“Of course. A husband’s place is by his wife’s side,” she said primly. “A stable is for horses.”
He gave her a crooked smile that said he knew full well she had just told him he was welcome in her bed.
16
Mina had thought it was unlikely Ivy’s flight would be discovered before the afternoon, but she was proved wrong in this respect. She was taking a break from stripping the rooms and pouring tea in the kitchen when Edna appeared flushed and distrait.
“Oh, Mrs. Nye!” she said, wringing her hands. “You’ll ne’er believe what that wicked girl has gone and done! And us expecting a regular swarm to descend on us any minute!”
“What is it Edna?” she asked in a steady voice as she poured a second cup for the agitated maid.
“She’s up and left! Stripped her room bare of all her worldly possessions and disappeared without a trace.” She plunked her hands on her scrawny hips. “Can you believe the like of it?”
“How very odd,” Mina murmured. “Perhaps there is some explanation. A sick relative or something of that nature.”
“Not her!” Enda answered with spirit. “Too steeped in sin and infamy to have a relative to her name!”
Mina hesitated, wondering what to do for the best. Should she take Edna into her confidence and ask her to delay telling Nye for a few hours or not? Ivy had begged her not to tell Nye, but she had not mentioned Edna.
Overall, she decided regretfully that ignorance was probably the best policy to employ. “Perhaps Nye is already aware of the fact,” she said aloud. “And can furnish us with the particulars.”
“Not he!” Edna huffed. “For ‘twas the master himself sent me up there to roust her as we need all the hands we can get.”
“Oh,” said Mina lamely. “Then I suppose he cannot know.”
A heavy footfall behind them, alerted her to Nye’s presence. “He cannot know what?” Nye asked, reaching for another cup and placing it before Mina. She hastened to pour him a drink as Edna took over.
“Oh, Master Nye! You’ll never believe it! That Ivy’s only gone and done a bunk and left us nicely in a stew!” she burst forth, two spots of red in her cheeks.
Mina thought Nye bit back a curse. “You’re sure?” he bit out.
Edna nodded; her lips tightly compressed. “All her things are gone, and the bed wasn’t even slept in last night.”
He swore filthily at that and Edna clapped her hands over her ears. “The lying jade said she had a headache,” he growled.
“Maybe she had her reasons,” Mina could not help but put in. Nye threw a scathing look her way, but Edna paid her no heed.
“What are we going to do?” Edna wailed.
“Well, we shall simply have to shift for ourselves,” Mina said calmly. “Cannot Reuben take a turn behind the bar?”
Nye looked up sharply at that. “What do you know of Reuben?” he demanded.
“He is the stable-hand with the ginger beard, is he not?”
He seethed a moment, though Mina could not imagine why he should be so cross she remembered the man’s name. “You just said yourself, he’s a stable-hand,” Nye pointed out tersely. “These events are the only time the stables are full. He’ll be needed out there.”
“Can you not hire anyone else from the village?” Mina asked reasonably.
Nye rolled his eyes. “I can’t find new staff when things are slow, let alone now at such short notice!”
“Well,” said Mina, drawing a deep breath. “Then we shall simply have to do the best we can. Edna and I have today and tomorrow to prepare. We can make those meat-filled pastries in advance—”
“Pasties,” Edna chimed in.
“Yes pasties,” Mina agreed. “We could cook up the mince and potatoes today in a great batch and then a large quantity of dough.”
Edna was tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Aye, that we could,” she agreed. “I’ll send Reuben down to the village for more flour and potatoes.”
“Are you on the roster to box?” she asked, turning to Nye.
“Not officially, but they’re bound to have a fighter or two fall through, when they realize they have to travel to the wilds of Cornwall,” he said dryly.
“I see, so you’ll be expected to step into the breach.”
He smiled grimly. “Exactly.”
“Edna, I’m afraid you will be needed to man the bar in that case, unless…”
“No,” said Nye. “You’ll not be setting foot in the public bar, Mina.” She couldn’t say she was disappointed, as in truth she would rather have dreaded it. Still, she had felt obligated to at least show willing. “You’re to stay behind the scenes,” Nye told her firmly.
Edna made a sound of agreement. “It won’t be the first time I’ve had to serve in the taproom,” she said sounding resigned to her fate. “We’ve kippers, a ham and a good quantity of salted pork in the larder for breakfast and supper.”
“On the Thursday, perhaps we could offer a roast lunch?” Mina suggested. “I’ve assisted you twice now on a Sunday and could very likely take over the cooking even if you still have to serve them, Edna.”
Edna nodded and looking a little reassured, wiped her hands on her apron and reached for her teacup. Feeling Nye’s gaze on her, Mina turned to him, but he looked away, clearing his throat.
“Well, then,” he said grudgingly. “We’ll just have to see how we go.”
After the two women had stripped the rooms on the second floor and made up the beds on the third, Edna dragged out the largest tub for laundering. Mina was given a sack of potatoes and a sack of onions to get started on the filling for all the pasties they would be serving over the next few days. She set to work with gusto and had filled three bowls with finely chopped onions when the door opened, and Gus appeared on the threshold.
“Well now Minnie,” he announced, setting his thumbs into his waistcoat and rocking back on his heels. “This is a very domesticated scene and no mistake!”
“Good morning, Gus.” She smiled. “How are you? I have not seen you this past week, I think.”
“You’re keeping much finer company than me, these days I fear,” he said, shaking his fluffy white head sadly. At Mina’s raised eyebrows, he added. “I hear you’ve been keeping company with the Faris’s at Vance Park and now there’s a fine gentleman waiting for you in your parlor room.”
“A fine gentleman?” Mina asked. “Do you mean Lord Faris?”
“I do not,” he said, stroking his moustaches. “It’s a fine tall gentleman who’s waiting on you.” He pursed his lips. “And said as his name was Carswell, I believe.” She looked up, startled to see Gus’s eyes fixed on her rather hard.
“Sir Matthew?” she asked, standing up from her seat. She clicked her tongue. “I wonder what he could want.” The timing could not be worse. “Is his ward with him?”
“His ward?” Gus cocked his head to one side.
It was funny how she had never noticed how shrewd his eyes could look, Mina thought distractedly, for all they were usually so blue and guileless. “A former pupil of mine named Cecily.”