The Accidental Duchess by Emma Manners Duchess of Rutland

Author:Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland [The Duchess of Rutland]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
Published: 2022-08-17T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Another Wonderful Little Girl!

THE BIGGEST JOY I ever had was becoming a mum. But much as I loved being a hands-on mother, I knew I would never be happy as a traditional housewife, content to look after my husband, potter in the garden, join the WI, make jam and learn to play bridge. I had worked all my adult life and saw no reason to stop now. That left one outstanding question: what was I going to do? I had thoroughly enjoyed the interior design business with Janet, so the obvious thing was to build on that.

For as long as I could remember, I have loved fabric. There was a chest of drawers in the room I slept in whenever I went to Knill to stay with Granny, which was filled with leftover material, bits of lace, buttons, scraps of fur and feathers, and I would spend hours poking around in it. Granny made her own clothes and I think she kept these bits and pieces to trim her hats. She was of the generation who never threw anything away. Of course, there were also her ‘finds’ – chintz curtains from various stately homes, probably job lots that she’d bought at auction – which filled old leather suitcases up in the attic, and I could happily wile away a wet afternoon up there just rummaging through them. Then there were the trips that Mum and I would make to Hereford looking for dress material either for her or for me. Later on, one of the pleasures of advising clients after something with a bit more zing than John Lewis or Sanderson was exploring the world of expensive textiles which I would never have contemplated buying for myself as they were simply way outside my budget.

What if I could set up a no-frills warehouse selling these kinds of high-end fabrics at low-end prices? They might not be first quality, but I knew from experience that flaws in top-of-the-range brands – seconds – would be practically invisible to the non-professional eye. Also, as new ranges came on line every season, so older ranges would be phased out and remaining rolls discounted.

In the end I decided it just wasn’t practical. If I was planning to spend most of the next ten or so years pregnant – and I was – lugging around rolls of heavy fabric wasn’t to be recommended.

Exactly why I plumped for conservatory furniture I can’t now remember, but I think it was Mum who said that Knipton would make the perfect showroom where people could come to look and then order. ‘And when they’re there, you can guide them on what colours would work, and once they trust you, they’ll say, “Can you come and help me?”’

From a practical viewpoint it made perfect sense. Knipton Lodge had several outbuildings that could be used for storage, and the courtyard behind the house – the original farmyard of Duchess Elizabeth’s model farm – was perfect for displaying them.

What I needed now

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