What You Wish For (3 page)

“
But we are leaving for Milton in six days!” Mrs Hale said, clearly still upset by that fact.

“
I know, Mother, but I see no reason why Miss Preston cannot come with us, if she would like to.”

“
Margaret is right,” Mr Hale agreed with his daughter. “I believe that there is a reason Miss Preston ended up in our garden, so that we might open our hearts to her and take her in.”

Mrs Hale nodded, clearly not that happy with the idea but knowing that her husband was right, and that they couldn't in all good conscience turn her away.

“
Good,” Margaret smiled. “I will take her upstairs and find something more appropriate for her to wear, then I shall ask if she would like to stay with us.”

Mr Hale smiled warmly at his daughter. She really was a good girl.

After being in this fictional world for a week, Carrie was resigned to staying here for the foreseeable future and had decided that she might as well try to enjoy her time here. She did wonder if perhaps this was like Life On Mars and she was trapped in purgatory, but regardless of how she came to be here, she couldn't seem to find a way back to reality.

The hardest thing about being here was adjusting her speech. Back home Carrie was a polite and well-mannered girl, but by Victorian standards she was rather uncouth and at times vulgar. She used a lot of abbreviations and some words which were considered harmless in her time, were positively shocking here. When, for example, she had asked if the neighbours cat, Mrs Tiddles, was pregnant, Margaret had looked at her as if she'd just dropped the F bomb and muttered something about the cat expecting a litter. Mr Hale had blushed and hidden his face behind a book and Mrs Hale had looked as though she might pass out.

Carrie had mumbled something about it being a term she had read in a medical book and apologised, saying that she had not had any experience of such things personally.

Thankfully they accepted this and readily forgave her. She still felt like a fish out of water most of the time, but the Hales were extremely kind to her and usually put her faux pas down to her 'trauma'. She had an inkling of what they thought this trauma might be but they never pressed her to remember, probably believing it best that she retain her amnesia of any 'horrific events'.

It surprised Carrie how readily they accepted her as a member of the family. She didn't call Mr and Mrs Hale Mum and Dad, obviously, but she was treated exactly the same as Margaret and afforded every courtesy that their daughter received. Carrie could tell that Mrs Hale found this slightly more difficult than her husband but she also felt that in a way, her being here was helping Mrs Hale, as it provided her with a distraction. It was clear for anyone with eyes to see that Mrs Hale was dreading the move to Milton and so Carrie willingly became Mrs Hale's and Dixon's doll, as they set about sorting through Mrs Hale's wardrobe to find clothes that were suitable for Carrie. Dixon said that she was able to alter a few of the outfits to keep them fashionable but on the whole, Mrs Hales clothes just weren't suitable for a young woman and Carrie mostly shared Margaret's wardrobe.

Mrs Hale often lamented that money would soon be so tight that they could not afford to buy Carrrie her own clothes. Carrie assured her that the kindness she had already been shown was far too generous as it was, whilst Margaret assured her mother that, thanks to spending much of her time in London with her rich aunt, Mrs Shaw, she had many more dresses than she needed, and was more than happy to share them with Carrie.

Now though, as they headed to Milton on the train, Mrs Hale and Dixon were not with them. Mr Hale and Margaret thought it best if they went to the seaside for two weeks while Mr Hale, Margaret and Carrie set about moving into the new home in Milton.

Carrie felt that the move was a good thing, since it occupied her mind and kept her from growing too fretful that she seemed to be stuck here. She knew that Mr Hale and Margaret had both met Mr Thornton when they came up to Milton for a day to secure a house for them, and as they sat on the train, Carrie passed the time by asking a lot of questions about both him and Milton. She also knew from the book that Margaret had not made a very favourable first impression on Mr Thornton, but there was little she could do to change that at the moment.

Still, Carrie was looking forward to watching their romance unfold before her eyes.

“
He really is quite a taciturn sort of man,” Margaret told Carrie of her first impression of Mr Thornton.

“
Perhaps, but maybe he was intimidated by meeting you?” Carrie suggested. “I doubt he meets many ladies from the south. Don't think too badly of him.”

Margaret wasn't sure what to say to that. She knew nothing of trade or manufacturing, so she was content not to think of Mr Thornton at all, for he was neither of her class nor was he her equal.

The biggest surprise that Milton held for Carrie was the air. People in her time spoke of pollution but really, they hadn't a clue what they were talking about. The air here looked perpetually misty as a thin veil of smoke hung in the air. The buildings were all filthy, covered in what looked like decades of grime but, in some cases at least, was probably only a few years of smoke and soot.

One thing she did find pleasant though, was the scent of the smoke. It wasn't particularly strong but it reminded her of the fires that her Aunt Imm used to have in her home. Her parents preferred central heating, but Imm liked to hear the crackle of the wood and the glow from the coal that only came from a real fire. She and Aunt Imm spent many nights in front of the fire, drinking cocoa, playing board games, or sometimes snuggling up under a duvet to watch films.

They settled into the house within a week, managing to unpack within two days and spending the rest of their days fine-tuning the house; cleaning the kitchen until it gleamed, finding just the right spot for furnishings and pictures, the right throws, covers and cushions for the chairs, and arranging then rearranging the ornaments until they were satisfied with the displays.

Carrie smiled when Margaret seemed pleased by the change in wallpapers when they first arrived, for Margaret didn't know that it was Mr Thornton who had persuaded the landlord to change his mind, and redecorate for his new tenants.

When Mr Thornton arrived for his first lesson with Mr Hale, Carrie opened the door to him, eager to finally meet the man that she had dreamed about for so many years. She found herself struck dumb as she opened the door, for he was quite the most striking man she had seen in a long time. Elizabeth Gaskell had been been rather harsh when she called his features unremarkable, for to Carrie he looked rather like a Calvin Kline model might have. His eyes were light blue and accentuated by the dark lashes that framed them, and his jaw was strong and square. Yes, in her time at least, there was nothing at all unremarkable about this man, and she couldn't help but wonder what he might look like modelling a pair of Calvin Kline's. Just Calvin Kline's, that is.

“
Mr Thornton?” she asked, finally finding her voice, though it was a shade or two huskier than her normal voice.

Chapter Two

Mr Thornton removed his hat and seemed to shake himself out of a stupor, a moment or two after she had spoken his name. He wondered who this girl was. He knew that Mr Hale only had one daughter whom he had already met, yet this girl didn't look like a servant for her dress, while simple, was much too fine to be that of a servant. Unless perhaps she was a lady's maid, though from what Mr Thornton knew of their finances, one would hardly expect the Hales to be able to afford a lady's maid, nor indeed would most lady's maids consent to answer the door like a common housemaid.

“
Indeed,” he smiled. “Though I'm afraid you have me at something of a disadvantage.”

“
Oh, yes. I'm Carrie Preston,” she held her hand out to him. “Pleased to meet you.”

Mr Thornton looked shocked that she was so forward but he shook her hand nonetheless.

“
Please, come in.” Carrie stood aside and Mr Thornton entered, pulling his gloves off and stowing them in his pocket.

She closed the door then took his hat and coat from him.

“
How are you settling in?” Mr Thornton asked as she turned her back to him for a moment to hang his coat up.

“
Oh, very well, thank you.” She turned back to face him and lowered her voice. “And thank you for getting the wallpaper changed. Though I didn't see it, the description of the old paper alone was enough to make me shudder.”

“
I'm sorry, I don't-”

“
Come, Mr Thornton, I hardly think the landlord relented because he wanted to impress Mr Hale.”

Mr Thornton smiled. He had asked the landlord not to say anything because he didn't want the Hales to feel indebted to him but nevertheless, it was always nice when one's efforts were appreciated.

“
I haven't said anything to the family,” she assured him, finding his modesty rather endearing.

“
Thank you.”

Carrie smiled back.

“
This way,” she said, leading him to Mr Hale's study. As she closed the door behind him and found herself alone in the hallway, she bit her lip to keep from squealing but she couldn't stop the ear to ear grin that formed on her lips.

She had just met Mr John Thornton, manufacturer, magistrate and frequent star of her racier daydreams. She wasn't disappointed.

Mr Thornton, however, was disappointed that Miss Preston had left, since he had hoped to be able to spend a little more time with her. Not only was she very handsome, she was obviously insightful and he was intrigued by her, to say the least.

“
Ah, Mr Thornton, how good to see you. Do sit down,” Mr Hale greeted him.

They exchanged pleasantries and Mr Thornton took a seat.

“
Carrie has offered to bring us up some tea in a few minutes.”

“
She is your servant then?” he asked, for she certainly had not looked like a servant.

“
Oh no, she is my ward, but she does like to make herself useful. Our maid is with my wife at the seaside. This move has troubled her greatly and I thought it would be easier on her if we moved, whilst she and Dixon took a little break and some sea air. Carrie has been a marvel, making sure Margaret and I are properly fed and watered.”

“
I hope you do not mind me asking, but how did she come to be in your care?”

“
Well, it's something of a mystery, as a matter of fact. Margaret found her in our garden with no memory of how she got from London to Helstone.”

“
She does not have family of her own?”

“
No, I understand they are deceased. She is rather vague on the matter but I gather that they perished in a house fire.”

“
I'm sorry to hear that. You and your wife took her in?”

“
Well, what else could we do? It seemed clear to me that she had suffered some form of trauma that had left her with amnesia, she had no other family to take care of her and it is very unseemly for a young woman to live on her own. We couldn't, in all good conscience, turn her away.”

“
No, of course not.”

John had many other things he wanted to ask but it would be impolite to be too inquisitive.

“
So, have you given any thought to which book you would like to start with?” Mr Hale asked him.

Just then the door opened and Carrie came in with a tea tray, which she placed on the table and began serving from. He watched her as she poured the tea and he was fascinated to see that she bit down gently on her lip from time to time, as she concentrated on her task. She handed him the cup and his finger touched hers. He saw her eyes meet his, and he wondered if she had just felt the same swell of emotion that he had at that simple touch. She swallowed and withdrew her hand.

As she prepared Mr Hale's tea, she seemed slightly flustered and that pleased him, for it meant that she too had felt something. She handed Mr Hale his tea and quickly left, almost scurrying out of the room. She struck him as somewhat shy and introverted, though it seemed that she tried to hide those tendencies.

Of course he had very little to base those beliefs on, but he was rather astute when it came to reading someone's character, so he very much doubted that he was wrong.

Finally he returned his full attention to Mr Hale, only to discover that he had evidently agreed to start his lessons with Homer. Thankfully Mr Hale seemed blissfully ignorant of Mr Thornton's interest in his ward.

Mr Thornton focused on the lesson for the rest of the hour and stayed well beyond his time, hopeful that Carrie would put in a further appearance but she did not. Finally he left, though he thought that Mr Hale seemed disappointed to see him go.

He hoped that he might see Carrie on his way out but alas it was not to be. Still, there would be many more lessons and, he hoped, many more chances to see her.

Chapter Three

Mrs Hale and Dixon joined them a few days later, looking quite happy after their holiday but within two weeks of arriving in Milton, both women had come down with a dreadful cold. Though not a medical woman, Carrie was something of a geek and as such, her mind was a positive trove of useless information. She knew that there was no such thing as paracetamol or aspirin in these times, but she also knew that both drugs could be found in tree bark and that before they had been distilled into pure drugs, they were a herbal remedy.