Chapter 15: Finding Millicent

May, 1826

The countryside looked its best in early May. The fresh green of trees and shrubs was a feast for the eyes, especially eyes that had become accustomed to the soot of the large City. Although Ellen felt a little guilty about it, she could not help feeling true happiness. She sat snuggled against Richard in the open carriage, the spring sun warming them nicely, and the fresh air feeling like champagne to her lungs. Now they passed through the village of Matcham, the people on the streets looking up in surprise at the line of coaches that rattled through the narrow street. Some of the villagers doffed their hats to greet the returning squire in the first coach and Ellen observed the friendly nature of the greetings.

Sitting across from her, Eleanor was in a mood that could only be described as sour. She had begged for almost two weeks to be excluded from the trip to High Matcham, even offering to stay with her grandmother. Lady Carter had been uncompromising. If the budding relationship of Eleanor and Antonio Ruiz could not survive a four-week hiatus, there was not much future for it anyway. As a result Eleanor had been sitting grumbling all the way from London and made it a point to comment sarcastically on the two lovers facing her.

Eleanor’s foul mood bothered Ellen somewhat but she knew something about Lady Carter’s plans that would improve Eleanor’s outlook. Eleanor did not know yet that her mother had invited the Ruizes to join them as guests and that they had accepted. They would just be a few days behind as Ellen knew, and she watched Eleanor’s antics with silent amusement.

When the manor, her childhood home, came into sight, Eleanor’s bad mood receded considerably. She loved the place and she had to acknowledge that the fields and meadows surrounding the manor beat any London park by a large margin.

They arrived at the gates and were greeted by Nadine and the rest of the staff. She had made the trip a week earlier to get the place ready, and the family settled into their home within a few hours. Ellen had her old room again and she noticed that two other guest rooms had also been cleaned and readied. With a smile she wondered when Eleanor would notice.

The young people dressed in their riding garb and made a tour of the land on horseback, something to which Ellen had been looking forward. In felt so good to be in the saddle again! Ellen did not have much practice, but she loved horses and was a natural in the saddle, even if not as skilled as Eleanor. Dickie was elated and bounded around the trotting horses. After all, he was less than two years old and bursting with pent up energy. They stopped at the river bank where Mildred had died a year ago, and Ellen rode up to Richard’s mount and squeezed his hand. They looked at each other and and then leant over to kiss each other, but the horses were somewhat irritated and pranced, nearly unseating them.

They rode along the river for a mile before turning south to ride the eastern boundary of the estate towards the road. Following the road, they rode past High Matcham and towards Woodbridge Manor. From afar, Richard could already see that the remodelling of the manor had proceeded nicely. The roofs cleaned, the window frames painted in shining white, and the driveway covered with fresh gravel, it looked like a nice place to live. Richard and Ellen decided to inspect the interior as soon as they could get a hold of Mr. Brown.

When they rode past the gatekeeper’s lodge, Ellen noticed a broken pane in the door and showed it to Richard. This looked suspicious. Richard told the young women to back off and to ride for High Matcham at full speed should something happen whilst he inspected. Ever since Mildred’s murder, Richard had a double-barrelled percussion cap pistol in his saddle bag, which he pulled out and cocked now. He approached the door of the lodge cautiously, pistol at the ready.

“Anybody in there, come out, and no harm will come to you!” he hailed.

No direct response came, but he heard the sound of a shutter opening in the back of the lodge and the yell of Eleanor.

“Someone’s running for it, Richard! Here, in the back!”

Remembering to put the pistol on safety, Richard mounted his horse and rode towards where he heard the girl’s horses. He saw a running figure, darting left and right like a fleeing hare, but increasingly boxed in by the girls on their horses. He closed in with them in a few moments and the small figure looked about in despair. Surrounded by three riders on an open field, there was no hope for escape.

The figure was rather small and long brown hair flowed from under the hood it was wearing.

“Stop and make yourself known!” Richard demanded. “I am the son of the squire, and you will suffer no harm if your intentions are honest.”

With a gesture of resignation, the figure pulled down the hood, and the three riders looked at a girl. She could not be older than 15 or sixteen years Ellen guessed, and she dismounted before her companions could react. She knew intuitively that the girl was frightened and she sympathised. Handing her reins to Eleanor she approached the girl.

“Will you tell me who you are?” she asked in a friendly tone.

The girl looked at her with suspicion and did not answer.

“We need to decide what to do with you, do you understand that? If you don’t tell us about you, we must assume that you broke into the lodge to steal.”

“I’m no thief, indeed not!” the girl protested. “An’ I didn’t break into no lodge. I just came ‘ere yesterday and the lock ‘ad been picked before.”

Ellen nodded patiently.

“So you are no thief. Will you tell me your name then?”

The girl swallowed and looked up.

“Millicent Wade.”

“Fine, Millicent,” Ellen continued whilst Richard and Eleanor watched with interest. “Will you tell me what you are doing here all alone? Where’s your family?”

That brought tears to the girl’s eyes and she had to sniff a few times before she answered.

“Them’s dead. Smallpox got ‘em.”

“So you are all alone now?”

Nod. Sniff.

“Nobody took care of you?”

“Farmer Mills took me in as ‘is maid. I was to milk ‘is cows, but ‘e said I was to milk ‘im too.”

Ellen raised her eyebrows when she understood what the girl had said.

“‘e wanted more, like keep ‘im company at night, but I’s afraid and ran off.”

“Have you eaten today?”

The girl’s eyes grew big and she shook her head. Ellen glanced at Richard and he nodded. He would have to ask his parents, but knowing his mother, he was sure that they would agree to take in the girl for a few days at least. He rode back to the lodge and inspected it from the inside. Nothing had been broken or taken. On the contrary, the girl obviously had cleaned away the dust. He returned to where Ellen and Eleanor were waiting with the girl. He looked her over; she was not really dirty although a bath would do wonders for her appearance.

“Millicent,” he began, “my father is the squire of High Matcham. I am not sure whether he may want another maidservant, but at the very least I can promise you food and shelter for a few days. Will you come with us? I promise, no milking of any sort,” he added with a smile.

The girl nodded reluctantly, and Ellen led her to Richard’s horse. Richard gave her a lift and Ellen helped her sit behind her fiancé. It was not easy for Ellen to mount without help, but she managed and the three riders returned to High Matcham in a slow trot.

As expected, Lady Carter, after one look at the starved girl, ordered her to be taken to the kitchen. It was Nadine who took charge of the efforts, first feeding her in the kitchen and then sending her over to the maids’ quarters to be scrubbed clean and clothed. When Ellen came to see Nadine to check on the girl, she found the latter at work in the kitchen peeling potatoes whilst Nadine gave her instructions and corrected the girl’s speech. Ellen almost laughed, thinking how the girl would soon speak with a French accent if Nadine kept up teaching her ‘proper’ English. At least, she would be safe under Nadine’s care. Nobody on the estate dared to be on the housekeeper’s bad side, not even the Carters.

“Do you feel better now?” Ellen asked, and the girl nodded shyly, her eyes as big as saucers. Ellen was already dressed for dinner, and the charcoal dress in combination with a cascade of blonde tresses made for an impressive sight. Ellen caught the look of adoration in the girl’s eyes and smiled at her. Millicent was quite pretty herself, she thought. Her waist-long, chestnut-coloured hair was still damp from the washing and framed a heart-shaped face with large brown eyes. She was terribly thin though, as revealed by the short-sleeved maid’s dress. Her arms were mere sticks and her hands showed the traces of farm work such as broken nails, barely healed scratches and calluses.

“Please don’t work her too hard, Nadine, before she has some flesh back on her bones,” she told Nadine and the older woman nodded.

“I shall keep ‘er in ze kitchen, Miss Ellen. Zat way, she vill not go ‘ungry.”

Ellen smiled at Nadine with affection.

“Will you teach her how to cook? Richard and I might need a cook soon.”

Nadine was pleased. She took pride in her cooking and Ellen’s question implied appreciation.

“I shall try,” she said, ruffling the girls damp hair.

The next two days continued much in the same way. Richard and Ellen enjoyed riding and visited Woodbridge Manor, planning the changes they would need before they could move in. Ellen liked the house already. The idea to live next to Richard’s parents was appealing to her. When they returned on the third day, they saw a coach in the driveway indicating a visitor. Entering the house the footman approached Richard.

“Sir Anthony’s compliments and would you join him in the study, Master Richard?”

Curiously, Richard walked towards the study whilst Ellen went upstairs to change. In the study, Richard found his father and an elderly man whom Richard recognised as Mr. Tremont, a neighbour. The man had aged considerably. He knew that Tremont’s sons had emigrated to America. Obviously, missing his sons must weigh heavily on him Richard thought.

“Ah, there you are, Richard. You know Mr. Tremont of course.”

“Certainly, father! Your servant, Mr. Tremont.”

Tremont bowed in response.

“Mr. Tremont came here to inform me that he has received news from his sons. It seems as if they have made a fresh start in the former colonies, in South Carolina, wasn’t it?”

Mr. Tremont nodded. “They found good work as caretakers of a tobacco plantation, and they describe the opportunities there as very tempting. They will not return to England.”