‘Take care; things will get better with time.’ Danny closed the door to the morning room and let himself out of Windfell. His thoughts returned to his fling with the lovely Amy. He couldn’t blame poor James, for sometimes the temptation was just too much. At least James wasn’t the father to a child he had never seen; a child Danny was sure would come back and haunt him eventually.

16

16

‘Now, can you think of anything that I’ve not told you?’ Harriet looked at her new employee and at baby Georgina, who had taken instantly to her new carer.

‘No, Mrs Atkinson, I think you’ve covered everything. Besides, as you say, I’m sure Rosie will help me out if I can’t find anything.’ Mary Harrison smiled. She had been shown around Crummock and told the needs of the two youngest Atkinson children more times than she’d had hot dinners. But she understood their mother’s concerns and would have felt the same, if they were her own children.

‘The main thing is that Georgina does not get out of her routine, otherwise she becomes so bad-tempered that she doesn’t know what to do with herself. And don’t let Ben twist you around his little finger. His bedtime is seven, although I hope to be back by then. He’s usually home about four o’clock after school; he walks up home with the lad from Sowermire, so he only has the last half-mile to walk home on his own. If he’s any later than that you’d better go and look for him, as he’s known for dawdling.’ Harriet looked around her. She was looking forward to her new life starting in the morning, but at the same time she was dreading leaving her family behind. ‘Otherwise, I think you know where everything is. Rosie will see to the meals and cleaning. Not that she wants to, for she’s a love of the outside more than home-making, and she’s with her father now. She’d much rather be handling sheep than dusting and polishing.’ Harriet sighed.

‘I’ll help her, Mrs Atkinson, don’t worry. I can turn my hand to most things – us country lasses have to.’ Mary smiled; she was being generously paid by the well-to-do Fox family and knew when she was on to a good thing, despite the recent scandal and the awful death linked to James Fox. ‘And I’ll make sure Mr Atkinson senior is looked after, although he seems to be quite sprightly for his age.’