Believing in Tomorrow by Rita Bradshaw

Author:Rita Bradshaw [Bradshaw, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
Published: 2022-07-13T17:00:00+00:00

PART FOUR

The Real Miss Molly McKenzie

1914

Chapter Seventeen

Just over four years had elapsed since Molly had arrived at Buttercup House, and they had been ones of mixed blessings. After a few weeks of her living there John had insisted they do away with the formality of ‘Dr Heath’ and ‘Miss McKenzie’ and that they address one another by their Christian names. She had found this uncomfortable at first, partly because she felt it had introduced an intimacy into their relationship, but one that merely blurred the edges. She was neither fish nor fowl, as Enid would have put it. But then would she ever feel entirely comfortable living in close proximity to John Heath? He was a man of many contradictions. Compassionate, warm and highly intelligent on one hand, and narrow-minded, reserved and stubborn on the other. She knew he thought she was too outspoken and strong-willed for a woman because he had told her so in one of their disagreements. She hadn’t taken offence at the outspoken and strong-willed part – she regarded such attributes as virtues rather than shortcomings – but the qualification that because she was a woman these were unacceptable had made her furious at the time.

One of the happier results of working for John was that through her input his relationship with his children was much improved. Father and son still clashed now and again, but mainly because they were so alike. Oliver had baulked at being sent to a boarding school where he’d be away for months at a time when he turned eleven, and so on her prompting Mr Newton had recommended a good public school in Durham from where the boy could return home each weekend, an arrangement that had worked out very well. Angeline now attended a small and very select establishment for young ladies in Morpeth as a day student and was happy there. She liked coming home each night and seeing her two cats, Mops and Minty, and would play with them for hours with their toys. Unlike her bright and quick-witted brother, Angeline was no academic. Her chief interests seemed to be the latest fashions and hairstyles and spending time with her friends. Oliver had labelled his sister a flibbertigibbet, and John and Molly had to admit the boy was spot on.

Molly’s savings had grown substantially over the years. Her wage was a generous one and apart from clothes and the occasional personal item she had little to spend it on. She’d opened a bank account shortly after arriving at Buttercup House and continued to put money away for the future. What this future would entail she hadn’t been sure about, not until fifteen months ago when an unpleasant incident had occurred which prompted her to begin making plans.

It had happened at Angeline’s eleventh birthday party. A number of guests had been invited, including Angeline’s best friend, Rebecca Havelock, and her family. The Havelocks could loosely be termed neighbours, having a large estate on the edge of Longhorsley as well as a London residence.

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