The Innkeeper's Daughter

by Val Wood

  She heaved a huge sigh. ‘But I can’t do it without you, Bella, an’ that’s a fact.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  WHAT WAS HER mother thinking of? And how horrified her father would have been, were Bella’s thoughts. He would have been devastated to learn that his youngest daughter was going to earn her living on the stage. It was not a fitting occupation for a young and innocent girl, especially one coming from a rural community deep in the countryside.

  But that apart, Bella was convinced that her sister had persuaded her mother that going back to live in Hull was the best thing she could do. She’s so sharp, Bella considered bleakly. Much more than I am. She’s viewed the situation and having seen that Ma was uneasy and unhappy without Father has sought for a distraction; she’s planted an idea in her mind rather than wait for time to settle her which is what I was doing, and it worked. She’s clever, I have to admit that, and she knows that I’ll follow Ma because of Henry.

  ‘Why didn’t you ask me first, Ma?’ Bella said quietly. ‘Or Joe? Don’t you think that as we both work at ’Woodman then we should have been in ’discussion before you made a decision?’

  Her mother looked embarrassed. ‘Well,’ she muttered, ‘I was going to, but you know how I’ve been since your father went. I’ve not known what I was doing half of ’time and then having Henry …’ her voice tailed away, ‘and when Nell suggested I write to Bart and ask his advice—’

  ‘Ah!’ Bella said softly. ‘And I expect that Nell helped you write ’letter, did she?’

  ‘She did.’ Her mother seemed surprised at Bella’s perception. ‘I wouldn’t have known what to put.’ She turned to Nell. ‘I should have told them. I said at ’time we should tell Joe and Bella.’

  Nell shook her head. ‘I don’t remember you saying that, Ma. It was you that said you’d like to go back to Hull. You said that you didn’t belong in ’country. That you were a townie.’

  ‘Yes,’ Sarah answered vaguely. ‘I believe I did say that.’

  ‘Is it too late to change your mind?’ Joe asked bluntly. ‘If you haven’t signed a contract or owt we don’t have to go. It seems to me that our Nell has persuaded you for her own ends.’

  So it’s not just me, Bella thought with relief. Not just me that thinks that Nell has been scheming.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Sarah wrung her hands. ‘I’ve signed ’contract. Bart found this public house which he thought was suitable and sent ’details. It’s in ’middle of ’town and he said it can be made into summat once we’ve done it up a bit. I’ve paid a deposit to secure ’tenancy. That was ’receipt and contract that came today.’

  ‘And when did you go to see it, Ma?’ Joe asked. ‘Is it a big place? Will it keep all of us?’

  Sarah glanced at Nell. ‘I – I haven’t seen it,’ she whispered, ‘but Bart said he thought it was in a good situation.’

  ‘You haven’t seen it! You’ve paid out money for a place you haven’t looked at!’ Bella couldn’t believe that her mother could make such a mistake, or that she would allow her brother whom she hadn’t seen in years and her fifteen-year-old daughter to persuade her that it was a suitable proposition.

  ‘We’ll cancel it,’ Joe said decisively and Bella was pleased that he had drawn sides with her. ‘We’ve got to look at ’place first.’

  Their mother shook her head. ‘We can’t,’ she muttered. ‘I’m sorry if you think I’ve been foolish, but I’m sure it’ll be all right in ’long run. But I do want to go back to Hull, and I’ve written to ’owner of ’Woodman to terminate our tenancy.’

  Joe and Bella agreed that it was out of their hands. The contract seemed to be in order although neither of them had sufficient understanding of such matters to notice any flaws.

  ‘It’s come from ’brewery,’ Joe said, after looking at it, ‘so it must be set in stone.’

  Bella put her head in her hands and wept. ‘I can’t believe that we have to leave,’ she sobbed. ‘How could she? How could Ma have done this without consulting us? How could she have been persuaded by Nell that it was ’right thing to do?’

  Joe sat across from her by the low fire in the snug where they had gone to talk. ‘It might not be that bad, Bella,’ he said, taking a long draught from his tankard. ‘It’ll be different, anyway, and we’ve both been tied here since we were bairns. Haven’t you ever wanted to get away?’

  She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. ‘No.’ She thought how odd that it took something as drastic as this for her to have a conversation with her brother. ‘Well, yes,’ she admitted. ‘I wanted to train to be a teacher, and then when Father knew he was ill he said I had to stay here to help Ma.’

  ‘You still could be,’ he said. ‘Me an’ Ma could probably manage, providing it’s not too big a place.’

  And providing you stayed off the drink, she thought, but didn’t say, because there were times when Joe did try to stop, but then failed miserably, just like now when he had had to pull himself a tankard of ale before sitting down to talk.

  ‘And Henry? Who’d look after him?’

  Joe shrugged. ‘He can go to school,’ he said. ‘He’s four, or very nearly. He won’t need looking after.’

  A strange school with children he didn’t know, Bella thought. Children who would make fun of his country accent and his lameness. She’d already spoken to Miss Hawkins about Henry’s starting school after Christmas; she’d been reading to him and teaching him his letters, and now she’d have to tell her that he wouldn’t be going.

  And if I don’t go with them, who would put Henry to bed at night if Ma was serving in the bar? No, she couldn’t bear to think of leaving him to fend for himself, as some children had to. Neither did she think that Joe and her mother would manage alone, especially as her mother had specifically said that she couldn’t do it without her help.

  ‘Shall we go and have a look at this place?’ Bella said resignedly. ‘We could go one Sunday; we could borrow a pony and cart.’

  ‘Aye, I reckon so.’ Joe drained the tankard and stood up. ‘This coming Sunday? We’ll have to look sharp anyway if Ma’s given a month’s notice to leave ’Woodman.’

  ‘A month,’ Bella said mournfully. ‘Four weeks to move a lifetime of belongings.’

  The following Sunday Bella, Joe and Henry climbed into the borrowed cart and set off for the journey into Hull. Neither Bella nor Joe had been before and Nell wanted to go with them to show the way, but Joe told her that she should stay and help their mother with the packing of their belongings and Bella said she must also cook the dinner ready for their return.

  ‘There’s a joint of beef,’ she told her. ‘Don’t overcook it, and you’ll need to beat ’Yorkshire pudding and let it stand until we get home, so keep ’oven hot.’

  ‘How am I expected to do everything?’ Nell grumbled.

  ‘Ma will show you,’ Bella said and settled Henry next to her. ‘We’ll be home about five o’clock.’

  Joe cracked the whip and the old mare set off at a slow pace. ‘Don’t know about being home for five,’ Joe said. ‘If she doesn’t get a move on we shan’t be in Hull afore teatime.’

  ‘Gee up!’ Henry called out and Bella smiled. It was nice to have an outing, she thought. It was quite rare.

  ‘I’m not sure of ’way,’ Joe admitted as they began to trot on, ‘so I think we’ll follow ’estuary and use Hedon new road. Carriers go Holderness road way; it teks you into ’centre of town but it’s not a good road, so draymen say, and it teks longer.’

  ‘All right,’ Bella said. ‘Whatever you think, Joe,’ and she felt a warm feeling inside that she and Joe were getting on so much better than they had done for some time.

  They drove towards the old village of Preston, where parishioners were entering the gates of the ancient church of All Saints, and down the long country lane towards the hamlet of Salt End, which bordered the northern bank of the Humber.

  ‘I don’t think it’ll tek too long now,’ he said as they turned on to the broad highway. ‘I t
hink it’s about five or six miles from here. Watch out for a milestone. But I’d forgotten, this is a turnpike and we might have to pay. Have you got any money?’

  Bella searched in her purse. ‘Some.’ She’d borrowed from her mother, as she didn’t have any of her own. ‘I hope it’ll be enough – we don’t want to have to turn back before we’ve even got there.’ But when they reached the tollgate there was no one there to take their money so Bella put away her purse and they travelled on, feeling pleased.

  ‘One, two, free, four,’ Henry piped up and Bella looked down at him.

  ‘What are you counting?’ she said, pleased that he remembered his numbers.

  Henry lifted his hand and pointed. ‘Big sticks,’ he said. ‘Six. Seven. Nine. Ten!’ he finished on a triumphant note.

  ‘My word,’ Joe said admiringly. ‘Clever lad. I couldn’t count like that when I was your age. But you missed out number eight. Those are ships’ masts,’ he told him. ‘Did he know that?’ he asked Bella.

  ‘Course he does. I’ve shown him pictures of ships, haven’t I, Henry?’

  Henry nodded and started counting again. ‘One. Two …’

  The skyline was littered with ships’ masts and cranes for almost the full length of the road, and Bella said that she hadn’t realized just how big the docks were.

  ‘This is onny ’eastern side,’ Joe told her. ‘Somebody was telling me that there’s a string o’ docks in ’town and on ’western side as well.’

  ‘So we could be busy wi’ fishermen or shipyard workers at this public house. What’s it called? The Maritime?’

  ‘Aye. We’ll have to ask directions when we get there, seeing as Ma’s never been.’

  ‘Her brother said in his letter that it was near Osborne Street,’ Bella said. ‘Central and not far from ’railway station.’ She sighed. ‘I hope it’s a successful business and we don’t have to start from scratch.’

  ‘Mm,’ Joe said gloomily. ‘I’m not building my hopes up.’

  After another twenty minutes or so they came abreast of the Victoria Dock and ahead of them the River Hull and the beginning of the town. Joe pointed out a military garrison that stood between the river and the Humber estuary. ‘That must be ’Citadel that William told me about. It’s not used much for ’military now. I think they’ve moved ’sodgers elsewhere.’

  ‘It must have been built to stop invaders in ’old days,’ Bella said. ‘Nobody’d want to invade us now.’

  ‘An’ if they do there’s our William to stop ’em,’ Joe guffawed. ‘Except we don’t know where he is!’

  They’d received one letter from William just after he had left home and nothing since, and Bella worried that if he did come home on leave, he’d find his family departed and someone else living at the Woodman.

  They came into a square and from there travelled alongside the River Hull looking for a bridge to take them over into the town; there had been a ferry close by the Citadel but Bella said she didn’t fancy crossing in it. Warehouses and housing lined both sides of the street; the narrow river which ran through the town was filled with shipping and Joe remarked that the town seemed to be built on water.

  They found the North Bridge, rattled beneath its stone arches and headed towards the centre of Hull. They skirted yet another dock and then stopped to ask directions for Osborne Street. The man they asked was dressed as if he had been to church. He wore a beaver hat, a wool coat and polished boots. He looked up at them and gave a small frown.

  ‘Jewish, are you?’

  They both stared down at him. ‘No,’ Joe replied. ‘Do we have to be?’

  ‘No. No, you don’t, but it’s mainly a Jewish community,’ the man said and pointed in the direction they should go. ‘Head for ’railway station,’ he told them. ‘Then ask again.’

  ‘If it’s a Jewish community,’ Bella said in dismay, ‘they might not want us setting up in business in their area.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well.’ Bella shrugged. ‘I understood from what Miss Hawkins taught us that cos they’ve been ostracized as a race for centuries, they set up their own communities. They won’t want us living amongst them.’

  Joe shook his head. ‘I didn’t know that.’ He clutched the reins. ‘Oh, heck! Summat else to think about.’

  They found the railway station, which had a brand-new hotel at the side of it, but no one they asked seemed to have heard of the Maritime public house. Joe climbed down from his seat to lead the horse as they went up and down the streets and looked down other entries off them.

  ‘It can’t be a popular place if nobody’s heard of it,’ he said. ‘Everybody knows public houses and hostelries!’

  ‘Maybe you’re asking ’wrong people,’ Bella called down to him. ‘Some of these folk look as if they’ve just left church or chapel. And ask for Osborne Street rather than ’Maritime and mebbe they’ll talk to you rather than turning up their noses.’ For it seemed to her that some of the people Joe spoke to raised their eyebrows when he mentioned the Maritime despite denying they knew of it.

  Then Joe stopped an elderly man in a dark overcoat and tall black hat who looked at them solemnly and with a thick Germanic accent told them they were already on Osborne Street.

  ‘We’re lookin’ for ’Maritime hostelry. Do you know where that is?’ Joe asked slowly and loudly.

  The stranger gave a slight smile. ‘I am not deaf, young man, nor an imbecile. The Maritime is not in Osborne Street but in Anne Street. Travel a little further and Anne Street crosses the junction at the crossroad. Turn right for the Maritime. The door is hidden down an alley, which is just as well, for it is not a gut place to behold.’

  Bella’s spirits dropped and Joe looked up at her, his mouth screwed up apprehensively.

  ‘You have business there?’ the man asked, and when they said they had, he shook his head. ‘Be careful, there are some bad people about.’ He must have seen the dismay in their expressions for he asked if they would like him to accompany them.

  Joe said no, but Bella exclaimed, ‘Yes, please. If you wouldn’t mind, sir? We’re strangers here.’

  He lifted his hat from his forehead and then placed it back again. ‘I understand, of course,’ he said. ‘It is not easy coming to a new place where everything is foreign to you. I know that very well. Please.’ He turned to Joe. ‘You will follow me.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  THE MAN WALKED alongside Joe down Osborne Street and then directed him to turn right. Being Sunday there was little heavy traffic, just a few horses and traps and carts rattling noisily on the cobbled road, but quite a few people strolling along at an easy pace; there were also some tramps sitting or sleeping in shop doorways.

  After walking a few yards down Anne Street they drew to a halt and their new companion indicated a narrow building with an alleyway running down the side.

  Bella jumped from the cart and lifted Henry down. ‘Here? Surely not! How do they bring in the casks?’

  ‘Is this it?’ Joe said. ‘This is ’Maritime?’

  Their new companion nodded. ‘It is,’ he said. ‘I told you, did I not, that it was not a gut place?’

  Bella peered down the alley, which was littered with rubbish: strips of dirty rag, broken bottles, dross and debris unwanted by anyone, even the very poor.

  ‘Excuse me, sir, Mr … erm?’ Bella said. ‘Is this a – we were told it was a public house.’

  ‘Jacobs,’ he said, lifting his hat again. ‘Reuben Jacobs. I believe it was once an inn. Then I understood it became a rooming house. With a licence to sell alcohol.’

  Bella and Joe looked at each other. ‘Ma’s been sold a pig in a poke,’ Joe said. ‘And by her own brother an’ all. What ’we gonna do?’

  ‘Ah!’ Mr Jacobs exclaimed. ‘You have bought a pig in a sack, ja? Something without seeing it first; am I right? But you are very young; someone has taken advantage of you, ja?’

  ‘Aye,’ Joe replied, gazing gloomily at the derelict building. ‘Well, n
ot us exactly, but our mother. She took advice from her brother, who said it was vacant. Brewery has sold her ’tenancy. She thought it was a public house.’

  Reuben Jacobs nodded. ‘Well, perhaps it can be again. Do you wish to take a look inside? Have you a key?’

  ‘We were told there’s a caretaker,’ Bella said. ‘But why would anybody stay here, even as caretaker? It’s dirty and looks abandoned. But I suppose we ought to take a look, Joe, now that we’re here. Tie ’horse up to that lamp post. She should be all right.’

  ‘No. Wait,’ Mr Jacobs intervened. ‘I will find somebody to look after her.’ He walked swiftly back to the end of the street and looked up and down; then he raised his arm and beckoned with his fingers. A minute later a youth skidded to his side. Jacobs spoke to him and the boy followed him back to where Joe and Bella stood.

  ‘He will look after the horse and vehicle for two pennies,’ Mr Jacobs said. ‘Give him one now and another when we come out.’

  We, Bella thought as she fumbled in her purse. Is he going to come in with us? She hoped that he would. She was rather afraid of what they might discover when they went down the alleyway to a door which they had spotted halfway along.

  She asked Joe to carry Henry. The alley was full of muddy puddles and heaps of animal and possibly human excreta, and she didn’t want the little boy falling in it. Joe went first, then Bella and finally Reuben Jacobs, all stepping carefully.

  The door was half open but Joe banged on it anyway. ‘Anybody there?’ he bellowed, pushing it wider. ‘They’ve no need to lock it, I suppose,’ he said, looking inside. ‘Nowt worth stealing.’