‘You’ll have to wait on, Betsy. Have you ever done silver service, lass?’

‘Naw. And I haven’t a clue. And with all I’ve got going on with me ma, and with Bill going into hospital tomorrow, I can’t stop shaking. I’d be chucking the food everywhere. Oh, where is she?’

‘You did instruct her about tonight, didn’t you? Only this ain’t like Janet. If she couldn’t come, it would have to be for a dire reason. And then she’d send her younger sister, who she’s been instructing for a good while in the skills of serving on.’

Betsy felt sick. Had she instructed Janet about tonight? She couldn’t remember. Janet went off three days ago on a break, richly deserved, and Betsy had felt confident she’d told her everything, although now she doubted herself.

‘I’ll have to run along there. We’ve over an hour before service, so I’ll have time. I’ll ask Mr Barnard if young Phil can answer any of the bells, but I reckon as he’ll go spare. Mr Barnard don’t like owt upsetting his routine.’

‘Aye, things have changed around here. A butler? I never heard the like. Well, in larger establishments, yes. I once worked—’

‘Eeh, Cook, I knaws, lass, and I haven’t time to hear the tale again. I have to dash.’

‘Why you don’t send young Phil, I don’t knaw. Surely that’d be best.’

‘Naw. Mags – I mean, Mrs Roford – doesn’t like me to be seen in the front of the house. I couldn’t answer any of the bells, and Millie is busy, too, seeing to all the fires, as we daren’t let the rooms get cold. Then, when the guests come down, she’s all the beds to turn down, and their discarded clothes to hang up – she’s enough on her plate. Besides, she ain’t dressed right to attend to the guests.’

Composing herself and walking with a calmness that she didn’t feel, Betsy went in search of the new butler. Her nerves jangled, as she had to be in the areas that she shouldn’t be, or at least ones that were out of bounds once Mr Roford was home. Of course during the day her duties demanded that she tour the building, making sure her instructions were carried out and that all the daily helpers were doing their work.

Thankfully, everywhere was quiet. The overnight guests were in their rooms getting ready, and those who lived nearby hadn’t yet started to arrive.

She found Mr Barnard in the green dining room, checking that everything was as it should be.

The room looked lovely. The long table was adorned in white linen, making a stark contrast with the centrepiece of deep-red roses, which it must have cost a fortune to obtain at this time of year. The surroundings were what Betsy thought of as ‘peaceful’. The cream-coloured walls provided a restful background to the heavily patterned green and deep-red carpet, and the soft-green velvet curtains draped beautifully, providing elegance. As did the lovely carved, glass-fronted dresser, full of exquisite china, and the ornate fireplace in white marble, with its log fire blazing up the chimney.