Heir to Greyladies (3 page)

She hid her mother’s locket and brooch among her spare knickers and vests. Winifred didn’t know she had the
jewellery because her father had told her to keep the pieces out of sight.

After some hesitation, she went downstairs and knocked on the closed kitchen door.

Winifred came to answer her knock. ‘I’ve not finished with Norris. Stay upstairs till I call you.’

‘I just wanted to know if it was all right to take my mother’s family Bible.’ She gestured towards the front room.

‘Books! That’s all you think of. Yes. Take the damned thing. It’s so old the leather’s crumbling, so it can’t be worth much. Take any of the books you fancy. You’ll want something to remember your parents by.’

Harriet managed to cram two of her favourite books into the suitcase as well as the Bible, but that was all it would hold and she had to sit on it to make it close. She didn’t want to leave the others. Perhaps she could tie them up with string and make a handle of it to carry them. But she couldn’t get the ball of string till Winifred had finished in the kitchen.

She brushed her hair and tied it back as neatly as she could, then sat on the bed waiting to be called down, feeling exhausted. She could do nothing about the bruises and scratches on her face. She couldn’t do much about anything, it seemed. Other people were ordering her life now.

But one day she’d manage to do things for herself. Whatever it took, she would find a way. Her teacher had said she was clever. Now she had to prove it.

Winifred looked at her bruised and battered son. ‘Sorry I hurt you so much. I got a bit carried away. I was angry with you.’

‘She encouraged me.’

‘I wasn’t born yesterday. She damned well didn’t. Look, Norris, if you can’t control yourself, you’ll get nowhere in this life.’

She let that sink in, then continued, ‘I’ve got some ideas for making money. A lot of money. And I want you in it with me. But it’ll be no good if you can’t control yourself. Not just this, but your temper. We want to come out of it respectable. Before I’m through, I want a big house, servants, all sorts of things. And I’m going to get them, too. Are you in with me or are you going to carry on being lazy and getting into fights?’

‘Money?’

‘A lot of money.’

‘Harriet’s … a temptation.’

‘I’m sending her away. You’ll get your women quietly after this and treat them well. I don’t want you spoiling my plans by having a reputation for roughing them up.’

He leant back. ‘You never talked about this before.’

‘I had James. He’d not have listened to my ideas. Now, I’ve a mind to do what I want.’

Norris nodded slowly. ‘All right. You’re on.’

‘Good lad.’

She went to the foot of the stairs and yelled, ‘Harriet! Come down here and bring your suitcase.’

When Harriet brought the suitcase down, she said, ‘Just a minute.’ She ran back upstairs and brought down the books. ‘I need to tie these together with string.’

Winifred sighed. ‘All right. Though what you want with them, I don’t know. Books don’t bring you money.’

Doris Miller limped slowly across to the china cabinet and took out her best teapot, stroking it lovingly. Royal Doulton, it was. The tea set had been a leaving present from her last mistress. She only used it when she needed cheering up or felt lonely, and for some reason it usually did the trick.

She took a tray into the front parlour and poured herself a cup of best lapsang souchong. Not many people liked the smoky tea, which she drank without milk or sugar, but she loved it. It was such a beautiful dark colour, almost red, glowing against the blue and white of the willow pattern.

As she was pouring a second cup, the door knocker sounded. She smiled as she went to answer it. Not often someone came to see her in the evening. You’d swear that tea could work magic.

Her niece was on the doorstep. Winifred wasn’t Doris’s favourite relative, but she was family, and family had to stick together, so she held the door wider. ‘Come in.’

It wasn’t till Winifred moved forward that Doris saw the girl standing behind her, a tall, thin lass with lovely hair, red but of a soft russet colour, definitely not ginger. The girl had obviously been in trouble, because she had bruises on her
face and her eyes were swollen with crying. ‘Who are you, then?’ Doris asked her gently.

Winifred turned round. ‘Oh, sorry. You haven’t met, have you? This is Harriet, James’s daughter. Harriet, this is Mrs Miller, my aunt.’

The old woman nodded, then led the way inside. ‘I was sorry to hear about your husband. I’d have come to the funeral but I had a bad cold.’

‘At least he went quickly, but he didn’t make old bones, did he?’ Winifred said. ‘Not many are lucky to live as long as you, Auntie.’

Which bit of flattery meant her niece wanted something. Hmm. Doris said nothing, watching in amusement as Winifred stopped to stare into the front room, studying its contents as if assessing them. If Winifred thought she was going to inherit all this, she could think again.

‘It isn’t all pleasure being seventy-two years old, I promise you.’

‘You have enough money to live on comfortably, Auntie. You’ve done well.’

‘Not many folk are as careful with their money as I’ve been. And not all employers pay you a pension like the Daltons do.’ Doris turned back to the girl who was still standing in the hallway. ‘Come into the kitchen, Harriet. You can leave your suitcase in the hall.’

‘Yes, Mrs Miller.’

‘It’s “Miss”, really. They called me “Mrs” when I was a housekeeper, and I’ve got used to it now. I was never stupid enough to marry or I’d probably be in the workhouse now.’

She led the way into the back room. She didn’t allow many people into her front room, didn’t want them knocking over her little tables or breaking her ornaments.

When they were all seated, Doris waited, but unusually for her Winifred didn’t speak until prompted, just sat chewing her lip and frowning.

‘What can I do for you, then? You’d not come here at this hour of the night if you didn’t need my help.’

Winifred nodded towards the girl. ‘It’s my stepdaughter. Norris is after her. She doesn’t encourage him, I’ll grant her that, but I can’t trust him to leave her alone if we keep living in the same house. He’s as bad as his father.’

‘Is that how she got the bruises?’

‘Yes.’

‘He’s rough with it, then.’

She shrugged. ‘He’s a Harding. But he’s got my blood in him too, so I’m hoping to teach him some self-control.’

‘Hmm. Why did you bring her to me?’

‘I can’t keep her at home but I can’t just turn her out on the street. I thought … I
hoped
you might help her get a place in service. She’s done well at school, won a scholarship to St Mary’s, but of course
I
can’t afford to send her there.’

‘Oh? I’d heard you were left comfortably off.’

‘And I’ll need that money for my old age, won’t I? You’re not the only one who thinks ahead. I’m definitely not getting married again. That’s two good providers who’ve died on me now.’ She waited. ‘Well? Will you do it, Auntie Doris? Find her a place in service?’

The old woman turned to Harriet. ‘What have
you
got to say about this, girl?’

‘I don’t know what to say. It’s the first I’ve heard about it.’

Doris let out a spurt of rusty laughter. ‘That’s our Winifred. Good at organising other folk, whether they want it or not.’

Harriet took a sudden decision. ‘I think she’s right about
one thing, though. I can’t stay there. Norris will find a way to trap me if I do, whatever she tells him.’

‘Are you a hard worker?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘Pity about the scholarship, but there you are. Life doesn’t let you have everything you want.’ She kept them waiting a minute or two longer, then said, ‘All right. But she’ll need an outfit if you want her to get a better sort of job, Winifred. A job that pays more money.’

Winifred scowled at her. ‘You’ve told me about maids’ outfits before. All those clothes! Who needs that many? No, it’ll cost too much. Just find her a job as a general maid.’

Doris folded her arms. ‘I don’t deal with that sort of family. If I take her off your hands, it’ll be a big country house she works in. Besides, she’ll soon make up the cost of an outfit. She’ll earn double what she’d make as a general skivvy to some backstreet grocer.’

Winifred looked at her uncertainly. ‘Double?’

‘Yes. And it’ll put those snooty neighbours on your side if they see you treating her well.’ Doris hid a smile. She knew how it galled Winifred that her late husband’s neighbours would hardly give her the time of day. You’d almost think they knew about Winifred’s mother, but the family had been very careful to keep that disgrace secret.

‘Do you really think it’ll soften them up?’

‘I’m certain of it.’

‘Might be worth it, then, because I’m not moving house. James bought it with the insurance money from his wife dying so sudden.’ Another pause, then, ‘You’re
sure
she’ll earn more?’

‘Certain. Double. One other thing. If I do this, I get her
first quarter’s wages.’ She looked challengingly at Winifred as she said that.

‘Trust you to demand a share. You always were on the lookout for money.’

‘Takes one to recognise one.’

‘And after the first quarter, all her wages come to me?’

‘Yes.’

‘Very well, then.’ She turned to Harriet. ‘I’ll want you to write to that nosy parker next door and tell her how well you’re set up, thanks to me. I’ll have your promise on that before we go any further.’

‘But I won’t be well set up if I don’t get paid any money at all,’ Harriet said indignantly.

Winifred glared at her.

Doris intervened. ‘You’ll escape from Norris once and for all, young lady. And you’ll be well trained, able to earn a good living. Be grateful for that. They feed you really well in the big houses and there’s always company. Your turn to get the money you earn will come later. Give Winifred your promise or you can go home this minute.’

Harriet gave in because the thought of living with Norris again made her feel sick. ‘I promise I’ll write to Mrs Leigh.’

Winifred stood up. ‘Right, then. I’ll be getting back.’

Doris held up her hand ‘Just a minute. What about her keep while she’s with me?’

Winifred breathed deeply but stayed where she was. ‘How much?’

‘A shilling a day for training and feeding her. Paid weekly, in advance.’

She fumbled in her purse and slapped two half-crown
pieces and a florin down on the kitchen table. ‘There. Seven shillings for this week.’

‘More to come next Friday or I bring her straight back to you.’

Sighing loudly, Winifred nodded.

Doris escorted her great niece to the door, where they muttered for a moment or two, then she came back to the kitchen, where Harriet was sitting in her chair, her whole body drooping. ‘You’ve had your first lesson today, my girl.’

‘I don’t understand what you mean.’

‘Make sure you get some benefit when you do someone a favour. I retired from being housekeeper at Dalton House. The family give you a small pension if you work for them for over twenty years, but I had enough money saved as well to see me out in comfort. And why did I have that money behind me? Because I made sure I was paid for everything extra I did. Because I
saved
my money, didn’t waste a penny of it.’

‘I won’t have any money to save if
she
takes it all.’

Doris shrugged. ‘One day you’ll get your wages. Parents usually take young maids’ money, you know.’

‘
She
isn’t my mother, though.’

‘She’s the nearest you’ve got now, and she’s doing you a favour with this. You’ll understand that one day.’

She waited for her words to sink in, then continued, ‘Just make sure you follow my advice. Once you’re twenty-one, things will change completely. And by the time you’re eighteen you can ask for a share of your wages, because by then you’ll have enough experience to get another job if they don’t agree. Though I think they will. The Daltons are very decent with those they employ.’

She grinned. ‘Don’t tell Winifred I told you how to get out of this later, but fair’s fair. Just make sure you prove yourself a good worker, so they’ll want to keep you on.’

‘But I won’t be twenty-one for another five years!’

‘I thought Winifred said you were fifteen. It’ll be longer than that.’

‘I’ll be sixteen soon.’

‘Hmm. You look younger.’ She studied the girl. Though she was quite tall, Harriet had a child’s innocence on her face still, and an unhappy child at that. ‘Five years isn’t long. It’ll soon pass. Now, let me show you your room.’

Doris heard the girl cry herself to sleep and felt an unexpected surge of sympathy. Not enough to get her out of bed to comfort her young visitor, though.

When Harriet woke, it was fully light and later than usual for her, after the weeks at the bakery. Afraid she’d be in trouble for sleeping in, she got up and washed quickly in the cold water from the ewer, then dressed and hurried downstairs, taking her slop bowl with her.

There was no one in the kitchen and the fire wasn’t lit, so Mrs Miller wasn’t up yet, thank goodness.

First things first. She needed to empty the slop bowl and go to the lavatory, which was down at the back of the house, past the scullery and coal store. It was inside, not at the end of the yard, which seemed a great luxury on a rainy morning.

When she’d taken her slop bowl back to her bedroom, she decided to light the fire, hoping that would please the old lady. She found a hessian pinafore hanging on the wall next to the coal store, and put that on to clean out the grate. Soon, the fire was burning brightly.

Afterwards she washed her hands and made sure there was water in the kettle before pushing it over the hottest part of the stove top.

She turned as she heard footsteps on the stairs.

Mrs Miller came into the kitchen, moving slowly and stiffly. She was wearing a long woollen dressing gown, with her white hair hanging down her back in a thin plait. ‘Good. You had the wit to get the fire going.’ She went across to hold her hands out to its warmth.

They were gnarled hands, Harriet noticed, hands that had worked hard. Still worked hard, judging by how clean everything was here. She waited, clasping her own hands in front of her.

Mrs Miller sat down at the kitchen table. ‘Cup of tea first. You can make it for us. Use my ordinary tea in the red tea caddy. I’ll tell you how I like it.’

There followed what Harriet soon realised was a lesson in the correct way to do things. And she had to admit that the tea tasted better than any other she’d had. As she set her empty cup down, she realised Mrs Miller was studying her once again.

The old woman repeated what Winifred had said, ‘You’re definitely going to be pretty when you grow up. You’re like a colt at the moment, all legs and arms, with just a few curves starting. Did you want to go to that fancy school?’

Harriet nodded. ‘Oh, yes. I like learning things. I was going to be a teacher.’

‘Well, that chance has gone now, but you can still educate yourself. Anyone can read books these days. They’re all over the place, not like when I was a girl. I use the public library and I buy cheap books from the market sometimes.’

It wasn’t the same to read books as it would have been to be taught by well-educated people, Harriet thought sadly. She always had questions to ask about what she’d read. But it was no use protesting.

‘Here’s what we’re going to do, young lady. I’ll give you a
few lessons in how to look after a house
properly
– there’s a big difference between that and what most folk call housework – and if you show promise during this first week with me, I’ll write to someone I know, to see if she can help you find a place. Mrs Stuart is the housekeeper now at Dalton House, took over from me. I trained her and she’ll trust you if I vouch for you.’

‘How can you vouch for me if you’ve only just met me?’

Mrs Miller laughed, a rusty sound as if she didn’t do it often. ‘I’ve trained a lot of girls. I can tell within the hour whether they’re worth the bother or not. If
you
will only set your mind to it, you’ll be well worth training.’

That thought warmed Harriet. ‘I will do my best, I promise you. Where’s Dalton House?’

‘Near Reading.’

‘How far away is that?’

Mrs Miller gave her a knowing smile. ‘Far enough for your purpose. Norris won’t find it easy to get to you there.’ She waited. ‘Well, is that a bargain?’

Harriet hesitated. ‘Do you and Winifred have to take
all
my wages? I’ll need to buy more clothes and underwear. I’m still growing in … places.’ She could feel herself blushing.

Mrs Miller pursed her lips. ‘Yes. I suppose you will need something.’

‘Winifred won’t let me keep any money at all.’

‘No. She’s greedy, Winifred is. Always was. Doesn’t know when to stop grabbing. That puts people’s backs up. So we’ll not tell her exactly how much you’re getting and we’ll leave you a shilling a week of your own.’ Mrs Miller tapped her nose. ‘What she doesn’t know won’t upset her.’