An Unsinkable Love - By Terri Benson Page 0,50
but Lady Rothberry was a woman of very limited taste. All her dresses were of the same style. I barely got away with changing trim and tiny details. Anything else and she would not accept it."
"We must work together, then. It will be such fun to discuss my designs with another woman."
"I would be honored to make patterns and sew for you,"
Bree said, excited to think she might have a hand in real design work.
From then on the conversation centered around clothing—
from type of cloth to colors, cuts, trims and lengths. When the women began discussing finer details, Malcolm stood and announced, "You two seem to have the situation well in hand.
I think I'll take a ride on old Soldier. He's probably gotten fat and lazy since I've been gone, and I know I could use the exercise. I won't be long."
Bree watched with admiration as he strode out of the room.
Elizabeth laughed and repeated her question again, drawing Bree's attention from the now-empty foyer. "Don't worry, my dear. You'll see so much of the boy you'll find yourself glad for a few moments alone now and again."
Bree shook her head. "I don't think so. I really don't."
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An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
They sat in the sunny room, sipping tea and discussing fashion throughout the afternoon. The sun had sunk behind a low hill by the time a maid appeared in the doorway.
"Cook says to ask when you'd be wantin' dinner, ma'am?"
Elizabeth looked up at the mantel clock. "Tell her to plan on seven o'clock. Malcolm has gone riding and Eldon has not yet returned from town."
"Very good, ma'am." The girl made a brief curtsy and disappeared.
At the mention of Eldon's name, Elizabeth seemed to grow restless and got up. She strolled to the wall of windows and pushed a latch. Bree was surprised to see one of the windows open like a door. The latch was concealed in a wooden rosette that blended into the carved design of the massive twelve-foot-tall door. The sound of birds warbling and insects humming drifted into the room with an early evening breeze.
Elizabeth was pensive and Bree stood and walked over to her.
"What is it? You seem worried," Bree asked.
"I've been thinking about how much I missed it here and wondering what the next few months will bring. Early this year there was trouble. The government reduced the hours worked by women and children in the mills. Percy spearheaded the legislation but after he died, no one thought to explain the plan to the workers before it went into effect.
Then Eldon apparently forgot to tell the bookkeeper to increase the wages to keep their paychecks the same, at least he said he forgot. When they got their pay and saw it was less than they were used to, they held a strike. The mill owners tried to force the women back to work. It got so ugly 163
An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
that the workers tried to send their children away to keep them safe. Someone, Malcolm thinks Eldon, called in hired thugs to prevent the children from getting on the trains. The men behaved horribly, beating the women and even some children, then took the women to jail. I couldn't find Eldon so I went down to the police station and made them let everyone go. Of course Eldon was furious. He said I should have stayed out of business decisions, but by then it was too late."
Elizabeth turned away. "That was the first time he struck me.
He'll be livid now Malcolm is stepping in to manage the company."
Bree reached out and laid her hand on the older woman's arm. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I really do know what it was like for you."
Elizabeth sighed heavily. "He's right to blame me. I'm foolish to think I can manage the business. I shouldn't meddle."
"Those are his words, aren't they?" Bree asked softly.
Elizabeth's mouth turned up in a hint of a smile. "You do know. Yes, to begin with, they were his words. Sometimes I can't help but believe them. It's been so awful. I didn't want anyone to know, especially Malcolm."
Bree nodded. "I understand, because I watched the same thing happen to my mother. I don't know how it was when they first married, but for as long as I can remember my father beat my mother, nearly every day. I listened to her pleas for mercy. I heard him tell her she was stupid, or