At Somerton by Leila Rasheed

Author:Leila Rasheed [Rasheed, Leila]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2022-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

SOMERTON

Rebecca sat on the same chair she had been sitting on since Thomas had gone upstairs to check the rooms. At the far end of the table, Annie and Martha sat in sullen silence. Cook fidgeted by the sink. The other servants had backed up against the wall, waiting. The atmosphere in the kitchen was heavy and sharp with nerves. Everyone was wondering what everyone else had to hide…and no one, Rebecca thought, was under more scrutiny than she was.

She sat straight-backed, meeting none of the curious glances that she could feel crawling over her skin. Instead she looked at the raindrops glittering on the kitchen window. Never had she longed so much to be back in Manchester. Smoky, dirty Manchester! She had hated it, lived for trips to the countryside. But at least no one had looked at her as they did here. There, in the city, immigrants were not unheard of. The pork butcher was German. The seamstress was Dutch. There was a port, and Africans and Indians often came into the city from the ships, though they kept themselves to themselves. But Somerton was different.

She started as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A moment later, Thomas appeared, framed in the doorway. Everyone looked at him, including Rebecca.

He cleared his throat. Rebecca could see that he wasn’t happy.

“I have made a thorough search,” he said, “and I have found nothing. No spoons.”

There was a moment’s silence, and then everyone began to speak at once. Thomas raised his hand for quiet.

“That doesn’t mean that we don’t have a problem,” he said. “The silver is missing. That’s very serious, and I ask you once again—if anyone knows anything, come clean now, and I shall do my best to be understanding. But for now, we have no proof that anyone in this house is guilty of theft. So I don’t want to hear any more accusations.”

“But, sir—” Martha began.

“Enough, Martha!” Thomas hardly raised his voice, but the whole kitchen fell silent. “Have I made myself clear?”

“But sir, she’s a spy!” Annie burst out. She pointed at Rebecca.

“A German spy,” Martha joined in. “Annie saw it on a letter.”

Rebecca laughed. She couldn’t help herself. The accusation was so ludicrous, and yet—somehow—she had been expecting it. Something like this had been bound to happen. She felt the pit of her stomach, like a dark hole. It had been going too well. It had to end.

“Brazen hussy, laughing in our faces!” Cook exclaimed.

Thomas was looking back and forth between Martha and Annie and Rebecca, the look of astonishment and disbelief on his face showing he was lost for words. Now he found words. “I beg your pardon, Annie? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“It’s not nonsense. The postmistress knows. Everyone in Palesbury knows.”

“Have you got any evidence?”

Annie was silent.

“Well?” Thomas’s voice was slowly changing from astonished to angry. “None! You have none, have you?”

“I saw it on a letter—”

“You saw what? Was it addressed to Miss Freeman, spy, care of Somerton Court?” Thomas said sarcastically.

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