fetch your uniform Ruby,’ said Mrs McKinnon. ‘Amy will look after you for a few minutes and no doubt, by the time I return, you will be twice the size you are now.’
‘I feed all the staff well here. God knows, there’s no one else to cook for,’ Amy sighed. ‘I reckon I’ll have a nice bit of fat sticking to those skinny ribs of yours before the month is out. Drink up and eat the pie now. I’ve a nice stew for supper. That Mrs McKinnon will have ye run off yer feet by the end of the day. She may be fair, but she expects hard work for her consideration.’
‘I’m not afraid of hard work,’ Ruby replied defensively.
‘That’s as may be, but it’s not just hard work. There’s a reason why she hasn’t used one of the girls already on the staff for this job, I’d be thinking.’
Amy settled herself down onto the stool next to Ruby, preparing herself to question the new girl and to find out as much information as possible in the short time she had, just as Mrs McKinnon walked back into the kitchen with clean white aprons and a black dress laid across her arm.
‘Thank you, Amy,’ said Mrs McKinnon with a hint of irritation. ‘I can fill Ruby in on the details of the job very well myself.’
‘I was only making polite conversation and trying to explain. It’s not like things are normal around here, is it, with a grieving mad woman in the nursery and five small coffins lying in the tomb.’
‘Amy!’ Mrs McKinnon almost took off her head with one word and a sharp look.
And then in a much softer tone altogether, she turned back to Ruby.
‘Ruby, we needed someone with a good education and understanding, you see. It is true, you are here to work in the nursery, only there is something which is, er, slightly unusual, and you need to know. There is no child here in the castle to be looked after. The nursery is empty, except for the mistress that is.’
Ruby took a bite of Amy’s pie and gave Mrs McKinnon her full attention as she ate. It was all she could do to stop herself from drooling as the buttery pastry melted on her tongue. She had never before in her life tasted anything as good as Amy’s pie.
‘You see, Lady FitzDeane, she gave birth to five baby boys in five years and each one perished and returned to his maker without spending very long on this earth. She would like the nursery to be kept spick and span and she spends most of the day in there herself. I have to warn you, she very rarely leaves. But there is a little more to it than that. Lady FitzDeane, she hasn’t been doing too well herself in many ways. The doctor visits her every week and God knows, he tries his best, but he thinks she would improve if we had someone to help feed her, pay her some attention, read to her, even. She is a little on the thin side and needs help with the everyday tasks, writing her letters, getting her dressed. It’s more a lady’s maid job, crossed with that of a nurse, which is why we needed someone of your ability.’
Ruby looked slightly perplexed but simply nodded her head as she wiped the crumbs from her chin. She had only ever heard the words ‘lady’s maid’ when Lottie had said them in jest as she brushed Ruby’s long hair and she really had no idea what one was, whereas, having looked after Lottie and Maria a number of times when they had been sick, she had some understanding of the role of a nurse. But still, it was hardly something she had given a great deal of thought to.
She ate the last forkful of the pie and washed it down with the tea. She savoured the salty flavour. The steam rising from the gravy made her want to close her eyes and breathe in the aroma and hold it with her. The food at the convent had been repetitive. She had eaten the same thing on the same day every day for six years. She had never before experienced anything on a plate that made her mouth water.
‘Right, if you have finished eating,’ Mrs McKinnon said, breaking the spell, ‘the others will be in for a
‘I feed all the staff well here. God knows, there’s no one else to cook for,’ Amy sighed. ‘I reckon I’ll have a nice bit of fat sticking to those skinny ribs of yours before the month is out. Drink up and eat the pie now. I’ve a nice stew for supper. That Mrs McKinnon will have ye run off yer feet by the end of the day. She may be fair, but she expects hard work for her consideration.’
‘I’m not afraid of hard work,’ Ruby replied defensively.
‘That’s as may be, but it’s not just hard work. There’s a reason why she hasn’t used one of the girls already on the staff for this job, I’d be thinking.’
Amy settled herself down onto the stool next to Ruby, preparing herself to question the new girl and to find out as much information as possible in the short time she had, just as Mrs McKinnon walked back into the kitchen with clean white aprons and a black dress laid across her arm.
‘Thank you, Amy,’ said Mrs McKinnon with a hint of irritation. ‘I can fill Ruby in on the details of the job very well myself.’
‘I was only making polite conversation and trying to explain. It’s not like things are normal around here, is it, with a grieving mad woman in the nursery and five small coffins lying in the tomb.’
‘Amy!’ Mrs McKinnon almost took off her head with one word and a sharp look.
And then in a much softer tone altogether, she turned back to Ruby.
‘Ruby, we needed someone with a good education and understanding, you see. It is true, you are here to work in the nursery, only there is something which is, er, slightly unusual, and you need to know. There is no child here in the castle to be looked after. The nursery is empty, except for the mistress that is.’
Ruby took a bite of Amy’s pie and gave Mrs McKinnon her full attention as she ate. It was all she could do to stop herself from drooling as the buttery pastry melted on her tongue. She had never before in her life tasted anything as good as Amy’s pie.
‘You see, Lady FitzDeane, she gave birth to five baby boys in five years and each one perished and returned to his maker without spending very long on this earth. She would like the nursery to be kept spick and span and she spends most of the day in there herself. I have to warn you, she very rarely leaves. But there is a little more to it than that. Lady FitzDeane, she hasn’t been doing too well herself in many ways. The doctor visits her every week and God knows, he tries his best, but he thinks she would improve if we had someone to help feed her, pay her some attention, read to her, even. She is a little on the thin side and needs help with the everyday tasks, writing her letters, getting her dressed. It’s more a lady’s maid job, crossed with that of a nurse, which is why we needed someone of your ability.’
Ruby looked slightly perplexed but simply nodded her head as she wiped the crumbs from her chin. She had only ever heard the words ‘lady’s maid’ when Lottie had said them in jest as she brushed Ruby’s long hair and she really had no idea what one was, whereas, having looked after Lottie and Maria a number of times when they had been sick, she had some understanding of the role of a nurse. But still, it was hardly something she had given a great deal of thought to.
She ate the last forkful of the pie and washed it down with the tea. She savoured the salty flavour. The steam rising from the gravy made her want to close her eyes and breathe in the aroma and hold it with her. The food at the convent had been repetitive. She had eaten the same thing on the same day every day for six years. She had never before experienced anything on a plate that made her mouth water.
‘Right, if you have finished eating,’ Mrs McKinnon said, breaking the spell, ‘the others will be in for a
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