Mazy looked at the armful of garments that Dorothy could have taken to the outhouse herself, to await the weekly rag-and-bone man’s visit. She was so lazy, thought Mazy. But she knew Dorothy didn’t want to show her face in the kitchen, realizing that she would probably be given a job to do. Mazy picked through the garments one by one: the pretty silks that had once adorned Jane, the frills and fancies of the best quality. On the bottom of the pile was a perfectly good dinner suit, which Isabelle had decided was not good enough for her unfaithful husband, with a bow tie still attached. Perhaps she was getting rid of it because he had worn it with his lover, Mazy thought, as she held it up and looked at it carefully. Whatever the reason, the suit was too good to give to the rag-and-bone man. Neither of her two would ever wear anything like it, but she could sell it to the second-hand shop in Settle and boost her pay a little. Snooty-drawers Dorothy need never know it had not gone to its rightful place, she thought, as she moved to put the contents of her arms in a secret location in the stable, to be taken home later. The money was better in her purse than in the kitchen funds, where it would have gone if the rag-and-bone man had bought them, she thought, as she walked back smiling into the kitchen.

‘Been to see your Jethro, have you? Did you tell him it’s nearly lunchtime, if he fancies joining us in this kitchen that’s in disarray?’ Ruby looked up from stirring her soup.

‘He’s not here today; he’s gone to the blacksmith’s to shoe two of the horses.’ Mazy glanced at the red-faced cook, who looked as if she was going to burst with heat and stress from running the busy kitchen.

‘There you go – nobody tells me anything. I’ve made enough soup for an army and there’s only going to be the four of us having it, because madam here says she doesn’t want anything, and Thomson has gone into Settle to pick up Master James’s new shoes. I suppose he will have gone in with Jethro, when I think about it. Those upstairs will have to have cock-a-leekie for their starter tonight, and they’ll just have to lump it.’ Ruby placed the bread board down on the table in front of Mazy and looked at her face. ‘Aye, and you needn’t pull that face – that’s what we are having, despite the smell of turkey guts. If your Jethro had cleaned them, then my kitchen wouldn’t smell like it does.’