ‘I think I told you we had located a building in the right place. Now we’ve received a most generous offer not only to buy the freehold for us, but to pay for all the necessary alterations.’

‘How wonderful! Who is this philanthropical person?’ Mrs Caldecott asked.

‘I don’t suppose you know him. He’s what they call nowadays an industrialist, though he’s one of the King’s new circle. Nina met him during her Season, and he turns out to be a friend of Mawes Morris, too.’

‘Oh, the very useful Mawes Morris!’ Mrs Caldecott laughed. ‘I wonder if there’s anyone he doesn’t know.’

‘Apparently, he was at dinner there the other evening,’ Aunt Schofield went on, ‘and Lepida Morris was talking about the Free Library. He asked a great many questions, and presumably was seized with the idea, because his letter arrived yesterday.’

‘Excellent man,’ she said. ‘Alexandra, my dear, you must positively have this paragon to dinner, and be sure to invite Quin and me. I should like to interest him in one of my schemes.’

Aunt Schofield smiled indulgently. ‘Invite a person to dine and then pick his pockets? That would be shabby. But a dinner is an excellent idea. I should welcome the chance to thank him in person.’

‘Tell me more about the building,’ said Mrs Caldecott.

‘We’re going there tomorrow morning,’ said Aunt Schofield. ‘You’d be welcome to join us.’

‘Oh, tomorrow I can’t. Never mind – another time.’

The building was on the Commercial Road, a former warehouse. The agent was waiting for them in the rain when Aunt Schofield, Nina and Lepida arrived in a cab from the station. It was a poor area of mean streets and over-crowded tenements, and the Commercial Road itself was busy with traffic and full of small factories and workshops belching out yellow-grey smoke. But the building was solid, of red brick with a slate roof, the height of a two-storey house, with a row of windows set at second-storey level, the wall at ground level being blank.

‘I like it,’ Nina said, as they climbed out of the cab. A hansom was a tight squeeze for three, but they were all quite thin. ‘The red brick is cheerful.’

‘It would be if it were washed down,’ said Lepida. The prevailing soot in the air had coated everything. ‘But won’t the lack of windows make it dark?’

‘Could we put in another row lower down?’ Nina wondered.

The agent said, ‘I wouldn’t recommend it, ladies. High windows make it more difficult for anyone to break in.’

Inside, the place smelt dusty, but not unpleasant. It was completely empty, a brick oblong with a concrete floor. ‘It was used for storage,’ the agent said. ‘Dry goods in tea-chests waiting to go to the docks.’

‘I don’t see any puddles on the floor,’ said Nina, ‘so I suppose the roof is sound.’

‘There may be the odd slipped slate, ‘said the agent, ‘but that’s easily remedied. It’s a good building. The only reason it’s still empty is that, as a commercial property, it’s rather small.’

A shadow darkened the door behind them, and a voice said, ‘Do I intrude? May I come in?’