Thornfield Hall Read Online Free Page B

would have the walls of the rooms white-washed and I would scour the rest of the house for more suitable furniture. Some wall hangings would make the room seem warm and welcoming.
    When all that was in hand I would visit Mr Carter, the surgeon, to seek his services and tactfully put a price on his silence. I had my doubts about his suitability as physician to a weak-witted lady. A splendid man for a dramatic accident on the hunting field, our Mr Carter. There’s no one you’d rather see striding towards you if you lay crushed under a wagon wheel or if you’d fallen from your horse and broken your leg. Carter would have you tied to a hurdle and carried away with a splint on your leg in no time. He’d have you back home ready to share your dinner with him and drink a brandy or two as soon as wink at you. Solitary brooding or women’s tears were a different matter. I could not envisage thathis bluff hearty confidence would be much help to a lady with a fragile mind who sometimes lost her wits completely.
    To have the Hall thoroughly cleaned and ready for the new master I had to hire in extra staff from The George at Millcote, as was the custom. When everything was done to my satisfaction I paid them their wages and sent them back to their regular business with a hint that they might be needed again in the future. I pictured the Hall full of life and bustle, with guests coming and going. We stocked up the store cupboards with preserves and pickles. I helped Mary make jellies and desserts. The butcher’s boy called more often to be ready for the moment we would give orders for meat for our new master. At last word came that we could expect him to arrive the next day.
    We sent a boy to the gates to keep watch for the coach. From there you can see for miles down the road to Millcote. It is the custom for the upper servants to line up to greet family members or important guests. I have Mr Merryman to thank for that piece of servants’ lore. Old John came to the entrance hall to be ready to help drive the horses round to the stables and unload the coach. He only came to the front of the house on special occasions. We had warned him to air out in the garden for a couple of hours first; the smell of horse can be very strong. Even after this precaution it was preferable for him to stand close to an open door or window. Mary came up to join the reception party with John, the new footman, and Sam. I asked Leah to make up the numbers though strictly speaking a housemaid is not one of the upper servants. Even with Leah, we looked a paltry number for such a house.
    All day we had kept an anxious eye on the weather. True to form, when word came that the coach had been sighted the rain decided to lash down and the wind scythed it across the drive in great waves. I gave the look-out boy two pennies and sent himstraight to the kitchen to get warm and dry next to the Kitchener range. As we hovered in the entrance hall, dithering whether to stay in or venture out, Mr Carter appeared from the library; he had been summoned to look after the invalid. He asked for brandy and hot water and went back to warm his backside in front of the fire.
    When the hired post chaise bringing Mr Edward arrived at the entrance Carter pushed through to be first to greet the new arrivals and, being Carter, his concern was not for Mr Edward but for the horses. He rushed about ordering that the chaise should be driven round to the stables and demanding to know where in blazes those lazy bloody grooms were. There was much noise and confusion. This was not the welcome I had planned for Mr Edward.
    When he stepped from the coach I could see that this was not the gangly youth I remembered. His physique had developed into that of a strong and powerful man. His carriage was erect and his movements athletic. He was swift and light on his feet even after being confined in a chaise for hours bumping along on uneven roads. As he came towards me I saw that