Page 27 of The Affairs of Ashmore Castle (Ashmore Castle #2)
‘One can hardly call it advanced, Sir John,’ Lady Bayfield objected. ‘I hope, Lord Stainton, that the results of your studies do not descend to the general public, and stir up those unregulated women who have been agitating for the vote.’
‘I have never heard that Egyptology formed part of their argument, ma’am,’ Giles said patiently.
Alice was biting her cheeks, trying not to giggle.
The Bayfields did not stay long after luncheon.
The carriage was called, Lady Bayfield offered her scented cheek for Kitty’s kiss, and they were drawn away in style by the dowager Lady Stainton’s matched greys to catch their train.
Giles immediately disappeared, with the speed of a man who had catching-up to do.
And later in the afternoon, Alice came to find Kitty and present her with a drawing of two women in Egyptian costume carrying a placard that said VOTES FOR WOMEN.
It was the only thing that day that made Kitty laugh.
‘You sent for me, my lady?’ said Mrs Webster. She stepped in, folding her hands across her front in housekeeper style, and stood still, watching Kitty walk back and forth. At last, aware of things to do downstairs, she prompted, ‘Is something wrong, my lady?’
‘Oh, no, I—’ Kitty stopped, screwed her hands together, started up again, and ended by the fireplace – empty now, of course, but for a fan of paper. ‘The luncheon yesterday—’
‘I hope Sir John and Lady Bayfield were not unhappy with it?’
‘No, it was all very nice – at least, I thought so,’ Kitty said. ‘Ida did it all, did she?’
‘Well, of course the other kitchen-maids played their part, but Ida was largely responsible.’
‘And do you think Ida could continue to cook for Ashmore Castle?’
Webster considered. ‘I think she has coped surprisingly well so far. Of course, she was already doing quite a lot of the cooking before – before the unfortunate event. But—’
Kitty broke in. ‘You see, I noticed that his lordship ate more yesterday at luncheon than he normally eats even at dinner. I don’t think the food here has agreed with him. But the dishes yesterday – lighter, more flavoursome. Do you think . . .?’
‘I understand, my lady. Of course, it would mean a whole new kitchen regime.’
‘Do you think Ida could manage?’
‘It is a large responsibility – especially if there were to be entertaining. But I think she would like the opportunity to show what she can do, my lady. She enjoyed making luncheon yesterday, I do know. But she would definitely need more staff. They are one short in the kitchen as it is.’
Kitty nodded, biting her lips. Mrs Webster tried, like a good housekeeper, to anticipate her mistress’s wishes – and in this case, if she was right, those wishes corresponded with her own.
‘If you were thinking of any large-scale alterations, my lady’ – she saw Kitty draw a breath – ‘this would be the ideal time to undertake them, seeing as her dowager ladyship and Lady Rachel are away, so the household is reduced somewhat.’
The breath was let out, and Kitty said, in a rush of confidence, ‘There are so many things I would like to change. Oh, Mrs Webster, the way my mother looked yesterday! But I’ve never – I couldn’t – Lady Stainton—’
‘It wasn’t to be expected that you could do much, my lady, while you were carrying, and of course it was very proper of her dowager ladyship to save you the extra burden.
But now you are out of confinement, it would be very good, if I may speak frankly, for you to take up the reins of the house a little more. ’
‘Oh, thank you!’ Kitty cried. ‘I’ve been thinking about it a lot – not just yesterday but all through this year – things I’d like to see done.
But do you think she will mind very much?
’ She would throw herself in front of a mad bull to save her baby, would even stand up to her mother-in-law if it was a case of his welfare, but she wasn’t sure about facing her over any other matter.
Mrs Webster had to suppress a smile. Mind?
Of course she’d mind! And was this child, barely out of the schoolroom, strong enough to stand up to the other Lady Stainton, who’d been in command all her life?
Well, it would make for a lively situation, at any rate, when the dowager returned.
And who knew – maybe if it was all bedded well in by the time she got back, she would feel she couldn’t be bothered to change things again.
‘Honestly, my lady?’ said Mrs Webster. ‘I think she probably wouldn’t notice very much. She might take offence over one or two things, but if we’re careful . . .’
Kitty picked up on the ‘we’. ‘You’ll help me?’
Mrs Webster drew herself up a little. ‘It is what I’m here for, my lady, to carry out your instructions and see that the house is run the way you want it.’ She put a very delicate emphasis on the ‘you’.
‘You’ll need more staff,’ Kitty said.
‘At least three more kitchen staff, I would say, my lady. And two more housemaids. And we are a footman short, since James became valet to his lordship.’ In fact, the only part of the house that had been well staffed was the stables.
The old lord had not stinted there. ‘We could do with another boy, too. And in most houses of this size I would have a still-room maid.’
Kitty nodded. ‘Make me a list, and I’ll ask his lordship about it.’
‘I wouldn’t ask. Gentlemen don’t usually want to know about the details of housekeeping. And such decisions are yours, anyway, not his lordship’s. I would simply tell him what it is you are doing.’
Would he mind? Kitty wondered. But then thought, a touch sadly, he probably wouldn’t even take it in. He had a way of blanking out anything that didn’t interest him.
Decius Blake had chosen an architect, who was coming to advise.
‘If Decius picked him, he’ll be a good ’un,’ Mr Cowling said approvingly.
He was just back from a flying visit to London, summoned by Francis Knollys and Victor Cavendish over some crisis in the King’s finances.
He was off to the factory now. ‘What time is he coming?’
‘Eleven,’ Nina said.
‘Can’t get out of bed in the mornings?’
‘I believe Decius wanted to go over with me what we want before he comes.’
Philip Leathwaite turned out to be an unexpectedly young man, though Decius told her later he was not as young as he seemed, but had a very youthful face. All the same, he was only about thirty, and Nina had expected an architect to be a venerable grey-beard.
He won her heart by being very enthusiastic about the house.
He proclaimed the west facade the most perfect example of Queen Anne architecture he had seen, admired the largely unaltered interiors, and stroked the panelling as one would a fine horse and pronounced it ‘beautiful’.
They had walked about the whole house before going outside to inspect the outer walls and immediate grounds for their suitability for plumbing.
He agreed with Decius that the pipework had better be on the east facade out of sight, which meant having the bathrooms on that side.
They had gone back inside to look again at exactly where the bathrooms might be sited, when Mr Cowling arrived, catching up with them in the hall and advancing on the architect with a beaming smile and outstretched hand.
‘Thought I’d pop back and just see what’s what!
’ Decius hastened to introduce them. ‘Leathwaite, eh? Any relation to Walter Leathwaite, from Manchester? The mill owner?’
‘My father, sir.’
‘Is that right? I met him back in ninety-six – we had a common acquaintance in the clothing industry. So you’re his son? Didn’t want to go into the family business?’
‘I’m the fourth son, sir. I have three brothers to follow my father, so he allowed me to take a different path.’
Mr Cowling nodded. ‘Well, you look very young, but I don’t hold that against a fellow. I started young myself and it never did me any harm. What do you think to this house then, eh?’
‘It’s very fine, sir,’ Leathwaite said.
‘You think so? Step in here, lad,’ Mr Cowling said, and led the party into the dining-room. Nina saw Leathwaite cast Decius a faintly nervous look. Mr Cowling had a large way of speaking that took some getting used to.
The master of the house led the way to the fireplace and made an expansive gesture. ‘What about that, then?’
‘It’s very fine of its sort,’ Leathwaite said cautiously. ‘Of course, not original to the house. Added at a later date.’
‘But it’s something like, you’d agree?’ Mr Cowling pursued. Leathwaite nodded uncertainly. Mr Cowling bent a little to approach his head closer to the architect’s and said confidentially but forcefully. ‘I’ve one thing to say to you, Leathwaite. French baroque.’
‘French baroque, sir?’ Leathwaite looked puzzled, but behind him, Nina saw Decius close his eyes for a moment.
‘Aye, that’s what I said. I was in London yesterday and talked to some people, and they said it was all the go.
I met this chap Arthur Davis, an architect like you, and he said it’s all to do with what the French call Bows Arse, and he’s involved in plans right at this minute for a grand new hotel, smack on the park in Piccadilly, that’s going to be the finest in Europe.
He studied in France, and this new place is going to be all French baroque and slap up to the mark in every detail.
It’ll knock the Savoy and Claridges into a pair of cocked hats, I can tell you!
’ He turned to Nina, ‘I can see now that Beechcroft House is a bit old-fashioned, a bit stuffy, a bit – a bit provincial ’ – he brought the word out as if it was one only recently learned and not fully understood – ‘so of course you wouldn’t care for it, and being the kind person you are you didn’t like to tell me so.
But this house,’ he turned back to Leathwaite, ‘we could really do something with. It’s just about big enough, and the size of this room and the drawing-room are more than good, so what do you say? ’
‘French baroque,’ Leathwaite repeated thoughtfully.