Unforgettable (Gloria Cook) - By Gloria Cook Page 0,90
British stuff, isn’t afraid to put her hand to a few repairs about the place. If she’d married Mr Sedgewick when he was a young man there might have been children; an heir. Wish there was, with her sister Mrs Sanders also not having children, only God knows what’ll happen to Petherton in the future. Never heard the sisters mention they got cousins or any relatives. All I know about them is they said they’ve moved around a lot and come from a military background. Still, Mrs Mitchelmore is a lot younger than me so I’ll either be dead or nicely retired when she passes on – she’s given me to understand she’s set aside something for me in my old age. And you needn’t worry, maid.’ She eyed Tilly and jerked her head at Finn. ‘You’ll long be married with a family by then.’
Tilly gazed at Finn all aglow. His stomach sunk to his working boots. What had he got himself into? How could he have been so stupid and careless? He was in too deep to simply cut himself off from Tilly. He would just have to let things run, for now.
Tilly smiled at him and he found himself smiling back. Things could be worse, he supposed. Tilly was Tilly, after all, lovely, open and genuine.
Twenty-Nine
Summer had given way to autumn, and on a typical blustery day of grey skies and yellowing leaves fluttering down from the trees, Dorrie and Finn were in the library of Sunny Corner going over the final scripts, typed by Verity, and the accompanying artwork. They agreed the rhyming stories, one incorporating a woodland fairy princess who had lost her wings, and an elf, a pixie, a bunny, a squirrel, an ancient talking oak tree and a wise young owl who help her to find them, were ready to be packaged and posted to the literary agency in London, suggested by Verity. Dorrie would make the trip to the post office.
‘I don’t know anyone there personally,’ Verity had said. ‘I rang around and they’re recommended by Angela Blakely-Smythe. You remember her, Aunt Dor? The chubby, spotty school friend you kindly allowed to join us one summer hols while her parents swanned off to Monte for several weeks. Angela was always giggling and playing pranks. She’s turned out to be a curvy glamour puss, by the way. She knows all sorts of people. Angela says it’s your best bet really, but she’s given me a few more names and addresses you might like to try. I suppose things are still a bit tricky after the war. You’ve had an interested response to your initial letter, and Jack and I are keeping everything crossed for you.’
‘Satisfied, Finn?’ Dorrie asked, referring to her rhyming.
‘More than satisfied, Mrs R. Let’s go for lift-off. I’m not expecting great results for my contribution, it’s likely to be seen as a bit raw, publishers probably like to keep to their own illustrators, but that doesn’t matter as long as they want your stories. They might be able to do something with the other stuff I’m enclosing for war or ghost books. Not unexpectedly Guy has offered to pay to have loads of books published. He’s such an expert at emotional blackmail of the good intentioned kind, says it would be nice for Eloise. We can always think about that if we’re rejected.’
‘Well, I don’t care about myself,’ Dorrie said, stroking Corky’s smooth head just plonked on her knee. ‘I’m quite happy to keep my writing private. You’re the one who has to have a future, Finn.’
‘I’ve a better opportunity all round now that Guy is sponsoring my fees at the private art academy at Wadebridge, after Christmas. Living in, I’m going to miss Eloise like mad but it’s for the best. Mum can cope now and I’ve got the long-term future in mind. Now I’ve made enough for Denny to fix me up with an old Norton motorbike it won’t take me too long to slip home at the weekends and holidays. Guy is driving Mum and me to meet the principal, Dame Rosalind Keats. I’m looking forward to seeing her, she sounds quite a character.’
‘And will you miss Tilly also?’ Dorrie tilted her head at him.
‘Little Miss Dimples? Every time I see my drawings for our joint effort I’ll see Tilly, the fairy princess. Of course I’ll miss her, she’s my sweetheart.’ He smiled then reddened. ‘Never thought I’d be saying something like that.’