by Jacqui Penn
Sophia sat on the train to Canterbury with the dog asleep in her jacket. She’d have to sneak him into the house. Her landlady, Mrs Jessop, had been clear on the house rules. No men, no pets, no vulgar language and any trouble and she was out. No discussion, out! Hopefully, someone would get in touch with the police soon. He was such an adorable little dog with his little sticky up ears, dark eyes and soft, multi-coloured fur.
The train purred along the tracks lulling her into a restful mood. Today had been strange. Her dad had moved with no forwarding address. She’d revisited the dreaded river and found a calm aura which she hadn’t expected, and then Mutley adopted her. She mustn’t get too attached, soon he would be bound for his real home. She opened her jacket and peeped at the sleeping bundle of fur who was snoring gently. It felt good to be chosen as special, even if it was only for a short time.
Sophia stopped at a corner shop which seemed to stay open all hours and bought a couple of tins of dog food. She prayed Mutley wouldn’t make a sound as she slipped the key in the lock, pushed open the door and crept into the house. The aroma of furniture polish wafted through the hallway. There was a light on in the lounge which meant Mrs Jessop would be watching the television. She barely looked up from her programme as Sophia passed by the open door and headed quickly for the stairs.
‘Sophia, is that you?’
‘Yes, good evening, Mrs Jessop. I hope I didn’t disturb you.’ The home had taught her that a bit of creeping worked wonders with the majority of strict adults.
‘It might be polite to say hello instead of rushing past like that, you could have been anyone walking into my house.’
‘Sorry, Mrs Jessop. Goodnight.’ Old Witch. No one else had a key! How did she think they’d get in? Last night she’d been ignored as she walked past the door and said good night. There was no pleasing some people. Thankful that Mutley seemed to be intelligent and knew when to stay quiet, Sophia continued up to her room which was clean but old fashioned, with dark coloured wood furniture, all large and matching.
‘You are a good little boy.’ She lifted him from her jacket, stroked his head and put him on the floor. ‘We mustn’t let the witch know you’re here or she’ll throw us both out,’ she whispered. ‘Fancy some dinner? Here you go.’ She emptied a small portion of food onto a paper bag and Mutley dived in as though he hadn’t eaten for a week. No chance of the paper bag getting soggy, the food only lasted a minute. Sophia smiled and gave him some more which also disappeared as quick as a flash. ‘Now you’re going to have to stay here because I have to go downstairs and see what delight I have been left for my dinner tonight. No noise.’ She pulled her pillow from the bed and placed it in the corner of the room. Mutley climbed on, curled up in a ball and went back to sleep obviously content he had a full tummy.
A ham salad, a glass of milk and a bun for dessert sat on the dining room table. Sophia ate as quickly as she could, washed the dishes, called her thanks to Mrs Jessop, to which there was no response, and raced back up the stairs two at a time.
The following morning, Sophia woke to a cold, wet nose nudging her cheek. ‘Good morning, little fellow. I suppose you need to go out?’ Her eyes quickly scanned the floor for puddles. ‘You are a good boy. The perfect house guest.’ She crept down the stairs with Mutley inside her jacket and hurried out of view of the house before placing him on the ground. He hurried to a lamppost and cocked his leg. ‘You can’t be a puppy, they don’t do that; you are so tiny.’
Sophia’s interview was at four o’clock. A family wanted a live-in nanny for their two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son. Sophia had helped out with the younger children at St Mary’s. One of the nicer nuns had written an astounding reference to Sophia’s childcare qualities and she remained hopeful of getting the position.
Mutley was used to being shoved down Sophia’s jacket and he quickly nestled into her arm and curled up. She hurried down the stairs and heaved a sigh of relief when she left the house and turned the corner. Placing Mutley on the ground, Sophia stood and found herself face to face with Mrs Jessop. She gulped with guilt.
‘Mrs Jessop. I can’t stop, I’m on my way to the interview.’
Mrs Jessop gave her a frosty look. ‘I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.’
‘Thank you.’ Sophia didn’t dare look down at Mutley. Mrs Jessop didn’t seem to have noticed him. Sophia breathed a sigh of relief and kept walking towards the bus stop. ‘Maybe it’s a sign of good luck,’ she looked down at the dog, ‘but I don’t know what I’ll do with you if I get the job.’
Sophia arrived a little early for the interview and looked around for somewhere to leave Mutley. The double fronted house had a drive leading to a large garage. The path to the front door had bushes on both sides, and grass. ‘You mustn’t do any hole digging or pooping on the grass. I won’t be long.’ Mutley sat and watched through a gap in the hedge as Sophia left him, walked to the door, and rang the doorbell.
The door flew open and a little boy, with recently combed hair and sporting a cheeky grin, looked up at her.
Sophia smiled. ‘Hello, I’m Sophia Wallace. Is your mummy at home?’
A woman in her early thirties appeared in the hallway. ‘Hello there. Lawrence, how many times do I have to tell you not to answer the door unless I ask you to? You must be…’
‘Sophia Wallace. Pleased to meet you, Mrs Staples.’
‘Come in, and do call me Angela. There’s not too much formality in this house. Blue, get in here! Oh, God! There’s something he likes out there. Damn dog chases anything. Lawrence, close the door, Blue will come back in a minute. We’ll sit in here.’ She motioned Sophia into a large room with a multitude of toys scattered around the floor. ‘Sorry about the mess. We usually have a cleaner and there’s Sarah the cook, but we’re a bit disorganised because…’ She picked up a file from a table in the corner of the room and flicked through a few pages before stopping and scanning the page. ‘Oh yes. So Sophia, tell me a little about yourself and why you think I should choose you for the job? Sit down; if you can find a space.’
Sophia sat on the only available seat and looked straight into her interviewer’s eyes. ‘Well I…’
A loud, excited barking took Angela’s attention, and she rushed to the window. ‘Sorry. Oh my God! He’s got something.’ Angela rushed from the room and charged out of the front door. ‘Blue, put it down. Blue!’
Sophia felt sickened. She picked up Lawrence and went to the door praying Mutley hadn’t been hurt. She’d have to confess. Lawrence stroked Sophia’s blonde hair, following the strands down to her neck.
‘I like your hair.’
Sophia smiled at him. ‘Thank you, I like yours too.’ She ran her finger over his curls. ‘I wish mine was curly like yours.’
He thought for a moment. ‘I wish mine was straight like yours.’ They caught each other’s eyes and smiled as Sophia lowered him to the ground. She shook her head. Why had she picked him up? The poor boy didn’t even know her.
Angela walked through a gap in the hedge clutching Mutley under her arm. ‘Poor little thing, he’s shaking all over.’
Sophia saw her job slipping further away. ‘I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. He was lost and my landlady doesn’t allow pets so I had to bring him with me. I’m hoping his owners will get in touch.’
‘Well, he’s certainly a cute little chap.’ She looked at Lawrence. ‘You two seem to be getting on well. How would you like Sophia to come and look after you, Lawrence?’
Sophia drew a breath. She couldn’t possibly have got the job so easily. Lawrence nodded and smiled.
Angela stroked Mutley and looked Sophia in the eye. ‘The job is yours if you think you can handle a madhouse.’
‘Absolutely. I mean, it’s not a madhouse, but I would like the job.’
‘I knew I would like you the moment I saw you, and the letter from Sister Jude left me in no doubt that you were the best candidate for the job.’ She ruffled Mutley’s head. ‘To take in a stray sho
ws you are kind and thoughtful. When can you start, oh, and I’d better tell you about the conditions before we go any further.’
Sophia didn’t care about the conditions. ‘I can start as soon as you want me to, but I’ll need to sort somewhere out for Mutley.’
‘Mutley! Love the name. He can come too. Blue will love to have someone to play with. He gets a bit overexcited at first, but he’ll be fine.’
Sophia felt as though she could cry. For the first time in her life, things seemed to be looking up for her. A little girl appeared at the front door, rubbing her eyes. She looked at Mutley and smiled.
Angela walked towards the child. ‘This is Olivia. Olivia this is Sophia and Mutley, the dog. They are going to come to stay with us and help me to look after you and Lawrence. Would you like that?’
Olivia looked embarrassed at being in the spotlight. She nodded and buried her head in Angela’s skirt, bringing one hand out to Mutley. He licked her hand and she giggled. Angela placed Mutley on the floor and Blue immediately nudged him with his nose. They went back to the playroom, with Mutley close on Sophia’s heels and Blue trying to keep up whilst shoving his nose up Mutley’s rear end.
Angela looked towards the window. ‘Lawrence, I just heard Daddy’s car pull up. Would you like to open the door?’ Lawrence disappeared like a bolt of lightning and could be heard telling his father that a new lady was in the house to help mummy.
Sophia stood as Mr Staples entered the room. He looked her up and down and a smirk fell across his lips. He lowered Lawrence down from his shoulders and smiled at his wife.
‘So, another young lady enters the house. And whom do I have the pleasure of this time?’
‘Sophia Wallace, sir. Pleased to meet you.’
His eyes penetrated her like daggers. ‘Likewise, I’m sure. I hope you have more staying power than the last one.’
Sophia gulped and cleared her throat. ‘I’m pretty good at seeing things through.’
‘Yes, I’m sure you are. I need a drink.’
Angela almost jumped up from her chair. ‘I’ll fetch you one. What would you like?’
‘The usual. Thank you.’
Angela left the room. ‘You have very attractive eyes, Miss Wallace. A shade of green which almost resembles jade. Quite stunning in fact.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Let’s drop the sir bit. I’m sure we can start how we mean to go on, after all, we’ll be living under the same roof. My name is Rupert, you can call me Ru.’
Sophia almost skipped back to her lodgings. She couldn’t have hoped for a nicer family to work for. Ru seemed a bit strange; there was something about the way he looked at her. She wondered why the last nanny had not stayed around for long. She didn’t care. She had a proper job, the wages were more than she could have hoped for and Angela and the children seemed lovely. Mutley had even been invited to stay the night.
She walked into the hall and paused by the door to speak to Mrs Jessop who, as usual, was watching the television.
‘Mrs Jessop—’
‘Don’t think for one minute you are staying here a moment longer my girl. I saw that dog and I’ve also seen that you’ve had him in your room. You were told the rules quite plainly. Now I would appreciate it if you would go and pack your things and get out of my house.’
‘I—’
‘No, it’s not open for discussion, as I told you it wouldn’t be. Out!’
Sophia climbed the stairs and giggled to herself. Old witch! She was only going to tell her she’d be leaving in the morning. Shame the old boot had a month’s rent in advance from St Mary’s. Where would she go tonight? She didn’t care. She was on her way to a better life.
Bags packed, Sophia walked calmly down the stairs and dropped the key into Mrs Jessop’s lap.
Mrs Jessop glared and rose from her chair. ‘You listen to me—’
‘I have nothing to listen to or to say. You are a bitter, sad, old woman who I feel sorry for. Goodbye.’ Sophia turned and walked away. She’d even shocked herself with the outburst.
Homeless and being out on the streets for the night couldn’t dampen Sophia’s stance. She’d already decided to spend the night on a park bench and go to a café first thing in the morning to freshen up before heading off for her new position.
She pulled her coat up to her shoulders and tried to get comfy. Darkness set in and she soon dozed off with her head wedged on her hand under her chin. She woke with a start seeing an unkempt man standing over her.
‘Hey! What the hell! Get off my bench and go and find your own. Think you can turn up on my patch.’
Her body tensed. ‘Sorry. I didn’t realise. I’ll go.’ By the light of the moon, Sophia could see anger written across the man’s face and for the first time she feared for her life.
He stretched out his arm towards Sophia’s bag. ‘You got any money in there? I’ll have that.’
‘Only clothes are in there. ‘I’ve got some money here.’ She quickly dug into her pocket and pulled out a fistful of coins. ‘It’s all I’ve got.’
‘Yeah right. Maybe we could share the bench then. I wouldn’t want to see you with nowhere to go.’
Sophia picked up her bag and ran, stopping only when she felt completely out of breath and weak. She hadn’t eaten since that morning and her legs felt like jelly. She hid behind a tree and peeked out. She could see no sign of the man. Now what? Maybe she should have gone to the Staples house and explained what had happened, now it was far too late to go and knock on their door. Then she remembered the old shed in Mrs Jessop’s garden. At least she’d be safe in there.
Back at Mrs Jessop’s house, Sophia crept along the side alley, climbed over the back gate, and let herself into the unlocked shed. She’d rather spend the night with spiders than the ugly world outside. She put her fleece waistcoat on the floor and curled up under her coat. She doubted she’d get any sleep, but she intended to try.
What seemed like minutes later, in the still of the night, a bright torch shone through the shed window and voices, male and female, were outside. Sophia stayed as still as she could. The door swung open and the bright light of the torch shone in her face, blinding her.
Mrs Jessop’s voice rang out. ‘There, I knew it. One of those ruffians. I saw him come in; I knew it!’
Sophia’s heart sank and she let out a groan. ‘It’s me, Mrs Jessop. Sophia.’
‘Sophia, what are you doing in there?’
Sophia pulled herself to her feet. ‘I had nowhere to go until tomorrow and when you chucked me out—’
‘Ridiculous! You should have told me you wanted to stay an extra night; luckily I haven’t stripped the bed.’ She turned to the officer. ‘Youngsters today. I’m so sorry to have bothered you.’
The policeman nodded, touched the top of his head and spoke into his radio as he walked away.
‘I’m sorry, Mrs Jessop—’
‘Sorry! You were trying to embarrass me in front of that policeman and make me look bad. You can jolly well stay in the shed for the night; I’ll be blowed if I’ll have you back in my house to steal.’
‘I’ve never stolen anything in my life.’
‘So you say. Not many leave those homes with a clean slate. I want you out of my garden by first light and don’t darken my door ever again.’ She slammed the shed door shut and could be heard stomping up the garden path muttering to herself.
Sophia heaved a deep sigh and snuggled back under her coat. The home hadn’t turned her into a thief although plenty of her peers would have taken whatever they could get their hands on. Her mind drifted back to her friend Anna; only six months before she would be released into the big wide world. Once settled into the new job, she’d write to her. Tomorrow was another day and new beginnings were just what she needed. She smiled to herself and silently prayed. Never let me become as miserable and twisted as Mrs Jessop, what a sorry state to end up. Then she giggled. Here she was, all curled up in a cold, dark garden shed and all she could wish
for was not to end up a bitter old woman. Things must be good.
Chapter 2
Sophia pressed her finger on the bell and took a deep breath. Please don’t mess this up, it has to work out. Small footsteps could be heard on the wooden floorboards inside, and the door flew open.
Sophia smiled down. ‘Good morning, Lawrence. How are you?’
‘Alright, thank you.’
Angela appeared, tea towel in hand. ‘Hi, do come in. Let me help with your bags.’
‘Good morning. I’ve only brought the one. I travel light.’ Sophia would never have divulged that her total worldly possessions were in that one small bag
Angela nodded. ‘You do. If you want to unpack and have a look around…’ A fast tapping followed by a skid sounded, and Mutley raced around the corner and leaped at Sophia’s legs. She bent down and promptly received a lick on the chin. ‘He is such a sweetie. Has anyone claimed him yet?’
Sophia wiped her wet chin. ‘I haven’t heard anything. I suppose I’ll have to go to the police station and change the contact details.’ Blue appeared and Mutley chased him back through the house.
Angela tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘Is it worth it? I would have thought if anyone cared they’d have come forward by now.’
‘Do you mind if he stays?’
Angela smirked. ‘I’d mind if he went. We’ve all fallen in love.’
Olivia had joined the group in the hallway and they all made their way up the stairs to Sophia’s room. Angela pushed the door open. ‘I like this room, such a lovely view of the back garden and beyond.’ She picked up a cushion from the floor and pulled the bed quilt straight. ‘Have you been in here playing, Lawrence?’ Lawrence looked down at his feet and wriggled on the spot. ‘Mmm. You know Sophia’s room is out of bounds.’