The Best of Sisters

by Dilly Court

  ‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Ada said, plucking her shawl from the back of a chair. ‘Eliza’s worked so hard to look after all of us. What with my Arthur drinking himself stupid in the old days; then he went and got religion, and now he spends all his time at the mission. If it weren’t for Eliza, me and me kids would be out on the streets.’

  ‘Is that so?’

  ‘It is too. She could have sold Mr Enoch’s house or rented it out for the going rate, but no, she wouldn’t do that. Eliza’s let us live there at a peppercorn rent. I can’t tell you what it’s meant to me to have a proper roof over me head.’ Ada wrapped her shawl around her shoulders, casting a grateful smile in Eliza’s direction. ‘She’s a good girl and that’s a fact. Now I’d best stop gabbing and go home to get supper for the boys.’

  ‘Mind how you go, Ada,’ Eliza said. ‘And thanks for looking after Dolly. I know she can be a bit of a trial.’

  ‘Never you mind that, ducks. I’d do anything for you, you knows that.’

  ‘Dr Freddie!’ Dolly opened her eyes and gazed up at Freddie with a look of genuine recognition and a pleased smile. ‘Hello, ducks. Nice of you to call round. Will you stay and have a cup of tea with me?’

  ‘She recognises you! Oh, Freddie, she recognises you.’ Eliza clasped her hands together, trying not to cry. ‘Maybe she’s getting better.’

  ‘It’s a miracle,’ Ada said, wiping her eyes on her apron. ‘A blooming miracle. She’s been off in loony-land for so long that sometimes she don’t even know Millie or Liza, let alone me.’

  Freddie took Dolly’s hand in his, smiling down at her. ‘How are you, Dolly? You don’t look a day older, my dear.’

  She slapped him on the wrist. ‘Don’t talk daft, boy. I saw you yesterday when you brought me my medicine. Anyone would think you’d been away for years. Ada, where’s that tea? I’m parched.’

  Ada picked up a cup that Eliza had filled with tea and she took it to Dolly. ‘There now, drink your tea and I’ll see you in the morning.’

  ‘Ta,’ Dolly said, taking the cup in both hands and peering at Ada over the top of her spectacles. ‘Who are you, ducks? Do I know you?’

  An hour later, when Freddie had left the house, promising to return next day with a medicine for Dolly that would gradually lessen her need for laudanum, Eliza came downstairs having put Dolly to bed. She was bone tired and every muscle in her body ached. She glanced at the clock on the mantelshelf and saw that it was almost eight o’clock and Millie had not yet returned. She had supposed that she must be at the mission with Arthur and the Booths, but it was getting late and now she was beginning to worry. There was a pan of vegetable broth on the hob, but Eliza had no appetite. She made another pot of tea, reusing the leaves from the last brew, and sat by the glowing embers of the fire, sipping weak tea and going over the events of the day in her head. She was, she realised, too tired and numbed to feel any great emotion at the revelation that Aaron had known and loved her mother; too tired even to experience the pain of discovering that Freddie had taken a mistress who was her dead brother’s widow. There was, Eliza thought, one bright shining star in the whole murky firmament and that was Tommy, Bart’s son.

  She was sitting and dreaming up ways of getting to know her young nephew when the door opened and Millie came in on a gust of smoke-laden night air. Her cheeks were pink from exertion and she looked pleased with herself. Eliza jumped to her feet, tiredness forgotten in her relief on seeing Millie safe and sound. She hugged her and then shook her. ‘Where have you been, you bad girl? I was worried sick.’

  ‘I can look after meself,’ Millie said, twirling free from Eliza’s grasp and giggling. ‘I’ve been working, if you must know, Liza. I’ve got a job and it don’t entail grubbing for a few pence selling flowers in the street. And I’m starving.’ Tossing her shawl onto a chair, Millie went to the range and lifted the lid off the black iron saucepan, sniffing appreciatively. ‘Ada makes the best soup in London. Want some?’

  Eliza sat down again as a wave of exhaustion washed over her; she shook her head. ‘No, ta. Tell me about this job. You haven’t done nothing silly, have you?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Millie danced off into the scullery.

  Eliza could hear her moving about the room, the sound of a knife hacking through bread, the clatter of crockery and the jingle of cutlery. Millie reappeared carrying a tray and set it down on the table. ‘It was Brandon’s idea.’

  ‘Brandon!’ Eliza jerked upright in her chair, her tiredness forgotten. ‘What’s he got to do with you?’

  ‘He come round this afternoon, looking for you. He asked me how I was and I said I was fine now, thanks very much.’

  ‘Never mind all that. Please get to the point.’

  Millie ladled soup into a bowl and went to sit at the table, picking up her spoon. ‘I told him I was looking for work and he said he might be able to help.’

  ‘Help? How?’ Eliza could feel her heart thumping wildly inside her chest. She had seen the look in Brandon’s eyes when Millie had come home after being attacked by the street flower sellers. It would have been obvious to anyone that the sight of firm young flesh had aroused him. Brandon was a sensual man, used to getting his own way with women of a certain class. The memory of his kiss still lingered; Eliza had only to close her eyes to recall the hardness of his body pressed against hers. She had to drag her thoughts back to the present and concentrate on what Millie was saying.

  ‘Brandon said if I was to go to his home, ask for the housekeeper and tell her that he had sent me, then she would find me employment. So I did and she give me a job as a chambermaid. That’s why I’m so late.’

  ‘A chambermaid! Oh, Millie, there wasn’t no need for you to go into service.’ Eliza rose to her feet. She went to sit at the table opposite Millie, who was unconcernedly dipping chunks of bread into her soup. ‘The roof is being raised on the chandlery and it will be up and running before Christmas. We can work together, love, just as we did before.’

  Millie popped a piece of bread in her mouth, munched and swallowed. ‘I’ll leave the Millers then, and come and work for you. Don’t look so serious, Liza. It will be all right, I promise you. Brandon is such a good bloke – if I wasn’t sweet on Davy, I think I could quite fancy Brandon, but then he is only interested in you. It’s the story of my life.’

  Somehow, Eliza managed to keep a straight face as Millie gave a world-weary sigh and then attacked her dinner with the appetite of a healthy sixteen-year-old. She could do nothing about Millie’s unrequited love for Davy, but she could put a stop to any ideas that Brandon might have with regard to seducing a young chambermaid. She would make her feelings on that point very clear to him over dinner tomorrow, but for now there was Millie to consider, and as Eliza watched her enjoying her food, she felt a rush of protective love. No one, neither man nor woman, was going to hurt her little sister. Millie was just as much part of her family as little Tommy, and she loved them both.

  ‘What’s up?’ demanded Millie, pausing with the spoon halfway to her mouth.

  ‘I’ve had the most incredible day,’ Eliza said, smiling. ‘I’m not sure where to begin.’

  Next morning, Millie was up before dawn to start her first full day working for the Millers. Although it was usual for housemaids to live in, Millie said that the housekeeper had been agreeable to her residing at home, providing that she arrived punctually for work, and did not complain if her duties kept her at the house until late. It was not a happy thought that Millie would be wandering the streets of Wapping late at night, but Eliza kept her peace, determined to speak to Brandon that evening. Hopefully, the Millers’ housekeeper could be persuaded to find Millie a bed and allow her to stay in the house on the nights when she was working late.

  Dolly was still sleeping peacefully, worn out by the excitement of the previous evening. Although Eliza usually went out every morning to inspect the building work, she had stayed at home today with the excuse of helping Ada, who was out in the back yard,
doing the washing. Eliza had convinced herself that she was not waiting in to see Freddie; she was staying in because she was needed here. The weather was mild for late October, but the water in the washtub cooled rapidly and had to be topped up with the kettle from the hob. Eliza did the fetching and carrying, using it as an excuse to look out of the front window to see if Freddie was coming. When there was no one in sight apart from the bare-footed children who were too young to go to school or to send out on the streets selling bootlaces or matches, and the rangy mongrel curs that scavenged for scraps in the gutters, she tried not to feel too disappointed. Freddie had promised that he would bring some fresh medication for Dolly, and she was certain that he wouldn’t let her down.

  But as the morning went on, Eliza began to worry. It could be that Daisy had stopped him; maybe she had insisted that he went with her to the furniture warehouse. She left the window with a sigh, and, having tucked the crocheted blanket around Dolly who was now dozing peacefully in her chair, Eliza picked up the kettle and went out into the yard.

  By the time the washing was mangled and hanging damply on the rope line stretched in zigzags across the yard, Eliza had given up hope of seeing Freddie. She left Ada pegging out the last of the bed sheets in a mist of steam that was pungent with the smell of carbolic soap. In the living room, Eliza had taken down the tin from the mantelshelf and was counting the coppers. Despite her thrifty housekeeping, there was just enough money left to keep them in bread and tea for a week. They had not eaten meat for a month, and had been living mainly on vegetable soup or boiled potatoes. It would be at least a month before she was back in business and able to support her family. Millie had been so happy to have found work, but servants were usually paid quarterly, and that would come too late to be of any help. She stared at the coppers in her hand, aware that her options were limited. Aaron held the purse strings, paying for the building materials as well as the wages of the builders. He had already advanced her money and it would be difficult to ask for more. It was a hard truth to acknowledge, but Eliza suspected that she had sold her soul to the Millers and it would take her a lifetime to repay them. She was reaching up to put the tin back on the shelf when the front door burst open, making her jump. The tin flew out of her hands, spilling its contents on the floor.

  ‘I’m sorry, Liza. I didn’t knock for fear of disturbing Dolly.’ Freddie went down on his knees beside her as she searched for the coins.

  ‘There should be more,’ Eliza said frantically, scrambling over the flagstones. ‘There should be another penny.’

  He sat back on his haunches. ‘Steady on, love. One penny isn’t going to break the bank.’

  ‘Freddie, you don’t understand.’ Crawling on her hands and knees, Eliza went under the table, pushing the chairs aside in search of the lost coin.

  ‘Are things so bad then, Liza?’ He rose to his feet, brushing dust from the knees of his trousers.

  Eliza went to stand up and banged her head on the table. ‘Ouch! That hurt.’ She stood up, rubbing her sore head. ‘I can’t lie to you, Freddie. This is all the money I have in the world and it’s got to last until Christmas.’

  Chapter Eighteen

  ‘My dear girl, is that all?’ Freddie was smiling as he peeled off his gloves, one finger at a time.

  As she watched him, Eliza could only think that the cost of a pair of fine kid gloves such as those would keep them for weeks. ‘I’m serious, Freddie. I have tenpence left to keep us in food, coal and candles. I don’t know how I’m going to manage until I get the business going again and Millie gets her wages from the Millers.’

  ‘I wasn’t laughing at you, Liza. All I meant was, why didn’t you tell me before?’ Freddie slipped his hand into his inside breast pocket and drew out a pouch bulging with coins. ‘I’m not a wealthy man, poppet, but I’m not poor. How much do you need?’

  ‘I – I can’t take your money.’

  He tipped the contents of the pouch onto the table and counted out five pounds in crowns, florins, shillings and sixpences. ‘There, that should do for the time being. If you need more, you only have to ask.’

  Eliza eyed the money, biting her lip. ‘I won’t be able to repay you for a very long time.’

  ‘If you talk like that you’ll make me angry.’ Freddie laid his hands on her shoulders, holding her gently, but firmly. ‘Look at me, Liza.’

  She raised her eyes reluctantly. ‘I’m sorry. I only meant …’

  ‘I know what you meant.’ His lips curved into a rueful smile. ‘Are you forgetting that I’m old enough to be a quite senior member of your family, my dear? As such I’m entitled to help you without any question of putting you in my debt.’

  ‘Oh, Freddie.’ Eliza bit her lip, bitterly regretting the words that he had overheard when she was battling verbally with Daisy. ‘I was cross and I didn’t mean it to sound like it did.’

  ‘There, there, think nothing of it.’ Freddie turned away abruptly, apparently intent on the task of stowing the remaining coins in the pouch. ‘If I can make things easier for you, then I will.’

  Eliza wiped her eyes on the back of her hand; she had grown accustomed to hiding her innermost feelings for fear of showing weakness in the harsh commercial world. Freddie’s kindness and generosity was almost overwhelming. She gulped and sniffed. ‘Th-thank you.’

  He took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. ‘Dry your eyes, poppet, or Ada will be hitting me over the head with a saucepan for upsetting you.’

  Eliza laughed in spite of herself. ‘You are such a fool, Freddie.’

  ‘I am, and I know it.’

  For a brief moment, their fingers touched and a tingling sensation like pins and needles shot up her arm, sending thrills down her spine. She turned her head away, hoping that he had not seen the hot colour rise to her cheeks. ‘You promised to bring Dolly some medicine.’

  ‘I did, and I have.’ Freddie put his hand in his coat pocket and produced a brown medicine bottle. ‘When she asks for laudanum, give her a teaspoonful of this. There is laudanum in it, but only in a small dose, which I’ll reduce further every time I make a fresh mixture. It will take time, Liza, but it should gradually reduce her dependency on the drug.’

  ‘Will she be cured of the brain fever?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, poppet.’

  Eliza took the bottle, fingering it and feeling the glass still warm from being held in his hand. ‘Thank you for this, and for the money. I will repay it, in time.’

  Before Freddie could answer, Ada came in from the scullery, her normally pale cheeks flushed from a combination of cold air and exertion. ‘Are you two deaf or something? Dolly’s been calling out for ages. I heard her clear out in the yard, and I’m sure the whole street could hear her too.’

  ‘I’ll go to her,’ Eliza said, with a guilty start; she had been so involved with Freddie, and the complicated feelings that he aroused in her, that she had heard nothing apart from the beating of her own heart.

  ‘Don’t bother, I’m going.’ Ada was already halfway up the stairs, grumbling as she went.

  ‘I really didn’t hear her. Poor Dolly, she’ll think I deserted her.’

  ‘She’ll have forgotten all about it before she gets to the bottom of the stairs. And I’ve got a surprise in store for her.’

  ‘You have? What is it?’

  ‘How long is it since Dolly left this house?’

  Eliza shook her head. ‘I don’t know, a year, maybe two.’

  ‘I thought as much. She needs to get out and about. As I’m setting up in practice, I’ve bought a dog cart, and an old nag to pull it, so that I can go out and about town with speed and safety. You and Dolly can be the first to ride in it.’

  ‘A dog cart?’ Eliza ran to the window, peering out. ‘Where is it? Are you teasing me, Freddie?’

  ‘I paid a lad to hold the horse while I came to see you. Let’s hope he hasn’t taken it for a spin, though I doubt if old Nugget could make it further than Limehouse without collaps
ing between the shafts.’

  An hour later, Freddie drew Nugget to a halt outside his residence in Dark House Street.

  ‘Are you sure this will be all right with Daisy?’ Eliza asked, as he helped her down from the cart.

  ‘She’s gone to the furniture warehouse to spend my money. That will keep her occupied for the best part of the day. Now do you want to see young Tommy or not?’

  ‘Of course I do.’

  ‘Here, this isn’t the palace,’ Dolly said, peering out from beneath a pile of rugs that Freddie had thoughtfully provided. ‘I thought we was going to have dinner with the queen and young Edward, the cheeky little sod. You may think I don’t remember nothing, but I know he was at our house last night. Told him to shut the door, I did.’

  ‘So you did, Dolly.’ Freddie lifted her in his arms and carried her to the front door, which Sukey held open with a disapproving look on her peaky face.

  ‘Mistress won’t like it, sir.’

  ‘Mistress won’t know unless you tell her, and I suggest that you keep quiet, Sukey. Bringers of bad news usually get a clout round the ear for their pains.’

  Sukey scuttled off in the direction of the kitchen and Freddie carried Dolly into the front parlour, setting her down on the only chair in the room. ‘There, Dolly, you sit by the fire and I’ll tell her majesty that you’re here.’

  ‘I can’t see too well without me specs. But it seems a bit bare for a palace. Where’s the gold and silver and the footmen? It wasn’t like this when I last come to dinner.’

  ‘I’ll send the maid in with a glass of Madeira and a slice of cake,’ Freddie said, tucking a rug around Dolly’s knees. ‘Rest there, Dolly, and we’ll be back in a minute.’

  ‘It wasn’t like this in my day.’ Dolly leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes. ‘But a glass of Madeira wine would be nice and I got a real fancy for a slice of seed cake.’

  As they left the room, Eliza caught Freddie by the sleeve. ‘Oughtn’t we to tell her the truth? I don’t think all this pretence about the palace is good for her.’