Palace of Tears

by Anna King

  He took a mouthful of the piping-hot tea, then, remembering Emily’s conversation of last night, said, ‘About Lenny, Emily. I wish there was something I could do, but I’m afraid…’ He spread his hands wide in a gesture of helplessness.

  ‘Oh, sir… I mean, Matthew,’ she smiled shyly, ‘don’t be silly. I know there’s nothing you can do for him. I shouldn’t have mentioned it, it’s just that my mum knew you’d be coming home and… Well, you see, she seems to think that the entire British Army is camped in one place over there and, being an officer, it would be easy for you to find him and send him home.’ She looked away, embarrassed at troubling him with her problems when the poor man had enough of his own.

  Draining his cup, Matthew sighed, his hand running absently through his mass of dark hair.

  ‘Well now, Emily, your mother’s not that far from the truth, because it’s a madhouse out there, a bloody shambles. Regiments and battalions being pushed further and further back, until some of them are meeting up with the new arrivals. Nobody seems to be where they should, and the wounded are fast outnumbering the able-bodied. It’s chaos, complete and utter, bloody chaos.’

  Emily lowered her gaze, uneasily aware that she had unwillingly evoked memories of the war, when the Captain should have been resting and forgetting, at least for his short leave, the carnage he had left behind and would soon be returning to.

  Seeing her discomfort, Matthew reached out and took hold of Emily’s hand and said warmly, ‘Don’t look so downcast, my dear. It’s only natural you should be worried about your brother. I only wish I had the power to help. I like Lenny, and rest assured that if our paths do cross, I’ll do everything I can to see he is safely returned home.’

  A bell tinkled overhead, interrupting Emily as she was about to answer. Glancing up at the wall clock, she exclaimed, ‘Goodness, he’s early. The solicitor, I mean,’ she said by way of explanation to Matthew. ‘He wasn’t due to arrive until twelve-thirty.’ Removing her apron, she flashed a bright smile and left Matthew staring forlornly after her.

  God, Emily, if you only knew the effect you have on me, you wouldn’t smile so readily.

  Out on the hall landing, Emily paused for a moment to tuck a wisp of chestnut hair behind her ear before opening the door.

  ‘Morning, Miss. I’ve come ter see Mrs Denton. She’s expecting me.’ The shabbily dressed woman stared at Emily’s puzzled face, afraid for a minute that she’d got the wrong address. When Emily remained mute, the woman clasped an equally shabby handbag more firmly, seeming to take comfort from the inanimate object. ‘It’s about the job, Miss – for a live-in help,’ the woman added as Emily continued to bar her way. ‘Mrs Denton wrote ter me an’ asked me ter start terday.’

  ‘I’ll deal with this, Miss Ford. Please, go about your duties.’ Cynthia, a satisfied smirk on her face, pushed Emily to one side while extending a welcoming hand to the relieved-looking woman on the doorstep.

  ‘Fank yer, Miss. Fanks, ever so much. I’m much obliged.’

  Realising what was happening, Emily turned sharply on her heels and made her way back to the kitchen, her cheeks flaming with anger.

  ‘Emily, what’s wrong! Sit down, dear, you look dreadful.’ Matthew had risen from his chair in concern. Brushing past him, Emily bent down and pulled open the oven door, burying her head in the intense heat to hide her agitated state.

  ‘Nothing’s wrong, sir. Just that infuriating woman up to her tricks again.’ The muffled reply brought a look of puzzlement to Matthew’s face.

  As suddenly as Emily’s anger had appeared, so it vanished. Examining the partly baked scones, she pushed the tray back into the oven and said wryly, ‘I’m sorry, Matthew. I don’t know why I let myself be riled by that woman.’

  The sound of his name on her tongue brought a sudden, glorious lift to Matthew’s heart.

  Oblivious to the officer’s state of mind, Emily chatted on.

  ‘Ever since she came here, she’s been trying to turn your aunt and uncle against me. She was subtle at first, because of course she realised that she needed me to stay. I can’t imagine Her Ladyship getting down on her knees to black-lead the grate, can you? Although from what your aunt told me, Mrs Denton was nothing less than a skivvy herself at her parents’ home. But she certainly hasn’t dirtied her hands since arriving here.’

  Coming closer Emily leant her head towards Matthew, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. Nodding her head towards the door she added, ‘That was the new live-in maid. Well, I say that, but she won’t have been hired yet, nor will she be – at least not without Miss Rose consulting me first. In fact…’ a grin spread her lips even wider, ‘Mrs Denton may have done me a favour. You see, your uncle and aunt have been trying to get me some cleaning help since the war started. But that crafty piece thinks that if she finds someone to live in, there’ll be no use for me, but that’s where she’s wrong. Any additional staff were always sought to help me in the house, not to replace me. Besides which, as far as I know, Cynthia Denton has no authority to hire staff. Oh, I know she’s been spending a lot of time with your aunt this past week, and I know Miss Rose has been looking to her for support. Because as much as I would have liked to be with her more often, I simply haven’t had the time to give her the attention she’s been craving. Obviously your relative has assumed airs of grandeur, if she thinks she can hire and fire at will. Because that’s what she’s been after. To get rid of me, and get her hooks into… Oh… Oh dear…’

  This time it was Matthew’s turn to smile.

  ‘It’s all right, Emily. I know what you were about to say. Good Lord, I’ve never seen myself as a latter-day Lothario, but I’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to realise what the blasted woman is after.’ And of course she would want you out of the way, my love, he added silently. Because what man would ever give Cynthia a second look with you on the horizon?

  They exchanged a friendly, conspiratorial look, before Matthew reluctantly left Emily to get on with her work.

  * * *

  The solicitor had been and gone, thankful that for once he hadn’t had to contend with hordes of relatives squabbling over the last will and testament of their dearly departed loved one.

  Emily sat alone in the kitchen, mystified and hurt that she hadn’t been asked to attend the reading. She was aware that she wouldn’t have been mentioned in it, as the will had been made long before she had entered the Winters’ employment. Even so…! For the first time she questioned her position in this house. Miss Rose could have had Emily present if she had wished for her company at such a distressing time.

  ‘Oh, stop being so sorry for yourself, lady,’ Emily chastised herself in the empty kitchen. ‘You know full well how Mr George felt about you. It wasn’t his fault he left it too late to change his will. Miss Rose will see that you’re taken care of, so stop worrying. It’s all the upset of this past week, that’s all. So don’t go getting yourself all wound up and saying something that you’ll regret later on. That’s exactly what that odious woman wants.’ But still the uneasy gnawing in the pit of her stomach continued.

  The sound of raised voices from upstairs brought Emily’s head swivelling round. Her mouth suddenly dry, she stood up and faced the closed door, waiting for it to open – waiting for…!

  Doors slammed overhead, then running footsteps thundered down the stairs before stopping outside the kitchen. Emily waited, her heart hammering at an alarming speed inside her chest.

  Then Matthew was standing in the doorway, his face filled with a multitude of expressions. Anger, pain, but most of all, shame.

  Wetting her parched lips, Emily asked quietly, ‘What is it, sir? What’s happened?’

  Hanging his head Matthew groaned.

  ‘Oh, Emily. Oh, my dear, dear, Emily.’

  Some part of her being recognised the depth of feeling in the words, but the practical side of Emily’s nature came to the fore.

  ‘I asked you a question, sir.’

  Before Matthew
could answer, another voice, familiar and jubilant, filled the air.

  ‘I can tell you that, Miss Ford. Your services are no longer required. You are, of course, entitled to a week’s notice. Please be advised that that notice is hereby served.’

  The words resounded inside Emily’s confused head. This couldn’t be happening; it must be a mistake. Mr George had always told her she would be well cared for as long as she remained in their employment, and his sister had echoed those sentiments; not once, but many times over the years. And she had remained, hadn’t she? Even though she had been bored and had wanted to be more in life than simply a paid drudge, she had stopped on, out of affection for them both. Even after last week, when her mother had again offered to look after the baby while Emily found another job – a job that would offer excitement, as well as more money, a job where she could have worked with people of her own age. And still Emily had refused, had almost thrown the unselfish offer back in her mother’s face.

  All right, so she hadn’t relished the prospect of sharing a roof with Doris – a sullen, resentful figure who had slammed out of the house the day Emily had gone home to tell her mother that Mr Winter had died. But most of all Emily had stayed on out of loyalty and a genuine affection for the elderly couple. And this was her reward!

  There must be some mistake, because if there wasn’t, then her faith in human decency would be shattered for ever. But wait a minute. Why had the Denton woman waited until now to sack her – why today?

  ‘My late cousin made no provision for you, Miss Ford. We, that is my aunt and I, thought that George might have amended his will over the years, but apparently not. And that being so, there really is no reason for you to stay any longer. The new help seems quite capable, though if you wish you may stay on for a few more days to help her settle into the routine of the house. That option is entirely up to you. I’m sure my aunt won’t see you turned out penniless into the street, though I shouldn’t set my sights too high, if I were you. Rose has become very concerned with self-preservation lately, and of course that includes the money necessary to ensure that she has the best of comfort in her twilight years.’ But Emily was no longer listening.

  As she moved towards the stairs, she heard Matthew say in a tone she’d never heard him use before, ‘Will you shut your spiteful mouth, woman. And you can wipe that smug look off your face. Because I’ll tell you this now. Despite your success with my aunt – and God knows how you managed that, because she’s loved Emily like one of her own – despite your scheming efforts, you are going to be disappointed. Because if Aunt Rose won’t take responsibility for Emily’s future, and that of her child, then I will. I’m not without my own resources. And furthermore I won’t, as I imagine you’d hoped, be moving in here after the war. I have my own home to return to. That’s if I come back, and…’

  Emily slowly climbed the stairs, still unable to believe that dreadful woman’s words, even though Matthew hadn’t actually refuted them.

  Once outside Miss Rose’s room, Emily hesitated, suddenly reluctant to hear, from her dear friend, what, in her heart she knew to be the truth.

  Rose Winter lay on top of her four-poster bed feigning sleep. But, as Emily drew nearer, the wrinkled eyelids began to flutter in nervous agitation.

  ‘Miss Rose. Miss Rose, please, I have to talk to you.’ The frail body began to quiver as the eyelids slowly opened. But the faded blue eyes shifted nervously, unable to meet Emily’s direct gaze. ‘Is it true – what Mrs Denton tells me? Have I been dismissed? Because if so, then it’s a cruel reward for all the years I’ve spent in your employ. Not the actual dismissal, though I can still hardly believe you would cast me aside so coldly, but the way in which it has been done. The subterfuge involved wasn’t worthy of you, though I can still hardly believe that you waited until you were sure Mr George hadn’t made a new will in which I would have been provided for… Oh, yes, Miss Rose, you can look all sorrowful, but it’s the truth, isn’t it? Even so, I would have thought that after all this time you would at least have had the decency to tell me yourself.’

  ‘Really, Miss Ford. You are overstepping the grounds of familiarity in speaking to your employer in such a disrespectful manner. Remember your place, girl.’

  Cynthia Denton had entered the room. Crossing swiftly to the bed, she took hold of the trembling hand and stared across at Emily, her eyes hard and jeering.

  The woman’s triumphant expression was bad enough, but it was the way in which Rose Winter grabbed the comforting hand and held onto it, totally ignoring Emily’s presence, that caused the last vestiges of her patience to break.

  ‘I was talking to the organ-grinder, not the monkey,’ she snapped back angrily. Coming closer, Emily looked down at the wrinkled face and said calmly, ‘People told me I was a fool to stay on here, when I could easily have found a job with more money, and prospects. But I wouldn’t listen. You see, I thought you cared for me as a friend, a part of the family. God knows you told me so often enough. Or was that merely a ploy to keep me here? How many times did you suspect I was becoming restless? What did you do then? Think up a way of keeping me here? Did you conspire with Mr George? No, I can’t believe that of him.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘Did you rack your brains for inducements, like the old clothes from the attic that I was so grateful for, or more words of praise and assurances of how much I meant to you both?’

  Rose Winter’s eyes brimmed with tears as she started to speak.

  ‘That isn’t so, Emily. Everything I said was true. You are…’

  ‘There, there, Aunt Rose, don’t upset yourself.’ Cynthia hastily cut off her aunt’s trembling words. God! She hadn’t spent these last months, and especially the last few days, grovelling and worming her way into the old dear’s heart just to have it all come to nothing at this late stage.

  ‘Let her speak. Let her say what she really feels. Because I’m not leaving until Miss Rose tells me, to my face, that she doesn’t want me here any more. I’m certainly not going to take your word for it, you hateful, deceitful woman.’ Emily glared at her adversary, then, turning slowly back to the elderly woman, she said softly, ‘If you want me to leave, then I’ll go. I won’t cause a fuss, because I know it’s not your fault. Somehow, this… this creature has turned you against me. I want to know how. How, after all we’ve meant to each other, you could turn me out without any explanation.’

  A look of uncertainty crossed the lined face, then she felt her hand being squeezed and Miss Rose seemed to gain courage. In a quivering voice she said, ‘I never lied to you, Emily. I did have, that is to say, I still have, a great affection for you. But as Cynthia pointed out to me, once the child is born you won’t have the time to see to your duties – or to me. And I need someone to look after me, Emily. And… and you’re a young woman who will want to get married one day, maybe to the father of your child, whoever he is. I never probed, did I, Emily? I never asked who he was, or condemned you for your indelicate state. I… know I said you could raise the child here, but I spoke hastily, without thinking the matter through. The fact is that I simply couldn’t bear the thought of a young child in the house. All that noise and disruption. I’m old, Emily. I need peace and quiet, and I need family around me.’

  Emily’s body slumped. So that was it. The Denton woman had used Miss Rose’s innate fear of being left alone to drive Emily from the house. There was no use in talking any longer. The sooner she got away from here, the better, before she broke down and lashed out with words that she would later regret. Besides, she wouldn’t give that woman the satisfaction of seeing her brought low.

  Gathering all her self-possession, Emily lifted her head and stared at the old woman she had loved – still loved, in spite of her disloyalty, and said, ‘Very well, Miss Rose. I won’t argue with you, except to say that I would never have left you alone. Even if I had a husband and half a dozen children around my feet, I would never have deserted you. But that’s all academic now, isn’t it? You’ve made up your mind, or shou
ld I say, you’ve had it made up for you. I wish you well, Miss Rose. I loved you and Mr George as if you were my own family, which is why I stayed on here so long. I see now that I was a fool to believe you felt the same way. I hope you have a long and happy life, though with the company you have chosen to see you through it, I very much doubt it. Goodbye, Miss Rose.’

  She walked sedately from the room, her head held high, but once out on the landing she let her chin fall and fought back the tears that were stinging her eyes.

  Behind her she could hear soft weeping, but she hardened her heart. It was no good trying to persuade Miss Rose to change her mind. Cynthia Denton had got her claws in too deep…

  Going to her room, Emily was startled to find the shabby woman sitting on her bed with two brown carrier bags by her feet.

  Hearing Emily approach, the woman leapt guiltily to her feet.

  ‘I’m sorry, Miss. That other lady brought me ’ere an’ told me this was where I was gonna be sleeping.’

  Emily’s lips tightened. This room had belonged to the previous housekeeper. It was the largest and most comfortable of the servants’ rooms. There were two smaller rooms in the attic, one of which she herself had occupied when she first came to the house, which would have provided adequate accommodation. It was yet another example of the malicious spite in which Cynthia Denton seemed to revel. Emily was surprised to find how calm she was now feeling, and she experienced an urgent need to put this poor woman at ease. After all, it wasn’t her fault.

  ‘Please, don’t be alarmed. I don’t intend to cause any unpleasantness. If you will wait while I pack my belongings, I’ll get out of your way and let you settle in, Mrs…?’

  ‘Oh, Lawson, ma’am. Mrs Lawson’s me name.’

  Nodding, Emily smiled reassuringly at the nervous woman and began packing her things. Ten minutes later she was ready to go, her movements sedate, almost lethargic. Perhaps she was suffering from the same shock that Miss Rose had experienced after the funeral. Perhaps she should ask Miss Rose for some of the pills Dr Green had prescribed for her. She wasn’t aware she had made any sound until the woman stuttered, ‘Pardon, ma’am. Did yer say somefink?’