The Royal Lacemaker (7 page)

Hearing the chattering of voices coming
up the path, she hastily donned her apron, wondering how her fellow workers would
take the news she was to be their overseer. She didn't have to wait long to
find out. Making her way to the workroom, she heard Cora's indignant protest
and the mutterings of the other ladies. As she hesitated in the doorway, Mrs Bodney
looked up and smiled reassuringly.

‘Come in, Lily,' Mrs Bodney
said, beckoning to her. ‘Ladies, you are to co-operate and make Lily's
job as easy as you can. She has my authority to dismiss anyone who makes trouble or
breaches the working conditions I set out on your first day. Do I make myself
clear?'

‘Yes, Mrs Bodney,' they
intoned, and with a brisk nod of her head she left the room, her skirts bustling in
her wake. Lily swallowed nervously.

‘Well, get you, Lily Rose, all
dolled up like a donkey's thingummy,' Nell sniggered.

‘You needn't think
we're taking orders from you,' Cora snorted.

Lily stared at their hostile faces and
felt like fleeing.

Peasants persist, Lily. It's up to you to lead the way, not run away. You
can do it.

She heard her father's words of
encouragement and squared her shoulders, determined not to let him down.

‘Right,
ladies,' she said firmly. ‘As you heard, Mrs Bodney has appointed me to
oversee the work here. And, with your co-operation, that is all I will need to
oversee,' she said, smiling at them.

‘Oh, yeah? How do you make that
out?' Cora spat, her green eyes glinting like a cat's.

Lily swallowed but refused to be
intimidated. Striving to keep her voice calm, she smiled and looked at each of them
in turn.

‘You are skilled lace makers and I
trust you to work diligently. However, if anyone requires help they only have to
ask. Mrs Bodney has already outlined our schedule and we know the deadline we are
working to.' Lily paused, endeavouring to meet their glares with a friendly
smile. Although silence greeted her words, she continued to smile until her face was
as stiff as the washing on a frosty morning.

‘Well, I'm pleased
it's you who's overseeing us, Lily,' Mary said eventually.
‘And I'd just like to say how sorry I was to hear about your
mother.'

‘Thank you, Mary,' Lily
answered and, feeling tears welling, she swallowed hard. Then, to cover her emotion,
she said in her best imitation of Mrs Bodney, ‘Well now, let's get on
with our work, shall we?' Picking up her bobbins, she began weaving the
threads under and over, following the pattern she'd pricked out. There were a
few mutters but, to her relief, everyone followed her example.

Halfway through the morning, she was
disturbed by the sound of clattering followed by muffled giggles. Looking up, she
saw Cora and Nell rolling their bobbins across the floor to each other.

‘Stop that this
instant,' she ordered, jumping to her feet. Cora stared at Nell and then
deliberately sent another spinning towards her. As Nell giggled, Lily marched over
and snatched up the offending bobbins.

‘If you wish to behave like
children, then take yourselves outside,' she instructed. As Cora and Nell
stared at her defiantly, the others looked up from their work. An undercurrent of
excitement rippled around the room as they waited to see how Lily was going to
handle the situation. Well, there could be only one outcome, Lily thought. Carefully
she inspected the thread remaining on the bobbins.

‘Cora and Nell, luckily for you
the thread hasn't soiled otherwise I would have had to deduct the damages from
your wages,' she said.

Their looks of amusement turned to
outrage.

‘You wouldn't dare,'
Cora spluttered while Nell's pale complexion turned ashen.

‘As I said, it won't be
necessary this time, Cora. However, if you don't return to your work
immediately, I shall deduct money for time wasted.'

Nell promptly sat down and after a few
moments Cora followed. The other ladies resumed their work and Lily breathed a sigh
of relief.

The rest of the morning passed
uneventfully and when the church clock chimed noon, Lily rang the little bell
signalling it was time for their break. As the lace makers filed outside into the
yard, there were a few baleful looks cast in her direction but Mary smiled at her
reassuringly.

‘Give them time, Lily,' she
whispered.

Lily nodded and was just wondering
whether she
should join them when Tilda tapped on the door and
announced that Squire Clinsden was waiting to see her. Biting back the retort that
sprang to her lips, she followed the maid through to the parlour where the man was
impatiently pacing the floor.

‘Lily, my condolences on the sad
demise of your mother,' he said solicitously, but as soon as the door had shut
behind the maid, his demeanour changed. ‘I take it you are ready to end this
farce,' he growled.

‘I'm sorry, sir, I'm
not sure I understand you,' she said, trying to keep her voice level.

‘Oh, we understand each other
perfectly, Lily, so don't play games.'

‘Sir, I have duties to attend to,
so please state your business,' she said, looking him square in the face.

‘Don't you get uppity with
me, young lady; in order to save you and your family from being homeless I offered
you a position in my household. I'm here for your answer. You needn't
think I made a special visit, though. I had business in Bransbeer and thought
I'd see to two birds in one go,' he said, guffawing at what he clearly
saw as his wit. She shuddered, guessing the nature of his business only too
well.

‘Thank you, sir, but, as
I've already told you, I am satisfied with my position here,' she
answered serenely. Now she knew how a swan felt: all calm on the surface while it
paddled furiously under the water.

The squire's face turned redder
still. Determined not to be browbeaten, Lily continued looking him straight in the
eye.

‘Let me remind you that your
family will be out on the
street come the quarter-day. Do you want
to see your brother and sister in the gutters of Coombe? Surely that's not
what your dear mother would have wanted?'

Oh, how low, she thought. ‘I
appreciate your concern, sir, but I assure you it won't come to that. I take
my duties towards my family seriously and have already decided what we shall do. Now
if you'll excuse me I have work to see to,' she said, snatching up the
little brass bell from the table and ringing it vigorously. As he stared at her in
disbelief, Tilda appeared in the doorway.

‘Squire Clinsden is leaving.
Please show him out.'

‘You'll be sorry for
this,' he hissed before stomping from the room.

Trembling, she sank onto the chair and
covered her face with her hands. She had made a powerful enemy, she knew, but the
idea of being friendly with the squire was even more frightening.

‘Are you all right, miss?'
Looking up, Lily saw the maid hovering in the doorway, eyeing her anxiously.

‘Yes, thank you, Tilda,' she
said, forcing a smile. Then, taking a breath to steady herself, she hurried back to
the workroom and summoned the ladies in from the yard.

Although they came in willingly enough,
she could sense the underlying tension as they settled themselves at their
pillows.

‘Oops, I think I've put a
pin in the wrong place,' Nell announced, not sounding the least bit
concerned.

Lily went over to look at her work.
‘I can't see anything amiss,' she said, frowning down at the
perfect sprig before her.

‘Silly me, I must have been
mistaken,' Nell giggled, shaking her mane of copper hair.

‘Easily done,' Lily said
lightly. ‘However, I think you should put your cap back on before Mrs Bodney
returns. She won't be pleased if she finds red hair over your lace
work.'

Nell glowered, muttered something under
her breath and then reluctantly did as she'd been asked.

Impatient to resume her own work, Lily
hurried back to her stool but as she sat down a flash of grey caught her eye.
Bending to see what it was, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a mouse
nibbling the straw that was
poking through a hole in her pillow. As
she watched, the creature edged closer to the pristine white of her thread. Deftly
scooping it up, she hurried to the door and let it go. She watched it scuttle to
freedom, fervently wishing she could join it.

Hearing barely suppressed giggles, she
turned to face the lace makers. It was obvious from the looks of amusement Cora and
Nell were exchanging, that this had been planned in retaliation for earlier. When
they saw Lily staring at them, they quickly looked down at their work.

Returning to her stool, Lily stared at
her damaged pillow. Pranks she could put up with, wilful damage she could not
ignore.

‘Who slit my pillow?' she
demanded, looking around the workroom, which was now ominously silent. ‘Put
down your bobbins this minute,' she instructed. The lace makers stared at her
in amazement but did as they'd been told. ‘I will ask you once more. Who
did this?' she asked, pointing to the slit in her pillow and then staring at
each of them in turn. Although they fidgeted on their stools, still no one answered.
Knowing she needed to gain the upper hand or she'd never command the respect
required of an overseer, she ordered firmly, ‘No more work will be done until
the culprit owns up.'

‘But before she left, Mrs Bodney
said we had to produce more,' Anna said.

‘Precisely,' Lily answered.
‘And if those responsible don't own up soon, you will still be sitting
here like stuffed dolls when she returns.'

‘You wouldn't
dare …' spluttered Cora.

Lily raised an eyebrow but remained
silent. Although
her insides were quivering she was determined to
maintain a calm exterior. As one, the lace makers turned and glared at Cora but she
studiously ignored them. Defiantly she picked up her bobbins.

‘Put those down, Cora,' Lily
instructed. ‘I said no more work was to be done until the culprit owns up. Do
you have anything to say?'

‘Yes, I blooming well do, Lily
Rose. You think you're so high and mighty but you're no better than us.
You only got this overseer job by sucking up to Mrs Bodney.'

‘Put down your bobbins,
Cora,' Lily repeated, ignoring the outburst. ‘Well, it's up to you
to decide whether you want to waste what's left of the afternoon or not.
However, Mrs Bodney won't be happy if your work is behind schedule when she
returns.'

As if to emphasize her words, the clock
on the church chimed the hour. The ladies, looking decidedly uncomfortable, started
squirming in their seats.

‘For God's sake tell
her,' hissed Mary. This was greeted with a snort of disgust from Cora.

‘All right, it was me,' she
muttered, her green eyes narrowing.

‘And I had to say I'd gone
wrong to distract you,' owned Nell.

‘I see,' said Lily.
‘Well, in that case, Cora, you will mend my pillow before doing any more lace
work.'

‘But that will make me even more
behind,' she spluttered.

‘You should have thought of that
before coming up with such a stupid prank, Cora. Nell, you will clear up the
droppings our little friend has left and then sweep the floor
to
make sure it's thoroughly clean. The rest of you can pick up your bobbins. If
you have any sense, you will work like weasels to make up for lost time. Then, with
any luck, Mrs Bodney won't find out.'

‘You mean you aren't going
to tell her?' Cora asked, staring at her incredulously.

‘If your work is back on schedule
by the time she returns, I won't need to, will I?' Lily responded.

Relieved they'd been let off so
lightly, Cora and Nell hurried over to Lily's pillow and began clearing up the
mess they'd created. The others snatched up their bobbins and fervently
resumed their work. As silence filled the room once more, Lily silently let out the
breath she'd been holding. Then she walked over to the window and began
winding thread onto spare bobbins in order to save time later.

‘They were expecting you to scream
when you saw that mouse,' Mary whispered.

‘What? When I was brought up on a
farm?' asked Lily, grinning. If they thought they would scare her off that
easily, they had another thought coming.

‘I've mended your pillow,
Lily,' Cora announced. Lily went over to inspect it and was surprised to find
the repair was hardly noticeable. She knew better than to say so, though.

‘Yes, that will do, Cora. You may
return to your own work now,' she said, but Cora hovered. ‘Well, is
there something else?' Lily asked, impatient to make a start on her own
lace.

‘Will you be taking anything out
of my wages for the damage?' she asked, her voice unnaturally subdued.

‘No, Cora, I won't.'
The girl brightened and Lily added,
‘But only if you promise
me there will be no more tricks like this. We have got to work together for some
time yet so we may as well try and help each other, don't you
think?'

Cora nodded vigorously and then hurried
back to her own pillow. Lily hoped there would be no more trouble but knew
she'd need to keep her wits about her.

She glanced around the room, pleased to
see everyone was working furiously. Clearly they were anxious to make up for lost
time and the workroom was silent apart from the clacking of their bobbins. Settling
down to continue the sprig she'd begun earlier, Lily realized she was going to
earn every farthing of her pay rise.

It seemed no time at all before the
shadows were creeping across the room and Lily picked up the bell to signal the end
of the working day.

‘Have you all made up the time you
lost earlier?' she enquired. Nodding their heads, the ladies eyed her warily.
‘In that case you may cover your work and I'll see you bright and early
tomorrow.'

As the sound of their voices faded away,
Lily sank on her stool, relieved to have made it through her first day as overseer.
Then, conscious her employer would soon be returning, she got up and began
inspecting their work. Luckily, despite their earlier escapades, the lace appeared
to be up to standard. She was just returning to her own pillow when Mrs Bodney
bustled into the workroom.

‘Well, Lily, I'm pleased to
say the ladies at High House have had a productive day. I hope yours have too. Did
you encounter any problems?'

‘Not really. Everyone has achieved
the amount of work required for us to keep to the schedule.'

‘And did you
experience any difficulty with the ladies accepting you as their
overseer?'

‘I think they now understand my
position, Mrs Bodney,' Lily answered, wishing to be truthful without giving
them away.

‘Hmm,' her employer said,
looking at her closely. To Lily's relief, she didn't pursue the matter,
asking instead, ‘Did you receive any visitors?'

‘Just Squire Clinsden,
ma'am,' she answered.

‘Did he perchance call to place an
order for lace?'

The thought of that unlikely scenario
made Lily smile and she shook her head.

‘Well, if you encounter any
problems, and I do mean any, you must feel free to bring them to me.'

Lily looked at Mrs Bodney in
surprise.

‘In the short time I have known
you, Lily, you have become a valued employee and I should hate to lose
you.'

Shocked by the woman's perception,
she stammered, ‘Thank you, Mrs Bodney.'

‘That's all for today, Lily.
Just remember what I've said,' and with that she left the room.

The arrangements for her mother's
funeral had been made and Aunt Elizabeth, having declined Lily's offer to
help, had been tidying and cleaning like a demented demon to ensure the cottage was
presentable for those coming back to pay their respects after the service.

Now it was the Sabbath and, while Aunt
Elizabeth was enjoying a well-earned rest, Lily and Tom packed a picnic of bread and
freshly made brawn and went out to the orchard. It was a beautiful morning. The
trees were laden
with fragrant, feathery blossom and a skylark
trilled overhead. Tom took off his jacket and spread out a blanket on the grass.
Then, sitting side by side, he and Lily tucked into their meal, revelling in the
rare treat of not having to rush. Afterwards, they lay on their backs watching the
fluffy clouds and playing their favourite game.

‘That one looks like a
fish,' murmured Tom.

‘What's that cloud like,
then?' she asked.

‘A wolf?' he guessed.

‘No, it's a dragon,'
she laughed.

‘Like your Mrs Bodney, you
mean?'

‘Oh, Tom, she's really nice
when you get to know her. By the way, I've been meaning to tell you,
I've been made up to overseer and—' But Tom had spotted her brother
returning in the donkey-cart and jumped to his feet.

‘Hey, Rob, we've some food
left if you want to join us,' he called. But Robert shook his head, glared at
Lily and passed by without stopping.

‘What's up with him?'
Tom asked.

‘He's sore at me,' she
muttered.

‘What do you mean?' he
asked, looking at her sharply.

She sighed. ‘He's blaming me
for Mother's death. When the squire told her about Stanton moving in here, he
said there was a job with a room for me at the manor. If I take it, a hut in the
grounds would be made available for them to live in.'

‘Yes, but how does that make you
responsible for your mother's death?'

‘I refused to even consider the
proposition and Robert got the notion that's what killed her. Aunt Elizabeth
said it was the shock of knowing she was to lose her home,
though.
It was just too much, it coming so soon after Father's death.'

Tom looked serious for a moment, then
shook his head. ‘Look, Lily, I know you like this job with Mrs Bodney but it
doesn't give you anywhere to live, does it? Surely, it'd be better if
you did work for the squire, even temporary like? Leastways, you'd all have a
roof over your heads?'

‘No, I couldn't work for
that pomp— I mean, it makes sense for us to move nearer to Mrs Bodney's so
I'll be making other arrangements …' Her voice tailed away as she
saw his eyes narrow.

‘Has Squire Clinsden done
something to upset you, Lily?' he asked, studying her closely.

‘Of course not, whatever gave you
that idea?' she asked, jumping to her feet and gathering up their picnic
things.

‘It was something Molly
said,' he muttered.

‘Well?' she asked, her voice
sharper than she intended.

‘What do you mean,
well?'

‘I mean, Tom Westlake, just what
was it that your dear old school friend said?' she asked, glaring at him.

He looked away, shrugging. ‘I
guess it was nothing. Look, Lily, it's been an awful week and you're
exhausted. I need to check the nets before we sail tomorrow, so I'll leave you
to get some rest,' he said.

‘I will see you for the
funeral?' she asked, looking worriedly at him.

‘I'll be here first thing
Wednesday,' he promised before turning and striding across the orchard towards
the cliff path. With heavy heart she watched him go. Just what had that scheming
shrew Molly Baker said to him?