look over the cellars?”
“Why bother? Gladys said they were nearly empty. My uncle and cousin apparently drank the wine cellar dry.” He started going carefully down the narrow stairs. “I’d better see the village doctor tomorrow. I’m going to need these dressings changing.”
“Old Dr Hindhurst died. We don’t have a doctor in the village any more. You’ll have to go into Tinsley. Dr Marsh came out of retirement when his son went to war, or there’s Dr Tolson.”
Marcus sighed. “I don’t like Tolson, so let’s try Marsh. Perhaps you can take me there tomorrow morning?”
“I also need to vote, sir. First time I’ve been entitled and I’m not going to miss doing it.”
“I shan’t be able to, because I wasn’t in time to register here. Never mind. Next time.”
Chapter 3
The following morning Serena woke feeling very excited. Today, the fourteenth of December, a General Election was being held, and it was the first at which women would be entitled to vote—not all women, however, only those over 30, but she qualified for that, just, and had secretly made the appropriate arrangements to be registered.
For the past few years she’d read everything she could about female suffrage in the newspapers and followed developments avidly earlier in the year as the Representation of the People Bill was debated in Parliament. She’d also listened in silence with eyes lowered to her father’s tirades against Lloyd George and, it sometimes seemed to her, he hated every other political party as well.
His fury that women were to have a say in the government of their country was no less fierce for being expressed in a calm, steady voice. The words he used to describe women’s capacity to reason were scathing and it didn’t seem to occur to him how insulting that was to his daughter and wife.
Serena was looking forward to exercising her rights as a citizen and voting for the first time. It was terrifying to go directly against his orders, but to vote would be symbolic, somehow, of the new life she hoped to build for herself, so she intended to do it, whatever the cost.
As she joined Fleming for breakfast, he shook open his newspaper and greeted her with his usual grunt. But he was soon stabbing at the page. “These fools who write for newspapers are treating the fact that women are voting for the first time today as if it’s something to be approved of. Well, no female in my family will ever do such an unwomanly thing.”
She didn’t need to reply since he took her compliance for granted, but simply continued eating. For the first time in weeks she found herself with an appetite and enjoyed the fine ham and crusty new bread, perhaps because it was spiced with the sauce of rebellion.
When Fleming had left for his place of business, Serena put on her outdoor things and made her way to the nearest polling station before she lost her courage. If she could vote, she felt she could do anything. After standing patiently in line, she listened to a cursory explanation of what to do from the election officer before marking her ballot paper. She watched in delight as it slipped through the slot afterwards and had to be nudged to move on.
Such a small thing to do, making a mark on a piece of paper, but such a huge step for the women who were at last allowed to do it.
As she left the polling station she held her head high, feeling herself the equal of anyone in the country, a new woman as some called themselves. However the exhilaration died down abruptly when she encountered Mr Hammerton right outside.
He tipped his hat then looked at the door she’d come through. “Miss Fleming! Surely you’ve not been voting?”
She could feel her face getting hot and knew her blush had betrayed her.
His smile was full of malice. “Well, well. And your father assured me that you had no desire to vote.”
“Did he?” She moved on quickly, wishing she hadn’t met him, because he was as close a friend as
“Why bother? Gladys said they were nearly empty. My uncle and cousin apparently drank the wine cellar dry.” He started going carefully down the narrow stairs. “I’d better see the village doctor tomorrow. I’m going to need these dressings changing.”
“Old Dr Hindhurst died. We don’t have a doctor in the village any more. You’ll have to go into Tinsley. Dr Marsh came out of retirement when his son went to war, or there’s Dr Tolson.”
Marcus sighed. “I don’t like Tolson, so let’s try Marsh. Perhaps you can take me there tomorrow morning?”
“I also need to vote, sir. First time I’ve been entitled and I’m not going to miss doing it.”
“I shan’t be able to, because I wasn’t in time to register here. Never mind. Next time.”
Chapter 3
The following morning Serena woke feeling very excited. Today, the fourteenth of December, a General Election was being held, and it was the first at which women would be entitled to vote—not all women, however, only those over 30, but she qualified for that, just, and had secretly made the appropriate arrangements to be registered.
For the past few years she’d read everything she could about female suffrage in the newspapers and followed developments avidly earlier in the year as the Representation of the People Bill was debated in Parliament. She’d also listened in silence with eyes lowered to her father’s tirades against Lloyd George and, it sometimes seemed to her, he hated every other political party as well.
His fury that women were to have a say in the government of their country was no less fierce for being expressed in a calm, steady voice. The words he used to describe women’s capacity to reason were scathing and it didn’t seem to occur to him how insulting that was to his daughter and wife.
Serena was looking forward to exercising her rights as a citizen and voting for the first time. It was terrifying to go directly against his orders, but to vote would be symbolic, somehow, of the new life she hoped to build for herself, so she intended to do it, whatever the cost.
As she joined Fleming for breakfast, he shook open his newspaper and greeted her with his usual grunt. But he was soon stabbing at the page. “These fools who write for newspapers are treating the fact that women are voting for the first time today as if it’s something to be approved of. Well, no female in my family will ever do such an unwomanly thing.”
She didn’t need to reply since he took her compliance for granted, but simply continued eating. For the first time in weeks she found herself with an appetite and enjoyed the fine ham and crusty new bread, perhaps because it was spiced with the sauce of rebellion.
When Fleming had left for his place of business, Serena put on her outdoor things and made her way to the nearest polling station before she lost her courage. If she could vote, she felt she could do anything. After standing patiently in line, she listened to a cursory explanation of what to do from the election officer before marking her ballot paper. She watched in delight as it slipped through the slot afterwards and had to be nudged to move on.
Such a small thing to do, making a mark on a piece of paper, but such a huge step for the women who were at last allowed to do it.
As she left the polling station she held her head high, feeling herself the equal of anyone in the country, a new woman as some called themselves. However the exhilaration died down abruptly when she encountered Mr Hammerton right outside.
He tipped his hat then looked at the door she’d come through. “Miss Fleming! Surely you’ve not been voting?”
She could feel her face getting hot and knew her blush had betrayed her.
His smile was full of malice. “Well, well. And your father assured me that you had no desire to vote.”
“Did he?” She moved on quickly, wishing she hadn’t met him, because he was as close a friend as
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