Page 12 of Echoes on the Wind (Borrowed Time #2)
The following week, once Nellie had given me the all-clear to start using my arm again, I decided that it was time to start looking for a job.
The money that I’d brought with me was doing well to tide me over, but after paying board to Nellie and idling my time away in the shops on the high street, I found myself spending it faster than I’d anticipated. Looking for employment would occupy my time and top up my savings.
Gethin had a paper delivered daily, and every morning when he was done reading it over breakfast, he’d hand me the page of job ads and Betty would help me draft letters to prospective employers. Within the first three days I’d sent out thirteen letters, but by the end of the week, the only response received was from the bank in town, thanking but ultimately rejecting me.
Feeling sorry for myself, I took a rather fortunate walk to the bakery in town, where I happened to overhear a man complaining to the baker that he was having to do his own deliveries because one of his labourers had quit unexpectedly .
“I can help,” I said. I didn’t want it to seem obvious that I was listening to their conversation, but I wasn’t in a position to act coy, either.
They both turned to look at me, and the man gave me a full once-over from head to toe. “You don’t look like much of a labourer. You ever worked a farm?”
“Yes, sir. I spent years as the head farmhand on a large piece of land in West Wales.” I was slightly exaggerating my position and expertise but willing to say anything to get some work.
“Is that so?” he replied with a grin of disbelief.
“I have references as proof if you’d like to read them,” I said, standing up straighter to project more confidence.
The man cast the baker a dubious glance and then let out a sigh. “I suppose it can’t hurt to look.”
“Thank you,” I said excitedly. “You won’t regret it.”
“I haven’t said yes yet. Bring your reference up to me this afternoon. You’ll find me on Penrhyn Farm, Brook Road. Don’t be late.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied, holding my hand out to him. “I’m Tom, by the way.”
“And I’m Mr Carter,” he replied.
He ignored my outstretched hand, grabbing his items and leaving without another word.
“Betty, I need your help!” I shouted as I hurried down the hallway to the kitchen.
I heard her moving about upstairs as I set my things down on the table and waited for her. Nellie, Gethin and Gwyn were all at work, but Betty had the best handwriting, so it was her skills that I needed to impress Mr Carter.
“Betty!”
I shouted louder this time, rushing to the foot of the stairs. As I took a step to go up, she appeared on the landing, pinning her hair into place.
“Sorry. I won’t be a minute,” she said before disappearing out of view again.
I returned to the kitchen to search for some paper and a pen, then as I took a seat at the table, I could hear her rushing down the stairs.
“Is everything ok?” I asked as she came in from the hall. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was heavy. “You look a bit peaky. Are you unwell?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, smoothing out her hair. “What do you need help with?”
“I think I may have found a job.”
“Oh Tom, that’s wonderful. Doing what?”
“Labouring on a farm, and maybe some deliveries. I’m not entirely sure, but I oversold myself a bit, and I need a glowing reference from your father. Can you write something up and pretend it’s from him?”
“Of course. I just have something to do upstairs first, and then I’ll–”
“It’ll just take a minute. I need to get there as soon as possible. Pretty please?”
She stole a glance back down the hallway as she considered, then smiled as she sat down beside me and started writing quickly.
Had the bottom stair not creaked so loudly that it echoed down the hall, I would have never looked up from what Betty was writing. But it did, and so I looked, and there stood Joseph, holding his coat over his forearm, looking like a deer caught in headlights as we locked eyes with one another.
Betty sunk her face into her hands and let out a whine, and I switched my gaze between them, open-mouthed, waiting for someone to speak.
“Thomas, I can explain,” she said suddenly, grabbing my arm with both hands.
Her eyes pleaded with me to understand, but she said nothing more. Joseph, meanwhile, still hadn’t moved an inch. Maybe he hoped that if he stayed still enough, I’d forget that he was there.
“Betty…” I said, not sure what else to add.
“I know,” she replied, returning her face to her hands. “Please don’t say anything, Tom.”
I was in no position to judge either of them for their indiscretions, and certainly in no position to tell her what she could do, but I also knew what was expected of her, and other girls like her, in this time. Any hint of impropriety would see her shamed.
Before I could reassure her, the front door opened, and Nellie came in from work. “Oh, hello, Joseph,” she said, spotting him in the hallway. “What brings you here?”
He remained frozen and silent, and she gave him a puzzled look as she squeezed past him with her bag to get to us in the kitchen.
“He’s come to take me to a job interview,” I said, thinking fast. “I need to get to Brook Road, but I don't know where it is. I saw Joseph in town, and he offered to show me.”
“You have an interview? That’s great news, Tom,” she replied, seemingly satisfied with my explanation .
“We’re just writing up a reference, then I’ll be on my way.”
I turned back to Betty, who was flushed red with fear and embarrassment, and Nellie came over and put the back of her hand to her sister's forehead.
“You don’t look very well, Elizabeth. Are you alright?”
“I think I just need a lie down. Here you go, Tom.”
She handed me the piece of paper, then got up and left the kitchen. She could barely even look at Joseph as she passed, and she bolted up the stairs as quickly as her feet would take her.
“Right, we’ll be off as well,” I said as Nellie put a pot onto the stove to boil. “Come on, Joseph.” I grabbed him by the arm as I walked past, practically dragging him from the house.
“Do you know how stupid that was?” I said as soon as we got outside. “If anyone else had come home, you two would be in a world of trouble.”
“I’m sorry. We didn’t think anyone would come back so soon.”
He looked terrified, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
“I’m not judging either of you, and you don’t have to answer to me, but you need to be more careful. If her sister finds out, then she’ll send Betty back home. And if she knows that I know, she’ll probably send me too.”
“It won’t happen again, I swear it.”
“Well, I’d just rather not know. Now, how about you get me to this interview? ”
Penrhyn Farm was spread out over the hillside on the far side of town, stretching as far as the treeline at the edge of the valley. Its large modern buildings and machinery hinted at a far grander operation than anything I’d experienced on Mr Hopkin’s farm, and I worried that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.
It had taken a good half hour to reach, all uphill, and by the time we arrived, I was absolutely knackered. I paused to catch my breath while thanking Joseph for the guide, then once he’d said his goodbyes, I climbed the stile and walked nervously to the farmhouse.
When nobody answered the door, I followed a small, flower-laden path to the rear of the building and found Mr Carter, along with one of his workers, sitting in a small courtyard surrounded by a well-maintained garden.
“Mr Carter,” I said, interrupting their conversation, “I brought the reference that you asked for.”
He took it from me and looked it over as he sipped from a flask, leaving me waiting anxiously for him to finish.
“Good to see you again,” said the boy next to him, extending his hand. I recognised him as the one who’d run into me with his cart, but his name escaped me, and I think I made it obvious. “Ellis Frank, remember? Hoping to be the new farmhand, is it?”
“Fingers crossed,” I said, glancing back at Mr Carter.
He was studying the reference intensely, and I hoped that he couldn’t sniff out a fake. I’d given it a quick read over on the way to the farm, and Betty had written a glowing reference that made me sound far better than I actually was, but it was a little on the short side. Given all that was happening at the time, though, I was just glad that she managed to write anything at all.
“You can do a trial,” Mr Carter said, handing me back the reference. “If you’re as good as this letter says you are, then the job is yours. It’s twelve shillings a week. Take it or leave it.”
Just over half a pound a week, and I’d likely be doing sixty hours. It wasn’t ideal, but it beat earning nothing.
“Fantastic. What time do you want me here tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” he replied, smirking over his flask. “You can do it now. If I’m happy by the end of the day, you can start properly tomorrow.”
I was a little taken aback by the sudden start, and I certainly wasn’t dressed for farmwork, but I gave him a nod, and Ellis rose to his feet to lead me away.
“So you’ve worked a farm before?” he asked as we crossed the yard towards one of the sheds.
“It’s been a while, but yeah, I can work my way around. And I’m quick to learn the stuff I don’t already know.”
“You’ll be fine,” he said, pulling open the shed door. “Mr Carter is a good boss. He can be strict, but if you’re pulling your weight, he’ll leave you be. And I’ll put in a good word for you as well.”
“You haven’t seen me in action yet,” I said, laughing, but I fell silent again once I saw inside the shed .
The wall at the back had a deep alcove at the centre of it, filled almost to the ceiling with parsnips. There must have been two thousand of them, all held back by a flimsy piece of wood at the bottom, and off to the side was a tall stack of burlap sacks.
“I’ve got a good feeling about you,” he said, and he pulled the door closed behind us. “You’ll be in here for today. Most of the other men are busy lambing for the next few weeks, so it’ll just be the two of us dealing with the crop rotations. Next week, we’ll be out sowing onions, but for now, I need you to sack these. They came up yesterday, so the sooner they’re done, the better. All of the sacks have the weight written on them, and you can check each one against the scales over there. Call me if you need anything.”
Determined to prove my worth, I set to work as fast as I could. It had been a long time since I’d done any manual labour, and it wasn’t coming back to me as naturally as I’d hoped, so by the time I’d cleared most of the pile, every bend and lift was accompanied by aching groans.
When Ellis came back to check on my progress a few hours later, he threw an arm around my shoulder and grinned down into the alcove, which had less than two sacks worth of stray parsnips left at the bottom. “You’ve done a great job. I didn’t expect you to get so much done.”
“It was nothing,” I said, playing off the effort that I’d put in, and I pulled away from the weight of his arm on my aching shoulders. “Do you think Mr Carter will be happy?”
“Let’s go find out,” he replied, and he held the door open for me to leave .
When we were back in the yard, I took a seat on the wall, and Ellis went over and began whispering to Mr Carter. The nerves were kicking in again, but they were alleviated slightly when Ellis gave me a thumbs up as they walked back over to me.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Mr Carter said, holding his hand out for me to shake. “5:30 sharp. Don’t be late.”
And that was that. With a half-hearted nod, he walked off back the way he came, and Ellis threw his arm around me again. “Looks like we’re going to be workmates.”
“It seems so,” I said excitedly. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it,” he replied, and he sent me off through the gate with a wink.
On my way home from the farm, I’d found myself staring through the window of the bicycle shop in town, and, dreading the long walks to and from work each day, decided to go inside to enquire about the cost.
The man at the counter, who didn’t seem at all like the sort to ride a bike, twisted at his moustache as he listened to my predicament and immediately tried to sell me a Penny Farthing. I politely declined, sure that I’d do damage to either myself or someone else, and instead inquired about a model further into the shop that seemed far more like the style that I was familiar with.
The wheels were solid, not inflated like bikes from my own time, and the frame looked somewhat flimsy, but it definitely seemed like a safer option. The shopkeeper disagreed, wanting to entice me towards a more expensive model, but he eventually relented and changed tack to a hard sell. Despite telling myself that I was only looking, I ended up leaving with a new bike, having paid half the cost upfront, and agreed a twelve-week plan to pay off the rest.
It wasn’t a smooth ride home, and I felt every lump and bump in the road as I wheeled myself up the hill, but it would definitely get me to work faster and be good exercise in the meantime.
“Where did you get that?” Gwyn laughed as I wheeled it into the hallway. He was coming from the kitchen with a cup of tea, and I followed him into the living room, exhausted, and sat down beside him on the settee. “Is it yours?”
“It’s for my new job,” I replied. “I start tomorrow, labouring on a farm on the road out of town.”
“Tom, that’s great news,” he said. “But wouldn't it make more sense to buy it once you’ve actually earned some money?”
I pulled a face and mimicked his mouth moving, and he gave me a playful jab in my side, making me laugh as he leaned over to kiss me.
“Is anyone else home?” I asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow as he grinned at me.
The front door slammed shut, and Gwyn pulled back from me with an unimpressed huff.
“Whose is that thing?” Gethin shouted, and I shrugged at my disappointed partner as I got up to move the bike .
Later that evening, Gethin and Gwyn sat in a cloud of cigarette smoke at the dining table, facing off over a game of cards. They’d invited me to join, but I’d never really gotten the hang of the game, and they seemed far more intent on winning the pile of coins between them than on explaining the rules.
Nellie was more than an hour late, and Betty had gone to bed early, so I pulled one of the medical books from the shelf and settled in the sitting room. The sound of the men chatting away in Welsh carried through the arch that separated the two rooms, and every now and then, one of them would cheer their win, making me look up each time.
I flicked the page and yawned, not paying much attention to ‘ the appropriate methods by which to return intestines to their cavity’ , and was considering taking myself off to bed when a knock came at the front door. Neither Gethin nor Gwyn made any move to acknowledge or answer it, so I put the book aside to see who it was.
I was greeted at the doorstep by my brother and Letitia, and just beyond the gate, a little way down from the house, was the small but expensive-looking carriage that they had seemingly arrived in.
“I hope it’s not too late to call,” Letitia said, and she thrust her hands forward, presenting me with a bottle of scotch. In her other hand, she clutched a posy of flowers. “I know it’s not proper to come by unannounced, but I just had to come and say thank you.”
“It’s fine,” I said, stepping aside with an arm out to welcome them inside. “You’re welcome any time. ”
She squeezed past me in a fine gown, and Lee followed behind her, giving me a hug in the doorway. He was in a suit, looking wholly uncomfortable but extremely smart nonetheless.
“Come through,” I said, leading them into the sitting room.
Upon seeing Letitia, both men in the dining room put their cards to the table and got to their feet, and Gwyn came through to shake Lee’s hand.
“This is my brother, Lee Jacob, and his fiance, Miss Awbrey. And this is Mr Evans, whose house this is.”
I looked to Gwyn to make sure I’d introduced them all properly, and he gave me a nod of approval. Gethin was a stickler for formalities with people he was unfamiliar with and had nearly popped a vein the last time I’d used his first name with strangers.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Letitia said, holding her hand out to him. “You have a beautiful home.”
Gethin held the lapels on his waistcoat and looked around proudly, then offered her a seat in the living room while inviting my brother to join him at cards. He may have appreciated formalities, but his hosting duties only extended so far.
“These are for Mrs Evans,” Letitia said, holding up the flowers. “Is she home?”
“She shouldn’t be long,” I said, looking to the clock on the mantel. “She must have been held up at work.”
“Yes,” Letitia said, leaning forward in her seat. “Lee told me that she was a nurse. How exciting.”
I looked over to Lee to see if he was settling in, and he was already stuck into the game, a cigarette hanging from his lips while they laughed about something. It seemed like he’d known them for years .
“I’m sorry, Letitia,” I said, returning my attention. “Would you like anything to drink?”
“Please, call me Tish. Everyone else does, and we are nearly family. And I’ll say no to a drink if that’s alright. We’re going to the theatre soon, and this dress isn’t easy to get out of in a hurry.”
She flicked her wrist at me and let out a high-pitched giggle, and I couldn’t help myself from laughing back, charmed, if not a little surprised, by her informality.
“I didn’t even know there was a theatre in the town,” I said. “It sounds like you’re in for a good night.”
“If I can tear him away from that table,” she said, nodding towards Lee. “He seems to have made himself at home.”
Lee and Gwyn were now laughing and slapping each other, trying to get a look at each other’s cards, and I smiled seeing them getting along so easily and quickly. They only came to a stop when the front door sounded again, and all three of them rose at the sound of Nellie’s voice.
“Sorry I’m late,” she called out.
She began muttering something about an emergency at the infirmary as she made a quick pace down the hallway, but she came to an abrupt stop as she turned into the living room and caught sight of Letitia.
“It’s so lovely to meet you, Mrs Evans,” Letitia said, holding out the flowers, but Nellie looked like she might burst into tears.
Her hair had come loose, falling down around her ear, and her aprons were covered in stains of varying unpleasant colours. This wasn’t how she was expected to present herself to company, and Gethin looked furious.
“If you’ll excuse us a moment,” he said, and he took Nellie by the arm and marched her out of the room, closing the door behind them.
“Is something the matter?” Tish asked, looking around at us, confused. She’d seemed completely oblivious to Nellie’s state and had smiled warmly at her for as long as she’d been standing in front of her.
“Everything is fine,” Lee said, and he came to put a reassuring arm around her.
A few minutes later, Nellie returned with her hair pinned and her aprons removed, but her eyes looked redder than they had before. “Where are my manners,” she said, making a beeline for Letitia. “I’m so sorry to have come in like that. I had no idea we had company.”
Letitia still seemed confused, but the smile returned to her face as Nellie greeted her, and she offered her the flowers once more. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Evans,” she said again. “I’m sorry we called on you so late, but I wanted to thank you for inviting us to dinner. It’s so kind of you.”
Nellie accepted the flowers with a gracious smile but looked at me confused, like she’d gotten her dates mixed up.
“We just need to choose a day,” I replied, and Nellie let out a breath and nodded her head. “But I’m sure Lee and I can arrange that.”
“Of course,” Nellie said. “I look forward to it. And thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful. ”
“Right,” Lee said, holding out his arm for Tish. “We should move if we don’t want to be late.”
“We’re going to the theatre,” Tish said excitedly, followed by a high-pitched giggle. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Nellie and I followed them to the door to wave them off and stayed until their carriage reached the turn to go down the hill, but when we returned to the living room, only Gwyn was waiting for us.
“Gethin has gone to bed,” he said.
Nellie grabbed the open bottle of whiskey from the table and poured herself a measure into one of the glasses. “I should probably go up as well,” she said, sounding thoroughly exhausted. She downed the drink and stared at the glass for a moment, then turned to us with a smile. “Goodnight, both. Make sure the lamps are out before you go up.”
“I better go, too,” I said as I turned the knob on one of the wall lamps. “I’ve got an early start.”
Gwyn wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the back of my neck, bringing me to a stop. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay up for five more minutes?” he whispered.
“Just five?” I teased, and I ducked from his grip and ran for the stairs.
Inside our room, he kissed me as he pulled my shirt up over my head, then pulled off his braces and tossed his trousers into a heap near the door.
“I’ve been waiting all day to get you alone,” he whispered, and he pushed me down onto the bed and began to kiss his way from my chest to my neck.
“ You embarrassed me. You embarrassed yourself. ”
The shouting through the wall brought his actions to a stop, and he rolled over onto his back beside me and brought his hands to his face, letting out a long huff. “I think I'm going to have to quit my job just to get a few minutes of peace with you.”
“It’s ok,” I said, as I stroked my hand along the leg that he’d draped over mine. “You’ll just have to wake up early with me instead.”
“ You’ve forgotten yourself, Ellen. You’ve forgotten your duties as my wife. I’ll not have it. Not in my house. ”
“Let’s hope they’ve stopped arguing by then,” he replied.
I turned over onto my side and draped myself over him to get comfortable, and the arguing in the next room continued until long after we’d both fallen asleep.