'I'm a plain
woman, Ellen. I speak my mind, and I am sure
you would not want it any other way. I neither
know you, nor do I care about you, but I do care
about Ronald's children and I will do my duty by
them. Young Ronald and Elizabeth will have the
best of care and the finest education that our
hard-earned money can buy. As Ronald's widow
you have a right to stay in our home, but the
children will be raised as we think fit. You may
see them as much as you please, providing that
you do not spoil them. They will have the
upbringing suited to their situation in life.'
Eloise gripped her hands together behind her
back so that Hilda would not see how they
trembled. She dug her fingernails into her palms
to keep the tears of anger and frustration at bay
and she controlled her voice with difficulty. And
what is that, pray?'
'Don't take that hoity-toity tone with me. I
know that you and your folk look down on us
because we're in trade. Well, we might have
made our brass from selling sausages and meat
pies, but our fortune was gained through honest
toil. Young Ronald and his sister will be looked
after by a nanny until they are old enough to be
sent away to school. Ronald will learn to be a
gentleman as well as a man of business, and the
girl will be educated like a proper young lady.
You should be grateful to us, Ellen. We could
have turned our backs on you, as your parents
have done, but I know my duty. So long as you
abide by my rules, you will get on well enough in
this house. Go against me, and you will find out
that Hilda Cribb can be a hard woman.'
'I do not want my babies to be looked after by
a nanny,' Eloise said through gritted teeth. 'I will
not allow it.'
Hilda rose majestically to her feet. 'You won't
allow it? Listen to me, young lady. While you are
living under my roof you will do as I say, and I
say that the little ones will be raised in the
nursery. Of course you will have to be there to
feed the girl child, until she is weaned, and they
will be brought down for an hour or so at
teatime, just like they do in the best of houses.
We have come up in the world, Ellen. Harcourt
and I are no longer mere butchers, we are the
new gentry, and we have standards. If you don't
like it, you know where the door is, but Ronald's
children stay here. Do I make myself plain?'
It was all too plain, and Eloise soon discovered
that she was powerless to prevent her mother-in-law
from carrying out her wishes. A girl had
been found in the village and next day she was
ensconced in the nursery as the nanny, and the
children were put into her care. No matter how
much Eloise railed against the decision, no one
paid her any attention. Even Harcourt brushed
aside her complaints when she cornered him
after supper that evening. He was not as brutal as
his wife, but he put Eloise's anxiety down to
nerves and the fact that it was not so long since
she had given birth to Beth. He patted her on the
arm and with a kindly smile told her that she
would soon get used to it, and even enjoy the
freedom that she would have with her babies
cared for by another.
By way of a slight concession, Eloise was
allowed to have her possessions moved to a
room adjacent to the nursery, and Hilda only
sanctioned this for practical reasons as Beth
could not yet go through the night without being
fed. 'But,' she had added, having given way just
an inch, 'you will not find the room as comfortable
as the one you were given in the first place.'
This was patently true, as Eloise found her
belongings had been taken to a room half the size
of the previous one, situated at the back of the
house, overlooking the stable yard and outbuildings.
There was a single bedstead with a
plain white coverlet, a deal washstand, tallboy
and a wheel back chair which would have been
better suited to the kitchen than to a lady's
bedroom. A rag rug by the bed was the only
splash of colour on the brown linoleum which
covered the floor. Eloise realised that she might
have won the last battle but
woman, Ellen. I speak my mind, and I am sure
you would not want it any other way. I neither
know you, nor do I care about you, but I do care
about Ronald's children and I will do my duty by
them. Young Ronald and Elizabeth will have the
best of care and the finest education that our
hard-earned money can buy. As Ronald's widow
you have a right to stay in our home, but the
children will be raised as we think fit. You may
see them as much as you please, providing that
you do not spoil them. They will have the
upbringing suited to their situation in life.'
Eloise gripped her hands together behind her
back so that Hilda would not see how they
trembled. She dug her fingernails into her palms
to keep the tears of anger and frustration at bay
and she controlled her voice with difficulty. And
what is that, pray?'
'Don't take that hoity-toity tone with me. I
know that you and your folk look down on us
because we're in trade. Well, we might have
made our brass from selling sausages and meat
pies, but our fortune was gained through honest
toil. Young Ronald and his sister will be looked
after by a nanny until they are old enough to be
sent away to school. Ronald will learn to be a
gentleman as well as a man of business, and the
girl will be educated like a proper young lady.
You should be grateful to us, Ellen. We could
have turned our backs on you, as your parents
have done, but I know my duty. So long as you
abide by my rules, you will get on well enough in
this house. Go against me, and you will find out
that Hilda Cribb can be a hard woman.'
'I do not want my babies to be looked after by
a nanny,' Eloise said through gritted teeth. 'I will
not allow it.'
Hilda rose majestically to her feet. 'You won't
allow it? Listen to me, young lady. While you are
living under my roof you will do as I say, and I
say that the little ones will be raised in the
nursery. Of course you will have to be there to
feed the girl child, until she is weaned, and they
will be brought down for an hour or so at
teatime, just like they do in the best of houses.
We have come up in the world, Ellen. Harcourt
and I are no longer mere butchers, we are the
new gentry, and we have standards. If you don't
like it, you know where the door is, but Ronald's
children stay here. Do I make myself plain?'
It was all too plain, and Eloise soon discovered
that she was powerless to prevent her mother-in-law
from carrying out her wishes. A girl had
been found in the village and next day she was
ensconced in the nursery as the nanny, and the
children were put into her care. No matter how
much Eloise railed against the decision, no one
paid her any attention. Even Harcourt brushed
aside her complaints when she cornered him
after supper that evening. He was not as brutal as
his wife, but he put Eloise's anxiety down to
nerves and the fact that it was not so long since
she had given birth to Beth. He patted her on the
arm and with a kindly smile told her that she
would soon get used to it, and even enjoy the
freedom that she would have with her babies
cared for by another.
By way of a slight concession, Eloise was
allowed to have her possessions moved to a
room adjacent to the nursery, and Hilda only
sanctioned this for practical reasons as Beth
could not yet go through the night without being
fed. 'But,' she had added, having given way just
an inch, 'you will not find the room as comfortable
as the one you were given in the first place.'
This was patently true, as Eloise found her
belongings had been taken to a room half the size
of the previous one, situated at the back of the
house, overlooking the stable yard and outbuildings.
There was a single bedstead with a
plain white coverlet, a deal washstand, tallboy
and a wheel back chair which would have been
better suited to the kitchen than to a lady's
bedroom. A rag rug by the bed was the only
splash of colour on the brown linoleum which
covered the floor. Eloise realised that she might
have won the last battle but
Similar Books
