Octavia's War Read Online Free Page B

much. ‘And there’s Arthur joining the Territorials, as if this isn’t bad enough. I don’t know what’s to become of us. The world’s gone mad. Stark, staring, raving mad.’ And she stood up quickly before they could see her cry and half-walked, half-ran off towards the house.
    Octavia was on her feet at once, feeling guilty and ready to run after her. She couldn’t have Em upset, not her dear Em whom she loved so much and had lived with for so long, not when she worked so hard and looked after them so well. And she was right, of course she was right, she would do the bulk of the work. I must do something about it, she thought.
    Her father caught her by the arm. ‘Leave her,’ he advised. ‘Give her time.’
    â€˜But she’s upset and it’s my fault,’ Octavia said. ‘It’s no good making that face, Pa. It is my fault. I shouldn’t have sprung it on her. It was thoughtless. I should have asked her about it before I said yes.’
    â€˜Then you must think now before you say anything more,’ her father said. ‘We must both think.’
    Octavia was thinking already and thinking aloud. ‘I can’t back out of this now, Pa. It’s too important. And I’ve given my word. But she’s right about me not being able to help her. I can’t leave the school and stay at home. Not at the start ofterm. There’s too much to do and it wouldn’t be fair on the staff to leave them. And with the best will in the world, you can’t help her either. So there’s really only one answer, isn’t there. We must hire some help. I think we could run to it. No. I’ll rephrase that. We must run to it. There isn’t any option. I can’t have Em upset. What sort of wages should we offer?’
    â€˜Sensible ones,’ her father said, reading her mind.
    â€˜Four pounds a week.’
    â€˜Be reasonable, Tavy. That’s far too much. You’d be inundated with applications.’
    That had to be admitted. ‘Well, three pounds ten then.’
    â€˜I would say twenty-five shillings,’ J-J advised. ‘However, given your views on exploitation, perhaps thirty.’
    So the wage was agreed, with the proviso that if they found the right person it could always be increased, and Octavia went indoors to her study to write the advertisement. Then she walked across to the kitchen to make it up with her cousin.
    It took a considerable time and much hugging for Emmeline was profoundly upset and needed to tell her cousin all over again that she simply couldn’t do so much work. ‘Not with the best will in the world.’
    â€˜But if we can get a good girl,’ Octavia urged, ‘that will make all the difference, won’t it.’
    Eventually after demurring for a long time, Emmeline agreed that it would and, as the matter seemed to be settled, she dried her eyes and put on her straw hat and the two of them went off arm in arm to post Octavia’s letters.
    â€˜It’s so peaceful here,’ she said as they walked beneath the burgeoning lime trees in the avenue. ‘You don’t think there’s really going to be a war, do you?’
    The anxiety on her face reminded Octavia of somethingshe’d said in the garden. ‘What’s all this about Arthur joining the Territorials?’ she asked.
    â€˜And that’s another thing,’ Emmeline said. ‘I can’t think what’s got into him. Edie told me this morning. “Joined the Territorials,” she said. And I said, “Whatever for?” and she just shrugged. You know how she does. I don’t like it, Tavy. I mean, that’s the army to all intents and purposes. If there is a war he’ll be in the thick of it and we don’t want that. We had quite enough of that with our poor Cyril.’
    â€˜He hasn’t been laid off, has he?’ Octavia asked. It seemed the most likely