Page 21 of The Secrets of Ashmore Castle

‘Rubbish,’ said Rose. ‘You’ve got to stop making things up, Daisy. Your tongue’ll turn black and drop out.’

‘I didn’t make it up,’ Daisy said, with a flounce. ‘Someone told me.’

‘Someone!’ Rose scoffed. ‘That post boy, I suppose. He’d say anything to get inside your bodice.’

‘Ooh, Rose, don’t say such awful things!’ Mabel, the fat, plain housemaid exclaimed.

‘What’s the servants’ ball?’ Dory asked.

‘Didn’t they have one where you worked last?’ Mabel asked. ‘It’s a Christmas thing. All the servants and the families from the local big houses come, and the gentry have to dance with us. Rose danced with his lordship last year, didn’t you, Rose?’

She gave an enigmatical grimace. ‘Much good it ever did me. Anyway, there’s not going to be anything this year. No visitors – not even any presents, far as I can tell.’

‘I s’pose it’s mourning,’ Daisy said, ‘but I think it’s rotten.’

‘Mean, I call it,’ said Ellen.

‘You’ll have to find some other way of running after that footman from Ashmore Court,’ Rose said. Ellen couldn’t think of a sharp response, and stuck out her tongue instead.

Dory was pondering all this later over her work when William, the second footman, came to her door, fidgeted until she looked up, and said, ‘I’ve – er – I’ve got a button off. Can you – um … ?’

‘Give it here,’ she said kindly. She almost had a soft spot for William: after James, who was frankly sinister, and Cyril, third footman, who was sly and cocky and modelled himself on James, his hero, William was a relief. He had no ambition, he was mentally rather slow, lazy in his work, and too fond of his food, but he never spoke ill of people or made trouble.

He sidled further into the room, handed her a button – it was warm and damp with sweat from his hand – and shrugged off his striped waistcoat.

‘You’re the third this morning,’ she said. ‘There must be a curse on buttons in this house.’ She examined the place where the button was missing, and frowned. ‘This looks as if it’s been cut off. Has someone been playing tricks on you?’

She looked up, and saw him blush scarlet, his eyes shying away from hers. It came to her in a flash – he had cut it off himself, so as to come up and see her. It was not the first time in her life a male servant had taken a fancy to her, but with William, his shyness seemed to make liking her more a pain than a pleasure. In sheer pity she tried to put him at his ease.

‘I can fix this for you in no time,’ she said. ‘What d’you think about not having the Christmas ball? They all seem quite upset downstairs. Was it fun?’

‘Yeah, sort of,’ he said. ‘There was lots to eat, anyway, and you got to talk to servants from other houses.’

‘And dancing,’ she said, concentrating on threading the needle. ‘I like dancing. You a good dancer? I bet you are. You’re quite light on your feet.’ He mumbled something incomprehensible. ‘What’s that?’

‘I’d dance with you, if there was a ball,’ he muttered, staring at his feet. ‘Ask you, anyway. Don’t ’spec’ you’d …’ His voice trailed away. He looked as if his head had been dipped in hot water, but he still managed to go a shade redder.

‘You’re a nice boy,’ she said.

‘My mum says I have to be.’ William swallowed an Adam’s apple that had grown twice its normal size. ‘She says do-as-you-would-be-done-by.’

‘I bet she’s proud of you,’ Dory said, biting off the thread. She gave the waistcoat a shake and handed it to him. ‘There, all done,’ she said.

‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘Thanks ever so.’ He stood holding it and staring at her speechlessly, until she waved him away – not unkindly, but with a little flutter of the fingers.

He bumbled off, thinking of her white teeth between her pink lips biting the thread – his thread! He wanted to get round the corner quick and kiss where they’d been, before the magic wore off.

In light of what Miss Thornton had said, Lady Bayfield decided to expose Kitty to all the society possible for a girl not yet out, and observe her. Bayfield Court always entertained during the Christmas season, and Hampstead was a genteel place with a lot of good families.

Sir John was startled at the scale of the entertainments planned. ‘It is for Catherine’s sake,’ Lady Bayfield told him. ‘She needs to become used to being in company.’

‘I thought that was why you sent her to school,’ he objected.

‘School can only do so much. And it was a girls’ school, Sir John. She needs to be comfortable in male company.’

He sighed, but only a little. ‘Whatever you think necessary, my dear.’

‘You wish her to be well settled,’ Lady Bayfield urged.