Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 26
Mrs Laird set out the tea things. On the rough-hewn old kitchen table, the sight of an incongruously perfect, utterly beautiful gold-rimmed fine china tea service, complete with milkmaid jar, a plate of lemon slices and sterling silver sugar tongs, seemed very strange, but neither Hetty nor Mrs Laird seemed to notice a thing.
‘It is lovely here,’ said Rosie, looking through the massive sash windows at the lazily falling snow. The dogs had followed them in and sniffed their way around the mince pies before being shoved out again to frolic in the snow.
‘You should try upstairs,’ said Lady Lipton. ‘That’d put hair on your chest.’
She set down her teacup.
‘So. Is this a social call?’
‘Um.’ Rosie was halfway through a magnificent mince pie. She tried to swallow it as quickly as possible without coughing up too many crumbs. ‘Um, kind of.’
Hetty sighed.
‘Spit it out, then.’
‘The school,’ said Rosie.
‘Never used it.’
‘Didn’t you go there?’
Hetty looked at her incredulously.
‘Of course not. I had a governess. Gerda Skitcherd. Do you remember her, Mrs Laird?’
Mrs Laird nodded.
‘First woman in town to get a divorce.’
‘That’s right! Poor little Maeve.’
‘The receptionist at the doctor’s?’ said Rosie in amazement.
‘Oh yes,’ said Hetty. ‘That’s right. Well, it turned out for the best then.’
‘She’s lovely.’
‘She is, but SUCH a scandal.’
They enjoyed their mince pies in a slightly more leisurely way after that, trying to bond over gossip, even if it was forty years old.
‘So, the school,’ prodded Rosie gently.
‘Yes. When are they going to fix it?’
‘Well. That’s the thing. They don’t want to fix it.’
‘What do you mean, they don’t want to fix it?’
‘They want to bus all the children out to school at Carningford.’
‘Oh, that’s dreadful,’ said Mrs Laird, who had two grandchildren at the school. ‘Poor mites.’
‘And if the school goes…’ said Rosie.
‘Well, the village will go,’ said Lady Lipton. ‘It’s a dreadful shame.’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie. ‘Yes, it is. Which is why I was thinking…’
Lady Lipton made an enquiring face. Suddenly it seemed to Rosie like she was suggesting the most ridiculous idea ever.
‘Um, I was thinking…’
‘Yes? Spit it out, dear.’
‘Um, maybe we could have the school here.’ The last bit came out in a bit of a mumbled rush.
‘The what?’
‘The school. Just until they get it fixed, have it here.’
‘In this kitchen?’
‘No, but in this building.’
Lady Lipton looked around in horror.
‘I mean, you’ve got the space, and… it wouldn’t be for long. We could make the council fix it… tell them we don’t need their buses…’
‘But you can’t just turn a house into a school,’ said Lady Lipton. ‘This place is protected.’
‘Yes, but for special measures… or they could be your guests. Just as a temporary solution. We’d only need two rooms.’
‘But what about the cleaning? And the toilets? Children throw up almost constantly, in my experience. And the heating?’
‘Well, the funds that aren’t being used to heat the school right now would have to come to you,’ said Rosie. ‘We’d just need to talk to the council.’
‘And you think Blaine will go for that, do you?’
‘You’re on the council, though,’ said Rosie, quietly. ‘And I think if anyone could talk other people into things, it would be you.’
‘Would it?’ said Hetty, a small smile playing around her mouth. ‘Looks as if it’s also something you enjoy trying your hand at. But honestly, Rosemary, it’s just not practical.’
‘Of course it’s not practical,’ said Rosie. ‘Practical would be sending in some builders to fix the school. THAT would be practical. If the bloody council would actually do it.’
‘You know we’re responsible for more than just Lipton,’ said Hetty.
‘Yes,’ said Rosie stubbornly. ‘But this is the place you really care about.’
‘Ofsted won’t allow it.’
‘Ofsted wouldn’t deny you anything, not after all the press. It’s for two weeks.’ Rosie played her trump card. ‘And Stephen gets out tomorrow. He’ll be here. Every day.’ Her voice faltered a little as she said it.
Lady Lipton paused, then started in again.
‘It would be torturous,’ she said. ‘The noise. It would upset the dogs. And it would be too much work.’
Mrs Laird was clearing away the cups and saucers.
‘No it wouldn’t,’ she said, her voice slightly trembly. She wasn’t at all used to contradicting her employer. ‘No it wouldn’t. I’d get my church rota up here.’
Hetty stared at her.
‘Are you telling me you clean the church in your spare time?’ she said in amazement.
‘I like things nice,’ said Mrs Laird. ‘I think… I think everyone in Lipton would like things to be nice for the children, after the shock they’ve had. Those schools in Carningford… they’re pretty tough. It’s too long a day for our little ones. I think… I think we owe them.’
Both Hetty and Rosie were silent after this little speech. Rosie mouthed ‘thank you’ behind Lady Lipton’s back. Lady Lipton shook her head.
‘I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it through,’ she said slowly.
‘But you’ll try?’ said Rosie eagerly.
‘There’s an emergency meeting tomorrow. I expect it will come up then.’
‘You’re going to plan buses!’
‘All right, all right, hold your horses. A week, okay? I’ll take them in for a week, for heating money. After that, it’ll be out of my hands.’ Rosie felt like kissing her, but wisely did not. ‘And now I’m going to church. You should come to church, everyone thinks you’re a heathen.’
‘It is lovely here,’ said Rosie, looking through the massive sash windows at the lazily falling snow. The dogs had followed them in and sniffed their way around the mince pies before being shoved out again to frolic in the snow.
‘You should try upstairs,’ said Lady Lipton. ‘That’d put hair on your chest.’
She set down her teacup.
‘So. Is this a social call?’
‘Um.’ Rosie was halfway through a magnificent mince pie. She tried to swallow it as quickly as possible without coughing up too many crumbs. ‘Um, kind of.’
Hetty sighed.
‘Spit it out, then.’
‘The school,’ said Rosie.
‘Never used it.’
‘Didn’t you go there?’
Hetty looked at her incredulously.
‘Of course not. I had a governess. Gerda Skitcherd. Do you remember her, Mrs Laird?’
Mrs Laird nodded.
‘First woman in town to get a divorce.’
‘That’s right! Poor little Maeve.’
‘The receptionist at the doctor’s?’ said Rosie in amazement.
‘Oh yes,’ said Hetty. ‘That’s right. Well, it turned out for the best then.’
‘She’s lovely.’
‘She is, but SUCH a scandal.’
They enjoyed their mince pies in a slightly more leisurely way after that, trying to bond over gossip, even if it was forty years old.
‘So, the school,’ prodded Rosie gently.
‘Yes. When are they going to fix it?’
‘Well. That’s the thing. They don’t want to fix it.’
‘What do you mean, they don’t want to fix it?’
‘They want to bus all the children out to school at Carningford.’
‘Oh, that’s dreadful,’ said Mrs Laird, who had two grandchildren at the school. ‘Poor mites.’
‘And if the school goes…’ said Rosie.
‘Well, the village will go,’ said Lady Lipton. ‘It’s a dreadful shame.’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie. ‘Yes, it is. Which is why I was thinking…’
Lady Lipton made an enquiring face. Suddenly it seemed to Rosie like she was suggesting the most ridiculous idea ever.
‘Um, I was thinking…’
‘Yes? Spit it out, dear.’
‘Um, maybe we could have the school here.’ The last bit came out in a bit of a mumbled rush.
‘The what?’
‘The school. Just until they get it fixed, have it here.’
‘In this kitchen?’
‘No, but in this building.’
Lady Lipton looked around in horror.
‘I mean, you’ve got the space, and… it wouldn’t be for long. We could make the council fix it… tell them we don’t need their buses…’
‘But you can’t just turn a house into a school,’ said Lady Lipton. ‘This place is protected.’
‘Yes, but for special measures… or they could be your guests. Just as a temporary solution. We’d only need two rooms.’
‘But what about the cleaning? And the toilets? Children throw up almost constantly, in my experience. And the heating?’
‘Well, the funds that aren’t being used to heat the school right now would have to come to you,’ said Rosie. ‘We’d just need to talk to the council.’
‘And you think Blaine will go for that, do you?’
‘You’re on the council, though,’ said Rosie, quietly. ‘And I think if anyone could talk other people into things, it would be you.’
‘Would it?’ said Hetty, a small smile playing around her mouth. ‘Looks as if it’s also something you enjoy trying your hand at. But honestly, Rosemary, it’s just not practical.’
‘Of course it’s not practical,’ said Rosie. ‘Practical would be sending in some builders to fix the school. THAT would be practical. If the bloody council would actually do it.’
‘You know we’re responsible for more than just Lipton,’ said Hetty.
‘Yes,’ said Rosie stubbornly. ‘But this is the place you really care about.’
‘Ofsted won’t allow it.’
‘Ofsted wouldn’t deny you anything, not after all the press. It’s for two weeks.’ Rosie played her trump card. ‘And Stephen gets out tomorrow. He’ll be here. Every day.’ Her voice faltered a little as she said it.
Lady Lipton paused, then started in again.
‘It would be torturous,’ she said. ‘The noise. It would upset the dogs. And it would be too much work.’
Mrs Laird was clearing away the cups and saucers.
‘No it wouldn’t,’ she said, her voice slightly trembly. She wasn’t at all used to contradicting her employer. ‘No it wouldn’t. I’d get my church rota up here.’
Hetty stared at her.
‘Are you telling me you clean the church in your spare time?’ she said in amazement.
‘I like things nice,’ said Mrs Laird. ‘I think… I think everyone in Lipton would like things to be nice for the children, after the shock they’ve had. Those schools in Carningford… they’re pretty tough. It’s too long a day for our little ones. I think… I think we owe them.’
Both Hetty and Rosie were silent after this little speech. Rosie mouthed ‘thank you’ behind Lady Lipton’s back. Lady Lipton shook her head.
‘I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it through,’ she said slowly.
‘But you’ll try?’ said Rosie eagerly.
‘There’s an emergency meeting tomorrow. I expect it will come up then.’
‘You’re going to plan buses!’
‘All right, all right, hold your horses. A week, okay? I’ll take them in for a week, for heating money. After that, it’ll be out of my hands.’ Rosie felt like kissing her, but wisely did not. ‘And now I’m going to church. You should come to church, everyone thinks you’re a heathen.’
