among my staff, Mrs. Ladbrook. Once you have one bad apple, the whole works goes rotten.”
“But Mrs. Hunt, she is so very young, plus she’s living away from home for the first time. I know that such behaviour is wrong and may land Nan in trouble, but her reputation will be ruined if you force her from the house. What will she do after she leaves here?”
“If you ask me, ma’am, she should have thought of that before she let young Toby have his way with her.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Well, Mrs. Hunt, I think that I had better speak with Nan myself and see what we can do to mend this situation. But I will not dismiss the girl on the basis of stolen kisses in the kitchen, and you should not be firing a member of my staff without my permission. I will not have you acting so presumptuously, Mrs. Hunt. Mind that it doesn’t happen again. Now, please go and fetch Nan, and we will discuss this together in the morning room.”
Mrs. Hunt stiffened while receiving this reprimand, and left to get the maid with a sniff. Calming down, Victoria blushed to think what the housekeeper would have said had she witnessed the scene in the carriage. An involuntary giggle rose to her lips as she imagined the expression on the housekeeper’s sour face. Really, the whole situation was preposterous!
Soon Victoria was subjected to an interview with a sobbing Nan and a stony-faced Mrs. Hunt. It turned out that the young girl and the farmer’s son had been secretly courting since the summer. Toby, who was only seventeen, had not had the courage to speak to his parents because the young couple would have only Nan’s wages to live upon were they to marry.
“I see, Nan,” Victoria said, “but is there nothing your parents can do to help you?”
“No, ma’am. My parents don’t have much, and they got seven children besides me. My ma and pa always told us that we have to make our own way in the world.”
“Do you love Toby? Do you want to marry him?”
“I do terribly, and I know Toby wants to marry me, too. Only, he’s the third son, and there’s no money for him, and he hasn’t been able to put anything by yet. We’ve been waiting, but it is awful hard not to let him kiss me when he loves me so much.”
Mrs. Hunt harrumphed.
“There must be something that we can do about this. Maybe if I visit Mr. Scott tomorrow, we could come up with a remedy between us. I have heard from Mr. Ladbrook that one of Lord Eggles’ tenants finds the farm work too much for him now that his son has moved away. Perhaps your Toby could help out Lord Eggles’ tenant? If you continue to work for us, you might have enough money to marry on between you. Let me see what I can do.”
“Oh, would you?” Nan asked, her eyes brimming with gratitude. “It would be so good of you to help us – we’d be that grateful. And I’d be happy to stay on here, if you’d let me. I swear it won’t never happen again.”
“Just promise me, Nan, that you will have a talk with your Toby about being patient a little while longer. You do not want to start a marriage with a baby, do you, and have to stop working just when you’re trying to set up a household. It would make a big difference if you could save up a little first, don’t you think?”
“I know that what you say would be best, ma’am, and now that maybe me and Toby will not have to wait so long to get married, he might be more patient. I will talk with him. Thank you so much, Mrs. Ladbrook,” Nan said with a curtsy.
“You're welcome, Nan. Now, go and find your young man and tell him that I will be dropping in tomorrow morning to talk with his father. You are a practical-minded girl. I think that you will do just fine.”
Victoria dismissed Nan and Mrs. Hunt and returned to her room to bathe her over-warm face and change her clothes. Now that the moment was over, she was beginning to tremble from her confrontation
“But Mrs. Hunt, she is so very young, plus she’s living away from home for the first time. I know that such behaviour is wrong and may land Nan in trouble, but her reputation will be ruined if you force her from the house. What will she do after she leaves here?”
“If you ask me, ma’am, she should have thought of that before she let young Toby have his way with her.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Well, Mrs. Hunt, I think that I had better speak with Nan myself and see what we can do to mend this situation. But I will not dismiss the girl on the basis of stolen kisses in the kitchen, and you should not be firing a member of my staff without my permission. I will not have you acting so presumptuously, Mrs. Hunt. Mind that it doesn’t happen again. Now, please go and fetch Nan, and we will discuss this together in the morning room.”
Mrs. Hunt stiffened while receiving this reprimand, and left to get the maid with a sniff. Calming down, Victoria blushed to think what the housekeeper would have said had she witnessed the scene in the carriage. An involuntary giggle rose to her lips as she imagined the expression on the housekeeper’s sour face. Really, the whole situation was preposterous!
Soon Victoria was subjected to an interview with a sobbing Nan and a stony-faced Mrs. Hunt. It turned out that the young girl and the farmer’s son had been secretly courting since the summer. Toby, who was only seventeen, had not had the courage to speak to his parents because the young couple would have only Nan’s wages to live upon were they to marry.
“I see, Nan,” Victoria said, “but is there nothing your parents can do to help you?”
“No, ma’am. My parents don’t have much, and they got seven children besides me. My ma and pa always told us that we have to make our own way in the world.”
“Do you love Toby? Do you want to marry him?”
“I do terribly, and I know Toby wants to marry me, too. Only, he’s the third son, and there’s no money for him, and he hasn’t been able to put anything by yet. We’ve been waiting, but it is awful hard not to let him kiss me when he loves me so much.”
Mrs. Hunt harrumphed.
“There must be something that we can do about this. Maybe if I visit Mr. Scott tomorrow, we could come up with a remedy between us. I have heard from Mr. Ladbrook that one of Lord Eggles’ tenants finds the farm work too much for him now that his son has moved away. Perhaps your Toby could help out Lord Eggles’ tenant? If you continue to work for us, you might have enough money to marry on between you. Let me see what I can do.”
“Oh, would you?” Nan asked, her eyes brimming with gratitude. “It would be so good of you to help us – we’d be that grateful. And I’d be happy to stay on here, if you’d let me. I swear it won’t never happen again.”
“Just promise me, Nan, that you will have a talk with your Toby about being patient a little while longer. You do not want to start a marriage with a baby, do you, and have to stop working just when you’re trying to set up a household. It would make a big difference if you could save up a little first, don’t you think?”
“I know that what you say would be best, ma’am, and now that maybe me and Toby will not have to wait so long to get married, he might be more patient. I will talk with him. Thank you so much, Mrs. Ladbrook,” Nan said with a curtsy.
“You're welcome, Nan. Now, go and find your young man and tell him that I will be dropping in tomorrow morning to talk with his father. You are a practical-minded girl. I think that you will do just fine.”
Victoria dismissed Nan and Mrs. Hunt and returned to her room to bathe her over-warm face and change her clothes. Now that the moment was over, she was beginning to tremble from her confrontation
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