call
that the action of a wonderful mother.'
Eloise put her arm around Joss as he began to
whimper. 'You're frightening my boy. Leave us
alone.' She pushed past Joan and led a sobbing
Joss from the dining room.
'That's right,' Joan called after her. 'Run away
when you know you are losing the argument. I
know your sort, Eloise Monkham. You don't
deserve to bear the name of Cribb.'
With Beth clutched in one arm, Eloise hoisted
Joss onto her hip and she hurried across the hall
and up the stairs. She was out of breath and very
much out of sorts when she reached the relative
sanctity of her room. Mabel had been in the
process of making the bed and she looked up in
alarm. 'Goodness, miss. What's wrong?'
Eloise lowered Joss to the floor and subsided
onto a chair by the fireplace, rocking Beth in her
arms. Mabel had been generous with the coal
and its blaze sent out a comforting warm glow.
Outside the window the snow was falling in
huge feathery flakes. In the distance, Eloise could
see the snow-covered wolds stretching as far as
the eye could see. She realised then that she was
marooned here in this icy wilderness, and there
was no hope of escape, at least until the weather
improved.
'Can I do anything, miss? Shall I fetch you a
cup of tea, or summat?'
Eloise looked up into Mabel's anxious face and
she smiled. 'No, thank you. I'm all right.'
'Let me hold the baby, miss. I know how. I've
got six younger brothers and sisters at home and
me older brother, Ted, is stable boy here. I
daresay you met him last night. He usually goes
out with Mr Riley, the coachman, since the old
fellow's rheumatics play him up in winter
something terrible.' Mabel held out her arms and
Eloise allowed her to take Beth. Almost immediately
her screams quietened and she gazed up
at Mabel with apparent interest.
'She likes you,' Eloise murmured, not knowing
whether to be pleased or hurt by the way her
baby daughter took to a stranger.
'She's a little flower, that's what she is.'
Joss seemed to sense his mother's distress and
he climbed onto her lap. Smiling, Eloise dandled
him on her knee, tickling his tummy which
always made him chuckle. He obliged her with a
deep belly laugh. 'You're such a good boy, Joss.
And I won't allow them to shut you up in their
horrid old nursery.'
Mabel shifted Beth to her shoulder and rocked
her gently, patting the baby's back with a gentle
hand. 'They've had the maids scrubbing it from
top to bottom, miss. It's not such a bad place
really, and I've heard tell that's what the gentry
do. Grand ladies give their children over to
nursery maids the moment they're born.'
'Well, I'm not a grand lady, and I've no
intention of allowing strangers to bring up my
children.'
'If you don't mind me saying, miss, you won't
have much choice in the matter. If Miss
Braithwaite and the mistress want it that way,
that's the way it shall be.'
'We'll see,' Eloise said grimly. 'They might be
able to bully the servants, but I won't stand for
it.'
'You're very brave, miss. I shouldn't like to
cross Miss Braithwaite.' Mabel pulled up a stool
and sat down at Eloise's side. 'It's common
knowledge that she hasn't been the same since
she was jilted at the altar. You won't let on that I
told you, will you?'
'No, certainly not.'
Mabel glanced over her shoulder as if afraid
that someone might overhear her words, and she
lowered her voice. 'Well, it weren't exactly at the
altar, but as good as. He were a right handsome
devil, so our mum said, but it turned out that he
already had a wife in Whitby, and they say he
had another in York, although I can't say for
certain. Miss Joan were a good-looking woman
then, according to our mum, and she were all set
up to inherit the butcher's shop when their father
passed on.'
Momentarily diverted from her own problems,
Eloise was intrigued. 'Go on.'
'Well, Miss Joan thought she was too good to
work in the shop and so she stayed at home, but
her sister, her that's the mistress now, was not so
proud. She served in
that the action of a wonderful mother.'
Eloise put her arm around Joss as he began to
whimper. 'You're frightening my boy. Leave us
alone.' She pushed past Joan and led a sobbing
Joss from the dining room.
'That's right,' Joan called after her. 'Run away
when you know you are losing the argument. I
know your sort, Eloise Monkham. You don't
deserve to bear the name of Cribb.'
With Beth clutched in one arm, Eloise hoisted
Joss onto her hip and she hurried across the hall
and up the stairs. She was out of breath and very
much out of sorts when she reached the relative
sanctity of her room. Mabel had been in the
process of making the bed and she looked up in
alarm. 'Goodness, miss. What's wrong?'
Eloise lowered Joss to the floor and subsided
onto a chair by the fireplace, rocking Beth in her
arms. Mabel had been generous with the coal
and its blaze sent out a comforting warm glow.
Outside the window the snow was falling in
huge feathery flakes. In the distance, Eloise could
see the snow-covered wolds stretching as far as
the eye could see. She realised then that she was
marooned here in this icy wilderness, and there
was no hope of escape, at least until the weather
improved.
'Can I do anything, miss? Shall I fetch you a
cup of tea, or summat?'
Eloise looked up into Mabel's anxious face and
she smiled. 'No, thank you. I'm all right.'
'Let me hold the baby, miss. I know how. I've
got six younger brothers and sisters at home and
me older brother, Ted, is stable boy here. I
daresay you met him last night. He usually goes
out with Mr Riley, the coachman, since the old
fellow's rheumatics play him up in winter
something terrible.' Mabel held out her arms and
Eloise allowed her to take Beth. Almost immediately
her screams quietened and she gazed up
at Mabel with apparent interest.
'She likes you,' Eloise murmured, not knowing
whether to be pleased or hurt by the way her
baby daughter took to a stranger.
'She's a little flower, that's what she is.'
Joss seemed to sense his mother's distress and
he climbed onto her lap. Smiling, Eloise dandled
him on her knee, tickling his tummy which
always made him chuckle. He obliged her with a
deep belly laugh. 'You're such a good boy, Joss.
And I won't allow them to shut you up in their
horrid old nursery.'
Mabel shifted Beth to her shoulder and rocked
her gently, patting the baby's back with a gentle
hand. 'They've had the maids scrubbing it from
top to bottom, miss. It's not such a bad place
really, and I've heard tell that's what the gentry
do. Grand ladies give their children over to
nursery maids the moment they're born.'
'Well, I'm not a grand lady, and I've no
intention of allowing strangers to bring up my
children.'
'If you don't mind me saying, miss, you won't
have much choice in the matter. If Miss
Braithwaite and the mistress want it that way,
that's the way it shall be.'
'We'll see,' Eloise said grimly. 'They might be
able to bully the servants, but I won't stand for
it.'
'You're very brave, miss. I shouldn't like to
cross Miss Braithwaite.' Mabel pulled up a stool
and sat down at Eloise's side. 'It's common
knowledge that she hasn't been the same since
she was jilted at the altar. You won't let on that I
told you, will you?'
'No, certainly not.'
Mabel glanced over her shoulder as if afraid
that someone might overhear her words, and she
lowered her voice. 'Well, it weren't exactly at the
altar, but as good as. He were a right handsome
devil, so our mum said, but it turned out that he
already had a wife in Whitby, and they say he
had another in York, although I can't say for
certain. Miss Joan were a good-looking woman
then, according to our mum, and she were all set
up to inherit the butcher's shop when their father
passed on.'
Momentarily diverted from her own problems,
Eloise was intrigued. 'Go on.'
'Well, Miss Joan thought she was too good to
work in the shop and so she stayed at home, but
her sister, her that's the mistress now, was not so
proud. She served in
Similar Books
