The Royal Lacemaker (22 page)

‘Let you down, has he?'
Molly jeered.

Remembering Mrs Bodney's advice of
a few days ago, Lily ignored her and carried on walking.

‘Happen Tom got tired of playing
second fiddle to yon fancy man. Got himself another girl, maybe,'
Molly's cackle taunted. But Lily remained silent and the other woman slunk
back indoors.

It wasn't like Tom not to turn up,
Lily thought, making her way back to Picky Pike's. What if he
had
found someone else? The idea made her stomach churn and she vowed she'd make
more time for him in future.

Having had her supper, she felt too
restless to sleep, so she went through to the workroom and settled herself at her
pillow. Although it was almost dark, she knew the pattern by heart and thought
she'd use the time to catch up with her own lace. For once, though, her work
failed to soothe her. As her movements increased so did her fretting. Where could
Tom be? Was he with some other girl? Or had Molly been getting her own back for the
other day? He'd never failed her before. Why, he'd always been as
reliable as the tide. So where was he then?

‘Lily, what are you doing in here
at this time of night?'
Startled out of her thoughts, she
looked up to find Mrs Bodney standing in the doorway.

‘I was just inspecting the work,
Mrs Bodney.'

‘Hmm,' said the other woman,
frowning at Lily's pillow. ‘I may be a taskmistress but I'm no
slave driver, Lily. Cora may have jumped ship but that doesn't mean you have
to do her work as well as your own.'

She stared at Mrs Bodney in surprise.
Surely, the woman was a witch.

‘No, I'm not a mystic, Lily,
if that's what you're thinking. I may have been living in London but I
was born and raised here in Bransbeer and know only too well how juicy gossip
spreads faster than lightning. Come through to my parlour, time is marching on and
we need to discuss how much lace still needs to be made,' she ordered, before
disappearing in a flurry of skirts.

Lily quickly put down her bobbins.
Getting up, she stretched her body to ease the tiredness from her back.

‘What a delectable vision to greet
a humble merchant.' She froze, as Rupert Mountsford dipped his head and
stepped into the room.

‘Oh, I …'

‘I'm sorry if I took you by
surprise. Seeing you execute such an elegant movement fair made my heart beat
faster. Please forgive my intrusion.' His voice sounded sincere, but the gleam
in his eyes confirmed he was anything but sorry.

‘Why, Mr Mountsford, er, Rupert, I
fear you jest,' she answered, smoothing down her dress and trying to recover
her composure. But he continued standing there, staring at her so intently, her
heart skipped a beat. She really couldn't
understand why his
presence should affect her so but she wouldn't be human if she didn't
find his obvious admiration gratifying. Remembering her employer's words, she
smiled up at him. His look of surprise turned to one of pleasure.

‘Well, well, young Lily, it seems
you are blossoming before my very eyes,' he said, grinning delightedly.

‘How much longer do you intend to
keep me waiting, Lily?' Mrs Bodney snapped, bustling back into the room. Then
she saw Rupert standing there and her demeanour changed in an instant. ‘Oh, I
do beg your pardon, I had no idea you were here, Rupert. I hope Lily has been
attending adequately to your requirements?'

He turned to Lily, beaming.

‘Indeed she has; more than
adequately, in fact. Forgive my intrusion at this late hour, Mrs Bodney, but I find
I have to return to London tonight and was hoping we could discuss business before I
leave.'

‘Yes, of course. Please come
through to the parlour. Lily, ask Tilda to bring us some refreshment, then I suggest
you retire for the night. I'll see you in my parlour at first light for we
have much to go through before the ladies arrive tomorrow.'

‘Yes, Mrs Bodney,' she
answered. Then with a quick nod in Rupert's direction, she turned to
leave.

‘I'll bid you good evening
then, Lily,' Rupert murmured. She could feel him staring at her, and felt
compelled to return his look.

‘Good evening, Rupert. I trust you
have a good journey.'

‘And I trust you will not forget
this humble merchant in his absence,' he replied, bowing slightly.

‘Well, Lily, I
have good news,' Mrs Bodney said as they sat in the parlour breaking their
fast the next morning. ‘Rupert Mountsford has increased his business with me.
Personally, I think it's so that he has more of an excuse to return to
Bransbeer, but who am I to complain?' She took a sip from her cup and then
smiled. ‘In fact, he has a surprise for you, which I'm sure you will
find most acceptable.'

‘Oh, and what might that be, Mrs
Bodney?'

‘I really cannot say, for if I
tell you it won't be a surprise, will it? Suffice to say you can prepare to be
impressed by his generosity. Now, if you've finished your meal, let's
get down to business. You can confirm the work is on schedule?'

‘Yes, I counted the sprigs last
evening to make sure.'

‘Good, that means the ladies can
now move on to making the tulips. The pattern maker delivered these this
morning,' she said, handing Lily the new patterns. ‘Make sure they
master it quickly, Lily,' she instructed.

Lily hurried through to the workroom
where, instead of being at their pillows, the ladies were huddled together in a
corner of the room. They were chatting so earnestly, she had to clap her hands in
order to get their attention.

‘Ladies, please, we have a new
pattern to learn,' she said briskly, only to be met with their surprised
stares.

‘Have you not heard the
news?' Emma asked.

‘What news?'

‘There's been a
wrecking,' Mary said. ‘Those evil men, they shone their lights along the
cliffs until the vessel foundered on the rocks. At least eight dead, so I was told.
Poor souls; may they rest in peace,' she stuttered to a halt, shaking her head
and crossing herself.

Remembering
Tom's words about sowing and reaping crops, Lily felt her heart sink to her
boots and she hoped he and his lugger were safe.

‘Brought their spoils in at Seaton
Hole, they did. Plundered all manner of brandy, silks and gold, even some jewels, so
I heard. By the time the Preventatives got wind, there was only bodies and wreckage
left floating on the tide,' added Emma, eager to impart what she'd
heard.

‘It's a terrible thing,
wrecking. Smuggling I can understand, what with the taxes being so high, but
wrecking is a different barrel of fish. Tricking innocent men onto dangerous rocks
then leaving them to perish is an unforgivable sin in my book,' exclaimed
Mary, almost beside herself.

‘Yes, that is terrible,'
Lily agreed. ‘I suggest we say a prayer for those poor lost men and their
families and then we must begin the day's work before we get any further
behind.'

Obediently, the ladies bent their heads
and the room fell silent. To think such barbaric things still went on in this day
and age, thought Lily. Quietly, she prayed for the souls of the dead to be safely
delivered to heaven. Then, after a respectable silence, she brought the ladies back
to the present by asking if anyone had seen Cora. They looked at each other then
shook their heads. Lily looked at Dora.

‘We ain't seen anything of
her. Father's hopping like a frog,' she muttered.

‘She hasn't been to see me
even though she said I was her best friend,' Nell said sadly.

It seemed Lily had no choice but to set
Emma to work at the absent girl's pillow. Lily fought down a groan, knowing
she'd have to keep a careful watch over her work.

‘Gather round
while I show you the pattern to be pricked out,' Lily said.

‘I'll be right pleased when
we can go back to doing our own ones, I can tell you,' Mary groaned, shaking
her head. ‘I'm too old for all this new learning.' The others
nodded in agreement.

‘Come on, ladies, this is for our
Queen's wedding,' Lily said, smiling her encouragement.

‘Bet the old pattern maker's
been in a right old how's yer father. You knows how pernickety she is about
her creations,' Mary said, shaking her head. ‘By the way, Lily, I saw
your Tom this morning.' Her heart skipped a beat. If Mary had seen him this
morning, then he was safe. ‘He said to tell you he waited till the clouds
covered the moon, and he's mighty mad you didn't show.' She looked
at Mary in surprise.

‘But I did. It was Tom who
wasn't there,' she protested, her cheeks burning as she remembered
Molly's caustic remarks.

‘Well, he says he'll be
waiting outside for you when you finish work. He has a surprise for you so I'd
spruce yourself up, girl. It sounds like you're in for a treat,' Mary
said, winking at her. It seemed it was to be a day for surprises, she thought, going
over to check how Emma was doing.

To her delight, Emma had taken to the
new pattern immediately, and Lily was gratified to see her working steadily. Perhaps
she really had been suffering from nerves after all. However, some of the others
were struggling with the change, and she was kept busy all day rectifying their
mistakes. By the time everyone was confidently working the tulips, the day was
drawing to a close.

As they covered their
work, the mood in the room miraculously lifted. Tomorrow was the long-awaited
Sabbath when they could forget their lace making and spend time with their
families.

Determined not to keep Tom waiting, Lily
tidied herself up as best she could. Staring down at her sober dress, she frowned.
How she longed for her period of mourning to be over so she could wear bright
colours when she went out.

Tom was perched on the wall outside and
he gave her a wry grin when she appeared.

‘Thought I'd make sure you
weren't going to keep me hanging around again,' he said, jumping
down.

‘But I waited for you on the beach
as we'd arranged.'

‘The beach? But I asked Molly to
tell you there'd been a change of plan and I'd meet you up by the top
field instead. Didn't she speak to you?'

‘Oh, yes, she spoke all right, but
she didn't give me your message.'

He stood there scratching his head and
looking perplexed.

‘Never mind, Tom, let's not
waste our precious time arguing. Mary says you have a surprise for me,' she
said, smiling up at him. Immediately he brightened.

‘I want this to be a special night
for you, Lily, and first of all, I'm going to treat you to that supper I
promised you.'

‘Goody, I'm so hungry I
could eat a sheep,' she said, laughing and feeling carefree for the first time
in ages.

‘Well, you might have to make do
with mutton pie,' he answered.

‘Delicious! You
said first, so what are we doing after that?'

‘You just wait and see my
girl,' he said, tapping the side of his nose and then laughing at her
indignant look. ‘Tonight, Lily Rose, you are going to eat your fill and then,
if you are very good, well, we'll have to see, won't we?'

Seeing the barely suppressed excitement
in his eyes, she smiled up at him, happy to go along with his game.

The landlord had lit a fire as the
evening was cool, and the scent of burning apple wood mixed with the aroma of good
food made the room welcoming. Tom paid her special attention, listening intently as
she recounted the events of her day. He even cracked a few jokes as they tucked into
their pies washed down with a jug of small beer each. Lily relaxed, enjoying her
meal and the rare treat of their having time to spend together. Then Tom's
mood changed and, looking serious, he leaned across the table.

‘Lily, you do still want to marry
me, don't you?' he asked.

‘Why, Tom Westlake, what kind of
question is that?'

‘I need to be sure now that
you're mixing with men finer than me.'

‘Don't be daft, Tom.
You're a fine man yourself. The one I want to marry,' she said, smiling
across at him.

A raucous cackle erupted from the next
table and Tom flushed as red as the flames in the fire.

‘Come on, let's get out of
here,' he muttered, rising to his feet.

Outside, he took her hand and led her
away from the bustle of the hostelry. They made their way to the beach, deserted now
after the activities of the day. The tide was
high, the waves
slapping against the boats. She listened to the swishing of the sea being sucked in
and out of the pebbles. An owl hooted, and with Tom beside her, she didn't
care whether it was a real one or not. Lost in thought, it was some moments before
she realized he'd stopped walking and was looking at her strangely.

‘Did you hear me, Lily, or have my
incredibly handsome looks knocked you out yet again?'

‘Sorry, Tom, what were you
saying?'

‘Oh, nothing important, only that
I love you and I'd like you to wear this so everyone knows we're
betrothed,' he muttered. Her eyes widened as she gazed at the ring he was
holding before her, its ruby gleaming like fire in the gathering darkness.

‘Why, Tom, it's
beautiful,' she gasped, holding out her left hand. Gently he placed it on her
finger. It fitted perfectly; as if it had been made especially for her.

‘You like it then?' he
asked, his voice teasing.

‘I love it and I love you, Tom
Westlake, but this must have cost a king's ransom. How on earth did you manage
to buy me something so special?'

‘Only the best is good enough for
you, Lily,' he said, gazing at her so lovingly, she couldn't help but
throw her arms around him. He pulled her closer and she felt desire flame, like the
fire of the ruby. Making a supreme effort, she pushed him away and then stood
looking up at the night sky with its blanket of winking stars, her heart beating
erratically.

‘The weeks are flying by and
it'll not be long till we can wed, Lily,' Tom murmured, putting his arm
around her shoulders. She smiled contentedly.

‘I can't
wait, Tom,' she said, snuggling closer. Together they stood, staring up at the
silvery moon, making plans for their future together.

The crunch of pebbles further up the
beach brought them rudely back to the present. Reluctantly they broke apart and
strolled back towards the village.

‘It's been a lovely evening,
Tom,' she sighed.

‘Yes, it has. You truly are my
betrothed now, and everyone will know it,' he said, stopping and kissing her
cheek.

‘I love your surprise,' she
said, running her thumb along the smooth band of the ring. Even though it was dark,
she could feel him smiling. ‘Red's my favourite colour, you
know.'

‘Goes with your passionate nature,
my girl,' he responded. He lifted her left hand to his lips and she saw the
ruby twinkling in the starlight.

‘Hey, Tom, saw you over Seaton way
last night,' a voice boomed, making them jump. As Lily peered into the
darkness, trying to make out who was standing there, Tom snatched up her hand and
hurried her up Sea Hill.