by Dilly Court
Ingram had appeared from the depths of the house, but Caroline had no intention of discussing family matters in front of the butler. ‘You’d better come with me, Mr Bromley.’ She beckoned to the butler. ‘We’ll have coffee in the morning parlour, and some of Cook’s seed cake, too.’
Ingram cleared his throat, standing stiffly to attention. ‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Miss Caroline.’
She turned to him, eyebrows raised. ‘What did you say?’
‘The talk in the servants’ hall is that we are all to lose our positions, Miss Caroline.’
‘Perhaps I should come back another time,’ Laurence said in a low voice.
‘No, you’re here now.’ Caroline turned to Ingram, keeping calm with difficulty. ‘We’ll sort this out later.’
‘Cook is packing her bags as we speak. She’s been offered another position and has decided to accept it.’
‘This is obviously a bad time,’ Laurence said hastily. ‘I should go.’
‘No. You came here to enquire about my brothers, and I appreciate your concern.’ Caroline turned to Ingram. ‘I’m sure that someone in the kitchen could make a pot of coffee or some tea. I’d be obliged if you would see to it, please, Ingram.’
‘Of course, Miss Caroline.’ Ingram walked off stiffly as if performing a slow march.
‘Miss Dixon is in the morning parlour,’ Caroline said, making an effort to sound casual, although her mind was racing. The news of their financial problems had obviously travelled fast, and she needed time to think. ‘Come with me, Mr Bromley.’ She crossed the entrance hall and ushered him into the parlour. ‘Sadie, we have a visitor.’
Sadie rose to her feet, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. ‘Mr Bromley, I thought I recognised you. I saw you striding along the pavement, looking very purposeful. What brings you to London?’
‘Please take a seat,’ Caroline said, remembering her manners.
He pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘I knew where Max and James lived, and I was passing, so I thought I would call, but it seems that I picked a bad time.’
‘The servants have heard of our financial difficulties, Sadie. Apparently Cook is leaving and it looks as if the others might follow.’ Caroline turned to Bromley. He seemed to be a sensible man and there was no point pretending that all was well. ‘My father’s untimely death has left us in some money problems, Mr Bromley. My brothers couldn’t return to Rugby, even if they wanted to.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Why are you in London, Mr Bromley?’ Sadie fixed him with a steady look. ‘Have you found employment here?’
‘As a matter of fact I’ve decided to branch out on my own.’
‘Do you mean to open a school?’ Sadie’s eyes shone with enthusiasm. ‘What a splendid idea.’
‘Not exactly. I was thinking more of taking on a few pupils to start with, providing I can find suitable accommodation. I’m not a wealthy man, so I would have to start in a small way, but one day I would like to have my own establishment where I could tutor bright boys, and even a few girls.’
‘How progressive of you.’ Caroline met his candid gaze with a smile of approval. ‘I think that the mothers of future generations should be well educated, but not many people would agree with me.’
‘I do, and I hope to do something about it.’
‘What sort of premises had you in mind, Mr Bromley?’ Sadie asked eagerly. ‘Would it need to be very large?’
‘Not at the beginning. I could only take two or three pupils at a time, so a single room would suffice. But enough about me, you have problems of your own. It was Max and James who were my concern.’
‘One of the servants has taken them to the Zoological Gardens,’ Caroline said hastily. ‘They are grieving for Papa, as you will understand, and I know that they should be furthering their education, but I’m afraid that looks very unlikely at the moment.’
‘Maybe not.’ Sadie focused her attention on Laurence. ‘Are you a good teacher?’
‘I would hope so, Miss Dixon.’
‘And you need to find a suitable premises?’
‘That’s so.’
‘I think we might be able to help you, and you in turn could help us by tutoring Max and James, but I need to talk it over with Caroline before I make any suggestions.’
Caroline stared at her, mystified. ‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘Maybe I should call again, when you’ve had time to discuss matters.’ Bromley pushed back his chair and stood up. ‘I should go now.’
‘Come this time tomorrow,’ Sadie said firmly. ‘I’ll see you out, Mr Bromley.’ She rose to her feet and hustled him out of the room, returning minutes later with a satisfied smile on her face. ‘Well, what do you think, Carrie?’
‘I’m completely in the dark.’
‘As I told that wretch Parkinson, the Captain’s House is mine.’ Sadie reached out to clasp Caroline’s hand. ‘Although your father’s will has to go to Probate, and, under the present circumstances I think it ought to have come to you.’
‘I don’t agree. If Papa wanted you to have the house then that’s how it should be. He couldn’t have foreseen the future.’
‘What’s mine is yours, Carrie. We can live there together.’
‘Are you suggesting we should all move to Wapping? What would Mama say to that?’
‘She’s not going to have much choice. Unless your uncle returns very soon we’ll lose this place and have nowhere else to go other than the Captain’s House. It’s not huge, but Mr Bromley could use one of the rooms to tutor pupils, including Max and James.’
‘But we know nothing about him, Sadie.’
‘That’s easy, we’ll just ask the boys what they think. I have a feeling that it would work well, and really, what choice do we have? We could never raise the amount it costs to keep them at boarding school.’
‘I’m not giving up so easily.’ Caroline gazed round the room. ‘I’ve never thought about it before, but some of the ornaments and paintings that my parents collected must have a value. Mama took all her jewellery, I know because I saw her packing it, but there are the silver candlesticks and salvers – they must be worth quite a lot of money.’
‘Are you hoping to pay the rent from such a sale?’
‘Why not? If I can just keep everything together until Uncle George returns I’m sure we’ll be all right.’
‘I wish I could be as optimistic, but you’re right to try.’
‘If the worst happens, I suppose we’ll have to move to the Captain’s House.’
‘At least we would have a roof over our heads.’
‘I don’t think that Mama would want to live in Wapping now.’
‘She grew up in Limehouse. I don’t suppose you’ve ever ventured into that rough area, but it’s nothing like Finsbury Circus. As a child Essie worked the river with your grandfather, and they were very poor.’
‘Nevertheless, I’ll do everything I can to save our home.’
‘You’d better start by finding another cook,’ Sadie said drily. ‘Would you like me to go below stairs and see what I can do?’
‘Yes, please do, and I’ll go through the house and sort out items we can sell. I’ll make a placard to tie to the railings outside, advertising the sale. What do you think, Sadie?’
‘It might work, Carrie. It’s worth a try.’
Caroline spent the rest of the day going from room to room, picking out the objects that she thought had the highest value and arranging them in the dining room. Ingram was stiff with disapproval and made his feelings perfectly clear without saying a word. She ignored him and went ahead, enlisting help from Max and James when they returned from their trip to the zoo. They were bubbling with enthusiasm and James had decided that he wanted to be an explorer like Dr Livingstone and bring back rare species for the Zoological Gardens. Max was more interested in the sale of their property, but was very relieved to find that Caroline had not touched anything in his room.
That evening they made a large placard advertising the sale, taking turns in painting the letters with Indian ink. They took it outside and Max hung it over the railings for all to see, and straight away it attracted the attention of passers-by. Caroline stood back, eyeing it critically.
‘I think that should do the trick.’
‘It’s just as well that Mama went to Devonshire,’ Max said, grinning. ‘She wouldn’t have allowed this.’
‘I can’t see any alternative. The rent is due in a few days’ time and there’s a huge pile of unpaid bills.’ Caroline glanced over her shoulder to see the butler standing at the top of the steps, clutching a portmanteau in his gloved hand. ‘Are you going somewhere, Ingram?’
‘This is public humiliation, Miss Caroline. I’m going to stay with my sister in Highgate while I seek another position. I’ve left my address in the housekeeper’s office, but I think you’ll find that Mrs Hayes will be the next to leave. We can’t afford to work for nothing.’
‘How long is it since you were paid?’ Caroline stared at him in surprise.
‘Too long, Miss Caroline. If you come into funds you can send the money to me, not that I’m pinning my hopes on such an outcome.’ He marched down the steps and walked off, swinging a large black umbrella with a horse’s-head handle.
‘That belonged to Papa,’ Max said angrily. ‘Shall I go and get it from him, Carrie?’
She laid her hand on his arm. ‘No, let him keep it. I’m truly sorry that I can’t pay him what he’s owed, but I’ll tell you this – I will get the money somehow, and I’ll recompense the servants and the creditors, even if it takes for ever.’
Max shrugged and raised his eyebrows. ‘Good luck with that, Carrie.’
She gazed at her younger brother as if seeing him for the first time. ‘You’ve grown so tall, Max. Soon I’ll have to look up to you.’
‘If I was older I’d go out and earn my living and you wouldn’t have to worry about money.’
‘We’ll look after each other,’ Caroline said, smiling. ‘Let’s go inside and see what Sadie has prepared for our supper. She tells me that she learned to cook when she was even younger than you.’ Caroline linked arms with her brother and they mounted the steps together. She glanced over her shoulder before entering the house and was pleased to note the growing number of people who stopped to read the sign posted on the railings outside. Tomorrow would be a good day – she had a feeling in her bones. They would make enough money to stave off disaster and enable them to sit it out until their uncle’s ship returned to London.
Next morning crowds of people flooded into the house. Caroline had opened the door and was almost knocked over in the stampede. Luckily she had placed Max and James in the middle of the entrance hall with Sadie on duty in the dining room. The house had been eerily quiet as, following Ingram’s example, most of the servants had walked out. Mrs Hayes had departed that morning, leaving a couple of kitchen maids, who had nowhere else to go. Caroline had set them simple tasks and Sadie had prepared a stew, which was simmering on the hob in readiness for their meal later in the day.
‘Not that way,’ Caroline cried anxiously as a well-dressed couple headed for the staircase. ‘The items for sale are in the dining room. Please follow the others.’
Glaring at her, the pair retraced their steps and fell in line behind the queue that was already stretching out onto the pavement. Caroline was still directing the prospective purchasers when James pushed his way through the crowd to whisper in her ear.
‘Aunt Sadie says you’re to come to the dining room. She can’t manage on her own.’
Caroline nodded. ‘All right, but you must stand here.’
‘I don’t know what to do.’
She patted her brother’s curly head. ‘Just make sure they go straight to the dining room and don’t allow anyone to go upstairs or into any of the other rooms.’
James glanced at the crowds. ‘I’ll try, Carrie.’
‘Good boy. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ Caroline hurried towards the dining room, threading her way through the lines of people, some of whom were pushing and shoving as if expecting to snatch a bargain. She found Sadie besieged by customers eager to purchase an ornament, a vase or silk cushion. Others had armfuls of Esther’s best porcelain dinner service, and a large lady in purple had two silver candelabras clutched to her ample bosom. Sadie appeared to be arguing with a gentleman whose raised voice and flushed cheeks indicated a state of extreme agitation.
‘But that is an outrageous price. I could go to the potteries and purchase an item like this for half the price.’
‘Then I suggest you buy a ticket at the railway station and travel north, sir.’ Sadie snatched the vase from him, holding it high above her head. ‘Any offers over one guinea for this eighteenth-century Sèvres vase?’
Caroline stepped aside as the bidding began and the vase finally sold for double the asking price. ‘Well done, Sadie.’
Sadie smiled and turned back to the customers who were clamouring for her attention. Caroline began taking money and soon her apron pocket was filled with coins, including several golden guineas, and finally all the items she had chosen were sold. But the crowd refused to disperse and within minutes they were swarming over the house like a colony of worker ants. Caroline raced up the stairs after them and, having persuaded them to go back down, she positioned herself at the bottom of the staircase, refusing to allow anyone to pass. The mood seemed to change and frustrated buyers began to vent their anger on anyone who would listen. James was in tears and Max was threatening to punch the next person who accosted him. Sadie had her hands full in the dining room and Caroline was beginning to panic. She was about to rush outside and look for a constable to restore the peace when a group of tradesmen burst into the house, led by two burly officials.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Caroline demanded. She managed to keep her voice steady even though her knees were trembling.
The tallest and broadest of the two leaders stepped forward. ‘This is an illegal sale.’
Caroline tossed her head. ‘I don’t know what you mean. This is private property, so kindly leave.’
He waved a sheet of paper under her nose. ‘This is a court order, miss, and these gentlemen are owed a great deal of money. I want to see Mr Manning.’
‘My father is dead.’ Caroline’s voice broke on a sob.
‘I can’t help that, miss. Who is in charge of the household?’
Caroline took a deep breath. She was not going to let these men witness her heartbreak. ‘I don’t know exactly. I suppose it’s me now that Mama has gone to Devonshire, but if that’s all you’re worried about I can settle some or maybe all of those debts from the sale of our things.’
‘An unauthorised sale, miss. My colleague and I are here to enforce the law.’
There was nothing Caroline could do other than stand back and watch the bailiffs at work. They stripped the house of everything that had any value, leaving nothing but an echoing shell as they carried out the last piece of furniture.
Caroline put her arms around James, who was openly weeping, and she gave him a hug. ‘It’s only furniture and stuff, Jimmy. We’re still together, that’s the most important thing.’
Max braced his shoulders, holding his head high. ‘I’ll get a job, Carrie. I’m fourteen and I’m strong. I can work in the docks or on the river like Grandpa used to, before he went to sea.’
Sadie patted him on the back. ‘Good boy, Max. It’s a setback but it’s not the end of the world. I know what it’s like to be poor, but I’m still here to tell the tale.’
‘That’s right,’ Caroline added, forcing a smile. ‘At least we’ve still got a roof over our heads. Let’s go to the kitchen and see if they’ve left the stew that Sadie made for us. I’m hungry, I don’t know about you boys.’ She gave James her hanky. ‘Chin up, Jimmy. We’ve got each other – that’s all that matters now.’
‘The kitchen maids have gone,’ Sadie said in a low
voice as they made their way to the green baize door that led to the world below stairs. ‘I gave them enough money to pay for a couple of nights in temporary lodgings and food to keep them going while they look for work.’
‘I didn’t think the bailiffs would take the money we made in the sale, but they did.’
Sadie put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a silk purse. ‘Not all of it. I managed to hide this from them.’
Caroline took it from her and weighed it in her hand. ‘That’s nice and heavy. We’ll count it out when we’ve eaten.’
‘That’s if they’ve left us anything to eat.’ Sadie strode on, catching up with Max and James, who were about to open the baize door. ‘Come on, Carrie. Best foot forward.’
The kitchen, which was normally a bustling hive of activity, was deserted. The fire in the range had died down to a few feebly glowing embers but, to Caroline’s intense relief, the stew was untouched and still hot enough to make a comforting meal. There was bread in the crock and butter on the marble slab in the larder. The bailiffs had left the table and chairs, and the crockery and cutlery used by the servants was untouched, although the battery of copper pans had been taken, leaving only the old blackened saucepans and the kettle. They ate bowlfuls of stew, and mopped up the remainder with chunks of bread. Sadie managed to get the fire going again and they finished off with cups of tea, leaving Max and James to explore the house to see what else, if anything, the bailiffs had left.
‘I don’t think they can take our beds,’ Sadie said, spooning sugar into her tea.
Caroline nodded. ‘I hope not, but we don’t have much choice now. I don’t suppose we’ve got enough money to pay the rent.’ She produced the purse and tipped the contents onto the table. They began counting the coins, placing them in neat piles.
‘Four pounds ten and sevenpence ha’penny.’ Sadie shook her head. ‘That’s not nearly enough, and even if it were, we still have to eat.’
‘I suppose we could send the boys down to Devonshire,’ Caroline said thoughtfully, ‘but it would only be a temporary arrangement, and if Mama finds out what’s happened she’ll want to come home.’