‘Thank you, Mrs Grimshaw, I appreciate the offer.’ Amber gave her a peck on the cheek and she and Nancy went out into the fast-darkening afternoon to begin the long climb back up the hill. Thankfully there was no sign of Bertie Preston, although Amber kept a cautious eye out for him the whole way.

‘Crikey, ain’t that the doctor’s carriage outside again?’ Nancy asked as they reached the end of the drive leading to Greenacres.

‘Looks like it, the mistress must be took bad again.’

They hurried inside and whilst Nancy took the servants stairs to her room, Amber walked up the elegant sweeping staircase that led to the first floor before beginning the climb up to the nursery floor.

Both the babies were dozing in their cribs when Amber entered the nursery and Becky was sitting at the table trying to make sense of the words in the newspaper.

‘Hello, I were just wishin’ I could read an’ write,’ she said wistfully. ‘All these squiggles are double Dutch to me. Me mam could never afford to send us to school, see?’

‘So why don’t I try to teach you?’ Amber slipped her cloak and bonnet off and hung them up on the back of the door before going to check on the babies.

‘What? Yer’d do that fer me?’ Becky’s mouth gaped.

‘Why not? It’s really not that hard once you’ve learnt your alphabet. We’ll start this evening after the babies are settled in bed, eh? And do you know why the doctor’s here again? Is it the mistress poorly? I was worried it might be David.’

‘Must be,’ Becky answered with a shrug. ‘David’s fine, or at least he’s no worse than he always is. He wouldn’t touch his pobs or his milk again.’

They began to boil the water for the infants’ baths and later that evening as Amber gave Becky her first lesson, Nancy sidled into the room to bring them their supper.

‘The missus is in a really bad way,’ she confided. ‘An’ there’s all ’ell breakin’ loose downstairs. The master an’ Mr Hamilton-Tate are goin’ at it hammer an’ tongs in the study by the sound of it. I heard ’em as I was carryin’ this up. Yer couldn’t be off it really, they must be able to ’ear ’em all over the bloody ’ouse!’

‘Nice to work somewhere so peaceful, ain’t it?’ Becky said, tongue in cheek, and they all laughed.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight