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its crescendo, a fact that Jane seemed to be trying to signal.
    “ Mrs. Druce?” Jane offered timidly.
    “ Hold your tongue, girl. I’ve not finished.”
            At that moment the assembled room noticed the arrival of Kate through the back door; the first of the day’s locks of hair had come unpinned from beneath her cap and her cheeks were red.
    “ Mrs. Druce,” she nodded her head. “Mary-Ann. Jane,” she added, without looking at either. She hurried past them both to drain the jug and busied herself with the dishes that Mrs. Druce has prepared. It was enough to deflect the tongue-lashing from Jane straight to Kate.
    “ And here’s another one come to get under my feet. If you ask me...”
    Kate did not let her finish and interjected immediately.
    “Your eggs are done, Mrs. Druce, and the milk is going to burn.”
            Jane, shocked by the polite insolence with which this was delivered, quickly spun around to see Mrs. Druce’s reaction. Surely, as if it were her own children and not breakfast about to be ruined, Mrs. Druce, oblivious to the impropriety of Kate’s impertinence, set about rescuing the eggs and milk with flustered cries of, “Heavens!” and “Saints, preserve us!” Jane cast a shocked glance at Kate, indicating how narrowly she escaped a berating.
            It was no secret that Jane and Mary-Ann were jealous of how Kate had risen to the position of ladies’ maid above them and how they thought Kate simple because of her accent. Mary-Ann and Jane had been with the Silvers longer and Avery himself had overheard Mary-Ann bemoaning her ill-fate to have been passed over to be his maid for the likes of Kate. Kate knew these things only too well and avoided eye contact as she loaded breakfast onto the waiting tray.
    “ I'll take those,” Mary-Ann had pushed in front of Kate and was now leaning to take the tray.
    “As you wish,” Kate replied curtly.
            Mary-Ann smiled smugly and walked out of the side door to change her pinafore for a cleaner one. Kate watched after her for a moment, smiling.
    “ And what are you so pleased with yourself about?”
            Mrs. Druce had been watching Kate from the kitchen table, her eyebrows were arched in a permanent look of suspicion which cast shadows over her plump face. Breakfast out of the way, she had ordered Jane to the sink and was now settling herself with a cup of tea and a slice of cold meat before the next preparations must be made.
    “ I don’t know how you can stand to be idle, Katherine. I am sure there are any number of things to keep your hands from the devil.”
            Kate took the hint and turned again to the sink beside Jane, washing out a jug and standing it on the wooden counter top. She turned to look for a cloth to wipe it and noticed Mrs. Druce’s still watching her.
    “ And how does the young Miss do this morning?”
    “ Very well I gather, Mrs. Druce. Miss Alice and I shall be going out for the day.”
    “ ‘Where might you be going on such a fine day?”
            Kate said nothing and avoided the narrowed gaze of Mrs. Druce as she walked to the sideboard and began untying her apron.
    “ I take it the master is aware of the young Miss’s plans?” Mrs. Druce added, with an unpleasant smile. Avery’s own stomach knotted. He knew that his father had not approved any such plans and he wondered what Kate would say,
    “ It is Miss Alice’s wish to take in the air at the park and then to take lunch in Kensington,” Kate advised. “I expect we shall return before tea. Have no fear, I shall make Arthur aware of our intentions, Mrs. Druce,” she added levelly. The old woman’s lips pursed with distaste and she muttered something that Avery could not catch. However, he was unable to miss the tongue which Kate poked at Mrs. Druce as she walked behind her to take down her coat from the back door.
            Avery stifled a laugh and quickly retreated from the