Much interest was garnered by the arrival, a little before breakfast time, of a larger package than usual.
"What's that you've got there, Miss Baxter?" Thomas enquired after Mr Carson who had set the box, wrapped in brown paper, down in front of her had gone. He lingered at the edge of the table with an unlit cigarette in his hand, trying to hide his interest, but nevertheless straining his neck to get a good look as Miss Baxter unwrapped the paper.
"It'll be her new coat and hat," Mrs Hughes replied, standing up to help her with the paper from the other side of the table, "Her Ladyship was kind enough to offer to pay for them, as a thank you for Miss Baxter's good work while Anna was away. And not in here, thank you!" she added, looking pointedly at his cigarette.
"Alright, I'm going!" Thomas replied, making his way out, muttering that he wished the rest of them could be fortunate enough to be bought new coats.
"Come on, take it out and let's have a look at it," Mrs Hughes encouraged her as she opened the box.
Phyllis lifted the sandy coloured coat out of its wrappings, letting the creases fall out of it.
"Are you going to try it on for us?" Daisy asked.
Phyllis turned to Mrs Hughes.
"Do you think I've got time before her Ladyship wakes up?" she asked.
"Aye, go on," Mrs Hughes told her.
Smiling, Phyllis opened the buttons on and slipped it on to her shoulders, shaking her arms a little to see how much movement it gave her.
"Oh, yes," Mrs Hughes appraised, "Very nice. Give us a spin around so we can have a look at the back.
Phyllis did as she was told, turning to face the other side of the room. There were footsteps in the corridor.
"Has anyone seen Miss Baxter?"
"Here I am!" she announced, surprised that the person had not seen and recognised her.
Her surprise grew when she turned and saw that it was Joseph. He did not say anything as they exchanged looks, just stood there, looking surprised, and a touch foolish.
"Will you excuse us?" Phyllis asked Mrs Hughes, who nodded, and gestured to Joseph, indicating that they should go out into the corridor.
"What's the matter?" she asked him as she joined him a little way down the hallway, then, smiling a little, "Didn't you recognise me?"
"It was just a surprise," he told her, "I don't think of you in sandy colours."
"Don't you like it?" she asked.
"I like it a lot," he told her, "It's different."
He reached out his hand a little, closing the small gap between them, taking in the feeling of the fabric between the tip of his finger and the pad of thumb. Her eyes flickered downwards, watching the tender, concentrated movement of his hand.
"It's lovely stuff," he commented, "It must have set you back a bit."
"It would have done," she agreed, "But her Ladyship bought it for me."
"Her Ladyship bought it?" he repeated.
"Yes," she confirmed, a little confused.
"I would have bought you a coat," he told her, "If you'd said you needed one."
She suddenly understood. She smiled broadly, laying a gentle hand on his arm.
"I did need a new one," she admitted, "But I didn't ask her Ladyship. She asked me what I'd like as a present for the extra work I did while Anna was away, and I said a coat would probably come in handy for winter, so she took me to the coat maker she was last in Ripon."
He nodded silently.
"It's very nice of you, though," she told him, smiling up at him, "To say you'd buy me a coat. It's very kind of you."
He raised his head, looking at her, and she knew what he was trying to say. Dear sweet man, he would buy her a whole wardrobe, the whole world if she ever asked for it. Just as he had reached his hand out to her before, she extended hers to him, touching his cheek, gracefully brushing the line of his face with her thumb. His face softened, he relaxed, he seemed to exhale into her touch and gradually a smile was born on his face too.
"Miss Baxter!" Mrs Hughes' voice called from the far end of the corridor, "Her Ladyship's bell is ringing."
"I'm on my way," Phyllis called in reply.
At the sound of Mrs Hughes' voice, they had hastily withdrawn from each other. Her hand, though was still extended a little towards him, and now she reached out again, gently resting her hand on his arm.
"I should go," she told him, squeezing his arm softly, "I'll see you later on."
"Phyllis," he said quietly as she turned to go.
She half turned back in his direction. He was watching her, smiling at her.
"The coat is lovely," he told her, "You're lovely."
She was hard-pressed to stop a grin breaking out all over her face.
"Thank you," she murmured, before making her way down the corridor back towards the servants' hall, with a distinct spring in her step.
End.
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