Mask of Duplicity (The Jacobite Chronicles Book 1) by Julia Brannan Read Free Book Online Page A

Richard had commanded, rather than ‘Beth’ as she preferred. They seemed to be constantly hurrying from one place to another, with no time to stop for a chat, and there was a general hunted look about all of them except Graeme, Thomas and Jane, who were too old to be so easily cowed, although even they were growing more reserved with each passing day. Beth made a resolution to arrange a meeting with them all as soon as possible in order to find out exactly what was going on. She had seen no signs that Richard was actually abusing them, although he was, as she had feared, very strict and demanding. She still had hopes that he would relax with them in time, as he now seemed to be doing with her.
    It was a great relief to be out of the house for a while, and Beth’s mood brightened considerably as she rode to the neighbouring village of Withington to meet Mary. Mary Williamson’s mother Sarah had been a close friend of Beth’s mother, and they had worked together as seamstresses before Ann was lucky enough to marry Henry Cunningham. In spite of the social differences now between them, the two women had remained close friends for the rest of their lives. Their daughters used to play together as children while their mothers talked, and had also become good friends. Mary was now employed as an embroiderer, but today was her half-day off, and Beth settled down happily in Mary’s small but pleasantly furnished room for an afternoon of relaxed chatting.
    Mary was excited for two reasons; firstly because her employer had very generously provided her with a small quantity of the fashionable and expensive beverage tea, and had even loaned her a tea service so that she could really play the lady. The second reason, as she explained to Beth once they were sipping the fragrant brew, was that she had met a young man and was now courting seriously.
    “He’s working in Manchester for Mr Thwaite, the gentleman’s tailor, but he’ll have the opportunity to become a partner in the firm once he’s of age. We’re saving every penny we can at the moment towards it. Once he’s a partner, we are going to be married. Oh, I don’t know how I’m going to wait two whole years! It is so difficult to say goodbye to him at the end of the day.”
    She was really smitten. Beth smiled.
    “As long as he feels the same way about you, I’m sure he’ll be willing to wait for you. Why do you have to wait until he’s a partner, though? With both your wages you should be able to rent a room together and live passably well.”
    “Yes, we could. But then we wouldn’t be able to save anything. And Joseph has to buy his way into the firm. Mr Thwaite is being very generous, especially because Joseph’s a Catholic, and Mr Thwaite is Anglican. He only wants fifty pounds, but that’s a lot to us. And then Joseph’s father insists that we wait. He wants us to have a good start in life. He said he will give us twenty pounds at the end of the year. He’s right. After all, if we were to marry now, and then a baby came along straight away, we’d be trapped.” Mary had certainly thought it through.
    “Will Father Kendall marry you or are you going to have a civil ceremony?” Beth asked.
    “Father Kendall will marry us. We may have a civil ceremony as well, but as long as we’re married in the eyes of God, I couldn’t give a fig for the authorities. But when are you going to find a nice young man, Beth? Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could be married together?” Mary’s face creased as she saw Beth’s despondent look. “What have I said wrong?”
    “That’s what my brother is asking,” Beth said sourly. “Although he’d have an apoplexy if I married a Catholic. He wants me to make a great match to get us out of our financial difficulties.” She went on to give an outline of Richard’s plan and her rejection of it, although she did not mention his manhandling her.
    “Well, it would be one way of getting away from your brother, if he’s as