More worries back at Blindingham. Cook has become increasingly frail and erratic, so Mrs Everdown has taken to calling up each day to see to the kitchens and give instruction to the gardener and stable boys. It is kind of her, I suppose, but I feel powerless to prevent her making changes I would not make myself. If she is half as incompetent as her daughter it will be a wonder the kitchen is still standing when we return. I do hope she does not discover our hiding places – for her to have the keys to every cupboard and chest would be more than Josiah could bear.