With the bakery business growing strong, Edith and Marigold moved into a modest, but more suitable apartment. Marigold, now 15 years old, was becoming quite a socialite. Edith insisted that Marigold never tell anyone that her mother was the famous cake baker. Instead, they fabricated a story that Marigold’s father died in the war (as a war hero) and her aristocrat French mother died of the fever in India. It was a common story; no one ever questioned it. Like a mystery, Marigold seemed to simply appear at debutant parties, then quietly disappear. No one knew where she lived, and no one cared. . . . until:
One day in her school’s gothic library, Colonia and Fiona, two of Marigold’s best socialite friends, mentioned softly that Marigold had never hosted tea or a dinner party, and that they had never seen her home – which they imagined was splendid. Like a fox with the hounds lapping at its heels, Marigold made a near fatal mistake. With a bright smile, she whispered, “It IS rather splendid! You must come for tea! I’ll arrange it with my guardian, and it will be delightful!”
She ran home – through the pouring rain – into her mother’s arms.
“Oh Mother!” she cried. “I don’t know what I’m going to do! I’ve promised the girls that I would host tea at my splendid home! I know you work hard for what little we have, but when they see this modest apartment, I’ll be ruined! You must help me!”
Since Edith left Downton Abbey and had to survive by her wits, she grew wiser and more cunning. She held her damp daughter close. Softly patting Marigold’s back, Edith gave her comfort with these words: “Don’t worry my precious angel. Mother will take care of everything. You’ll be fine. Now go change into some dry clothes.” For Edith remembered that her Aunt Rosamund always hid her house key under her doormat. It was simple: all she had to do was find out when Aunt Rosamund would be out of town!
Not more than 3 days after the incident in the library, Edith read in the social papers that Lady Rosamund Painswick was on the guest list of a steeplechase in Plymouth in 2 weeks. Not much time to plan, but Edith had no choice. Marigold would soon host her first tea!
Edith wasted no time. Ed and Lu’s Bakery would provide the scones and petit fours; Mrs. Child’s had a collection of herbal teas; and Rascal, Miss Emilia, Gertrude, and Clyde – all friends from the soup kitchen – would serve as Butler, Lady’s Maid, housemaid, and First Footman. It was decided that Luna would act as Marigold’s guardian because Edith could not afford to be seen. She would remain in Rosamund’s kitchen.
Formal invitations were sent to Colonia, Fiona and seven other young socialites.
The soup kitchen patrons were more than willing to help out their friend, whom they lovingly called Lady Scruffy. Also, they liked the idea of wearing fancy service clothes. Although the service clothes were gently used and were not sized quite right, they were the finest apparel these characters had ever donned. Clyde proudly waved with his white-gloved hands, while Miss Emilia lifted her skirt to curtsey. After a quick lesson in etiquette and servant roles, the delighted and finely clad company set-off for Rosamund’s to set-up for Marigold’s first tea.
What Edith and her crew didn’t realize as they journeyed to Rosamund’s, was that Rosamund, bored with yet another steeplechase, decided to return to London that afternoon! When she arrived at the train station in Plymouth, she found the northeast bound train departing for London. She was pleased that she would be home just before tea time and would invite her friend, Camellia, to join her for tea at her home. She loathed tea service on the trains; the scones were quite rubbery.
Her porter gently coughed before he loaded her two trunks into the baggage car. “Yes?” asked Rosamund.
“Untied Train Lines now charges 25 shillings for each checked bag, M’Lady,” the porter explained.
“What? That’s outrageous! Isn’t it enough what I pay for the ticket?? This is highway robbery!” she exclaimed loudly. Other passengers discretely nodded in agreement. “I didn’t have to pay for my trunks when I travelled from London to Plymouth, did I?” She asked accusingly.
“That’s correct, M’Lady. That’s because, when you travel southwest, your checked bags are free.”
Under duress, she handed over 50 shillings to the Untied Train Lines representative.
Meanwhile, back in London, Marigold and her staff arrived at Rosemund’s. “I’m so glad my wealthy friend agreed to let us host the tea at her house,” Edith lied as she carefully lifted the doormat, expecting to find the key. It was not there! In a panic, Edith looked under rocks and in the shrubbery, mumbling “no, no, it must be here! Somewhere!” Good ole Rascal – an expert at finding keys (by profession)- found it tucked under the window shutter. There was a collective gasp when they walked into Rosamund’s home. The opulence was something to behold. None of the soup kitchen gang had ever seen any room quite as breathtakingly beautiful and stylish. After recovering from the initial shock, the clan lifted the elegant gold rimmed plates from the cupboards and set the table for the tea. Because they didn’t have a proper measuring stick, they had to eyeball the distances for the place settings. Everything looked in order; the guests would be arriving soon. Edith was quite pleased with herself.
Just about that time, Rosamund’s train pulled into the London station. She exited the train and waited on the platform for her porter. Where could he be? She was anxious to visit Camellia and invite her to tea. She was surprise when the porter arrived empty-handed. “I’m afraid, M’Lady,” he said, “that Untied Train Lines has lost your luggage. They will deliver it to your house later today.”
“But it’s a train! How could they possibly lose my luggage?” She marched off to the customer service window and demanded a return of the 50 shillings checked-baggage fee and a free drink voucher. The Untied Train Lines representative returned the 50 shillings, but reminded Rosamund that she always travelled in the first class car and was served free drinks anyway. Rosamund sighed in contempt and departed for Camellia’s.
Back at Rosamund’s, the guests began to arrive. The young ladies were giddy over the stylish home décor. There were a few awkward moments when Rascal and Clyde committed blunders in serving the tea, but nothing that couldn’t be chalked-up to the slacker attitude of the younger generation in these modern times. Luna had a bit of a cough and had to excuse herself from the room to recover momentarily.
The girls’ conversation eventually came around to the most fashionable hairdresser of the day: Thibaut Enchanté! Colonia surprised everyone when she said he wasn’t French! The chatter suddenly ceased and all eyes turned toward Colonia. She explained that she left Thibaut’s salon without her umbrella, and when she went back to fetch it, she overheard him talking in the most ordinary cockney accent – he was just a regular bloke! She told her mother, who advised “Never let him know you know. He does such a fabulous haircut, if his feelings are hurt and he refuses to cut hair, the world will have lost the best hair-stylist of our time!”
Meanwhile, in a posh neighborhood, Camellia welcomed Rosamund and agreed that Rosamund simply could not continue wearing travel clothes, so the two set-off for the posh fashion boutiques. Within minutes, Rosamund walked out of the Cache boutique wearing an extravagantly beaded dress, wrapped in a delicate fringe-trimmed shawl, and sporting a miniature hat sprouting pheasant feathers. Because the Cache boutique was next to Starstruck’s Tea Room, they decided to enjoy tea there, rather than trek over to Rosamund’s.
Marigold said farewell to her guests, who all complimented her on a delightful tea. It was a success! When the last guest departed, Marigold shut and locked the door, and the crew began their clean-up duty. Although Miss Emilia picked up a porcelain and gold filigree snuff box to get a closer look, she carefully replaced it exactly where she found it. When the clean-up was complete, everything was as it was when they arrived. Surprisingly, neither the staff nor a guest carefully slid a trinket into a pocket.
Just when the exhausted crew was ready to leave, they heard a noise on the front stoop. Rascal carefully peered through the window. “It’s a red-headed lady with bird feathers on her head. She’s looking for the key under the shutter!”
“Oh dear,” sighed Edith, “It’s Rosamund.”
“Then I should unlock the door and let her in?” concluded Rascal.
“No!” said Edith in an emphatic whisper. “She doesn’t know we’re here.”
Panic fell on the faces of the motley crew. “We’ll be thrown in the big house if we’re caught,” Miss Emilia quietly sobbed, while Luna tried to stifle her cough.
Rascal observed, “She’s heading to the back of the house! Now’s our chance to escape.”
The trespassers quietly unlocked the front door, exited, re-locked the front door, hid the key back under the shutter, and quickly sped down the sidewalk. As soon as they turned the corner, they stopped to catch their breathes, while Luna had a coughing fit. Edith apologized profusely for lying about having permission to use the house. Edith explained that the owner was an old friend, and Edith was sure she would not turn them over to the police. However, it was just best that her friend not know about the tea. The soup-kitchen bunch loved Lady Scruffy and were quick to forgive her. Besides, it was a fun adventure.
{Note to Southwest Airlines: I was not paid for this product placement. However, I would welcome some compensation. If not cash, the I would appreciate a free drink voucher as I can’t afford to fly first class.}