Free Twisted Strands by Margaret Dickinson Page A

that poor child saw another side to life.’
    From an upstairs window, Bridie, biting hard on her lower lip to stem tears that threatened, watched them leave.
    Both Richard and Eveleen had come to her bedroom to say goodbye to her. They had hugged her and promised that somehow they would persuade her gran to change her mind.
    But, as she watched them go, Bridie did not believe their promises. She felt betrayed and deserted by everyone around her.
     
Eleven
    It took Richard three more visits to Pear Tree Farm and until almost the end of June to persuade Mary to allow Bridie to visit Nottingham.
    ‘And only a week, mind. I want her back here next Sunday without fail. There’ll be our haymaking soon. She’ll be needed and Ted Morton says there’ll be work for her on
the estate. I don’t want her getting used to a life of idleness.’
    ‘Oh, she won’t be idle,’ Richard promised, winking at Bridie. ‘We’ve got such a lot of things planned. She’ll not have a minute to call her own.’
    Mollified a little, Mary sniffed. ‘I’m pleased to hear it.’ Then she glanced at him shrewdly. ‘But I don’t expect it’s honest hard work you’ve got
planned for her, is it? Just a lot of gallivanting.’
    What intrigued Bridie more than anything was the way her aunt and Richard lived.
    ‘Who’s the man who opened the door?’ she whispered when she first stepped into the house.
    ‘That’s Smithers,’ Eveleen said, leading the way into the morning room and crossing to the fireplace to pull on a bell cord.
    Only moments later a young girl, not much older than Bridie but dressed in the smart afternoon uniform of a parlourmaid, entered the room.
    ‘Emily, would you bring tea for us, please?’
    The girl bobbed a curtsy and left, but not before the two young girls had eyed each other.
    ‘You’ve got a maid too?’
    Eveleen laughed, ‘Yes, darling. And a cook and a kitchenmaid, but that’s all.’
    ‘All!’ Bridie exclaimed.
    ‘A lot of people would have about twice as many. Smithers doubles as a butler and as Uncle Richard’s valet, and Emily is a housemaid in the mornings and parlourmaid in the afternoon.
And she acts as my personal maid too.’
    Bridie pulled a face. ‘And I thought I worked hard on the farm.’
    ‘Richard is very fair to his employees both at home and at the factory,’ her aunt explained as they sat down together to wait for the tea to arrive. ‘And I would say your work
is harder. You have to be out in all weathers and work even longer hours than our servants do.’
    Bridie giggled. ‘I can’t get used to it. You having servants.’
    Eveleen smiled and leant forward conspiratorially. ‘It took me a long time to get used to it, too. In fact, I don’t think I am even now. I’m always doing things for myself that
Emily says should be her job.’ She straightened up as the door opened. ‘Ah, here she is with the tea.’
    Fascinated, Bridie watched as the young girl set the tray on the low table near Eveleen.
    ‘Thank you, Emily. I’ll pour.’
    The girl bobbed again. ‘Very good, ma’am.’
    ‘And would you take some tea to Mr Stokes? I think he’s gone to his study.’
    As the door closed behind her, Bridie said, ‘Won’t Uncle Richard have tea with us?’
    ‘No, love. He’s got some paperwork to do, but he’ll join us for dinner naturally.’
    Naturally, Bridie thought. None of this was ‘natural’ to her. She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. If she’d been at home now, she’d be setting the table for tea
and then going outside into the yard to help Josh milk their six cows instead of sitting here in this elegant room, sipping tea out of delicate bone-china cups and nibbling at dainty fancy
cakes.
    ‘Won’t I see him till tomorrow dinnertime, then?’ she asked.
    For a moment, Eveleen looked puzzled and then smiled. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I was forgetting. We have dinner in the evening. Lunch is our midday meal.’
    ‘Oh,’ Bridie said, realizing that she