Page 50 of A Sense of Fate
‘How on earth did you hear about Melanie joining me?’ Flora asked, unsurprised that she had.
‘It’s the talk of the village. My daily woman mentioned it yesterday.’
Flora rolled her eyes but said nothing.
‘Good morning, Mrs Finch.’ Melanie’s smile lit up the room. ‘I am Melanie.’
‘You’re the image of your big sister.’
‘The poor child,’ Flora said, unpacking her supplies. ‘I hope she is prettier than me.’
‘Ha! Fishing for compliments.’
‘If I was,’ Flora replied, passing the cake she had brought with her to Melanie and nodding in the direction of the scullery, ‘I would know better than to come here in the hope of receiving any. Make us some tea please, Melanie.’ Flora crouched down in front of the old lady’s chair. ‘How are your joints coping in this cold weather?’
‘Not so bad.’
She grumbled as Flora examined her ankles and then applied her ointments.
‘Stop complaining or I shall not give you the present I brought.’
‘A present?’ Mrs Finch’s eyes lit up, but whether at the prospect of her gift or at the sight of the tea and cake that Melanie served her with at that moment, Flora could not have said. ‘Thank you, child,’ she said politely to Melanie.
‘I spoke to Lord Felsham about you,’ Flora said, stirring her own tea, ‘and he let me borrow some books that I thought might interest you.’
‘Here they are,’ Melanie said, picking up the package. ‘Shall I unpack them for you?’
‘Thank you, dear.’
Mrs Finch’s eyes lit up at the sight of the titles on the spines, and Flora could see that she was itching to delve into the treasure trove. Grateful for Melanie’s presence, which prevented Mrs Finch from asking probing questions about Flora’s visit to Felsham Hall, the girls left her to her reading once they had finished their tea.
‘What am I to do with myself if I live here?’ Melanie asked over luncheon. ‘I was never permitted an idle moment at home. Every second was accounted for by Mama.’ She grinned. ‘I feel positively decadent in my new clothes, with no demands upon my time and no Bible passages to memorise.’
‘We must do something about your clothes. You don’t have nearly enough.’
‘No! Flora, you have already been far too generous.’
‘Not nearly. I should not have abandoned you in the manner that I did. I shall always feel guilty about that.’
‘I was not your responsibility. Besides, if you had not, Papa would have worn your resistance down and you would eventually have married Mr Bolton. And if you hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have found the courage to run away.’
‘Let’s not dwell upon the past. As for being here, you will earn your keep. I will teach you about the herbs and how to use them.’
‘I’d like that.’
‘And there are plenty of other ways you can make yourself useful.’
‘Whatever you ask of me, you know I will do it.’
‘I do. But for now, enjoy your freedom. You have a lot of adjustments to make, and you are still recovering from your ordeal.’
‘Adjusting is easy when…’ She coloured. ‘Well, it sounds disloyal, but anything is preferable to being at Mama’s beck and call.’
‘It isn’t disloyal to tell the truth. Mama is a cold woman. Perhaps she wasn’t always that way, but she follows Papa’s lead, so it’s not really to be wondered at. I think she is a little afraid of him. She certainly doesn’t dare to question his word.’
‘You are the only one of us who does. I hope you will teach me how to stand up to him as well.’
They both laughed.
