Rose Rivers Read online

‘Oh, very much. It is a real privilege to have such a beautiful watch,’ said Rupert, slipping the replacement back into his waistcoat pocket.

  ‘I’d better have a word with Cook about lunch. I wonder how many we will be? All the guests are gone now, thank heavens. By the way, little Portia seems to have taken a shine to you, Rupert, my boy!’

  ‘She’s a very sweet girl, Grandmama,’ said Rupert, smirking.

  ‘All the girls seem to be dazzled by Rupert, though heaven knows why,’ I said tartly.

  ‘I think I observe a flash of green in your eyes, Rose!’ said Grandmama. ‘Don’t fret, dear. I’m sure you’ll come into your own one day. Indeed, your mama was very childish-looking and plain until she was well into her teens, but then, thank goodness, she blossomed. I’m sure you will too.’

  I swallowed, taking the insult on the chin.

  ‘Now run along, dear, and see if you can help quieten your sister. I can still hear caterwauling again,’ said Grandmama.

  ‘You come too, Rupert. You’re good at charming Beth,’ I said.

  ‘I dare say he is, but the nursery is hardly the place for young menfolk,’ said Grandmama. ‘Rupert’s task is to sit and charm me. I don’t see enough of you, dear boy.’

  I walked out of the room seething, wondering for the hundredth time why boys had such an easy time – but then I realized that the crying upstairs had stopped abruptly. I ran up to the amber room, terrified in case Beth had hurt herself. But Papa was standing in the doorway, smiling. He put his arm round me, and I saw that Clover and Beth were sitting side by side on the bed, the yellow curtains drawn back. Clover had spread her new drawing book across their knees. She had a pencil in her hand. Beth had a yellow crayon.

  ‘Now we’re going to draw ten ladies,’ said Clover. ‘I’ll draw lady number one.’

  ‘One,’ Beth repeated, sniffing. She needed my handkerchief again, but Clover wisely didn’t try to wipe her nose. Beth started fidgeting, jogging Clover so that she drew a long straight line.

  ‘I think lady number one wants long hair,’ said Clover, adding more long lines. ‘There we are. It’s right down to her waist. She looks like you, Miss Beth. She’s very pretty.’

  ‘Very pretty,’ said Beth, but now she was looking around the room, wanting that horrible addictive medicine.

  ‘Try to keep still, Miss Beth. It’s your turn now. Lady number one wants an amber necklace. You’ve got the magic yellow crayon. Give her necklace number one!’

  ‘Necklace number one,’ said Beth, and she crayoned enthusiastically. Each amber bead looked as big as an apple, and the necklace reached right down to the lady’s knees, but Clover praised her extravagantly.

  I saw that Papa’s eyes were damp. ‘Clover’s such a clever little witch with Beth,’ he whispered to me. ‘She’s going to have her hands full, but I truly think she’ll manage her.’

  Clover looked up, her green eyes bright. ‘Now we’ll draw lady number two. Here’s her head. I think she’ll have wild hair like mine. See – scribble, scribble, scribble. Now she looks like Clover.’

  ‘Like Clover. Like Clover. Like Clover,’ said Beth.

  ‘There!’ said Papa. ‘Let’s leave them to it. Perhaps I should see if your mama is feeling any better so that I can try and make my peace with her.’ He took a deep breath and then walked off resolutely.

  I WENT TO the nursery, wondering if I might copy Clover and amuse the children by drawing with them. However, for once they were all playing peacefully. Nurse had found a huge box of bricks to keep them busy.

  Sebastian was making a mouse castle for Montmorency, with ramps for him to run up and down and battlements for him to peer over. Algie was making a very wobbly fort with hairpin soldiers battling each other. Clarrie was making a Noah’s Ark, wanting to float it on the pond in the garden.

  I squatted down and tried to give a helping hand, but my suggestions only irritated them, even Sebastian.

  ‘Thank you, Rose, I’ll ask Montmorency if he’d like a four-poster bed with handkerchief curtains, but I rather think he’d nibble them and give himself a stomach ache,’ he said politely.

  ‘I don’t want you to help me make a bigger, better fort. This one was the biggest, bestest fort ever, but the soldiers have blown most of it up, see. Watch out, there’s going to be another explosion any minute!’ said Algie, suddenly punching one of the flimsy walls and making it tumble down.

  ‘You’re stupid, Rose. Of course my Ark will float, and all the animals will be saved, and Mr and Mrs Noah and all the little children. It says so in the Bible!’ Clarrie insisted piously.

  I gave up and went to see if I could amuse my littlest sister, picking her up out of her cradle.

  ‘For pity’s sake, Miss Rose, I’ve only just this minute rocked the child to sleep. She was fretful all night because of the disturbance. Put her back before she starts crying,’ Nurse grumbled.

  I tucked her in again, but as soon as her head touched her pillow she started wailing.

  ‘What did I tell you!’ said Nurse. ‘Really, what a waste of space you are!’

  A waste of space. It was one of Nurse’s favourite sayings. She said it about Sebastian when Montmorency got loose. She said it about Algie when he got up to some tomfoolery. She said it about Clarrie when she fell and dirtied her dress. She’d said it about Beth until Nurse Budd came along.

  But I still couldn’t help taking it personally. She was right. I felt like a waste of space. I had no charm like Rupert, no artistic talent like Clover, no knack with the children. I would never blossom, no matter what Grandmama said. No one would ever fall in love with me. I’d never stand a chance with Paris. He wanted girls like the red-haired beauty last night.

  I stomped out of the nursery. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t want to distract Beth if Clover was managing to amuse her. I didn’t want to go near Mama or Papa. I didn’t want to trail back to Grandmama and Rupert.

  I wandered the house mournfully, peeping into the ballroom. It looked so different by daylight, empty except for two maids down on their knees at either end polishing the floor. They were red in the face, their sleeves rolled up, in spite of the cold. They still had a vast expanse to shine. They both looked up and nodded at me.

  ‘Happy New Year, miss!’ they chorused in unison.

  I wished them Happy New Year back, though it didn’t seem a very happy start to the new year for them. It certainly wasn’t for me. There seemed to be an army of servants everywhere, sweeping, sorting, tidying, dusting. I couldn’t find anywhere peaceful. I longed to curl up and read a book on the window seat at home. I had brought several with me, but they were up in the amber room.

  I stopped a maid who was sweeping up pine needles from under the Christmas tree.

  ‘I’m sorry, I can’t quite remember – does Pennycuik have a library?’ I asked. ‘You know, a room full of books,’ I added when she looked blank.

  ‘A whole room?’ she said. ‘I don’t think so, miss. I’m sure there’s books in your grandpapa’s study, but he doesn’t like us to go in and dust too often because he says we muddle all his papers.’

  ‘Do you think he’d mind me looking for something to read?’ I asked.

  ‘Hard to say, miss,’ she said.

  ‘I shall look all the same,’ I said grandly, though I felt very anxious about going into Grandpapa’s study. I knocked on the door several times, though I was pretty sure he was still out riding.

  He had a very large Regency desk, its green leather top almost entirely covered with papers and receipts and account books. I kept well away, and went over to the bookcase. I opened the glass doors and peered at the large tomes, examining them one by one. There were histories of the jute industry, several books on Dundee, a general guide to Scotland, and various titles about hunting, shooting and fishing, all equally uninteresting. Then I saw a book tucked behind these big masculine volumes. The Human Body – a Medical Guide.

  I eased it out and opened it up. At least there were illustrat