he had taken to. Like him she had come from humble beginnings but he truly believed that she had a genuine talent and he had every intention of giving her the chance to develop it. He sincerely hoped that his talk this afternoon would make things easier for her, and to Amy’s relief it did. From then on the workers slowly began to accept her in her new role and she became a regular sight bent over some machine or other having the different jobs explained to her.
As Amy had learned at a very early age, Warwickshire was nothing short of a hatter’s paradise. It boasted everything it needed to meet a hatter’s demand in abundance. Blocks to shape the hats were fashioned from the leafy trees of the Warwickshire forests and woods. On the hillsides, outcrops of coal were easily accessible and used to fuel the felt-makers’ kettles, and all along the banks of the River Anker, the sheep that would provide the wool for the hats grazed peacefully. Numerous streams, mostly of which poured into the River Anker, fed Nuneaton and this gave the hatters the supply of water that was so important to their trade.
On top of all this, Samuel Forrester was fortunate enough to have in his employ an excellent ‘journeyman’ who ruled his apprentices with a rod of iron. Richard Paggett was a very accomplished craftsman at his trade and he would accept nothing less than perfection from those he taught, which was why Samuel Forrester’s hats were so highly regarded. It was this gentleman who was one of the first to accept Amy, following her promotion. She would often take one of her designs to him and ask his opinion on the way to shape it, discussing sizes and weights, and he soon recognised that she did indeed have an eye for design and respected her for it.
Things were looking up, Amy decided. It had been a difficult year in some ways, yet wonderful in others. Through it all, Molly remained Amy’s mainstay, the port in the storm where she could take shelter. And on this wonderful early-spring morning, as she hurried along the leafy Warwickshire lanes, Amy’s hopes were high. Mr Forrester and his wife had returned from their London townhouse almost three weeks before, and today he would be visiting the factory.
Amy had worked hard whilst the master had been gone and was looking forward to showing him some of the designs she had created while he had been away. She didn’t have to wait too long, for at ten o’clock Samuel Forrester strode into the factory, and after spending some time in his office, he then made his way to the design room. After speaking for some time to the other women present, he eventually went over to Amy and gave her a friendly smile. Amy thought he looked tired. His hair was peppered with grey and his face lined; yet for all that Samuel Forrester was still a fine-looking man.
Amy smiled back at him as he bent his head to look at the drawing board. His eyes also took in the pile of sketches on her desk.
‘It looks like you’ve been busy.’
Amy nodded. ‘I have, sir, though I must admit I’ve been spending quite some time on designs for gentlemen, and I have one that I’d particularly like you and Master Adam to look at.’
As she spoke she drew a sketch from the bottom of the pile and placed it before him. She had drawn three different sketches of this particular hat, all from different angles, and Samuel Forrester stroked his chin thoughtfully as he studied it.
She then ventured, ‘As you know, the menfolk – that is, the working class – tend to wear Billycocks for work and flat caps for high days and holidays. I thought this might be a nice alternative – you know, for them to wear for church and suchlike?’
He gazed at the hat intently. It was a jaunty little creation and it appealed to him. It wasn’t quite as dressy as the bowler hats and top hats favoured by the gentry, but eyecatching all the same. It had a narrow brim, a deeply indented crown and a pinch at the front.
‘I’ve already spoken to Mr Paggett and the dyers,’ she hurried on, her eyes brimming with excitement, ‘and they’ve both assured me that it would not be difficult or too expensive to produce. Oh! And I’ve got some samples of material that I thought might