Episode Six

The end of the first chapter.

The door to the library swung open and Mr Upton glided silently in. Claudette sat up and smoothed her skirt over her knees. With horror she noticed that her feet were only clad in stockings and her eyes darted around the room for her shoes. She remembered taking them off before she rang the door bell, she remembered sliding across the hall in her stockings but had no idea what had happened to them since then. Mr Upton coughed in the singular way English butlers always cough and glanced towards the floor next to the table. Claudette followed his gaze and was relieved to see her kitten heels splayed on the carpet where they must have dropped from her hand when she sat down. She bent to the side, grabbed them and was just in time to stand up fully shod when a middle aged lady ambled into the library.

“ Claudette, Mrs Howard, by appointment.”

Mr Upton placed a gentle hand on the small of Mrs Howard’s back and guided her very gently towards Claudette. It was all Claudette could do to resist dropping a curtsey. Mrs Howard looked around the library as if she’d never been in the room before and was steered very subtly by Mr Upton into the chair that Claudette had recently vacated. He stood back as Mrs Howard sank onto the chintz cushion and gazed up at Claudette.

“Find the young lady a chair, Upton, or I shall get a crick in my neck.”

Her voice was remarkably strong considering she looked frail and vacant to Claudette. The butler placed a low chair in front of Mrs Howard and indicated that Claudette should sit. She did as he indicated and found herself looking up at her new employer.

Mrs Howard stared at Claudette for an uncomfortably long time, memorising her features and reconciling them with the reference she had received from the agency. The girl did indeed seem clean and well presented, if a little modern in her apparel for Mrs Howard’s taste. She carried herself well, had a very pleasing smile and on the whole seemed a thoroughly suitable companion. It was always such a risk hiring someone sight unseen but a series of face to face interviews was more than Mrs Howard could bare. Well, the trial months would prove if she had chosen well or if the litany of letters recommending this candidate or that would have to begin again.

“Claudette, that’s a French name, isn’t it? Are your people French, my dear?”

Claudette looked down at her hands which were properly folded in her lap and sighed.

“I don’t know, madam. I know nothing about my people. I was abandoned as a baby and grew up in an orphanage. I think they gave me the name because one of the staff was a fan of Claudette Colbert.”

Mrs Howard smiled. How refreshing. No past to speak of, nothing tugging away at her to distract her from being a perfect companion.

“How interesting. I rather hoped you could converse in French, but no matter. We’ll manage very well with English. Although I think your French sounding name may lend you a certain cachet in Laverage.”

Claudette had no idea what cachet was but it didn’t sound like something bad. Maybe having a name unlike all the other girls could be turned to her advantage here in the same way it had been at school. 

“And only Upton calls me madam. Mrs Howard will do to start with. If things work out well, who knows, we may become more familiar in our address.”

Claudette caught Upton’s eyebrows shooting towards his receding hair line and stifled a giggle. Hardly here an hour and she’d already managed to shock the butler. This might yet turn out to be a most advantageous move.