“Because Mrs. Wainright has hired two women, Mrs. Preston and Mrs. Hyde, from the village to work here five days a week. She told the Squire it was ridiculous to expect Emma to do everything, and she immediately found the two women.” She chuckled. “It was me daughter, Delphinium, who recommended them, through me. And I’m right glad. Now Mrs. W. will soon notice how little he does.”

“So am I.” He went and took the fresh mug of tea from her, and continued, “Emma is a good young woman, a hard worker, dutiful, who never complains, sure she is. But she’s also very clever, at least so I’ve noticed, and given half a chance she could go far.”

“I knows that; she took a plan she’d made to Mrs. Wainright,” Cook explained. “I suppose I should call it a schedule for doing the housework in a better way. Mrs. Wainright was right impressed, so Emma told me. It was then that Mrs. W. found out about Polly being sick.”

“That must be her Plan with a capital P, as she called it when she spoke to me.”

Mrs. Turner chuckled. “Aye, it was. She’s a right one, that Emma.”

Murgatroyd arrived in the kitchen ten minutes later, carrying the empty dessert plates on a large tray. He took it to the sink, looked at Cook and asked, “Where’s the girl? She can wash these.”

His manner infuriated Mrs. Turner.

“Nobody gives orders in my domain, Mr. Murgatroyd,” Cook said in a stern voice. “Emma is still finishing upstairs and it’s almost two o’clock. She will sit down and eat summat when she finishes the bedrooms. And that’s that. It’s none of your business.”

“She’ll be getting too big for her britches if you spoil her, Mrs. Turner.”

I think you already are, she thought, but decided it would be wiser to remain silent. It would only bounce onto Emma if she wasn’t careful.

Moving across the kitchen floor to a small corner, she tapped the silver coffeepot with a spoon, and said, “You can serve coffee now, Murgatroyd, and I’ll see to the washing up.”

When they were alone, Blackie said, in a furious tone, “I wouldn’t mind running into him on a dark night. He wouldn’t know what hit him if I got my hands on him.”

“Yer not the first ter say that, lad. Murgatroyd is a lazy bugger, and I think he’s run his course here.” Lowering her voice, she said, “Mrs. W. is not here for just a few days, ye knows. She’s come ter stay, in my opinion.”

“Oh, do yer really think that’s true?” Blackie gaped at her. “How did ye arrive at that conclusion, Cook? Come on, you can tell me, sure and you can.”