by Betty Annand
With the added light from the two candles, Gladys was able to find some pegs in the wall to hang her clothes, cheering her up somewhat. To Laura’s credit, the bedding was fresh and clean, and when she snuggled in for the night, she thought how lucky she was to have found a good friend, a place to stay, and a job, all on her first day in Dover. She had heard talk of “God’s Blessings” and although she had never seen evidence of anything you could call a blessing in Old Nichol, she now felt she had truly been blessed. Before falling asleep, she looked up at the blackened rafters, and, remembering Mr O’s advice, said, “If it was you, God, thank you ever so much!”
She arose early the next morning, anxious to begin work, donned the clean work clothes Laura had given her, and found her way to the kitchen. She was greeted warmly by the cook, a large and pleasant woman named Hilda; Becky, the scullery maid, and Lily, another chambermaid. Hilda dished Gladys out a generous bowl of porridge and poured her a cup of hot tea. “You can add cream and treacle to suit your taste, luv.”
The kitchen, like the rest of the establishment, was immaculate, and the porridge was excellent. Gladys scraped her bowl clean in such record time that Hilda offered her another. “Oh, thank you, Hilda. This is the best porridge I’ve ever eaten. I think I am going to like working here.”
Both girls stopped eating and looked at her with amazement. Hilda stopped what she was doing and went over and put an arm around her. Instead of a smile, she wore a foreboding frown as she said, “Now, luv, I have to warn you—” She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Laura Watt coming and quickly returned to her duties.
No one could have worked harder than Neil and Laura Watt in order to acquire their small, but lucrative business, but they expected the same dedication from their employees, while begrudging them a decent wage. Laura was only too happy to offer Gladys a job, and the fact that she appeared to be strong and unaware of a chambermaid’s chores, let alone the rate of pay, made her that much more appealing. Tied down with cleaning and housekeeping, Laura had little time to spend tending the bar, a job where she could enjoy all the local gossip as she worked. She also wanted to visit her ailing mother in Scotland, and Neil wanted to open the bar earlier in the day, all impossible without hiring more help.
Gladys greeted Laura with a cheery, “Good morning, mum,” and received nothing more than a nod in return. Nevertheless, she remained in an amiable mood as she was informed of her duties, not knowing they included many of the chores usually allotted to the scullery maid and chambermaid. She was expected to empty and scrub out the chamber pots, clean out the fireplaces, fill and carry the coal scuttles to every room, and clean the outhouses. She was also expected to sweep or scrub every floor, beat the carpets, do the dusting, and iron the linen.
The building had four stories and an attic. The basement was used for storage. The pub, the kitchen, the scullery, the pantry, and a large unused room were all located on the main floor. The Watts resided on the second floor. The third floor, below the attic, consisted of six small rental rooms, including the one Gladys had rented.
Becky and Lily shared the other half of the attic which was a much better room because their entrance was at the top of an outside stairway at the back of the building, and allowed a refreshing breeze during the summers.
The first day Laura followed Gladys everywhere to see she did her chores properly. Except for a half hour at noon and a half hour for dinner, Gladys didn’t stop working until nine in the evening. Every muscle and joint cried out in pain as she slowly climbed the stairs to the attic, and she felt like she had been run over by something as big as Mr O’s manure wagon. As she fell on top of her cot, she could still hear Laura’s voice giving her yet another chore, “When you get done wi’ that, you can do the dusting.” Oh how she would have loved to tell the old bat to go to hell. Somehow she managed to get her clothes off and climb between the sheets, but she was sure she wouldn’t have the strength to rise at five the next morning. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that she would be lucky enough to die before then.
Chapter Seven
Gladys didn’t see her new friend Millie for more than two months after she began working at the inn. Except for the brief times allotted for meals, she did nothing but work and sleep. After the first month, the sores on her hands and knees became calluses and her overall appearance dishevelled. There were moments when she was tempted to deliver a swift kick to her employer’s backside, but she knew she couldn’t survive without a job. Besides, Laura had such a smug look on her face every time she added to Gladys’s workload that it was obvious she expected her to admit defeat and quit. Gladys was not going to do so.
Hilda felt sorry for her, and tried her best to convince her not to work so hard. Referring to Becky and Lily, she advised, “You don’t sees them working themselves to death do you? Her ladyship tried the same thing with them, but they just couldn’t keep up, so she let them be. That’s what you’ve to do, luv, then she’ll give over.”
But Gladys knew that Laura Watt had taken a dislike to her and would welcome the chance to fire her over the slightest provocation. The woman seemed to derive some sort of sadistic pleasure from watching her newly-hired girls falter under the heavy workload she gave them. Whenever they couldn’t handle the chores, she would brag to her husband, “They’re not as bonnie as the Scottish lassies!” But if they could still manage to handle what she considered a fair day’s work, she, as Hilda put it, “let them be.”
However, Gladys was not like the other girls and had accomplished every task Laura had given her without complaining. Laura knew she was being unfair to continue adding to her burden, but after the first two weeks, stubbornness took the place of good sense, turning the situation into a test of wills.
Finally, even Neil began to notice what was going on. He warned Laura that she had better let up. “She’s a good lass an’ will no have trouble finding another position.” Laura had never had a housemaid to compare with Gladys, and the thought of losing her to another inn made her realize that he was right. Even if she disliked the girl, she valued her worth, so she begrudgingly began giving some of Gladys’s chores to Lily.
With a lighter workload and the aid of three good meals a day, Gladys’s strength and endurance improved, and before long she was able to finish her chores in time to take care of her personal needs. Having clean water with which to bathe and wash her hair added to her enjoyment, and she even found time to visit with Millie on her half day off. The dressmaker had been worried about her and was delighted to see that she had not only managed to survive Laura Watt’s harsh demands, but had gained weight while doing it.
Gladys was much happier now that she had a little free time, but she also suffered bouts of melancholy. While she was working from morning till night, she had been too tired to feel anything. Now she had time to think about the loved ones she left behind. Whenever she saw two young people walking hand in hand, she longed for Toughie. Every horse and dog she saw brought back images of Old Knickers and My Dog. Much to her surprise, she even missed her parents. Having Millie for a friend helped to ease her loneliness.
After being apart for such a long time, Gladys and Millie had plenty to talk about. When they finished discussing the Watts and their cantankerous ways, they began talking about Millie’s persnickety customers. The dressmaker related how some of them actually expected her to make them a frock that would magically transform them from plain, dumpy, middle-aged women, into beautiful maidens.
One afternoon, Millie showed Gladys some new material with a colourful pattern that she had ordered from India. “It is called Tabby, and I have heard that it was named after a tabby cat with similar markings. It would look marvellous with your hair,” she said, as she held it up to Gladys’s head.
“Yes, I expect it would, Millie, but I don’t think I shall even be able to buy that other dress you put aside for me. I won’t receive any wages for a whole year, and when I do
get paid, I’ve decided to save the money to go to school and learn how to be a governess.”
“How much do you think that will cost?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, I just might be able to find out for you. One of my customers sends her children’s governess to pick up her dresses, and I could ask her. I imagine you would have to learn a language or two though.”
“Do you think I could, Millie?”
“I think you could. That is, if you can find a good teacher.”
__________
During their time together, Millie taught Gladys how to sew and how to alter the appearance of a plain dress—two very important talents because most ladies only owned two dresses, one for every day and one for Sundays and social events. Millie was an expert at remodelling old clothes, and she showed Gladys how to alter sleeves, waistlines, and hem heights. She also showed her how to replace pleats with gathers, or vice versa, change ribbons and trims, and add new collars.
“Cloth is far too costly to discard, and you have to spend far too many hours sewing an outfit just to throw it aside when the styles change,” Millie explained. “Why I can remodel a gown at least six times before I tear it apart. Then when I do, I put the material to good use making children’s clothing.”
Eventually, Gladys was able to help with some of the sewing. When Millie protested, she insisted that she found the work relaxing.
Millie laughed, “You continue helping me, young lady, and you are going to earn that dress.”
As time went on, Gladys had more and more amusing stories to relate, and having a talent for mimicry, she often had Millie in stitches with her imitation of Neil Watt and his colourful vocabulary, especially when he and Laura were arguing. She also told stories about Hilda the cook, who was in the habit of smuggling out food to the coal delivery man, Pete.
Gladys thought that Pete was one of the dirtiest and scrawniest looking men she had ever laid eyes on, but, evidently, Hilda thought otherwise. After taking fresh baked goodies out to him when he was shovelling coal into the coal shed, she would invariably return to the kitchen with black fingerprints all over the pinafore that covered her generous bosom and frequently a few on her backside as well.
Millie thought that the funniest story Gladys had to tell was about the morning when she went to clean out the men’s outhouse and found that one of the guests had died while sitting on the seat with his trousers down around his ankles. “His bald head had fallen down on his chest, and forgive me, Millie, but at first glance, I thought his face was in the hole and I was looking at his bare arse!”
After Millie stopped laughing, she asked, “What did you do?”
“I just screamed.”
“How long had he been there?”
“Well, near as the doctor could tell, he’d been there all night. Believe it or not, Millie, when Laura Watt came running out to see what I was screaming about, the first thing she did was go through his pockets so as to get her money for a night’s lodging.”
Millie laughed, and said, “I wonder what she charges for a night in one of her outhouses?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends if it has one hole or two.” This brought the two women once more to the point of hysterics.
Millie was always interested in how the guests were dressed, and what they were like. Gladys told her that most were businessmen, salesmen, or seamen, but seldom women.
“You’d be surprised, Millie, but it’s usually the sailors who are the nicest. They even smile and say thank you when I bring them hot water, or get a nice fire going to warm their room. Some guests don’t even let on that they see me. You’d think they’d at least answer when I smile and say good day, but they act like I’m invisible.” She appeared so upset when she said this that Millie noted the change in her mood, and although she felt sorry for the girl, she was also concerned about her overly friendly nature and felt obliged to give her advice.
“I’m afraid your naivety will lead you astray, Gladys. Sometimes it’s the friendly ones you have to be wary of. Did your mother ever talk to you about men and their desires?”
“Oh, I’ve seen, ah, I mean, she told me all about it, and don’t you worry, Millie, I don’t intend to be too friendly with any of them, at least not until I’m married.”
“Sometimes that can be easier said than done. Most women have no trouble warding off advances, but blood runs hotter in some than others, and when that is the case, it can be difficult not to yield to temptation.”
“Well, I know I will never have trouble saying ‘No.’”
“Be especially careful of the wealthy ones—the ones who offer you gifts.”
“I can take care of myself, and besides, all rich men aren’t that way. There’s one salesman, a Mr Pidcock, who stays a few days at the inn every month. I think he sells spices because he smells like cinnamon.”
When Millie started to laugh, Gladys said, “No, he really does! His clothes and even his luggage too. The last time he came he brought his wife and little girl with him. When they were invited to spend the evening with one of his clients, they asked if I would mind putting the little girl to bed and staying with her until they returned. They were gone ever so long, but I really didn’t mind. And the little girl seemed to enjoy my company, especially when I sang to her.”
“I had no idea you could sing! What songs do you know?”
“Well, I sang three lullabies, but the one she liked the most was the ‘Riddle Song.’ Do you know it, Millie?”
“I don’t think so, dear. Sing it for me.”
“Right now?”
“Of course! There is no one here but us, so you need not be embarrassed.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be embarrassed, Millie. I love to sing more than anything else in the world. But you must promise that if you know the song, you’ll join in.”
Mille nodded and Gladys began, “I gave my love a cherry that had no stone. I gave my love a chicken that had no bone.”
Millie was amazed by the richness of Gladys’s voice and felt a bit embarrassed by her own weak efforts as she joined in with the last verse. After they had finished, Gladys clapped her hands, and said, “Oh, Millie, that was such fun, we should sing together more often.”
Millie shook her head, “I don’t think so. You have such a beautiful voice that I just want to sit back and enjoy it. Now, my dear, I shall expect at least one song from you on every visit. Do you know many more?”
Without thinking, Gladys blurted out, “Oh yes, I do. Ma was always singing.” Then a look of melancholy spread across her face, and she changed the topic. “But I didn’t finish telling you what happened when the man and his wife returned, did I?”
“No indeed, you did not. Did they appreciate your kindness, and apologize for keeping you up so late?”
“They certainly did! And they gave me a whole pound note. Can you believe that, Millie? A whole pound. That’s more than a month’s wages.”
__________
That wasn’t the last perquisite Gladys was to receive. Her cheeriness and adeptness at little things such as sewing on buttons, shining shoes, or removing spots from un-washable garments, earned her many gratuities, especially from the bachelors who stayed at the inn. She kept every penny she received under her mattress in the soft leather purse she had stolen from old Gaylord, until the night she returned home a little earlier than usual from visiting Millie and found Laura Watt in the attic snooping through her belongings.
When Gladys surprised her, Laura’s face turned red, and she stammered a weak excuse about looking for a footstool before making a quick retreat. From that time on, Gladys left the purse with Millie for safe keeping.
The friendly manner in which the guests treated Gladys hadn’t escaped Laura’s attention. She began to suspect that the girl was receiving money. Not only did she think all profits from the guests should
rightfully belong to her and Neil, but she also worried that Gladys might eventually save enough money to be able to leave, and they might lose the most efficient housemaid they ever had. So she informed Gladys that any gratuities she received must be handed over to either her or Neil.
Gladys, fearful of being caught, tried to refuse any gifts or money, saying that Mrs Watt didn’t allow it. Nevertheless, most guests insisted she accept a token of their appreciation, promising they wouldn’t mention it to anyone, and, in order to quell Laura’s suspicions, they made sure to leave her a small gratuity as well.
The first Christmas Gladys spent at the inn, she not only received more gratuities than usual from the guests, but small gifts, such as fruit and candy. Then, when she visited Millie a few days before Christmas, she was amazed to find that the seamstress had decorated her little shop with boughs of spruce and sprigs of bright, red-berried holly. It looked so festive, and smelled so wonderful, that she clapped her hands, and exclaimed, “Oh, Millie, it looks so pretty in here! There are no decorations at the inn, and if it weren’t for the guests wishing me a merry Christmas, I would never know there was such a thing.”
“That is because the Watts are Scottish, Gladys, and Christmas has been banned in their country for over three hundred years.”
“What’s wrong with Christmas?”
“Well, it goes back a long way, and I’m not entirely certain, but I think church officials there deemed the celebration a Catholic one, so they considered it pagan. One of my Scottish customers told me that working folks in that country are even forced to work on Christmas Day.”
“Oh! That explains why Laura Watt complained so much about closing the inn then too.”