The Debutante

What devastates is the thought that I’ve caused you harm, my love. Muv has already written a very stern letter, saying my actions have compromised your engagement prospects–can that really be true? Please know that I am silly, and stupid and selfish, but that I would never willingly hurt you–not for all the money in the world! I am too, too crushed! And now Madame Galliot refuses to have either Anne or me and Muv has drafted the Consort’s son, Nick Warburton, to bring me home like some defective goods. So now I’m waiting in the Bristol Hotel for him to arrive, under the beady eye of the concierge. I don’t even know what he looks like so shan’t recognise him and have cried so much my face is swollen and none of the waiters will serve me.

Please forgive me, darling! Please send me one small line to say you are still my sister and are still speaking to me! Surely your lovely Baronet will not abandon you just because you have an idiot in the family.

Oh dear. Some dreadful fat man has just walked in looking cross. That’s probably him. I think I shall cry again.

Yours, in floods,

The Prodigal D

Mrs Williams was not the gentle, grey-haired local woman Cate imagined. Coming downstairs in the morning to put the coffee on, she encountered a buxom bleach-blonde in her sixties, wearing jeans and a form-fitting pink T-shirt with the slogan ‘Big Spender’ spelled out in rhinestones. The radio was on, Madonna pounded out her latest dance tune. She was chatting, laughing away on her mobile while simultaneously chopping up vegetables.

Spotting Cate, she waved. ‘Oh, sorry! Gotta go. Call you later, OK?’

Whoever it was took no notice, rambling on without a break. Mrs Williams rolled her eyes and Cate smiled sympathetically. She gestured to Cate, pointing to the coffeemaker on the counter where a fresh pot had just brewed.

‘Look, Mum, I gotta go!’

Cate took a mug down from a shelf and poured a cup.

‘I’m going to speak to you later, OK? And never mind what he says. You just wait for me before you even think about the guttering, do you understand?’ She finally managed to hang up. ‘Sorry about that! My mother,’ she explained, wiping her hands on a tea towel. ‘I’m Jo, by the way.’

‘Cate.’

Jo pumped Cate’s hand with a firm handshake.

‘The woman’s in her eighties,’ she continued, scraping the chopped vegetables into a saucepan, ‘and she still thinks she can go cleaning her own gutters! Insane! I’m telling you, she gets up before I do, goes to bed later than

I do and gets out more than I do. What am I doing wrong? Are you a vegetarian?’

‘No,’ Cate laughed, leaning against the kitchen worktop.

‘Thank Christ for that! There would’ve been bugger all to eat last night if you had been.’ Jo opened the fridge and took out a chicken wrapped in foil. ‘Thought I’d do you cold roast chicken for lunch and a chicken hotpot for dinner. I know, chicken, chicken, chicken! A bit dull but I’m trying to clean out the freezer and everything. When you lot pack up that’s the end of it. End of an era.’

Cate watched as she drizzled some oil into the saucepan and popped it on top of the Aga.

‘How long have you been working here?’ she asked.

‘I grew up on the estate. My mother was the housekeeper all her life. To be honest, I was dying to get away from here when I was younger. Used to run a bed and breakfast with my second husband over on Majorca. Crazy, really. Just swapped one beach for another. But when that marriage split up, I came back to keep an eye on Mum. And I just fell into looking after Irene as well. She was a good woman. But she used to be very funny about having new people in the house. She paid me twice the going rate just so as not to have to break a new person in. “Let’s keep it in the family, shall we?” That’s what she used to say.’

‘It’s a wonderful house.’

‘Hmm.’ She gave the saucepan a shake. The kitchen filled with the savoury smell of browning onion. ‘It has its charms. And what about you? Are you from London?’

‘Yes. Well,’ Cate shifted, ‘yes and no…I’ve been living in New York.’

Jo’s face lit up. ‘Oh, I love the States! The people are so friendly! If I had the chance I’d move there and never look back.’

‘It has its charms,’ Cate agreed.

‘It’s more than that.’ Cate watched as she unwrapped a fresh loaf of bread from a shopping basket on the table. ‘Have a slice of toast,’ she commanded, taking down a breadboard and a knife. ‘I mean, they haven’t got all this class malarkey going on. No one’s listening to the sound of your voice, trying to figure out which drawer they should shove you into.’

Cate took a sip of coffee. ‘Hmm.’

Mrs Williams had undoubtedly been seduced by the things all English tourists were enchanted by on their two-week holidays in Florida – the ruthless chirpiness of the American service industry; bright helpful hotel staff, smiling waiters who beg you to ‘Have a nice day’ while pouring you a second cup of coffee.

‘In New York, class matters a great deal. It’s just what defines it that’s different.’

‘Really? I went to Disney World two years ago and everyone was just wonderful. I loved it!’

‘It’s a great country,’ Cate agreed, slicing a piece of bread. It was fresh and soft. She tore a bit off and popped it in her mouth.

‘Don’t you want that toasted?’ Jo moved the vegetables off the heat.

Cate shook her head. ‘It’s delicious the way it is.’

‘My mum makes it. Puts me to shame as a cook. She came to the house as a lady’s maid when she was fifteen but when the war started they had to let everyone go. So she taught herself to cook. She has some hysterical stories. Like the time she decided to warm the silver serving dishes in the oven to keep the food hot and when she opened the door, nothing but a bunch of silver balls rolled out! Can you imagine? She only melted some of the best family silver! Bless! Of course she was only a kid at the time.’

‘And you grew up here?’

‘Yes.’

‘It must’ve been magical.’

Jo leaned back against the worktop. ‘It’s a wonderful old house. Though we grew up on the estate, not actually in Endsleigh. You’re in Irene’s room, aren’t you? It has a lovely view, don’t you think? Of course, you must see houses like this one all the time.’

‘Well, not exactly.’

‘The library is special. And plenty of people have commented on that dome. Palladian. A very early Robert Adam. Of course it was never properly finished; the restoration work was interrupted during the war.’

‘Really? I like the gold room.’

‘Gold room?’

‘Yes. The way the sunlight dances off the gilding is magical.’

‘Gilding?’ Jo snorted. ‘There’s no gilding in this house!’

‘Sorry, I mean the one in the far wing, overlooking the rose garden.’

‘The far wing?’ Jo’s expression hardened. ‘That room is locked. It’s always been locked.’

A flush of colour rose in Cate’s cheeks. ‘Mr Syms gave us some keys…they open…’ She stopped, mid-lie. Suddenly she felt about five years old.

Jo folded the tea towel and put it down. ‘Show me. Let’s see what you’re talking about.’

Cate marched reluctantly behind Jo out of the kitchen and up the main staircase. At the top of the landing, Jack came out of his room, dressed for the day ahead. Cate was conscious of still being in her dressing gown.

‘Hey!’ He looked from one to the other. ‘What’s going on? I’m Jack, by the way,’ he introduced himself, offering his hand.