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Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Epilogue
  47. Acknowledgements
  48. Also by Rosie Goodwin
  49. About the Author
  50. Welcome to the world of Rosie Goodwin!
  51. Letter from Author
  52. Apple Charlotte
  53. The Precious Stones series
  54. The Days of the Week Collection
  55. Victorian Tales from Memory Lane
  56. Memory Lane Club

Ruby grinned as she rose to do as she was told, thinking how very lucky she was that these wonderful people had taken her under their wings.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Christmas dinner in the large kitchen with the rest of the staff was a merry affair and they all drooled over Ruby’s new necklace and ring as she proudly showed them off.

‘They must be worth a fortune,’ Betty said as she admired them.

Ruby chuckled. ‘They may well be but I’d starve rather than ever part with them. They’re priceless to me.’

‘Hm, I can understand that. They certainly seem to think very highly of you,’ she commented thoughtfully.

The family had given generous gifts to all of the staff but nothing like the value of the gifts they had given Ruby. Not that she begrudged her them for a minute. Every one of them had taken Ruby to their hearts, although looking at her now it was hard to remember the shy, haunted little soul she had been when she had first joined them. Her figure had filled out, she was taller, and working for Hermione had built her confidence to the point that Betty thought young Ruby could be taken for a lady of class now.

The meal Cook had made for them was delicious. The turkey had been served to the family and Betty had struggled when she carried it through to the dining room because of the size of it, but for the staff, she had cooked a goose that was so moist and tasty it fell apart in their mouths. To go with it was a selection of vegetables – Brussels sprouts, carrots and peas – all cooked to perfection. There was also a big dish of Cook’s home-made sage and onion stuffing, roast potatoes and buttered potatoes, a large jug of gravy and a jar of home-made apple sauce. To follow was a pudding, which had been soaking in brandy for months, and hot mince pies served with thick cream or creamy custard.

There was a lot of laughter around the table, and once they had eaten, they were so full it took them a while to move.

‘Leave the washing-up for now,’ Cook told them. ‘It’ll keep for an hour. I’m goin’ to put me feet up by the fire for a while wi’ a nice drop o’ sherry. It is Christmas Day, after all.’

The others were only too happy to oblige and when Ruby sat down on the settle at the side of the fire Bill came to join her.

‘I, er . . . got you a little something,’ he said awkwardly. When she frowned, he hurried on, ‘It ain’t much, really, but I know you like reading so I hope you’ll enjoy it.’

The gift was crudely wrapped in brown paper and once Ruby had undone it, she found a small book of Shakespeare’s sonnets inside.