Chapter 6 #3
She realized that she’d never known a man who had a job before, and certainly no one who was a leading member of an entire industry.
Bert was an important man in his world, despite the fact that her world held it against him, and chose to ignore him, instead of respecting him.
Their attitude about his industry made no sense to Victoria.
It didn’t seem to her like a sin to be hardworking and dedicated.
He wasn’t after her inheritance. He wasn’t trying to take advantage of her.
And he was extremely respectful of her world.
In return, her world had shut the door on him in the rudest possible way.
She realized all the more now how open-minded her father had been to be friends with him.
Victoria wondered what the wives would be like in Manchester, probably like everywhere else, busy with their children, obedient to their husbands, running their homes, spending most of their time with other women, and occasionally doing charity work.
She envied the men the jobs they had, the different worlds they could discover, the variety of people they met, and the influence they had on the country’s economy.
The luckiest among them, like Bert, had been to university, which she would have given anything to do when she was younger but never could because she was a woman.
She hoped to learn a lot about Bert’s industry and how it worked.
They were met at Manchester London Road Station by Seamus, a pleasant young man from Liverpool who ran Bert’s house for him.
He had worked in one of his factories and Bert had offered him a position in his home.
He was friendly and respectful, and nothing like the servants in her father’s house.
This was a whole different world where anything was possible, and opportunities were there if you were willing to work hard for them.
Bert had a housekeeper too, whom he had put at Victoria’s disposal.
She was an older Irish woman who had worked in several grand homes in London, and had come to Manchester to be near her son, who worked at one of Bert’s factories.
She was well trained and more the type of servant Victoria was used to.
Bert hoped they would get along. Mrs. Kelly had a mind of her own.
Bert also had a chef, Patrick, a Scotsman who made the kind of hearty meals that Bert liked to eat.
It was a staff of loyal people whom he liked and who served him well, but who didn’t have the kind of refined training and experience Victoria had lived with all her life.
But she was willing to adjust, and perhaps teach them some of the finer points they lacked, if they were willing, and Bert agreed.
Bert looked at his beautiful bride as they drove toward Wilmslow, across the county line into Cheshire.
He was excited to have her there, and grateful that she’d been willing to come.
He wanted to make the move to Manchester as easy for her as he could.
Victoria had the sense that they were a long way from London now. It was a whole new world.
They passed several handsome houses as they drove, and she looked at them with interest. Some of them were quite large and she guessed that they belonged to other mill owners. The car finally came to the end of a narrow road. There were tall trees that surrounded the house and hid it from view.
Seamus, the young houseman, got out and opened the gates, and then got back in the car and drove through, and once through the wall of trees, Victoria saw the house and caught her breath.
It was huge, twice the size of her father’s house in London, much more modern, and very substantial, made of stone.
It wasn’t fancy or elaborate but it was handsome and solid, like Bert, and looked as though it would last for centuries.
It suited him perfectly. He was a big man and it was a big house.
She followed him inside and the house felt instantly inviting, with tall fireplaces, and a big garden around it.
It was a peaceful place, and felt to her like a haven.
The décor had a decidedly masculine feel to it, with warm colors and plaids.
It felt more like a country home than a city house, which was why Bert loved it.
He was watching her face for a reaction, and she smiled as she looked at him.
The house was just like him and felt like a warm embrace.
It had a quiet dignity to it, and a hint of simple elegance.
It looked like the home of a country gentleman.
There was no sign of a woman’s touch, and Bert had already told Victoria that she could add anything she wanted to it. It was her home now too.
“I love it,” she said, and he looked enormously relieved.
He took her upstairs where there were seven or eight large, handsome bedrooms, each one with a fireplace, and beautiful wool upholstery in masculine colors, deep blues and hunter greens.
There were hunting trophies on the walls, gleaming silver, and chandeliers made of antlers.
Their bedroom was enormous, and Bert showed Victoria the adjoining bedroom that he had designated as her dressing room.
He had beautiful modern marble bathrooms with gleaming brass accessories.
She knew she would be happy there, and when they wanted citified elegance they had her house in London.
Bert’s house in Wilmslow was a refuge, a place where he could retreat from the stresses of his business.
The house was huge but cozy at the same time.
It was a wonderful house, and suited him.
“Welcome home,” he said, putting his arms around her and kissing her.
He showed her around the house after that and introduced her to the staff.
Mrs. Kelly looked her over and seemed to approve, Patrick, the Scotsman in the kitchen, greeted her warmly and asked for a list of her favorite dishes, and Seamus disappeared to make sure that her bags had gone to the right rooms. They had a snack, shortly after which Bert went to his office and Victoria went upstairs to unpack, with the help of two of the maids, a girl from Liverpool and another from Yorkshire.
The accents weren’t the ones Victoria was used to.
They were all new faces, and she had a whole new city to discover, and a new husband, but as she hurried up the stairs with a light step, she felt as though she’d come home.