Trapped In She Town : A Romantic Novella (The Jute Mills Series) (4 page)

Mary began to decline the offer yet again. But John insisted “I’m
not taking No for an answer this time Mary. Come on” and he grabbed her arm and
started hurrying her down the path. “We’ll miss the tram to the ferry port if
we don’t get our skates on”.

And Mary, caught up in his infectious, high spirits hurried along
beside him.

And thereafter when their days off coincided, John would grab her,
and they would race down the path to the tram stop on the Dundee Road. The
tram, pulled along by a large Clydesdale horse, trundled along the cobbled
streets down the Dundee Road into the smog of the town. They would jump off the
tram at the Customs House building, situated at the entrance to the harbour,
and run past all the large whaling ships berthed at Camperdown Dock, and over
to the embarkation point for the paddle steamer.

They always tried to get a spot at the front of the steamer, away
from the belching smoke, where they could feel the wind in their faces. Mary
would make sure to wind her hair very tightly up and into her bonnet, and then
hold onto her head the whole journey laughing, or else her wild mane of hair
would escape and be blowing everywhere.

Once the steamer arrived at Newport, they jumped down and strolled
up the hill towards fountain brae, where they would sit in the sunshine and
look back across the river towards the belching chimneys of Dundee. Before
clambering back onto the ferry to Dundee later in the afternoon, they always
bought an ice cream. And Mary always thought this was such a treat.

On the second trip, as they sat on fountain brae, a grassy hill
leading down to the water, John asked Mary about herself and her family. Once
Mary started she couldn’t stop. She missed them all so much and she told John
everything about the naughty tricks her younger brothers got up to in the
countryside, and how pretty her sisters were. John thought to himself that they
could never be as pretty as Mary. He was smitten, he thought she was perfect.
She had beautiful, alabaster white skin and he could lose himself in her
bewitching, green eyes. But mostly when he looked at Mary he could not take his
eyes off her soft, full lips and could think of nothing else but pressing his
own lips to them, and crushing them with his.

Oblivious to his ardour, Mary carried on and was soon telling him
all about her sweetheart George, and how they would be getting married next
year, as soon as her father was better and she was able to finish up working at
the house.

As Mary droned on about George, time suddenly stood still for John,
he no longer heard anything Mary said as she explained how George would take
over from his father and Mary would move into the small cottage with him.....

The bottom had fallen out of his world. Now that he had met her, he
couldn’t let this beautiful creature escape to marry someone else. He needed
time to think. So he managed to put the grin back on his face and said. “Let’s
go grab an ice-cream now. The boat while be leaving shortly”.

Although Mary enjoyed the excursions to Newport, her favourite place
to visit on her day off was the Dundee Law. If John was working on her day off,
then she would hurry down the path by herself and jump onto the tram into
Dundee. Instead of getting off at the harbour entrance, she would stay on the
tram as it made its way past Shore Terrace and up towards the Albert Museum.
Here, she would get off the tram and start the long arduous climb up towards
the top of the Law.

From the summit there was a marvellous, panoramic view. Mary could
see for miles in every direction. To the south she could see the paddle steamer
in the middle of the Tay, carrying the day-trippers over to Newport. And on
past Newport, you could see to the hills of Fife. In the middle of the river
itself, she could see the new Rail Bridge being constructed, strut by strut,
which would allow trains to cross from Fife to Dundee. To the East was the view
towards Broughty Ferry castle in the distance, and then far out to sea. To the
west, looking over the squalid streets and the belching chimneys of Dundee, she
would stare out over the bay to the Tay meandering its way towards Perth. However
her favourite view by far, was to stand on the top of the hill and face north.
Here you looked out onto the breathtaking view of the Sidlaw Hills. But in her
mind, Mary didn’t see these hills, she saw home. Away over the range, stretched
mile after mile of countryside towards her childhood home, where the family she
adored would be home after attending the morning service at church. Most of all
though, she saw her sweetheart George, pulling off his shirt, and picking up
his axe to start chopping some wood for the fire, so his mother could boil the
water for the tea. And Mary would yearn for him with all her heart. She would
pray up here more earnestly than any other time. Pray that her father would get
better soon, and her brothers to strengthen and grow, so they could go out and
help their father to put the food on the table. Then Mary could return and take
up the life again that she had been torn from so cruelly.

One Sunday in late
September, just as Mary had started her climb back down the Dundee Law, the
heavens opened and a sudden torrential shower came flooding down. Within
seconds Mary was drenched, and then just as suddenly, the clouds moved away and
the sun was shining brightly again. Mary pulled off her coat as the weight of
the water in the wool started to drag her down.

She carried on down
Constitution Brae, with thoughts of George still running round her mind and how
much she missed him. Once she reached the bottom of the hill, she turned
towards the Albert Museum to catch her tram back to Broughty Ferry. As she was
waiting to cross the road, a horse and cast passed close by her and threw up
the water from a puddle in the road. The water drenched her from head to toe.
Her hair falling down in ringlets about her face and her blouse and skirt are
so completely soaked that they are clinging to her body, showing off her
shapely figure. Mary however, is oblivious to this as she fumed at the cart
driver, shaking her fist in the air at him. “Did you not see me” she shouted.

“I’ll give him a piece
of my mind” thinks Mary, as she sees the carriage start to slow down, and she
heads towards it. But then, she suddenly recognises Alf, Mr Muir’s carriage
driver on top. “Oh No” she thinks “Its Mr Muir’s carriage. He will think me the
rudest maid in Dundee.”

Mary quickly turned
around and started hurrying across the road towards the tram stop. However, before
she managed to reach the other side, a head popped out of the carriage window
and called out her name. Mary is mortified. It is Master Edward. “Hurry up,
Mary” he calls.

Mary doesn’t know what
to do. She is terrified and stands rooted to the spot.

“Don’t make me climb
out of this carriage to come and get you Mary” he called. “I will be very angry
if my morning coat gets wet”.

Mary certainly did not
want to anger Master Edward any more than he obviously was. So she slowly
turned around and started to move back towards the carriage, as Edward flings
the door open wide.

Alf gives her a nod,
“Mary.”

“Thank you S-s-sir”
Mary stammers. “But I will be fine. My tram stop is just across the road. Look!
There is one already waiting. I’ll just run across and get it.”

“Mary, don’t be so
ridiculous. Hop in now, like a good girl. You can’t be seen out like that.” And
he gave her such a lascivious look that Mary quickly dropped her head down, and
to her horror, saw what state her clothing was in. She also saw that she was
drawing many unwelcome stares from the other men in the street, and so she
quickly clambered into the carriage. She sank down in the seat opposite Edward,
her face ablaze and her eyes cast down.

“Carry On, Alf” Edward
called to the carriage driver and the horses set off clopping down the cobbled
streets towards the eastern suburbs.

“Well, well, Mary. We
can’t have you walking around the streets in that state, can we?” he laughed at
her. Mary could see the outline of her breasts as the wet material of her
blouse clung to them and there was no disguising the shapely fullness of them.
She quickly looked up at Edward to see he had a wide grin on his face and she
saw the look of pure male appreciation that flit across his face, which while
flattering, was also completely unnerving and unwelcome.

Mary quickly pulled
her wet coat on, and did not utter another word throughout the journey. She
just stared out of the carriage window, keeping her eyes averted from Edward.
She was aware of his eyes boring into her - devouring her body and she felt
embarrassed beyond words.

At last, after what
seemed to Mary like an eternity, the carriage rolled up the driveway. As soon
as it pulled up in front of the house, Mary hurriedly jumped out and ran around
to the back entrance. She wasted no time in bounding up the back stairs to the
safety of her room before anyone else could see her.

Later that evening
however, when they were getting ready for the rest of the family’s return from
Forfar, Bessie had a word of warning for Mary.

“Alf mentioned that
Master Edward picked you up in the carriage this afternoon” Bessie informed
her. “That is a very dangerous game to play Mary. If the mistress finds out,
you will be out on your ear. Do you understand? She will not allow any sort of
flirting to go on within the house, especially not with her beloved son
Edward.”

 Bessie sounded
furious.

“But Bessie, he more
or less ordered me into the carriage. You should have seen the state of me. Alf
splashed a puddle of water all over me and my clothes...” Mary began.

“Please Mary. No more
excuses.” Bessie admonished.”The mistress will not listen to one word of an
excuse. If you give her even the slightest reason, she will throw you out
without a backward glance.”

So that evening, as
the rest of the family arrived back at the house from Forfar, Mary thought over
what Bessie had told her. She knew she couldn’t risk losing this job. No matter
how much she would love to be thrown out and sent back to Aberdeenshire, she
knew her family’s survival depended on the wages she sent to them every week.

~~~

Regardless of Mary
having been given this warning, it seemed that Edward had other plans. Most
evenings after the unfortunate carriage ride, as Mary leaves Miss Lucy’s room,
there is Edward, with a smile curling at his lips, coming along the corridor
towards his own room. Each time, with Bessie’s warning still ringing in her
ears, she would lower her head and rush past.

One evening, a few
days later, as she emerges from Miss Lucy’s room, Edward stops her and says
“Good Evening Mary, and what have we been reading to my sister tonight?
“Wuthering Heights” by any chance” he questions. “Yes, my dear Mary, my sister
is a bit depraved, don’t you think?”

Mary was shocked by
Edward’s description of his sister “No Sir. We were reading Charlotte Temple,
Sir.”

“Hmmm, Charlotte
Temple. Interesting choice. Perhaps then I might seduce and steal you away
Mary, just like Charlotte. I’ll take you away with me to enjoy the pleasures of
Calcutta.” He continued. “I believe Charlotte and Catherine were both
supposedly beautiful women. Forced to act on their passions. I think you are a
most passionate woman, Mary. You stand there all demure, but I can see the fire
burning in your eyes. Your beauty must surely outshine these two fictional
heroines.” Edward mused.

He moved closer
reaching up his hand to touch a strand of her hair. “You must know what
reactions you stir in me Mary. You are a beautiful woman” he breathed. ”How I
would love to see your hair set free from this bonnet.” Mary’s heart was
pounding and she couldn’t breathe, she had to get away. She quickly bobbed a
curtsy and muttered “Sir” then dashed as quickly as she could along the
corridor.

However a week later,
there he was again, waiting for her to leave Miss Lucy’s room. She hurried
along the corridor to get past him but he grabbed her by the elbow and demanded
“Mary, I must ask a favour.” She looks uncertainly at him and he seemed
emboldened.

“I need a button to be
fixed on my riding jacket. Only, I need it first thing tomorrow morning, and
Giles has already retired for the night. Please step into my room and make the
repair.”

Mary knew this was not
true, as Giles was always complaining that he had to stay up late, until the
master had retired to his bed, in case he was called upon to complete a last
minute task, such as this one.

“Let me run downstairs
and fetch Giles for you” Mary eventually got out.

“No Mary. As I have
already mentioned to you, Giles has retired for the evening. Please come along
now and repair my jacket at once.”

Mary had never been in
a gentleman’s room before. A huge iron bedstead stood against one wall and a
huge ornate oak wardrobe against another. In front of the large window were a
small table and two chairs. Placed in the middle of the table was a silver
candelabra with the candles lit, even although the room was lit by gas light.

On the bed, along with
the sewing box, lay the red riding jacket. “He must have had this planned”
thought Mary.