In Spite of Everything
by Charles Lacey
Chapter 6
Aiden
I'd looked forward to the half term ever since going back to school, and I wasn't disappointed. It was lovely to see Paul again. On one day we went to Ashbury, the nearby town, on the 'bus and went to the cinema together. I confess that I looked around once or twice and there were boys and their girl-friends kissing and cuddling. I had no interest in girls – I always supposed that would come later, when I was more grown up – but I really wished I could put my arm around Paul and kiss him. And as it happened I had the opportunity a couple of days later.
Paul was a real country boy, sweet and innocent. He had always lived in Ainsworth village and knew every lane, field and pathway for miles around. We went for a walk together, and he took me to a farm a mile or so out of the village and we saw some Shire horses. I was a little nervous of them to start with, as they were gigantic beasts, but Paul had picked some apples from a tree on the way and he showed me how to hold one out on the palm of my hand for the horse to eat. I stroked its mane, and was surprised to find how soft it was. We'd always lived in towns until we came to Ainsworth Hall, so it was lovely to be with Paul and learn how things worked in the country.
When we'd visited the horses we climbed a ladder to the hayloft. It was lovely up there, quite dark as there were no windows, but there were beams of light coming through chinks in the walls and the roof. The hay was wonderfully soft and warm, and Paul and I hollowed out a little space to sit together and eat our sandwiches. After that we chatted for a while, and then I thought of Father Claude, one of the older priests at the Church, who always gave the Kiss of Peace to people he liked – men and boys, that is, not women as that would have been sinful. I wondered if I dared give Paul the Kiss of Peace. Eventually I did, and he liked it! Although he went to a funny little Chapel where they didn't have a proper Mass or Confession or anything, he liked the Kiss of Peace. After that we put our arms around each other and stayed there quietly for a while. Poor Paul! He told me he'd never had a proper friend, so of course I promised to be his friend for ever. I was beginning to love him. Not only was he very good looking, and physically very strong, but he was gentle and understanding and very good company.
When we went back to the village we parted at the end of Paul's lane, and I saw a hard-faced middle-aged woman standing looking at us. I wondered if she was Paul's mother – and as it turned out, I was right. I didn't like the look of her, not one little bit. Paul had asked me not to come to his house as his mother didn't like having visitors unless they were folk from the Chapel. But of course I was very keen to see Paul again. Anyway, a couple of days later I thought I'd take a walk to see the lovely Shire horses again, and then just go up to the loft again to be where I'd been with him; it felt almost like a sacred place, if you see what I mean. So I climbed the ladder, and there was Paul! He'd been crying, so I just went over and put my arms round him. He held on to me and told me that his mother had forbidden him to see me again, but he wasn't going to take any notice, since I was his friend. Well, by now I was nearly in tears too, so we hugged again and kissed each other, and then lay down in the hay side by side. We were there for an hour or so, and then Paul said he'd better get back, or his mother would be annoyed. It seemed to me that she got far too much of her own way. She certainly didn't treat Paul as a loving parent ought to.
When I got back to school I wrote to Paul again, to tell him that I truly meant what I said about being his friend, and that I hoped we could meet again soon. I was disappointed not to get any reply, because I had thought Paul had really meant what he said. In fact, that was exactly the case, he had meant every word, but he never read my letter because his mother, horrible old bag that she was, had taken it before he had even read it, and put it on the fire. Not long after that I heard from Mr Tootell that he had been down to Mr Blandy's house to ask him to come and look at an old clock case that needed repair, but Mrs Blandy had met him at the door and sent him away very rudely, saying "we have no dealings with idolaters" or some such nonsense. It's extraordinary how some people are so prejudiced. But time and time again, when I was at school, or in my little room at the Hall, I would lie in bed and think about Paul and try to send him a message to say that I loved him, and would always be his friend, and that one day we would be together again.
Well, the term ended and Christmas came, and I was back at the Hall. Sir Russell and Lady Hanbury were very kind and generous employers. The whole staff were given an extra half day off before Christmas to go shopping, and ten shillings each to spend, and Mr Matlock, Sir Russell's chauffeur, was allowed to borrow the big car to take us all into Ashbury.
We had a lovely time! All the Christmas lights and decorations were up, and we found some shops to buy presents for one another. We even went for a cup of tea at a Lyons' tea-shop there, but decided that the teas weren't nearly as good as Mrs May's. But coming out of the tea-shop I saw a familiar figure. It was Paul. As soon as he saw me he hurried over. We couldn't hug or kiss in public, or people might have got the wrong idea, but we shook hands and exchanged looks that said far more. Paul said, "I'm not allowed to see you, my mother has forbidden me, but you're my friend so I'm not going to take any notice." So we agreed to meet on the Tuesday after Christmas in the hayloft at Hobson's Farm.
Well, Christmas came and went, and we had a very good time at the Hall. On Christmas Eve Sir Russell and Lady Hanbury had all the servants up in the big drawing room and gave us presents and drinks. The men had beer, the ladies had a glass of wine and my sisters and I had ginger beer. My present was a handsome leather-bound copy of the Imitation of Christ, which I still have to this day. Mr Tootell made a little speech on behalf of all the staff, saying that it was a privilege to serve such kind employers, and Lady Hanbury replied, thanking us for all that we did for the Family. It was lovely, making us feel that the Hall was our home too, not just the place where we worked.
On Christmas Eve I was allowed to go to the Midnight Mass for the first time. I remembered the old tale that for the last hour on Christmas Eve the animals could talk. I looked at the plaster animals on the Crib, and I couldn't help thinking about the lovely big horses at Hobson's Farm as well as the riding horses and the animals at the Home Farm. I wondered what the horses would say to one another.
The Tuesday came and I made my way to Hobson's Farm and up to the hayloft. I was there in good time, but Paul was already there. We hugged and kissed, and then made a nice little hollow in the hay and snuggled down together. It was frosty weather, so it was lovely to be nice and warm together there in the hay. We talked for a bit, then slowly drifted off into a doze. We were woken by someone moving about below, feeding the horses. But I suddenly had the most monstrous tickle in my nose and I couldn't help giving an enormous sneeze. It just took me by surprise. Of course whoever was below would have heard it, so we tried to burrow into the hay. But we weren't quick enough; Mrs Hobson came up to see who was there, and caught us.
She didn't know me, but she did recognize Paul, and she sent us packing pretty sharply. I'd had the sense to realize that if I were seen in the village with Paul someone would see us and his mother would find out. What I hadn't reckoned with was that Mrs Hobson would tell her husband that she had caught us in the hayloft, and he told his sister, Mrs Oakey. Mrs Oakey went to the same Chapel as Ma Blandy and of course she told her all about it. And then the fat was in the fire, and no mistake. Fortunately, my mother never found out, though as we weren't doing anything wrong (other than trespassing, and we didn't do any damage) I wouldn't have had more than a ticking-off. But poor Paul was in dreadful hot water.
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