Two
“Delia!”
With her customary grin, Cordelia’s younger sister came rushing through the door past the butler, her hair threatening as always to spill out from beneath the wide-brimmed lavender hat she wore. Bridget Ellison, better known as Birdie to her family, had always been the more exuberant of the two and being the baby of the family their parents had been a bit more lenient with her. As a result, no one could stop Birdie once she was in full swing.
“Hello, darling,” Cordelia said. Birdie’s enthusiasm was infectious, and she found herself happier than she had been in a week.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Birdie said, practically throwing herself into her older sister’s arms.
“You just saw me last week,” Cordelia said laughing as she hugged her sister tightly. Birdie had always looked like a smaller version of her and when they were younger they’d had plenty of people ask if they were twins. Now that they were older there were slight differences in their height and face, but their brown eyes and auburn hair still drew the comparison. Neither woman had minded in the slightest then, and they still didn’t now. “It’s good to see you again, though. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Do I need an excuse to see my sister?” Birdie shook her head. “I just felt like getting away from the mansion for a little while. You hardly ever go out, so I thought I’d come see you.” She linked her arm through her sister’s and Cordelia couldn’t help smiling. Birdie had always been a take-charge type of girl and she knew the house so well that she didn’t even have to pause as she dragged her sister to the sitting room.
“How is your husband?” Breaking with tradition, Birdie had gotten married before Cordelia and had been much happier right from the start. General Richard Ellison was almost twenty-five years older than her but it was obvious to anyone who saw them together that he loved her dearly. Birdie had always fallen in love easily and this was no different. The only thing that had changed was that this man loved her back and Cordelia couldn’t help but be a little jealous of her because of it.
“Richard’s fine,” she said cheerfully. “He’s so busy these days but he told me last night that he’s considering retiring from the navy so we can spend more time together. I told him not to be silly, I’ve got plenty to occupy me looking after Walter and my big sister. Besides, we’re going to start trying for a baby of our own soon.”
“You are?” Cordelia tried not to sound dejected by this news. If her little sister had a child before her, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to be as happy for her as she deserved. She was supposed to be the first to marry, the first to have children, and the one to look after her little sister. Somehow they’d switched places and Cordelia didn’t care for it. “What does Walter think about this?”
“We don’t discuss what goes on in our bedroom with our son,” Birdie laughed. Cordelia felt another stab of jealousy. Walter was Richard’s son from his previous marriage, and Birdie had naturally taken him under her wing as soon as she met him. His mother had passed away some ten years earlier when he was a toddler and he couldn’t quite bring himself to call her Mother yet, but if she knew her sister, she would talk him into it sooner or later. Everyone loved Birdie. “And speaking of what goes on in the bedroom,” Birdie said, looking around to see if any of the servants were listening, “It just so happens that I heard some very interesting gossip about your husband.”
“Have you?” Alarm bells were going off in Cordelia’s head. When she’d told Arthur to keep it out of the house, she hadn’t considered that he’d just go down to the town to pursue his affairs. They lived out in the country, well away from the small town of Greenley where they got most of their food and other necessities. Cordelia had at least hoped he would go another town or so over to keep up appearances but if the gossip was true, he hadn’t. For someone who’s worried his father will find out about his affairs, he’s taking quite a risk. “I’m sure it’s all nonsense.”
“I should hope so.” Birdie dragged her into the sitting room and closed the doors behind her. She made as if she was going to lock them and Cordelia sighed with exasperation.
“Don’t do that, please. You’re acting like we’re telling family secrets in here.”
“We very well could be,” Birdie fired back. She went to one of the wing-backed chairs and plopped down in it, looking very much like the little girl she had been ten years earlier. They’d long since faded with age and better care, but Cordelia almost felt like she could even see the ghost of her childhood freckles. Cordelia sat down in the chair beside her.
“All right, what’s this gossip you’re on about?”
“Well,” Birdie said, leaning in conspiratorially, “I heard down at the notions shop that there are rumors that Arthur has been seen in the company of young men. Multiple young men.” She raised an eyebrow at her sister, who cursed her husband again for being so indiscreet. “And not only that, but they also said that most of them were lower class. Have you heard anything about that?”
“Of course not,” Cordelia said, hoping she sounded properly indignant. “That’s all a bunch of nonsense and you know it. In fact, you should be ashamed of yourself for repeating it. Arthur and I are very much in love and there’s no way he would be associating with those sorts of people.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Ridiculous.”
“Maybe it is,” Birdie said with a shrug. “The dressmaker was there as well and she seemed quite sure she’d seen him. You’re both rather well-known in the town, it’s hard to believe she’d make a mistake.”
“All the more reason this is ridiculous. Even if he were going to have an affair he would hardly do it where everyone knows him.” She shook her head. “Please tell me you didn’t come all the way out here just to spread some silly gossip.”
“Of course not,” Birdie said. “I was coming out here anyway and thought I’d stop into the notions shop to get some supplies for my lacemaking, and that’s where I overheard the dressmaker talking to Mrs. Beewich.” She opened the bag that Cordelia hadn’t even noticed was over her arm and started taking out a large quantity of thread and a needle.
“You really should let your servants get those things for you,” Cordelia said, realizing too late just how much she sounded like her mother. Birdie looked at her and grinned.
“Oh, should I? I think this is far more fun. Otherwise I wouldn’t hear the good gossip. Apart from what I heard about Arthur, which you have assured me is nonsense, I also heard that Emmeline Warwick is pregnant with twins. Can you imagine? Two babies at one time! I don’t even know how a person could do that. I mean, I suppose women do have two breasts---“
“Bridget Ann Payne!”
“It’s not Payne anymore,” Bridget said, sticking her tongue out at her sister. She’d been prone to fits of being inappropriate since they were children but sometimes Cordelia couldn’t believe the things that came out of her mouth. She wondered what General Ellison had to say about it. “Anyhow, you never come to see me so the only time I get to see you is if I come out here.”
“Excuse me,” a quiet voice said at the same time a light knock came on the door to the sitting room. Cordelia gave her sister a look that clearly said she needed to behave, then turned to the door.
“Come in, Patricia.” The door opened and a young woman in a maid’s uniform came in. She was new to the staff and very pretty, and Cordelia couldn’t help thinking a little bitterly that at least she’d never have to worry about Arthur sleeping with her. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing’s the matter, Mrs. Whittemore. I was coming to ask if you and your sister would like tea.”
“Oh, yes, please,” Birdie said with a smile.
“Thank you, Patricia. That would be lovely.” The maid bowed her head, then went back out of the room. She closed the door behind her and Cordelia turned back to her sister. “She’s been quite a quick learner. You only need to ask her to do something once and she remembers it for later. I wish all our servants were as good.”
“Me too,” Birdie said. “Our maid is so old that I think she forgets her own name sometimes.” Birdie picked up the needle and thread and started making a series of complicated knots. Cordelia admired her sister’s ability to work with her hands so deftly when she was hardly paying attention to what she was doing and if she hadn’t been watching her make lace since they were teenagers she could have been distracted staring at her. “So what do you do all the time out here by yourself?”
“I read, mainly,” Cordelia said. “There’s a nice bookseller in town and I send someone to get me a selection every now and again.”
“You should take up a hobby,” Birdie said. “Like lacemaking or something like it. You could learn to quilt.” As if to make her point, she made another knot with a flourish. “I can’t wait until I have a daughter so I can teach her how to do this.”
“I don’t have any talent for that sort of thing,” Cordelia said. “Not like you. You know perfectly well that I’ve always been clumsy with my hands. Mother was so disappointed in me.”
“That’s not true,” Birdie said. “You used to play the piano, remember? Mother always commented to her friends on how quickly you picked it up. Whyever didn’t you continue with it?”
“I honestly don’t remember,” Cordelia said. “Something to do with the teacher, maybe?” She frowned slightly. Something had caused her to stop playing but she couldn’t remember what it was. “I do remember having fun with it, though.”
“So take it up again,” Birdie said. “I’m sure Arthur would be more than happy to buy you a piano. It would give you something to do and I’m sure you’d be able to pick up where you left off.” She grinned. “With all the free time you have around here you might even be able to learn how to write your own songs. That would be fun.”
“I’d need a teacher for that,” Cordelia said. “I may be able to figure out the basics myself but I’d have to have someone show me how to do anything complicated. You’re right, though, I’d only have to ask Arthur and I’d have a piano in here the next day.”
“See? It’s perfect. Have him get a piano and start playing again. Then when you have children you can teach them how to play as well. Music is one of the most wonderful things you can share with a child, you know. Who knows? Maybe one of them could become a composer or famous musician!”
“That would be nice,” Cordelia said with a smile, even though her stomach had dropped at the mention of having children. “I do remember loving when our house was filled with music.”
“Then it’s settled,” Birdie said, setting down her lace and reaching over to pick up her sister’s hands. “My sister, the musician.”
“Don’t be silly, Birdie. I’m hardly a musician yet.” Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about how much she had enjoyed the piano as a child. Something like that would definitely take her mind off things. Arthur’s affairs, which he seemed to be having all over the place with no thought to propriety, their inability to even attempt to have children, and her own loneliness out in the country with no one to talk to but the servants. “I’ll ask Arthur straightaway when he comes home.”
“Good. Speaking of children,” Birdie said, squeezing her sister’s hands and then letting go of them to work on her lace, “when are you and Arthur going to start trying for them?”
“I thought you wanted me to become a great pianist,” Cordelia said, hoping that her sister couldn’t see the dismay she was feeling on her face.
“Of course I do. There’s no law saying you can’t do both, is there? You can play the piano all you like while you’re pregnant, and there are plenty of people to help with the baby after it’s born. You wouldn’t be able to go play anywhere for quite some time, but you’d still be able to play here at the house.” Birdie was almost as excited about the idea as her sister and Cordelia smiled.
“We shall see what happens,” she said. “I wonder if Mother has any of my old piano books.”
“You should get new ones,” Birdie said. “She’s probably got them hidden somewhere. Not to mention you wore them out back then. Don’t you remember? The pages were all bent down and ratty.”
“Bent down!” Cordelia was scandalized. She couldn’t imagine ever being so careless with her things. She was so careful with the pages of her books now that the very idea was unthinkable. Birdie laughed and shook her head.
“You’re the one who’s being silly, Delia.” The maid knocked again on the door, then came in with a tray with a teapot and some small cakes. Birdie carefully folded her lace over on itself and set it aside as Patricia put the tray on the table before them and poured each a cup of tea. “That looks wonderful.”
“Thank you, Patricia.” Cordelia smiled at the maid, who nodded her head and bowed back out of the room. “She’s such a good addition to the household,” she said, adding a bit of milk before picking up her cup of tea. “My lady’s maid is considering leaving us soon to take care of her mother. I wonder if Patricia would be interested in learning how to care for my clothes and my personal needs instead of serving.”
“Would that be proper?”
“I’m not sure, to be honest. She’s new to serving but as I said, she’s a quick learner. She’s only seventeen, and it seems they learn faster at that age. She’s also clean, and very well-mannered. She only became a serving maid because her mother was one.” Cordelia sipped her tea. “I can ask Mrs. Richmond about it, she’ll know for certain.”
“You’re quite right.” Birdie picked up the plate with the cake on it. “Although she’ll probably tell you it’s improper and that you should hire someone older.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Mrs. Richmond had come with Cordelia from her parents’ house, and both girls remembered her from their childhood. Even then she’d had iron-grey hair and walked as if she had a rod in her back. Anything and everything was improper to her, and it had been funny when they were children, terrifying when they were teenagers, and now that they were adults it was back to being amusing. Birdie hadn’t been sorry to see her go with Cordelia, who supposed it was better for her to deal with the old woman. If she’d had to live with Birdie and her free-spirited ways, it would likely send her to an early grave. The doors to the sitting room swung open again, this time without warning, and Cordelia looked over to see Arthur coming through them.
“Good afternoon, ladies!” He went first to Cordelia and kissed her on the cheek, which she allowed with a smile, then did the same to Birdie. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Ellison.”
“Oh don’t call me that, Arthur, it makes me feel like an old woman,” Birdie laughed and shook her head. “You do know how to make me smile.”
“That’s good,” he said, sitting on the couch that faced the wing-backed chairs. “It’s such a beautiful smile, it’s too bad we can’t see it all the time. So what are you ladies talking about?”
“We were talking about a hobby for me,” Cordelia said, adding a little more milk to her tea. It was stronger than usual but she didn’t want to complain. “I was thinking that perhaps I should get a piano. I used to play as a child and I think I’d like to take it up again.”
“That’s a splendid idea,” Arthur said, crossing a leg over his knee. “I should love to hear you play sometime. We can have one in here in just a few days, I’m sure. You just make a list of what you want to go with it and find a place for it and we’ll get you set up.”
“Wonderful. Thank you, dear.” Mindful that Birdie was watching her, she leaned across the table to kiss Arthur on the cheek. He offered it to her showily and out of the corner of her eye Cordelia could see Birdie watching them approvingly as she gave him a quick peck. Perhaps playing the piano again really would take her mind off the fact that she would be doing this for years to come. She struggled not to sigh as she sat back and took another sip of her tea.
The thought did not fill her with hope.