Chapter 27

After the funeral, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Now Lady Violet could be at peace, and I would pray for her every night before sleeping. Rose Cottage was a nice place to be, warm and cosy with plenty of logs for the fires, reminding me of the house I'd grown up in. During the day, while Mr and Mrs Willis were working at the main house, the wet nurse and I had the place to ourselves. I was grateful to be employed and to have a comfortable bed to sleep in, but working as a nanny wasn't the most fulfilling role. My life was on hold, and all I could do was daydream about being a shopgirl again and one day owning a boutique.

One morning, I'd just put Tabitha down for her nap when a knock came at the door. I opened it and there stood Tom, in full RAF uniform. He looked rather handsome.

‘Tom, what a lovely surprise,' I said, beaming.

‘Hello, Mags. I'm on leave for a day and wanted to come and see you. Will you come for a walk with me?'

‘Yes, although I don't have long until Tabitha wakes from her nap.'

I'd written to Tom about Lady Violet's death and my new role as Tabitha's nanny. I hadn't told him who her parents were, and thought it best to keep this information to myself.

‘All right, we won't go far,' he said.

He gestured in the direction of the rose garden, and we followed the path.

‘I am sorry to hear about Lady Violet,' he said.

‘It has been a trying time. The funeral was only last week, and we've all been grieving rather heavily.'

‘She could be quite demanding, but still, she was your mistress.'

‘Indeed, and we grew closer in Seamouth.'

He lifted the latch on the cast-iron gate and we passed through. Many of the roses were still blooming, but an increasing number were wilting and needed to have their dead petals removed. Still, it was a calming place to be, and I inhaled their perfume as we walked.

Tom led me to a bench in the corner. ‘Do you mind if we sit down, Mags?'

‘All right.'

‘I don't have much time as my parents are expecting me, but I wanted to tell you I'm being sent to Canada to train as a pilot. Who knows when we'll see each other again, but I hope you'll still write to me?'

‘I shall miss you, Tom, but of course I'll carry on writing letters to you.'

‘And I wanted to ask you something.' He stood up and knelt on the ground and reached into his pocket. ‘When this war is over, will you marry me?'

Gasping, I raised a hand to my mouth. I hadn't considered Tom in a romantic way and had no idea he planned to propose to me.

‘Really, Tom, are you sure?'

‘Yes, I want you to be my wife, Mags.'

The opportunity to marry a man like Tom, who showed a great deal of promise, was not to be taken lightly. Smiling, I said, ‘Yes, I will marry you.'

He took my hand and slid a ring onto it. It had a small ruby stone and was rather beautiful.

‘This ring belonged to my grandmother, and now it's yours.'

I stood up and we kissed on the lips, and it struck me that I'd made a hasty decision. But saying no would have been a mistake. The pool of eligible men was getting smaller each day as an increasing number were killed in action. I didn't have the luxury of being able to wait a while and choose. Marriage during the war was about who happened to be there at the time. I liked Tom a great deal, and told myself that I could grow to love him.

Mrs Willis informed us that the earl would spend almost all of his time in London from now on. Gatley Hall would become an occasional weekend retreat. He'd take some servants with him to London, leaving Mr and Mrs Willis, Mrs Downside and a handful of staff to maintain the house in his absence.

Summer became autumn and autumn became winter, and my daily routine remained the same, but walking into the village was more of an endurance in colder temperatures. In November, Mrs Willis announced that Lady Violet's mother was sending servants to collect her daughter's belongings and take them back to the family home in Hampshire. And that was when I remembered about the emerald brooch. I still hadn't taken it from the safe, due to my fear of being caught and accused of stealing. But now was the time, if I was to keep my promise and give it to Tabitha on her wedding day.

For days, I dithered over what excuse to use to get into Lady Violet's former quarters and explored a few ideas when writing in my diary. The best option, I decided, was to tell Mrs Willis I'd mislaid my favourite hat from the previous winter. I asked if it would be possible to go and check my old bedroom. Approaching the house, I felt a gnawing in my gut. What if I were caught and the police were called? I'd have a criminal record and would find it impossible to get another job.

Entering the servants' quarters, I took the staircase without going into the hall, hoping that no one would see me. Upstairs in the boudoir, I opened the drawer in the writing table and pressed the button at the back in order to retrieve the key from under the false bottom. Then I unlocked the safe, and instantly spotted the brooch, standing out in its red box from Ellis and Son. At that very moment I heard the creak of a door opening, but when I turned round there was no one there. Putting this down to my overactive imagination, I slid the box into the pocket of my dress and returned to Rose Cottage. No doubt the brooch would be listed on an inventory somewhere, but, seeing as Lady Violet had been in Seamouth for several months, surely it would be written off? If questioned, I'd say she'd taken the brooch to the house in Suffolk and mislaid it.

The following morning, Mrs Willis called me into the kitchen at Rose Cottage. Her face reflected concern, and it was clear that she was about to divulge news I did not wish to hear. There had been someone at the door of the boudoir after all.

‘There's no easy way to say this, Margaret,' she said.

‘What is it, Mrs Willis?'

‘Elsie came to me last night and said she saw you taking something out of Lady Violet's safe. I am aware that you went over there to look for your hat yesterday. Would you care to explain?'

Finally, Elsie had found a way to get me into trouble good and proper. She had been determined to bring me down all along, and now she had won her little game. How could I deny what I'd done? Would Mrs Willis believe me if I told her Lady Violet had asked me to take the brooch?

‘Mrs Willis, I am sorry. You must think I am a thief, but the truth of the matter is that, on her deathbed, Lady Violet asked me to take her emerald brooch, gifted to her by her mother on her wedding day, and worn by her grandmother when meeting Queen Victoria.'

‘Why would she ask you to do that?' Mrs Willis said.

‘She wanted me to give it to Tabitha on her wedding day.'

‘Well, Margaret, I know Lady Violet thought a great deal of you and I am inclined to believe you, but this information puts me in a fix.'

‘Because Elsie saw me take it?'

‘Yes, and by now she will have told everyone at Gatley Hall. There is no way I can keep you employed here, I'm afraid, whether I believe your story or not.'

‘I am sorry, Mrs Willis,' I said, trying to stop my voice from breaking.

‘Do you have somewhere to go?' she said.

‘I can go to my aunt's,' I said.

‘Very well. Get your things and leave as soon as you can.'

‘And the brooch?'

‘Just promise me you'll keep your word to milady, that's all I can ask.'

‘Do you not want to keep it instead, seeing as Tabitha is being raised by you and Mr Willis?'

‘Oh no, I wouldn't want to be responsible for such a valuable item. You can worry about keeping it safe until the time comes.'

‘And what will you tell Elsie and the other servants?'

‘I shall say that you were returning an item, recently found from when you were both in Seamouth.'

‘And my reason for leaving?'

‘Your aunt is unwell and needs you to look after her.'

‘Thank you, Mrs Willis.'