The Windsor Girl (11 page)

Kate was made to clean and cook.  She was not tall enough to reach the sink, so had been provided with a stool, on which she could stand, whilst she worked.

When she reached the age of six, and because her health was relatively good, she was sent to work in the mill, along with other children of the same age.  There, she worked, from seven o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock at night, with a break of half an hour for her snack, which was provided by the workhouse.

Because she was small, Kate’s job was to crawl under the great weaving looms, to clear away the fluff, and dirt, which accumulated there.  The machinery was never turned off at these times.  To do so would severely cut down the profits and profits were more important than ‘workhouse children’.

It was not only ‘workhouse children’ who did this work.  Children from families, living in the many cobbled streets, also crawled under the monstrous machines.  The rich mill owners seemed not to care what happened to them or how hard they worked.

The tall windows in the room where Kate worked were made of clear glass panes so the maximum of light was allowed into the large weaving area.  However, the lower panes were of thick frosted glass so as not to distract the youngsters from their work.  ‘Woe betide’ any of the little mites, who dared to climb onto a stool to see the outside world.  The man in charge would beat them, mercilessly.  Should they complain to their parents when they went home, the parents would do nothing because, they too, worked in the mill and knew what went on.  No matter what had happened, or how badly the child had been beaten, the parents would not complain because they needed the child to work.  If they made a fuss, the ‘health inspector’ would stop such a child, under the age of eight, from working at all and the family would go short of food.

Kate had no one to complain to.  She would, simply, be beaten again, if she said anything.  And so she tried her best to do the work and fought the, sometimes irresistible, desire to fall asleep, as this too, would bring forth a flurry of blows.

For the next six years Kate slaved at the mill and lived a miserable life of neglect.  She made only one friend, a child a year younger than herself, called Amy, who died from a bout of
diarrhoea, when only nine years old.  Kate decided
then
, that she would not have another friend as it hurt too much when they went away.

She was just twelve years old when ‘the lady’ came to the workhouse, to look over the girls there.  She was looking for a young girl to work as scullery maid in a big house on
Thornton Avenue.  The Master there was the same person who owned the mill where Kate worked.  The lady, who came in search of a maid, was Miss Maud, the housekeeper.

She liked the look of Kate.  Not because she thought she looked like a nice girl, but because she seemed to be the healthiest looking girl amongst the ones paraded before her.  As things turned out, Miss Maud presented the workhouse board with an offer they were reluctant to decline.  If they would let Kate go, then Miss Maud would see to it that the workhouse would receive all of Kate’s wages for the next two years, until the girl reached fourteen, and capable of fending for herself.  The housekeeper had reasoned that if they did not have to feed and cloth her, and were still profiting by her work, what had they to lose?  They agreed to let Kate go.

Nether the Master of the Courtney Residence, Miss Maud, nor the workhouse had anything to lose, and little Kate, had no say in the matter.  However, in her new job at the big house, as she was later to find out, she would have a decent home and good healthy food.

And now, here she was, lying under a Great Oak with her best friend, happy with the world she lived in, and at one with God. 

Ellie glanced at Kate, noting that her eyes were still closed.  Not knowing if she was awake, Ellie quietly said, ‘I love you Kate.  You will always be the sister I never had’.

Kate opened her eyes and a look of pure happiness lit up her face.   Ellie took hold of her hand and pulled at her, ‘come on, lazy bones, you have rested enough for one day’.  Kate got to her feet and they ran, hand in hand, in the direction from which they came.

Chapter
Fifteen

As the girls were within sight of the farm, they slowed their pace.  It would be thought unseemly if they were seen running, like children.  They walked, with appropriate elegance, towards the farmhouse, where they could see the children’s nurse wheeling ‘Baby Samuel’ along the path.  As the large perambulator rumbled along, they could see that the big wheels were wobbling as they hit the small stones, along the path.

At first, Ellie had thought it strange that Samuel was still being wheeled around in a perambulator, now that he was three years old.  In the streets where
she
had lived, young children, of only eighteen months old, played outside the houses, sitting by the edge of the road, and often without parent supervision.  Things here were done very differently, but Ellie had to admit that, the children, of the upper classes, were much better cared for than those living in the slums.

‘Hello there’, called Miss Claremont, waving her hand, ‘I’m so glad I’ve see you.  Do you like it here?  I’m not so sure, myself’.

Ellie had only spoken to the nurse on two other occasions, and had always suspected that the nurse considered a scullery maid to be ‘beneath’ her.  Nevertheless, Ellie smiled at the nurse and said, ‘you mean you
don’t like
being in this lovely place, with its lovely fresh air and beautiful countryside?’

‘Oh I like it well enough.  I used to live here, when Mister Barnstable was alive, it’s just that all my friends are back in Leeds and there’s little to do here, except look after the children’, she said, bending down to pick up Samuel’s toy dog which he had seen fit to throw out of the perambulator.  ‘Beth has gone with Grandma and Grandpa, to visit friends and Samuel has caught a cold again, poor love.  He’s a little unsettled today’.

Ellie peered at the little tot and tickled his chin.  Samuel looked back at her with dull, disinterested eyes.  She must admit she didn’t like the look of the child at all.  She couldn’t say, exactly, what it was that worried her but she was not happy about him.

‘Is his pallor always so bad?’  she asked, observing the child, ‘he seems to be a little sallow’.

Miss Claremont looked sharply at the maid quickly turning around to retrace her steps. 

‘He’s a little off peek, that’s all.  I’m sure he will be much improved by tomorrow.  It’s his cold, you know’.  She went off, walking at a brisk pace.

‘Well’, said Ellie, ‘clearly, that’s the end of
that
conversation’.

Kate smiled, quizzically, ‘what was all that about Ellie?’

‘I don’t know Kate, I don’t know’, she answered, thoughtfully.

Lying in bed, that night, with Kate’s arm resting on her waist, Ellie thought again about the child, and almost immediately, it came to her.  She knew, almost without doubt, what was wrong Samuel and, not only did she abhor the situation, she knew she could not live with it on her mind.

The next day the girls were up at six and down for breakfast at six forty thirty.  Ellie was in a quandary about what to do about her suspicions.

She worked until
nine thirty, all the while, worrying about Victoria’s child, and then, suddenly, it all got the better of her.  She knew that her first priority had to be for the child’s well being, so she should have no qualms about the nurse.  With this decision made, she asked for a quiet word with Missus blunt.

‘Are you absolutely sure Ellie?  It’s important that you are, otherwise, you are going to be in a lot of trouble’, said Cook, worrying not only about the girl but her own position.  She didn’t know about these things, having never had children of her own and couldn’t be sure that Ellie was right.

‘I am as sure as I can be Missus Blunt.  The child is being poisoned.  I’ve seen this before, but I never thought it went on in the upper classes.  Anyway, if I am wrong, I will have to live with the consequences.  What I can’t live with is being right and not doing anything about it’.

‘Well Ellie, be it on your own head.  I will go with your story to Missus Barnstable and let her decide’.

She took off her apron and went towards the door, turning to add, ‘oh Ellie, I
do
hope you know what you’re doing?’

On the other hand, Ellie hoped she was
wrong
.  If she was right it would cause quite a stir and she would be at the centre of it and that’s the last thing she wanted.  And besides, if she were mistaken, it would mean that little Samuel was not in danger.

She didn’t have to wait long for Cook’s return.  She dashed into the kitchen, upset and flustered, ‘Ellie, you’re wanted in the Dining room.  Missus
Barnstable said you were to go to her immediately’.

Ellie took off her apron and, trembling at what was to come, she left the kitchen, leaving Kate wondering what all the fuss was about.

Ellie found Victoria, sitting in her invalid chair by the table, her breakfast untouched.

‘Sit down please’.  She indicated the chair nearest to her.

‘Ellie isn’t it?  Now tell me what you told Missus Blunt.  And please, leave nothing unsaid.  Don’t worry if your fears prove unfounded.  I love my children and I appreciate your concern’.

Ellie hesitated, fleetingly, and then relayed to Missus Barnstable her fears.

‘When I was growing up in Canal Street, there were women who lived there who my mother would not even speak to.  They were the ones who drugged their babies so they could go out to the alehouse every night.  All they had to do was go to the Apothecary and ask for medicine for that purpose.  They would be provided with a substance, which has in its makeup, Opium.  It can be sold quite legally, but is considered by some, to be highly dangerous, especially, for infants.  I think that your son is showing symptoms of this poisoning.  And that’s just what it is Ma-am, poison.  I thought you ought to know about it’.

Victoria
's own pallor changed as she listened to Ellie.  The girl obviously knew what she was talking about.  ‘Yes Ellie, you were right to tell me.  Now tell me of the symptoms’.

‘The child’s eyes are dull, and often, the lids are drooping.  The skin changes to a grey-like colour.  You have probably found that Samuel is well b
ehaved at night?’  She paused waiting for an answer.

‘Yes.  He is so good; I hardly know I have him.   But Beth was the same as a baby.  I just thought how lucky I was to have such a good nurse’.

‘Well Ma-am, He’s good because he is doped to make him sleep.  And I think it’s wrong to do that to a child’.

‘Thank you Ellie.  You may go back to your work and please be assured that I will get to the bottom of this’.

‘Thank you Ma-am’, said Ellie, dipping her knee and making for the door.

Richard entering the Dining room prevented her from going.  He was surprised to see her there, as he knew that her work was usually in the kitchen. 

‘Hello Ellie, I hope you are well?’   He thought she looked a bit ‘peeked’.

‘Quite well, thank you Sir’, she said.

He stepped to one side so she could pass him but not so far that he could not smell the scent of her.  She slipped passed him and out of the room.

‘What did Ellie want?’ he asked his sister, ‘she looks as if she had something on her mind’.

‘She did Richard and I’m grateful to her for bringing the matter to my notice’.

She thought for a moment and
then said, ‘and what is your interest in such a girl, Richard?  She’s a pretty little thing.  Could it be that you hope to bed her?’

His face took on an expression of incredibility, ‘what scullery maid?  How low do you think I am?’

The instant the words were said, a great feeling of guilt came over him, and he knew how low he really was.  He also knew that Ellie must never have anything to do with him.  He could ruin her life.

Instantly, Richard took is guilt feelings out of his sister.  ‘I won’t be having breakfast today, Vicky, I can’t stand the company’, and without a backward glance he bounced out of the room.

‘Richard. ... I’m sorry ............’ she called, but he was gone.

Some ten minutes later,
Victoria consulted her mother and father.  They were astounded by what Ellie had told their daughter.

Her father was angry, and bellowed
, ‘and what could a mere slip of a girl know about such things?  You had better be sure before you do anything drastic, which you may regret’.

Her mother agreed. ‘She is an exceptionally
good
nurse dear and you may not want to risk losing her’.

‘Is no one listening to me?’ cried
Victoria, ‘my children are in danger and all you seem to think of is ‘spare the nurse’.  I will dispense with her services at once, and get another nurse to care for the children, as soon as we return home’.

Edward could see that his daughter was distraught, and who could blame her? Taking into account what this ‘Ellie creature’ had said to her, it was understandable. 
She must be mistaken.  He would find out, for certain, before finally deciding what to do.  ‘Drat the girl’
, he thought.

‘Victoria’, he said, ‘just give me a few hours and I will get all the information you want, by lunch time today, then you will know what steps to take.  Then, whatever you decide to do, I will back you completely.  Do you agree?’

Victoria was beside herself, with worry, but her father was right, she really couldn’t act hastily and regret it later.  However, something about Ellie had impressed her.  The girl had been genuinely concerned and had seemed to have knowledge of the drugs.

‘Yes Daddy, I agree to wait, but only until
twelve o’clock.  I can’t afford to wait any longer.  You understand Daddy, don’t you?’  She gave her father a look, which told him that his ‘little girl’ was relying on him.

‘Yes my
dear, of course I do. 
You’ll
see it will be a big fuss about nothing.  Woe betide that girl if that is the case’.

Edward took the horse and trap and made his way to the centre of
York.  He was acquainted with a man who ran an Apothecary there.

He tethered the horse in ‘The Shambles’, where the shop was situated and entered, to see his friend, Michael at the top of a lofty set of stepladders.

‘Good morning Michael.  Have you a moment to spare me?  I need a little advice’.

The man surveyed Edward, over the rim of his spectacles, ‘ah Edward! You are here for another of your visits, I presume?’

‘I am, indeed, Michael and very nice to be here too.  A week is never enough but I need to be back at the mill by the weekend.  You can only rely on Managers for so long, and then you start to worry’.

‘There’s nothing to prevent your family staying on, is there?’ reasoned Michael.

‘No, nothing at all, but Louise insists that we may live anywhere I please, but always, together.  I don’t know what she thinks I will get up to if she leaves me in Leeds, even for
one
night without her’.  He said this with a wicked smile, and then went on.  ‘However,
Victoria
would find life here very satisfying and the air would do her good.  Of course, the memories are not all good, there
was
the accident, you know.’ 

For a moment, he looked saddened by his reminiscences, and then continued, briskly. 

‘But there is another matter which is bothering my daughter, and
that
is the main reason I am here today’.

Michael listened carefully to what Edward had to say and, as the story unfolded, he showed his concern by shaking his head whilst his brow furrowed from time to time.  When Edward had finished, his friend was quite upset and advised him to get rid of the nurse, ‘and have no qualms about it’, he said, firmly.  Edward was surprised at his friend’s venomously but listened intently, as he went on.

‘The children will not be affected, permanently. Not if you dismiss her
now
.  But should this state of affairs persist, then they would be in grave danger, especially, the young one’.

Edward’s expression changed from one of shock, to anger, ‘you mean the nurse would do this sort of thing, deliberately?’

‘Oh yes.  No doubt about it.  I have been in this profession all my life and have known of many practices which would turn your hair white overnight.  There is no question of its legality.  There is no law, which prohibits the sale of such medicine, but I make it a rule, that the purchaser should not intend to administer it to a child.  Of course, I cannot always be certain that this is adhered to.  I can only do my best and, perhaps this way, I may help the situation a little’.

Ed
ward was quite distraught now, but Michael, a nurse?  Surely she would know better?’

‘I’m afraid, Edward, that nurses and governesses are the worst offenders, being in charge of children is often tiresome so they see this as lessening their work load.  The emplo
yers consider them to be exceptionally good at what they do, or they think their children are particularly well behaved.  It occurs, mostly in upper class households, such as your own’.