Page 69

“It’s me, Miss Theodora,” returned Mrs. Cherwell.

“Oh! Come in.”

The door opened and Mrs. Cherwell’s head peered round. “Just to let you know the bath’s full now.” Theo blinked at her. “Your ‘usband said as how you wanted one this morning,” she continued seeing Theo’s blank expression.

“Oh! Of course,” Theo replied with haste, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. “My wits have gone a-begging this morning! Thank you so much.”

She had a lovely long soak in the tub and a speedy wash of her short locks. She had a sneaking suspicion that Clem did not care for her short hair, but really, she could not bring herself to regret the somewhat drastic decision.

She loved it personally, and besides, there were other aspects of her person that Clem seemed very appreciative of, she consoled herself, glancing down at her body as she toweled herself off. She spent a few moments lost in contemplation of his extraordinary appreciation for her mediocre charms.

It was too chilly in the bathroom to continue mooning over her husband, so instead, she hurried downstairs to dress and then down to take her breakfast. This consisted of ham and eggs, tea, and toast. A small pile of letters and cards was sat on the table and Theo quickly sifted through them, hoping to see a telegram or letter from Hetty.

To her disappointment, there was nothing from France. She did however get an appointment card from J. Finch & Sons Quality Tailor, citing a time that very afternoon. Theo’s eyes widened. It was not much notice, and she would need an escort. She pondered this as she chewed her toast.

In the end, rather than disturbing Clem at his work, she decided to see if she could engage Vincent’s services instead. He worked the door at the theatre for the matinee and evening performances, but he should be free for her four o’clock appointment with Charlie Finch.

It seemed an ideal solution to her dilemma, and she could see how he was coping after Henrietta’s desertion. Carrying her half-full teacup upstairs she spent an hour sorting through her wardrobe which was overfull now it was shared and haphazardly pulled out a few garments that she had never been pleased with or which were falling apart. Theo’s dressmaking skills were far from top-notch and nothing she made ever lasted past the six-month mark. This had never bothered her overmuch as she liked selecting new patterns and fabrics to experiment with.

Once she had collected an armful of clothes, she moved them into the sewing room and deposited them on a chair for future projects. Then she made her way back and carefully washed the two exquisite liqueur glasses Clem had bought and took them into the sitting room.

To her surprise, she found the case with four more of them and promptly unpacked them and placed all six in the glass front cabinet. That was when the wallpaper samples caught her eye on the table. She moved over to examine them and felt herself grow a little lightheaded. They were so pretty and so decadent!

She glanced about the room, trying to picture the rich blues and golds on the walls, but the respectable chintz of the existing wallpaper hampered her vision. No doubt some might think them a little on the garish side, but Theodora had never shrunk from boldness. Would Clem really have the sitting room papered in such fabulous material? She felt a pleasurable anticipation at the thought.

That was when the open sweet box caught her eye. Now, who had opened that? It must have been Clem, she decided, drawing it closer and sniffing the heady aroma of chocolate and cherries. She closed her eyes. They smelled divine. Would he mind if she sampled one? She did not think so. He was always so incredibly open-handed with her.

Reaching into the lavender tissue paper she extracted a perfectly round bonbon of dark glossy chocolate topped with attractive reddish flecks of crystallized fruit. Raising it to her lips, she took a bite and had to sink into a saggy sofa to enjoy the burst of decadent flavors. The filling was a whole cherry, steeped in brandy, and combined with the rich chocolate it was a heady experience. Goodness, it was good.

Theo slumped back in the seat with a happy sigh. Before she knew what she had done, she had eaten four of them! Staring guiltily at the hexagonal box decorated with birds, she stuffed down the tissue and slid the lid back on before tying the luxuriant ribbon. They must have cost a fortune and were no doubt for important visitors!

Hearing the grandfather clock strike from downstairs, she glanced up at the old clock on the mantle which always ran twenty minutes slow. After making an adjustment for time accuracy she fancied it was now about a quarter to one. She would need to set out for The Parthenon. Running downstairs, she told Mrs. Cherwell she was going out.

“You’ve not touched your lunch!” the other replied, elbow deep in floury dough.

“Lunch?”

Mrs. Cherwell sniffed. “I put it under a cover for you in the dining room.”

“I am so sorry,” a stricken Theo replied at once. “My time keeping has been awful so far today and I had an appointment come up unexpectedly. Perhaps Mr. Allsop could …?”

“Huh!” the housekeeper responded. “I’m not making lunch for the likes of ‘im!”

“To be honest Mrs. Cherwell, I had not the smallest expectation that you would make it for me on a daily basis,” Theo admitted. “You never used to.”

“Things is different now,” Mrs. Cherwell responded staunchly, kneading her dough with ferocity.

“Well, I am very sorry to have put you to the trouble for nothing.”

“It weren’t no trouble for you, as it ‘appens,” Mrs. Cherwell conceded, climbing down off her high horse.

Theodora was touched. “Well, that is very good of you. I shall be back before dinner, never fear.”

“What am I to say to that ‘usband of yours when he barges in my kitchen demanding to know where you are?”

“Oh, um …” Theo considered how best to reply without scandalizing the housekeeper. “Tell him … tell him I had an appointment come up with Charlie Finch.”

Mrs. Cherwell’s eyebrows shot up into her mob cap. “Oh yes,” she said with a marked tone. “That’ll go down a treat, no doubt.”