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Authors: Katie Flynn
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their room and change into clean clothes before their mother noticed Amy’s dishevelment. If they hurried across to the stairs . . .
The ruse worked, Isobel merely turning from the range to tell them to hurry for the meal was almost ready. Mary, getting out clean calico aprons and fresh gingham skirts for them both, reminded herself that dreaming about a friendship with Philip really wasn’t practical. Apart from the fact that he only came to Seaforth during the summer holidays, their different circumstances would, in any case, keep them apart. So she put him firmly out of her mind, changed into her clean clothes and went downstairs to help serve the meal.
Philip entered the big house by a side door. In the small cloakroom he kicked off his boots and took off his jacket before taking his fish through to thekitchens. Cook was standing by the sink, supervising one of the kitchen maids who was scrubbing potatoes with zest and throwing the cleaned ones into a large enamel saucepan which stood on the draining board.
‘Well, you have had a good day, Master Philip,’ Mrs Darwin said, staring admiringly at the large plaice. ‘Pity you’re off t’ London tomorrow or I could have fried them for you and Miss Laura to have for your dinners. You can’t have ’em tonight ’cause I’m roastin’ a couple of nice capons, since your gran’s asked the Frobishers to dinner.’
The maid, standing at the sink, turned and looked from Philip to the fish and back again. ‘You could have ’em for a fish course, Mrs D,’ she suggested. ‘Cut ’em into strips and curled round the way you do, wi’ a bit o’ lemon on the top and a nice white sauce. That always goes down well.’
‘No, I’m doing raspberry sorbet,’ Mrs Darwin told her. ‘Never mind, Edie, gal, we’ll have ’em for staff supper with some fried potatoes. That’ll make a nice change.’ She eyed Philip closely, suddenly seeming to notice his dishevelled state. ‘You’d best get upstairs, Master Philip,’ she said, holding out her hand for the fish. ‘Dinner’s in an hour and your gran will want you to look neat and smart with the Frobishers here. I know their kids is grown, but I remember in the old days, when they were your age, and they were always smart as paint.’
Philip sighed but handed over the plaice and turned back towards the kitchen door. He was never allowed to forget the Frobisher twins. They were three years older than himself and were always held up by his grandma as a shining example of how young gentlemen should both look and behave.Philip thought them a couple of boring milksops but it would never have done to say so – not to his grandparents at any rate. So he left the kitchen and thundered across the hall and up the long flight of stairs to his room where he washed and changed briskly, throwing his sandy clothing into the linen basket outside his door as he made his way to his sister’s room. He was about to knock on the door when it opened to reveal Laura in her new evening frock. ‘Philip, you’re back,’ she said in a relieved voice. ‘No one told us, but the Frobishers are coming to dine and you know what a state Grandma gets in if we’re late or untidy.’ She eyed him critically. ‘Oh, you’ve already changed – you look very smart – so that’s all right. We’d best go down to the drawing room, though, Grandma will want you to do the pretty, especially since those wretched boys will be coming with their parents.’
Together the two children began to descend the stairs. ‘We had iced pudding for luncheon,’ Laura told him, ‘and Aunt Betty gave me the prettiest hat for London. What did you do? Get any fish?’
‘A couple. Well, more than that, actually. I met up with two of the boys and their sisters that we’ve seen around and we went fishing together. We had a good time, but I gave the little one – his name’s Paddy – most of my fish, his need being greater than ours, as they say.’
Laura sighed.
The ruse worked, Isobel merely turning from the range to tell them to hurry for the meal was almost ready. Mary, getting out clean calico aprons and fresh gingham skirts for them both, reminded herself that dreaming about a friendship with Philip really wasn’t practical. Apart from the fact that he only came to Seaforth during the summer holidays, their different circumstances would, in any case, keep them apart. So she put him firmly out of her mind, changed into her clean clothes and went downstairs to help serve the meal.
Philip entered the big house by a side door. In the small cloakroom he kicked off his boots and took off his jacket before taking his fish through to thekitchens. Cook was standing by the sink, supervising one of the kitchen maids who was scrubbing potatoes with zest and throwing the cleaned ones into a large enamel saucepan which stood on the draining board.
‘Well, you have had a good day, Master Philip,’ Mrs Darwin said, staring admiringly at the large plaice. ‘Pity you’re off t’ London tomorrow or I could have fried them for you and Miss Laura to have for your dinners. You can’t have ’em tonight ’cause I’m roastin’ a couple of nice capons, since your gran’s asked the Frobishers to dinner.’
The maid, standing at the sink, turned and looked from Philip to the fish and back again. ‘You could have ’em for a fish course, Mrs D,’ she suggested. ‘Cut ’em into strips and curled round the way you do, wi’ a bit o’ lemon on the top and a nice white sauce. That always goes down well.’
‘No, I’m doing raspberry sorbet,’ Mrs Darwin told her. ‘Never mind, Edie, gal, we’ll have ’em for staff supper with some fried potatoes. That’ll make a nice change.’ She eyed Philip closely, suddenly seeming to notice his dishevelled state. ‘You’d best get upstairs, Master Philip,’ she said, holding out her hand for the fish. ‘Dinner’s in an hour and your gran will want you to look neat and smart with the Frobishers here. I know their kids is grown, but I remember in the old days, when they were your age, and they were always smart as paint.’
Philip sighed but handed over the plaice and turned back towards the kitchen door. He was never allowed to forget the Frobisher twins. They were three years older than himself and were always held up by his grandma as a shining example of how young gentlemen should both look and behave.Philip thought them a couple of boring milksops but it would never have done to say so – not to his grandparents at any rate. So he left the kitchen and thundered across the hall and up the long flight of stairs to his room where he washed and changed briskly, throwing his sandy clothing into the linen basket outside his door as he made his way to his sister’s room. He was about to knock on the door when it opened to reveal Laura in her new evening frock. ‘Philip, you’re back,’ she said in a relieved voice. ‘No one told us, but the Frobishers are coming to dine and you know what a state Grandma gets in if we’re late or untidy.’ She eyed him critically. ‘Oh, you’ve already changed – you look very smart – so that’s all right. We’d best go down to the drawing room, though, Grandma will want you to do the pretty, especially since those wretched boys will be coming with their parents.’
Together the two children began to descend the stairs. ‘We had iced pudding for luncheon,’ Laura told him, ‘and Aunt Betty gave me the prettiest hat for London. What did you do? Get any fish?’
‘A couple. Well, more than that, actually. I met up with two of the boys and their sisters that we’ve seen around and we went fishing together. We had a good time, but I gave the little one – his name’s Paddy – most of my fish, his need being greater than ours, as they say.’
Laura sighed.
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