The Painter's Apprentice by Charlotte Betts Read Free Book Online

‘And Lady Arabella is with them.’
    Jennet dropped the pan with a clatter and Peg looked up with an expression of dismay in her grey eyes. ‘Oh Lord!’ she said.
    ‘Sara, Mama said can you air the best bedroom? Sam and Josh will have the blue room, as usual. And Peg, will you take refreshments
     to the little parlour?’
    ‘Oh Lord!’ said Peg again. ‘Lady Arabella would have to come onthe day I can only offer stale cake.’ She sniffed. ‘Still, I’ve better things to do than wait on a papist’s whims and fancies.’
    ‘Hush, Peg!’
    ‘When her ladyship is being her most difficult,’ said Jennet, ‘I always remind myself she only comes from Shoreditch, like
     me, and I suppose she isn’t enough of a papist to do any real harm.’
    ‘Noah, will you let me introduce you to Josh and Sam?’ said Beth.
    Noah frowned. ‘Father and Aunt Susannah’s younger brothers?’
    Beth smiled. ‘It’s strange, isn’t it? They are only a little older than me so I always think of them as cousins rather than
     uncles since they spent so much time at Merryfields when they were growing up. It suited Lady Arabella to have them off her
     hands.’
    ‘And Lady Arabella must be the disagreeable woman that Grandfather Cornelius married?’
    ‘She’s so full of airs and graces. The only one of us who admires her is Cecily, rather more for the extravagances of her
     wardrobe than for her disposition, I’m sorry to say.’
    ‘She’s an appalling woman and no grandmother of mine,’ said Kit with feeling. ‘Especially since she married Sir George Vernon
     a couple of years ago. He’s secretary to James Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James and a known
     papist. Would you
believe
that Lady Arabella converted to Catholicism to hook him in?’
    ‘Mama always did say that she turned with the prevailing wind,’ said Beth. ‘And you can be absolutely sure she’ll mention
     that her husband has a place at Court within the first twenty minutes of conversation.’
    ‘Sir George is her fourth husband,’ Kit said, ‘and the first three are dead. I can’t help wondering how long poor Sir George
     will last.’
    Noah raised his eyebrows. ‘She sounds terrifying.’
    Beth held out her hands to inspect the verdigris paint ingrained around her nails. ‘I’ve been told to wash before I grace
     her ladyship with my presence.’
    Twenty minutes later Beth entered the little parlour to find Lady Arabella holding court.
    ‘There you are, at last!’ she said. ‘I hear Noah is an architect and I’ve been telling him about the renovations I wish to
     make to our country house in Windsor. A larger and more draughty old property would be hard to find anywhere but Sir George
     is uncommonly fond of the place. And I suppose it is very convenient when the Court is at Windsor.’
    Beth tried to keep a straight face but was nearly undone when she saw Kit give Noah a sharp nudge in the ribs. ‘And is the
     King currently at Windsor?’ she asked.
    ‘Whitehall.’ Lady Arabella smiled fondly at the twins, sitting one on each side of her. ‘Sir George has whispered a word in
     the right quarters and Joshua and Samuel have also been found a place at Court.’
    Cecily, sitting on a footrest at Lady Arabella’s feet, gasped and clasped her hands to her breast. ‘Court!’ She turned to
     the twins, her eyes wide. ‘You’ll see the King!’
    ‘They are to present themselves next week,’ said Lady Arabella, a self-satisfied little smile upon her painted lips.
    ‘How very interesting,’ murmured Susannah, offering her a slice of cake. ‘My father would have been proud of them.’
    ‘Your father?’ Lady Arabella looked momentarily confused. ‘Cornelius? What does he have to do with it?’ She took a nibble
     of her cake and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
    ‘Cornelius was the twins’ father, after all!’
    Arabella pursed her lips. ‘It will do Joshua and Samuel no good at all for it to be known that