they rinsed their hands together at the pump.
‘She hasn’t, silly,
you’re the goose,’ answered Mary, and as they dissolved into giggles
Lily felt her spirits lift.
Back in the workroom, they resumed their
lace making, working as quickly as their fingers would allow. Once again, the room
fell silent apart from the rhythmic clicking of bobbins, for they had no time to
waste on idle chatter, and the afternoon passed in a haze of concentration. None of
them could afford to be dismissed for not meeting their quota.
Although Lily was
working diligently, she couldn’t help glancing up when a shadow clouded the
window. A tall, dapper gentleman with a shock of dark hair, wearing a fine black
coat, was alighting from a carriage that had pulled up outside. When he saw her, he
gave a broad smile. Mortified she’d been caught staring, she quickly bent her
head back over her pillow, but as she weaved the threads back and forth she
couldn’t help speculating about the handsome stranger. Who was he and why was
he visiting Mrs Bodney?
Her musing was interrupted by a
plaintive wail. Looking up, she saw Mary shaking her head from side to side, tears
coursing down her cheeks.
‘Whatever’s the matter,
Mary?’ Lily asked, fearing the older woman was ill.
‘I’ve gone wrong and I
can’t see where. I tried to work faster and now I’ve made a mess. Dear
God in heaven, what can I do? Mrs Bodney will dismiss me, I know she will,’
she cried.
‘Hush now,’ Lily soothed,
jumping to her feet. ‘Here, let me take a look.’
‘Oh, would you?’ Mary asked,
looking at her hopefully. ‘What about your own work? You can’t afford to
get behind too.’
‘Don’t worry, Mary,’
she said, bending over the other woman’s pillow and immediately spotting where
she’d gone wrong. ‘Look, here’s the problem.’ She pointed to
the twist some rows back. ‘You’ve put the pin up in the wrong place,
there see?’
Mary groaned. ‘That’ll take
me ages to put right. I gets in a right muddle working the bobbins back
again.’Lily sympathized, knowing the older woman had
struggled to get to grips with the intricate pattern in the first place.
‘You carry on working my pillow
and I’ll sort things out here.’
‘You’d let me work your
pillow?’ Mary gasped in disbelief.
‘Quick; swap places,’ Lily
whispered. ‘The sooner we start, the sooner it’ll be done.’
Ignoring the curious looks from the
others, Mary went and sat on the stool Lily had vacated.
‘Blimey, you’re taking a
chance,’ Nell gasped, shaking her head so vigorously that her cap fell
sideways and her copper curls cascaded onto her shoulders.
‘I know,’ Lily whispered.
‘But I really must help Mary. I’m sure it won’t take
long.’
‘Rather you than me,’ Nell
muttered, impatiently scooping her hair back under her cap and picking up her
bobbins again.
‘Don’t expect us to support
you if you get found out,’ snorted Cora.
‘Oh, don’t be so mean, Cora.
We’ll be working together for the next few months so it makes sense to help
each other if we can,’ Anna said, smiling at Lily.
Lily smiled back gratefully then settled
to her task. It took her longer to correct the work than she’d thought it
would and, whilst outwardly she appeared calm, her insides were churning like butter
in the dairy. She just hoped Mrs Bodney’s visitor would keep her entertained
until she was back in her own place, for her hawk-like eyes missed nothing and to
swap pillows was an unforgivablesin. She also prayed Mary
wasn’t making a mess of her sprig otherwise they’d both be sent
packing.
‘There, Mary, that’s fine
now,’ she whispered, a while later.
‘Oh, Lily, I can’t thank you
enough.’ The older woman’s eyes shone with gratitude as they swapped
back to their own pillows, but Lily barely had time to check her own work was in
order
‘She hasn’t, silly,
you’re the goose,’ answered Mary, and as they dissolved into giggles
Lily felt her spirits lift.
Back in the workroom, they resumed their
lace making, working as quickly as their fingers would allow. Once again, the room
fell silent apart from the rhythmic clicking of bobbins, for they had no time to
waste on idle chatter, and the afternoon passed in a haze of concentration. None of
them could afford to be dismissed for not meeting their quota.
Although Lily was
working diligently, she couldn’t help glancing up when a shadow clouded the
window. A tall, dapper gentleman with a shock of dark hair, wearing a fine black
coat, was alighting from a carriage that had pulled up outside. When he saw her, he
gave a broad smile. Mortified she’d been caught staring, she quickly bent her
head back over her pillow, but as she weaved the threads back and forth she
couldn’t help speculating about the handsome stranger. Who was he and why was
he visiting Mrs Bodney?
Her musing was interrupted by a
plaintive wail. Looking up, she saw Mary shaking her head from side to side, tears
coursing down her cheeks.
‘Whatever’s the matter,
Mary?’ Lily asked, fearing the older woman was ill.
‘I’ve gone wrong and I
can’t see where. I tried to work faster and now I’ve made a mess. Dear
God in heaven, what can I do? Mrs Bodney will dismiss me, I know she will,’
she cried.
‘Hush now,’ Lily soothed,
jumping to her feet. ‘Here, let me take a look.’
‘Oh, would you?’ Mary asked,
looking at her hopefully. ‘What about your own work? You can’t afford to
get behind too.’
‘Don’t worry, Mary,’
she said, bending over the other woman’s pillow and immediately spotting where
she’d gone wrong. ‘Look, here’s the problem.’ She pointed to
the twist some rows back. ‘You’ve put the pin up in the wrong place,
there see?’
Mary groaned. ‘That’ll take
me ages to put right. I gets in a right muddle working the bobbins back
again.’Lily sympathized, knowing the older woman had
struggled to get to grips with the intricate pattern in the first place.
‘You carry on working my pillow
and I’ll sort things out here.’
‘You’d let me work your
pillow?’ Mary gasped in disbelief.
‘Quick; swap places,’ Lily
whispered. ‘The sooner we start, the sooner it’ll be done.’
Ignoring the curious looks from the
others, Mary went and sat on the stool Lily had vacated.
‘Blimey, you’re taking a
chance,’ Nell gasped, shaking her head so vigorously that her cap fell
sideways and her copper curls cascaded onto her shoulders.
‘I know,’ Lily whispered.
‘But I really must help Mary. I’m sure it won’t take
long.’
‘Rather you than me,’ Nell
muttered, impatiently scooping her hair back under her cap and picking up her
bobbins again.
‘Don’t expect us to support
you if you get found out,’ snorted Cora.
‘Oh, don’t be so mean, Cora.
We’ll be working together for the next few months so it makes sense to help
each other if we can,’ Anna said, smiling at Lily.
Lily smiled back gratefully then settled
to her task. It took her longer to correct the work than she’d thought it
would and, whilst outwardly she appeared calm, her insides were churning like butter
in the dairy. She just hoped Mrs Bodney’s visitor would keep her entertained
until she was back in her own place, for her hawk-like eyes missed nothing and to
swap pillows was an unforgivablesin. She also prayed Mary
wasn’t making a mess of her sprig otherwise they’d both be sent
packing.
‘There, Mary, that’s fine
now,’ she whispered, a while later.
‘Oh, Lily, I can’t thank you
enough.’ The older woman’s eyes shone with gratitude as they swapped
back to their own pillows, but Lily barely had time to check her own work was in
order