Once Winnie had gone she crossed to the door to lock it and was dismayed to see there was no key in the lock. So she drank her tea and after hastily unpacking her nightdress, she undressed and fell into bed. The rest of the unpacking could wait until later.
She soon discovered that silk sheets were nowhere near as nice to lie on as they looked and she found herself slipping and sliding about the mattress. Added to that the noise from the other rooms made it impossible to sleep so she lay thinking of home and wondering for the first time if she had done the right thing in coming here. Her arrival at her new home hadn’t been nearly as exciting as she had hoped it would be but then, she consoled herself as she slipped into an uneasy doze, surely it could only get better?
Chapter Sixteen
Still in her dressing robe, Dorcas entered the kitchen the next morning to the sound of the kettle singing on the hob while Hetty was kneeling in front of a cheerful fire toasting bread on a long-handled toasting fork.
‘Mornin’, missus,’ Hetty greeted her and Dorcas grunted. She had never been a morning person and Hetty’s cheerful mood each day always made her cringe. ‘I heard you movin’ about so I thought I’d get your toast ready for you.’
Her words were met with yet another grunt from Dorcas as Hetty rose and began to liberally spread butter on the toast at the table.
‘It’s lookin’ set to be another lovely day. I reckon I’ll get out an’ do a bit on the vegetable garden later; the carrots an’ the cabbages are comin’ on a treat.’ She neither expected nor received an answer as she carried the plate of food to her mistress then bustled away to make the tea. Once she’d poured water into the pot, she covered it with a cosy and left it to mash while she prepared the cups and saucers. Only then did she notice the envelope propped up against the ornate ormolu clock on the mantelpiece.
She wiped her hands on her apron and went to fetch it before handing it to the mistress saying, ‘This must be for you. Perhaps Miss Abigail ’as ’ad to go out early?’
Frowning, Dorcas put her plate aside and after running her thumb along the top of the envelope she withdrew a single sheet of paper and began to read.
Dear Mama,
By the time you read this I will hopefully be far away and beginning my new post. I shall be fine, I assure you, and once I am settled, I shall be sure to come and visit you. Forgive me for not telling you that I planned to leave, but I feared that you would not have allowed it so soon after Emmy left. I shall be working in London, not so very far away from Emerald, so hopefully once I am settled, I shall be able pay her and our Aunt Imogen a visit. I am so curious to meet her! I hope you understand that I couldn’t stay there bearing the shame of what Father has reduced us to for a second longer. I only wish that you could make a new start elsewhere too, but I have every faith that Uncle Bernard will ensure that you manage comfortably.
Until we meet again, I remain,
Your loving daughter,
Abigail xxxx
The colour drained from Dorcas’s cheeks like water down a plughole as she clutched her throat. Hetty grew quite concerned as she watched her read the letter. Her mistress was the colour of putty and her hands were shaking.
‘Is everythin’ all right, missus?’ she asked anxiously.
Dorcas glared at her, her eyes bright with unshed tears. ‘Does itlooklike everything is all right, youstupidgirl,’ she snapped as she waved the offending letter in the air. ‘This is from Abigail! She’s run away, but then I suppose you knew all about what she was planning!’
Hetty stretched to her full height and scowled at her indignantly, her hands fisted on her hips. ‘As a matter o’ fact I ’ad no bloody idea,’ she snapped back. ‘Though the way you speak to people and treat ’em, meself included, I can’t say as I bloody blame ’er! An’ I’ll tell yer something’ else an’ all, unless yer buck yer ideas up an’ start speakin’ to me like I’m a human bein’ an’ not somethin’ that’s stuck to the bottom of yer bleedin’ shoe I might well be followin’ ’er before much longer!’ And with that she turned and stamped out into the garden leaving Dorcas sitting there open-mouthed.
‘Damn you to hell! This isallyour fault, Gerald,’ she muttered to the empty room. ‘Look what you have brought me to!’ And covering her face with her hands she began to sob with self-pity.
It was some time before the tears stopped and only then did she begin to feel fearful. As much as she loathed the girl, she was forced to admit that Hetty was a good worker. What would she do if she carried out her threat and left her? She could have managed without her had Emerald still been there – she had never been afraid to turn her hand to anything, unlike Abigail who was completely work-shy – but both girls had gone now and Hetty was the only one left to keep the cottage running. It never occurred to her that she could have done so herself; she had been waited on hand and foot all her life and had no intention of changing things now, so she supposed she would just have to try to be a little kinder to the girl, although it went sorely against the grain because Hetty was only a lowly servant after all.
With a sigh she hauled herself out of the chair, dabbed her cheeks dry and went to the back door where she could see Hetty, looking none too pleased, digging in the vegetable patch.
‘Hetty .?.?.’
At the sound of her name the girl glanced up and Dorcas swallowed deeply before forcing herself to say, ‘I .?.?. I apologise for being so short with you earlier on .?.?. I-I think it was just the shock of discovering that Abigail had gone.’
Narrowing her eyes, Hetty stared at her mistress before swallowing the hasty retort that sprang to her lips. Dorcas did look upset and Hetty had always had a kind heart so after a moment she shrugged. ‘Very well, we’ll just ’ave to muddle along as best we can now, just the two of us. Apology accepted.’
Dorcas inclined her head and scurried back to her seat feeling very sorry for herself indeed as she thought of the long, lonely days stretching ahead of her.
That same morning in Soho, Abi was awakened by Winnie bearing a tray of tea and hot buttered toast.
‘The missus said I should spoil you this mornin’ seein’ as it’s your first day ’ere,’ the girl told her cheerfully after placing the tray on a bedside table and crossing to pull the curtains aside. ‘But after this you’ll ’ave to ’ave your meals in the dinin’ room wiv the other girls.’
‘Thank you, Winnie.’ Abi felt as if she had had hardly any sleep at all, but she sat up and after flicking her long hair over her shoulders, she yawned and took a sip of tea before asking, ‘How many other girls actually live here?’
‘Ooh!’ Winnie paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully. ‘There must be about a dozen or so,’ she said eventually. ‘Though I could be wrong. I ain’t never been much good at countin’. But I must be off, if you don’t need anythin’ else. Mistress Lilly said to join her in the parlour when you’re ready.’ And with a last cheery smile she was off leaving Abi to eat her breakfast in peace.
Half an hour later, washed and dressed with her hair brushed neatly into a bun at the back of her head, Abi set off down the stairs. The house was quiet now and once in the hall she paused, wondering which door led to the parlour.
