Amberwell (Ayrton Family Book 1) by Stevenson D.E

Author:Stevenson, D.E. [Stevenson, D.E.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 2015-10-13T04:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

As long as skies are blue and fields are green

Evening must usher night, night urge the morrow,

Month follow month with woe, and year wake year to sorrow

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sometimes coming events cast their shadows before, but more often a thunderbolt strikes suddenly, falling from a calm blue sky. Certainly Nell had no premonition of disaster when she rose from her bed one morning in February and hastily dressed. She hummed cheerfully as she ran downstairs to help Mrs. Duff with the breakfast … and Mrs. Duff was cheerful too.

“The mornings are a wee bit lighter,” declared Mrs. Duff. “It makes a change. Will I take up the mistress’s breakfast tray or will you?”

Mrs. Duff’s question was merely rhetorical for Nell took it up every morning of her life. Mrs. Duff would have been considerably astonished if Nell had replied, “You take it.”

But of course Nell said nothing of the sort; she carried the tray upstairs, drew back the curtains and settled her mother’s pillows in a comfortable heap … and then she asked (as she asked every morning) what sort of night her mother had had.

“Not too bad, dear,” Mrs. Ayrton replied. “Those new tablets are helping me a lot. Oh, here’s a letter from Connie — how delightful!”

Mrs. Ayrton had been breakfasting in bed ever since her husband’s death, but she was now gradually recovering her energy and threatening to get up for breakfast.

The morning continued to be quite a usual sort of morning; if anything rather better than usual. Nell helped to wash the dishes and to make the beds and then she seized a moment for a very special job to which she had been looking forward. Yesterday she had been to the woods and gathered a basketful of snowdrops — Amberwell snowdrops for Clare and little Stephen — and to-day she was going to pack them in damp moss and send them off to London.

Clare and her baby had left the hospital and were staying with Lord Richmore; Roger was there too. Roger had got his orders and was going to Egypt, but of course Nell did not know the actual date of his departure. It was horrible to think of Roger going abroad, but it was no use thinking about it; Nell was thinking about another plan. She hoped that when Roger had gone she might be able to entice Clare to Amberwell. As a matter of fact she had picked the snowdrops with this end in view; perhaps when Clare saw them and smelt their woody freshness she would want to come and bring little Stephen to his home.

Nell found an old shoe-box and began to pack the snowdrops in their bed of moss. She was still busy with her pleasant task when the telephone-bell rang; her mind was full of Clare when she picked up the receiver.

It was a trunk call and there seemed to be trouble on the line; she stood there for some moments waiting for the call to come through and looking at the sunshine streaming in at the window on to the faded carpet.

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