Ellen hoped that would be the end of the matter. Both girls liked and respected Uncle Tom, and even Gina would do as he asked. But Ellen felt uneasy about having Gina around at the Hall, as if Gina had somehow pushed into her life, which was unfair when she considered that both had started working there on the same day. Maybe it was the suddenness of Gina coming here that was unsettling. Ellen had to admit that she hadn’t felt quite at ease since Gina had slapped her hand away from that little bottle hidden in the wall and then started talking some rubbish about witches’ spells. It was hard to forget about that and the mad look she’d seen on Gina’s face. Despite what Gina had said the previous night, she couldn’t really believe she’d heard the last of it.

CHAPTER FOUR

‘NELL, YOU’VE GOT a visitor,’ Tom announced.

Ellen looked up from pricking out seedlings on the greenhouse bench. It was hot behind the glass in late May; she had her sleeves rolled up and was feeling rather clammy.

‘Ed! What a nice surprise.’ She brushed a strand of hair away from her flushed face with her forearm. ‘We haven’t seen you at the cottage for a week or two. Is everything all right?’ She put down her dibber and wiped the soil off her hands on an old towel.

‘I won’t keep you long, Nell; just wanted to say hello as I was here anyway.’ Edward Beveridge turned to Tom. ‘If that’s all right …?’

Edward felt slightly overheated himself. For one silly moment he didn’t know whether to remove his cap on entering the greenhouse. He’d thought to look Ellen out when he came up to the Hall to deliver some meat that Mrs Thwaite had ordered. Now, seeing Ellen working in this imposing place, setting what looked like hundreds of tiny plants, he realised he knew nothing of her life since she’d left the farm nearly two weeks ago and he felt overawed. With her eager face and untidy hair, she looked very young and very pretty, an attractive combination with the confidence and self-possession she was displaying in her new work.

‘Nell knows what she has to get done,’ said Tom, smiling.

‘Thank you, Mr Arnold.’

Tom went off to tend the vegetable plot and Ed turned to answer Ellen. ‘Aye, thank you, we’re all fine. Mum says you’re to drop in any time.’

‘I’ll do that. It’d be lovely to see her. I was right glad to hear no more of the sheep died. It must have been a terrible worry for you.’

‘It was, but that’s behind us now.’