A Village Feud Read online

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  It was only some awful old movies and Teletubbies on the TV, so Beth watched the end of it and fell asleep only to wake with one of her nightmares.

  The feelings were so powerful, the fear so real, that she could hear herself screaming and screaming but couldn’t stop it. Sylvia had popped home for a few minutes and didn’t hear. Caroline was in the garden giving it the last of her pre-winter routine and didn’t hear. The only one who heard was Anna, using Peter’s study as she did every day in his absence.

  She rushed into the sitting room and took hold of Beth, trying to comfort her. But Beth fought her off. ‘Get off me! Let me go!’

  ‘Steady, Beth, it’s only Anna. Please calm down, dear, you’re safe at home. There, there, that’s better. Gently does it. Nothing to fear. Would you like a glass of water perhaps?’

  Beth nodded, dug in her jeans pocket for a tissue, saying, ‘Sorry. I didn’t know who it was. Sorry.’

  ‘That’s OK. Water coming up.’ Anna went into the kitchen, ran the tap and carried the glass to Beth. Just as she crossed the hall Sylvia came through the front door.

  ‘Just a minute. What are you doing?’

  ‘Just getting Beth a glass of water.’ She held up the glass for Sylvia to see.

  ‘You’re not here to look after Beth, you’re here to do the Rector’s work and that’s all.’

  Anna went through to the sitting room. Beth was still sobbing, though less panicky than she had been. Anna handed her the glass. ‘Here we are, Beth dear. Drink it steadily, you don’t want to choke.’

  Then she turned back to Sylvia in the hall. ‘So because you weren’t here I should have left the child to cry? Mmmm?’

  ‘Well, no, but she’s best with her mother or me, not a stranger.’

  ‘Her mother is in the garden and didn’t hear. You weren’t here so what was I to do? There’s no need to boil over about it. I’m not interfering, just caring.’

  By now they were talking by the study door and neither of them heard Caroline wiping her boots on the mat outside the back door, but she heard their raised voices and couldn’t avoid over-hearing their conversation while she struggled to take them off.

  Sylvia was hopping with temper and saying belligerently, ‘Well, don’t bother.’

  ‘You’re being unreasonable. I’m not trying to usurp your position with Beth who’s known you all her life. Certainly not. I think—’

  ‘Well, don’t. This is my domain. Full stop.’

  ‘This is ridiculous.’ By now Anna was furious at having found herself in the midst of this petty squabble. ‘I have nothing more to say.’ She banged the study door shut and left Sylvia fuming.

  Caroline had walked into the hall in her stockinged feet so Sylvia had no warning she was listening. ‘What on earth is going on?’

  Sylvia spun round and immediately felt embarrassed, which brought on a spiteful attack against Anna, concluding with. ‘… So I won’t have it, she’s here because the Rector isn’t and that’s all.’

  Caroline called out, ‘Beth! Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes, thanks, Mum, just woke up frightened. But it’s OK now.’ The tremble in Beth’s voice hurt Caroline to the core.

  ‘Sylvia, in the kitchen, please.’

  Caroline closed the door very positively, and asked Sylvia to sit down. ‘I will not have rows going on in my house. We have enough problems with Alex and Beth, and we don’t want anything else right now. Don’t ever speak to Anna in that manner again. She is a member of the clergy doing an excellent job of minding the store, so to speak, while Peter’s away. If he’d heard you speak to Anna in that tone you would have been ashamed of yourself, wouldn’t you?’

  Sylvia began fumbling for a tissue in her apron pocket.

  ‘What on earth had she done?’

  Sylvia found the tissue.

  ‘Well?’

  ‘Got a glass of water for Beth because she’d woken up frightened and I’d popped home for a minute and you were in the garden—’

  ‘So you’d rather Beth was left to scream?’

  ‘No, no, of course not, but—’ Sylvia wiped her eyes.

  ‘But nothing. I would prefer you to apologize to Anna, it’s only right to do so.’ Sylvia showed no signs of getting up from her chair. ‘Go and apologize to Anna, this minute, please.’

  ‘I will not.’

  Exasperated, Caroline suggested she went home and thought about it. ‘Come back after lunch, when you’ve calmed down. You can apologize then.’

  ‘It was like when that Louise was helping the Rector. She tried to take over, remember? She tried to take your place. I won’t stand for it again.’

  ‘Only because she thought she fancied Peter and as he isn’t here …’ Caroline stopped herself speaking to prevent worsening the situation.

  ‘I’ll go home. Have a think.’

  ‘Good. I can never thank you enough for the care you take of the children, but your love for them must not be allowed to get out of hand, must it? I’m sorry, perhaps I’ve been a little too forthright, but speaking to Anna like that … it’s not right, is it?’ Caroline put a comforting hand on Sylvia’s arm and smiled gently at her.

  Sylvia shook her head. Then she tossed her apron on the hall table and fled home to Willie, hurt and upset.

  Caroline’s discomfort was eased by finding she had an e-mail from Peter.

  Darling Caroline,

  An auspicious day! We have laid the first bricks of our new church. The local commanding officer in charge of our part of the world has decided that the church and the clinic are urgent and has pulled out all the stops to get things started up for us. He’s a charming man, full of goodwill, but Elijah tells me a very different story about him when he was putting down the rebellion. However, one can only speak of people as you find them and he is well disposed towards me. Elijah avoids him as much as he can, and refuses to speak to him if he can avoid it without causing bother. His name is Michael and he comes sometimes to spend the evening talking philosophy! How are my darling wife and my beloved children? Thriving as well as they can without me, I hope. I find it hard and lonely without you all.

  Love and more love to the three of you.

  Peter

  It eased Caroline’s distress a little to be able to send an e-mail straight back to Peter, explaining about the upset she’d had with Sylvia and how pleased she was that things were going so well with him.

  Lunchtime came and went and still Sylvia hadn’t come back, so Caroline, in one of her no-nonsense moods, went next door to see how things stood.

  ‘It’s me, Caroline. Can I come in?’

  Willie, a devotee of both Caroline and Peter, considered himself above little upsets where they were concerned, and was very angry that Sylvia had behaved as she did.

  ‘Come in, Doctor Harris. Come in.’

  ‘Hope I’m not disturbing you?’

  ‘Never, you’re welcome any time. Come about Sylvia? Sit down.’

  Caroline sat on the nearest chair.

  Willie got straight to the point. ‘I’ve told her she’d no right to say anything at all. The Reverend Anna was only doing what she should have done, helping a child in distress without giving it a second thought. My Sylvia’s in bed with a bad head, and it’s all her own fault and she knows it.’

  ‘Ah! Right. I see. So is she coming back, do you think?’

  Willie looked uncomfortable and finally came out with it. ‘I’ve told her she’s not to. Frankly, though she loves coming round to yours, it’s getting too much for her, it really is. Mind’s willing but the flesh is weak. She’s not a spring chicken any more, is she, and I think it’s time she gave it up. Maybe we could sit in for you sometime, though I expect both Alex and Beth think they’re old enough to manage without us two old fuddy-duddies coming round.’

  ‘They think no such thing, as you know only too well. If that’s the case, and you’re sure that’s how Sylvia feels, then so be it. After all, she’s been with me for almo
st fourteen years; she’s done her stint. Give her my love when she gets up and tell her not to be embarrassed or anything when she meets me, because we parted amicably, as far as I’m concerned. The children will miss her, though. Are you sure this is what she wants?’

  ‘I’m sure. She won’t admit it but I’m sure. And I’m sorry she was rude to the Reverend. Very sorry.’

  The cottage was small and Caroline’s voice strong, and the sound of their conversation crept right the way up the stairs. Sylvia heard every word without even straining. She was so cold she had to pull the duvet up round her shoulders and she got her handkerchief out from under the pillow and bit on it to stop herself from crying out. Hearing Willie saying as Caroline left, ‘See you in church on Sunday, if not before, Doctor Harris, and thanks for being so considerate. It comes to all of us, feeling old does,’ was more than she could bear.

  She thought she’d die of grief. But Willie was right. All those stairs up to the second floor and the size of that kitchen floor. If it hadn’t been for the children and the dear Rector, how she loved him, she’d have given up years ago. Now it had happened. It was the lovely furniture and the ornaments and such she loved, elegant things she would have loved to have the money to buy, but never had and never would.

  In her mind’s eye she could see the Rector that day when he’d met her outside the cottage in Penny Fawcett she was having to leave. He’d told her how difficult Caroline was finding it looking after the newborn twins and how, when he suggested it, she’d jumped at the chance to housekeep for them and the chance of a bed in that cosy attic room high in the rafters. Those were the days. She turned over and wept.

  The very next time she went into the Village Store, Harriet was working in the kitchens at the back. Hearing her voice, she came through to give her a message for Caroline.

  ‘Could you let Caroline know, I’ve ordered those things she wanted and they’ll be in when the van comes on Friday? Tell her—’

  ‘I don’t work there any more.’

  ‘Oh! I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. Too much, is it?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  She’d just finished paying for her shopping when Harriet had come through to see her so she was able to make her escape quickly. But not before just about everyone in the Store had heard what she said.

  The whole place buzzed with the news and everyone’s reaction to it.

  Sheila Bissett thought the world must have come to an end. Sylvia not working at the Rectory? She’d worked there for years and let everyone know she felt a cut above them all because she was privy to snippets of news which she would never divulge, much to everyone’s annoyance.

  Harriet assumed that Sylvia and Caroline had had words, and could see from Sylvia’s face how devastated she was, and felt sad.

  Greta Jones guessed it was over the Reverend Anna being there each day in Peter’s study and that Sylvia had rowed with her. Greta’s guess was the closest, but Sylvia deserved much more sympathy than she, Greta Jones, was willing to give.

  Jenny Sweetapple, taking an age to choose a birthday card for her gran, thought: whoever gets the job will be ripe for passing on gossip and not half.

  Dottie Foskett was in at the same time and wondered if this was an opportunity for her. She wasn’t needed as much at Louise and Gilbert’s now that Louise was so much better, so why not have a go? It would be a real step up for Dottie Foskett and no mistake. Cleaning at the Rectory? My word. Oh! Yes! So she paid for her shopping, hesitated for a moment outside by the post box, thinking Dr Harris’ud be certain to say no, seeing it was her asking. No harm in going round there, though.

  It was Caroline who came to the door and looked surprised to see Dottie on her doorstep.

  ‘Hello, Dottie! Nice to see you. Are you wanting to see Anna?’

  Dottie looked up at Caroline and wondered how she’d plucked up the courage to come to ask for a job. ‘Well, actually, the truth is, Doctor Harris, it’s like this. I’ve just heard Sylvia in the Store saying she’d stopped working for you and I wondered if there might be a vacancy?’

  Caroline couldn’t believe her good luck. People willing to help in the house nowadays were prized above rubies even if their morals were considered doubtful. ‘Come in, please. We’ll go in the kitchen because Beth’s watching TV in the sitting room at the moment.’

  Dottie was glad. The kitchen felt more like her, rather than the Rectory sitting room.

  Caroline got Dottie seated at the kitchen table. While she put the kettle on Dottie had a look round. My, but this was a lovely kitchen. It spelled welcome in every inch of it. Every single inch. Kind of golden and sunny, it smelled of good food and comfort with its terracotta floor, and the huge Aga so much at home you could have thought it was put in when the house was built. The curtains were so pretty, all kind of old-fashioned and just right in the nicest possible way.

  She thought about her own poky place and envy took a stranglehold on her heart. ‘Lovely room, this.’

  ‘You should have seen it when we moved in. It was appalling. Milk and sugar, Dottie?’

  ‘Milk, no sugar, thank you very much.’

  ‘There we are, then. Is that too strong? I’m afraid strong tea is a Harris thing, Dottie. Do you mind me calling you Dottie or would you rather Mrs Foskett?’

  Dottie began to relax. ‘I’ve been called worse. Most people call me Dottie, if that’s all right with you.’

  ‘It is. I must be upfront about this job. I don’t need someone to do the light dusting but rather someone to do the harder work like the kitchen floor, the bathrooms, the vacuuming, the door steps, and the top floor bedroom and bathroom. You see, I always have that ready in case we get an unexpected visitor, this being the Rectory.’

  ‘That’s right. That night Maggie Dobbs got herself scared out of her wits, she slept there.’

  Caroline nodded. ‘Well, now, that’s just it. If, and I say if, you were to work for me, you must not – and I repeat not – tell anyone at all about what goes on in here. Anything you overhear has to be dismissed from your mind as soon as you leave the house. Do you understand? It is of paramount importance. People have to feel they can tell Peter anything at all and that it won’t go further than these four walls.’

  ‘Of course. For years Sylvia knew things we’d all have loved to know but she never split on you, not once. Used to make everyone quite annoyed.’ Dottie burst into laughter and then immediately realized Caroline was not laughing. She shut up like a clam. ‘Sorry. I do understand and I will be silent on what goes on here. If you give me the job, that is.’

  ‘But do you have time? What with Louise and the old lady you clean for and that retired colonel in Penny Fawcett, you must be kept very busy.’

  ‘Oh, I am, but the old man’s gone in a home. His house is up for sale. Pity, he was very nice. Louise isn’t needing me every day like she did now she’s feeling a bit better. Everyone knows what a good cleaner I am. There won’t be no dust left on top of the grandfather clock when Dottie’s been round with her duster, believe me. Trained in a convent, you see, and you should try pleasing some embittered old nun, oh my! Holy they might be, but they’ve eyes all way round their heads. Hard lesson, but I learned it if only to save my skin. You can rely on me.’

  ‘Do you bake?’

  Dottie gulped down the mouthful of tea she’d just sipped and laughed. How she laughed. Finally she stopped holding her ribs and said, ‘No. I live out of the cheap end of Jimbo’s freezer, ask anyone.’

  ‘Right, I see. Well, once I’ve got Beth back to school I shall be going back to medicine but not yet a while, and Peter will be back in July. I shall want the house in applepie order when I get back each day, any washing and ironing done, lunch for Peter, cleaning done, everything smelling fresh and sweet. And, of course, Peter will need looking after too.’

  The whole glorious idea of the situation opening up before her filled Dottie with joy. My God, what a chance! What an eye-opener it was going to be. Looking
after the Rector. Bless him, the dear man. Of course she would. ‘That sounds right up my street. I’d be honoured to be able to help.’

  Caroline got up. ‘Come and have a look round the house. The study is only cleaned when Peter is out visiting or whatever. If he’s home and in the study, he’s not to be disturbed. When you can get in there you may dust his bookshelves, vacuum the carpet, tidy the cushions in the easy chairs and clean the window, but his desk and his computer have to be left completely alone.’

  Dottie followed Caroline up the stairs. ‘Yes, yes, I’ll remember that.’

  By the time she’d seen all the bedrooms and the attic and taken a peep in the sitting room and caught Beth’s lovely smile when she acknowledged her, and seen the up-to-date washing machines, the stunning iron and the ironing board that came out of a cupboard with no more effort than the use of her little finger, Dottie was enchanted. She should be paying them to clean here. What a pleasure it was going to be.

  Caroline laid down a few more ground rules. ‘I’m Doctor Harris and my husband is the Rector and we’ll keep to that. If you’re interested and want to work for me we can discuss terms.’

  ‘I do want. I’d be honoured to work here, believe you me, and thank you for offering me the job.’

  ‘Another thing: if I’m not here and someone comes to the door for the Rector or for Anna, you’ll need to knock on the study door, open it and tell them who has come to see them and then show them in. Right! We’ll say a month on trial and we’ll see how we like each other. It’ll take a while for me to get used to someone different because I’ve been so used to Sylvia, knowing what’s where and what not, so you’ll have to be patient with me. Thank you for coming round so promptly. Now, another cup of tea while we discuss terms?’

  ‘Yes, please.’

  When Dottie left the house her mind was in a whirl. A kaleidoscope of memories, a rainbow of colours. All the ornaments. The beautiful furniture. The sitting-room fireplace. Absolute bliss. She almost danced along the road on her way home. What luck. And to be paid well, too; it was beyond belief. Start Monday. Yes! She punched the air with her clenched fist. Roll on Monday!