Page 4 of The Runner
‘He is an honourable man with an astute mind, which is why I sensed you would be a perfect match for Olivia. We could do with more like him in the village.’ She rang the bell once more, and the maid reappeared in the room, as if by magic. ‘Ah, Harriet, please prepare the green room for Caroline.She is joining us with immediate effect as governess to Mistress Olivia.’
Caroline rose as the countess indicated their meeting was over. ‘Welcome to Willow Manor, my dear. I trust you’ll be happy here and I want you to feel at home with us. It’s important that Olivia has the company of a woman close to her own age, whom she trusts and may study with. It is difficult for young women of noble birth to find their place in the world without firm guidance and friendship.’
Caroline thanked her once more and curtsied before following the maid out of the library and into the maze of dimly lit corridors which led to the kitchens in the basement.
Harriet, a young, cheerful girl who looked at ease in their surroundings, which bode well for Caroline, beckoned her to follow. ‘Come and meet Cook while I prepare your room. She’s a good sort and will look after you. You won’t go hungry while you’re at Willow Manor, that’s for sure,’ she said with a cheeky grin.
Cook, who was a short, rotund woman with a homely face, greeted Caroline with a hearty smile and settled her in a chair by the large kitchen table where she was preparing batches of generous sized scones ready for the blazing beehive oven. She placed the last scone onto the tray and wiped her pink floury hands on her crisp white apron and said in a strong Yorkshire lilt,‘Would you like a brew, lass?’Her eyes glowed playfully, and Caroline already felt at home in the huge, warm kitchen. She was keen to show her gratitude for Cook’s hospitality and wished to find out more about the workings of the grand house, so she nodded enthusiastically to another cup of tea, and said, ‘Aye. That’d be grand.’
And so began Caroline’s life as governess at Willow Manor.
CHAPTER3
Willow Wick, York - Georgiana
Caroline hunchedover the smoky hearth in the tiny cottage, which was nestled in a row of identical buildings on the edge of the village green. She stirred the stew one last time and then scooped a modest portion into each chipped dish.
‘Stew is served. Come and eat, Father. I have to leave soon to get back to Willow Manor before it grows dark,’ she called.
Her father snapped the book in his hands shut, rose from his armchair, and placed the volume on the chair, ready to resume his reading that evening. He stooped to kiss his daughter’s cheek as he passed the hearth and then sat down at the small table where they had shared so many meals over the years.
‘I’m going to miss you more than you know, my love, but you’re doing the right thing. Marrying Ralph would be a disaster. He’s not the man for you and the sooner you distance yourself from him and the rest of the Knight family, the better off we’ll be.’
Caroline pulled out a chair and joined him at the table. She touched his arm and said, ‘Eat up before it gets cold. You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I told you, it’s all arranged with the countess.’
‘She is a fine woman,’ he said, a fond smile lighting up his features. ‘I knew her when she was a young woman, you know.’
‘Yes, you said. You met her before Mother, and by the sounds of it you were smitten.’
He blew on a spoonful of stew and raised it to his lips.
‘We took to one another well enough, but it wasn’t meant to be.’
‘Do you have regrets, Father?’
‘Not at all. I loved your mother dearly. But it took me a while to get over my youthful ardour. She was a slip of a girl, and a fine beauty with a fiery nature, but with a kind and good heart. She wasn’t like the others.’
‘The others?’
‘You know, the children of the aristocracy, they didn’t have the time of day for us village bairns.’
Caroline nodded. ‘I don’t think I mentioned earlier, but I met her son, the earl, today.’
Her father raised one eyebrow and looked at her as he ate.
‘He was polite and courteous,’ continued Caroline.
‘I would expect no less of the countess’s son.’
‘Are you sure you’re not still holding a candle for her, Father? Her husband died, and she’s free now. As are you…’
‘Don’t be daft, lass.’ He raised his eyes and shook his head before taking his last mouthful of stew and laying down his spoon. ‘I’ve never forgotten her, but it would be quite out of the question.’
‘Why? You’re an educated man with fine manners, and you know the ways of the rich. You’ve drilled them into me since I was a child. Wealth surely isn’t still more important than true love, is it?’
‘You have always been a dreamer, my dear, and I love that about you, but unfortunately, the world doesn’t work this way. People like us do not wed people like them, no matter how finely educated.’
The words hung in the air between them, and then Caroline cleared up after their meal and went to collect a handful of her dearest possessions that she wished to take with her. Her father would continue to live at the cottage, at least while he still taught at the village school, so she didn’t need to take everything; not that she owned much.
