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He rose and offered her his arm, and although her lips set in a thin line, she had no choice but to comply. The butler bowed low, his face impassive, and held the door open for them to pass through.
In the dining room, the table was bare. They found Enoch engaged in a furious discussion with one of the footmen, while another footman appeared to be laughing at them. They all sprang to attention when the family entered, holding chairs for the ladies.
“There’s no place for Dorothea!” Bella cried. “You told the man to set an extra place, I heard you, but he hasn’t done it.”
“I expect he forgot, with all the other calls on his time,” Mama said. “Please lay an extra place beside Miss Bella, Keeble.”
“Are you expecting a guest, madam?” the butler said in bland tones.
“It’s not for you to question your mistress’s orders,” Pa said curtly. “You are always to lay an extra place when Miss Bella dines with us. Do it now, and if you value your position here, get some food on this table at once.”
Enoch sprang to reset the table, while the butler and footmen departed without haste.
“Mr Fletcher, I would prefer it if you would leave the management of the servants on such occasions to me,” Mama said in her placid way, when they had gone. “It is my responsibility to see that meals arrive on time.”
“And it is their responsibility to obey your orders, at once and unquestioningly,” Pa said immediately. “I don’t like to see insolence, Lizzie, and so I tell you.”
She laughed quite easily. “Insolence? You refine too much upon it, dear. There are bound to be trivial little difficulties, but we will all soon adjust to the new circumstances, you may be sure.”
With Dorothea’s place laid, Enoch rushed away to help transport the food from the kitchen wing, and before long a little train of servants arrived, each bearing a dish to set on the table, filling the room with welcome aromas. They all fell upon the soups with relief — something to eat at last! The soups were removed with joints of beef and mutton, and although they were black on one side and underdone on the other, everyone was too glad to see food to complain. Apart from Aunt Madge, of course.
After that, there was a second course, with an odd array of food, many dishes being unfamiliar to them.
“What is that strange stuff?” Julia said, as a footman placed a dish on the table near her.
“I couldn’t rightly say, miss,” he said.
“That one is glazed grenadines with endives,” the butler said. “One of Mrs Sharwell’s specialities, I fancy.”
“It looks disgusting,” Julia said. “Who wants to try it? Mama? Pa? Angie? Anyone?”
“I will try a little,” Rosie said, her voice soft.
“Allow me to help you to the best portion, miss,” the butler said, spooning great dollops of the grey sludge onto her plate.
“Thank you, Mr Keeble,” she said, looking at it without enthusiasm.
Johnny smiled at her. “You are a brave soul, Rosie, but you need not eat it if you dislike it. I agree with Jules, it looks unappetising, speciality or no. These sweetbreads are more to my taste, and the wine is not bad. We must have a look round the cellar tomorrow, Will, and see where the gaps are.”
“You are treating us to a splendid dinner, Mrs Fletcher,” Pa said, with a warm smile, as he set to work on a dish of macaroni with chicken. “Are we to eat this well every day of the week from now on? Or is this a Market Day treat, as at home?”
“Oh… it is Friday, is it not? Market Day. Or it would be, if we were still at Sagborough.”
“Aye, and we’d have Allie and Ted and all the bairns here, too,” he said, sadly. “We miss them, don’t we?”
“We do, Pa,” Rosie said quietly, lowering her head.
“They will come to visit us in the summer,” Mama said brightly. “It is all agreed. But as to having two courses every day… this is what the kitchen usually provided for the Plummer family, Mrs Graham told me, so perhaps we should do the same?”
“There’s no need, not just for us,” Pa said. “When we have guests, then of course you’ll want to put on a good spread, but for the family, let’s keep it simple, eh?”
“It shall be as you wish, Mr Fletcher, naturally.” But Julia thought she was a little offended, all the same.
By the time dinner was finished, Julia was ready for her bed, but Mama insisted that they withdraw to a different saloon, and sit with their needlework while the gentlemen drank port and talked about… well, whatever men talked about when there were no ladies present. Rosie and Aunt Madge dutifully stitched, while Julia pretended to read a book and tried not to yawn. Angie discovered a pianoforte in the adjoining room, so she was happy. Bella was the luckiest of them, for Miss Crabtree came and took her away to bed.
Mama rang for tea at ten, but the men came through before it had arrived.
“Shall we have some cards?” Will said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “Mama, will you make up a four?”
