‘Very conscientious.’ Lord Collingworth wore the smile of a crocodile. He continued, ‘But I’m sure I could arrange some time for us both away from your duties. In fact, I will insist upon it.’
They had reached the stables and he dismounted, carelessly flinging his reins at the waiting Joe. ‘Good day to you, Miss Dunn. I will most definitely look forward to our next encounter.’
‘Good day, Lord Collingworth,’ Norah responded. For the first time since her arrival, she felt a knot of fear in her stomach as she watched him stride towards the house. There was no mistaking his interest in her and she was suddenly aware how vulnerable she was in her current position. She had no one to protect her and she promised herself that she would do everything she could to avoid being alone with him again.
When she returned to the house, Norah was relieved to see that her charges had returned home earlier than expected. Apparently, Lady Collingworth had suffered a headache and had retired upstairs so it was left to Norah to listen to excited recounts of the day from three girls talking at once. It was only much later that she realised she had forgotten to post her letter to Arthur. If it was a dry day tomorrow, she would walk the girls down to the village post box. After all the time it had taken for her to write it, the least she could do was send it on its way.
◆◆◆
Winter turned to spring and then to summer. The longer days and warmer weather meant much more time outside which Norah loved. The girls continued to thrive in her care and the bond between them deepened.
She had recently received a short letter from Arthur saying how pleased he was that things were going well for her in Collingworth. Firstly, he had apologised for his tardiness in replying to her letter and for the fact that he was not much of a letter writer. Then he reassured her that they would always be friends and that she could always count on him for support if she needed it. He mentioned nothing of his own life and Norah was left to wonder if he was still seeing Agnes Bassett. Gertie’s latest letter, back in the spring, had hinted at wedding bells and Norah remembered Arthur saying he was ready to settle down with a wife. The thought gave her uncomfortable feelings in her chest which were difficult to dismiss. Truthfully, much as she loved her charges, she did feel quite isolated and lonely in her current position. The other servants were still wary around her and she often longed for someone of her own age to talk to. She would sometimes hear two of the maids giggling together when she went into the kitchen but they were instantly silent when she appeared. One of the maids, Rose, had left very suddenly and she had seen the others whispering together when Mrs Clark was not watching but Norah did not know why. Perhaps they were worried that she would tell tales of them to Lady Collingworth.
The threatened outing with Lord Collingworth had not materialised and Norah was intensely relieved. She had been on tenterhooks for the first weeks after their encounter but he had seemed otherwise preoccupied, for which Norah was very grateful. However, after Rose’s departure, she felt his eyes upon her once more and he had started to find excuses to touch her hand or her arm at the breakfast table.
Otherwise, life at the hall continued with a comforting normality and sense of routine. The girls grumbled good naturedly when it was time for them to settle to lessons in the morning but continued to work hard and display a gratifying thirst for knowledge. They were quite competitive with each other, especially the two younger girls who both strived to match their older sister, so Norah’s job was more pastoral than educational. She was constantly balancing encouragement to succeed and praise to enhance their self-esteem with lessons in modesty and respect for others’ feelings. The girls had learnt that it was important to encourage each other and to be proud of their achievements rather than boastful.
One lunchtime in the middle of June, Lady Collingworth burst into the nursery in a flurry of excitement.
‘Darlings!’ she declared, ‘I’ve had the most marvellous idea. I’m going to take you all to the Abbey gardens in Bury for a picnic. James is going to drive us and Mrs Ellis is packing up some treats for us. It’ll be such fun!’
Margaret squealed and leapt from her seat to hug her mother and Anne exclaimed, ‘Oh goody. I love going to the Abbey Gardens. Can we take some bread for the ducks?’
‘Of course.’
‘And can Barclay come?’ Mary asked. ‘And Miss Dunn?’ she added as an afterthought.
‘Of course, bring Barclay. It wouldn’t be much of an outing without him, would it? But Miss Dunn deserves an afternoon off. Papa mentioned just this morning that we were working Miss Dunn too hard and that she rarely had some time to herself,’ Lady Collingworth beamed at Norah.
‘I don’t mind, honestly,’ Norah said quickly but her protest was waved away.
‘I know you don’t. That’s why it’s so easy to take advantage of you but it just won’t do. You are owed time off and I insist you enjoy yourself this afternoon. You could go riding or do whatever you want. The girls and I will be fine, won’t we?’
The children chorused their agreement and the matter was settled. Norah smiled and hid her disquiet. Normally, she would have looked forward to some time for herself but the fact that it had been instigated by Lord Collingworth put a different complexion on the situation. She immediately dismissed the notion of going riding and then she wondered if she was being a bit silly. Maybe she was reading too much into things.
