‘Yes, ma’am.’ Pearl once again bobbed her knee, almost tripping herself up in the process, but once she reached the door she paused to ask nervously, ‘Please, ma’am . . . I was wondering, if you don’t need me for a while, if I could perhaps nip out to do a bit of shopping? I’d like to get some little presents for my family and perhaps over Christmas I’ll get time to deliver them?’
Emmaline’s kind heart went out to the girl. She was aware of how her family had dumped her and Eliza in the workhouse. Even so, it appeared that Pearl still had feelings for them, so how could she deny her request?
‘Of course you may,’ she answered kindly. ‘Just be sure to be back in time to run my bath.’
Pearl’s face lit up as she smiled and scurried away. It would give her about an hour, but if she kept her shopping to a minimum she might just about manage to get to her old home and back in time. On entering the kitchen, she found Eliza down on her hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor. It was obvious that there would be no chance of her going with Pearl, so she went to her room and put on her cloak and bonnet and outside boots, then took her meagre savings and tucked them safely into her pocket before hurrying off.
The shops were teeming with people, as she had known they would be, and the atmosphere was cheerful as everyone wished each other a merry Christmas. The shopping took hardly any time at all. She bought a bag of sweeties for the children and a pretty lace-trimmed hankie for her mother and another for Eliza – then, after gauging that she would still have time to make the visit, she set off for her old home.
It felt strange to be back in the familiar maze of twisting dark alleys where she had lived and it came to her just how poor the area was. She had never really noticed before but now she had seen another side of life. Thin children with gaunt faces and dressed in little more than rags were listlessly kicking a stone up and down the lane when her home came into view. They eyed her bonnet, warm dress and cloak curiously, never imagining for a moment that she had once been one of them.
The first thing she noticed as she approached the house was that there were no curtains at any of the windows, and she wondered why her mother would have taken them down. Admittedly they had been little more than rags, but at least they had given them a measure of privacy.
Even so, she was smiling as she reached for the doorknob – but to her surprise, she found the door was locked. She hammered on it and when there was no response she went to peer through the dirty window. The room was quite empty apart from various pieces of rubbish that were strewn about.
‘Is that you, Pearl, me luvvie? Eeh! It is an’ all. Yer look so grand I nearly didn’t recognise yer!’
Whirling about, Pearl found herself staring into the kindly face of Lil, her old neighbour. The woman’s expression became solemn then as she told her, ‘I’m afraid the ’ouse is empty at present, luvvie. There’s a new tenant movin’ in straight after Christmas be all accounts.’ She shifted her basket from arm to arm as she avoided Pearl’s eyes.
‘But where are my family, Lil?’ the girl asked.
The woman sighed regretfully. ‘They’ve all gone, luvvie, every last one of ’em apart from Amy.’
‘What do yer mean . . . gone? Gone where?’
‘It were the influenza took ’em last month. The little ’uns went first, then yer ma an’ da followed ’em wi’in days of each other. I’m so sorry, luvvie! There’s nowt worth ’aving left in there now. Yer know what they’re like round these parts, scavengers went in even afore they took the bodies away like a pack o’ bleedin’ vultures!’
Pearl was so shocked that she had to lean heavily against the wall to keep herself upright. She felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. ‘I . . . I see,’ she muttered eventually. ‘And so where is Amy now?’
The woman shrugged her thin shoulders. ‘All I know is she got offered a post as a kitchen maid somewhere in the Midlands. Young Gracie Hewitt from up the lane already worked there an’ she got ’er the job apparently.’ She reached out a hand and patted Pearl’s arm, wishing that there was something she could say to bring her comfort but knowing there wasn’t. Her parents may not have been the best in the world but they were all the poor girl had had and she felt heartsore for her. ‘Look, why don’t yer come in an’ I’ll make yer a nice cup o’ tea?’ she offered.
But Pearl shook her head. ‘Thanks, Lil, but I won’t, if you don’t mind.’ Then suddenly she pushed the bag of sweeties into the woman’s hand, telling her, ‘Give these to the children for Christmas; I won’t be needin’ them now.’
‘Are yer sure?’ The woman stared at the gift in amazement. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been able to afford to buy treats for them.
Pearl merely nodded.
‘Then thank yer kindly. They’ll be much appreciated. You just take care o’ yourself now, eh?’ She almost wished the girl a happy Christmas too, but realised it wouldn’t be appropriate in the circumstances and clamped her mouth shut.
‘Do you suppose . . . if ever you manage to catch Gracie when she comes home to see her parents that you could ask her where she and Amy are working now?’ Pearl asked in a shaky voice. She could hardly believe that at the tender age of ten Amy was already working in a kitchen, although she was grateful to Grace for helping her.
‘O’ course I will,’ Lil responded, although she knew the chances of that happening were slim. Gracie didn’t come back to London much and if she did it wasn’t likely that Lil would know about it until she had gone again. Still, she supposed she could always ask Gracie’s parents if they had the address of where she was working. She didn’t say that though because she didn’t want to raise Pearl’s hopes. She watched as Pearl walked away with her eyes downcast, before shaking her head sadly. From where she was standing, she secretly thought that being shipped off to Canada on the orphan ship was the best thing that could have happened to Pearl and Eliza. They certainly hadn’t had much of a life until then. With a sigh she entered her house.
All the way back to the Kennedy-Scotts’, Pearl felt as if she was in a daze as she tried to digest the news. Her family all gone, just like that. Pictures of the little ones’ faces flashed in front of her eyes. Davey, Maggie, Tess, little Tom and the new baby she’d never even met. Their lives over before they’d barely begun. It was a lot to take in, and what would she tell Eliza? She shuddered. She had been so shocked that she hadn’t even thought to ask Lil where her family were buried, but then she supposed it was best that she hadn’t. No doubt they would have gone to paupers’ graves with no one to pay for the funerals. And Amy . . . her dear Amy. At least she was still alive somewhere, but how would she ever find her? Lil had said that she was somewhere in the Midlands but even Pearl knew that the Midlands covered a vast area. She could be anywhere, so the chances of ever seeing her again were slim. From now on it would be just her and Eliza. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she moved on.
Once back at the house she took her cloak and bonnet up to her room then slipped to the family’s part of the house and headed for the bathroom to run the bath for Mrs Forbes. It was a large, spacious room with an enormous roll-top bath against one wall. The tap on it was connected to a pipe that led to a large copper in the kitchen that pumped up hot water, and beneath the plug hole was yet another pipe that drained the dirty water away. Pearl had never seen anything so luxurious in her life and would have enjoyed it had she been in a happier mood, but as it was, it was taking all her effort to concentrate. Next to the bath was a chair on which were a pile of fluffy towels and once the bath was run and everything was ready, she went to tap on Mrs Forbes’s door. She found her employer dressed in a pretty dressing robe trimmed with feathers.
‘Ah, Pearl, did you get everythi—’ The words died away and the smile on her face faded as she noted how pale Pearl looked and she asked, ‘Are you all right, dear? You look awfully pale. Are you feeling unwell?’
‘No, missus . . . I mean, ma’am. It’s just . . .’ Pearl took a deep
breath. ‘It’s just . . . I just found out that all my family has passed except for one sister. They all died of the influenza a while back.’
‘Oh, my goodness. How awful for you.’ Mrs Forbes could still remember how she had felt when Elizabeth had died and didn’t quite know what to say, but eventually, she muttered, ‘If you would like to go to your room and rest . . .’
‘No, ma’am. Thank you, but I’d rather keep busy,’ Pearl told her with a lift of her chin. ‘And your bath is all ready for you if you’d like to come with me.’
Solemn-faced, Emmaline followed her along the landing to the steamy bathroom. She had desperately wanted to ask Pearl how Eliza was faring without her in the kitchen but now clearly wasn’t the time.
Chapter Twenty-One
I
t wasn’t until late that evening after she had helped her mistress to prepare for bed that Pearl was able to pass on the news to Eliza when she got to their room. She told her what had happened as gently as she could, and Eliza listened, showing no emotion whatsoever, and when she had finished she just shrugged.
‘They didn’t care about us anyway,’ she said matter-of-factly and with that she turned to the wall and within seconds was sound asleep.
Pearl shook her head. She had a feeling that she would never truly know Eliza if she lived to be a hundred. Since arriving here and being banished to the kitchen, Pearl feared that her sister was slipping back into the quiet world she had lived in after they had first been admitted to the workhouse. In Mrs Forbes’s care, she had seemed to blossom like a flower, so much so that Pearl had sometimes wondered if Eliza really was as gentle as people had taken her for, but now she seemed sullen and resentful again and the worst of it was, Pearl was painfully aware that there wasn’t a single thing she could do about it.
She washed quickly in the cold water in the bowl, pulled on her nightdress and slid into the cold bed, where she finally gave way to the tears she had been holding back. Her family was gone, and she had never felt more alone in the world than she did now.
It was late on Christmas Day as Pearl was carrying yet another tray of hot mince pies to the drawing room that she almost bumped into Monty in the hallway.
‘Get out of my way, servant!’ he snapped angrily and Pearl felt the colour burn into her cheeks.
‘I beg your pardon. I didn’t see you,’ she retaliated heatedly.
His top lip curled back from his teeth as he pinched her arm spitefully. ‘Don’t you dare to answer me back, slut! When in the presence of your betters you should be seen and not heard!’
Pearl glared at his retreating back, her arm throbbing. When they had been in Canada, she had always been aware that Monty had resented the attention his mother had shown to Eliza, but now it appeared that he had transferred his dislike to her too. Back there, she had Freda’s spite to contend with and now it seemed that here she would also be up against a bully. With a sigh, she went on her way.
Things did not improve over the next few days, and at every opportunity Monty went out of his way to be spiteful to her, but only when there was no one about to see it.
‘Why don’t you run and tell my mummy what I’ve done to you and we’ll see who she believes?’ he goaded one afternoon when he had tripped her up in the hallway, causing her to drop a tray of tea things she was fetching from the dining room. Some of them were broken and Pearl knew that she would be in trouble with Cook now.
‘I don’t need to tell tales, I can stick up for myself,’ she said hotly, although he was at least a head taller than her. ‘Why don’t you go and pick on someone your own size?’
As she bent to retrieve the broken pots, he looked astonished. Not one of the maids they had ever employed had dared to answer him back before. ‘Why you . . . you . . . for two pins I’d smack your dirty little face. Who do you think you are to speak to me that way?’
He advanced on her threateningly, but Pearl had had enough. Both of the men had gone to visit Mr Forbes’s woodyard and the ladies were out at a friend of Mrs Kennedy-Scott’s taking afternoon tea, so Pearl knew there was little chance she and Monty would be observed. She also knew from when she had grown up in the lanes that the only way to deal with a bully was to stand up to them, and she intended to do just that now. Enough was enough!
Just before he reached her with his fist clenched, she rose gracefully and when he was within reach, she lifted her knee and kneed him as hard as she could in his most private parts.
Monty yelped in agony as he doubled over clutching himself and Pearl went back to what she had been doing. ‘I shall tell Cook that you’re responsible for these being broken,’ she informed him calmly. ‘And if you ever come near me again, you’ll get more of the same, so just be warned.’ And with that and a cocky nod of her head she sailed off to the kitchen.
‘The little devil! Spoiled rotten he is,’ Cook grumbled when Pearl told her what had happened. ‘He’s bad through an’ through that boy is, and he’ll come to a sticky end if he don’t mend his ways, you just mark my words! It’s no wonder he’s got no friends at the school.’
When the ladies arrived home later that afternoon Pearl went upstairs with Mrs Forbes to help her into a robe before she took a nap. Emmaline had deliberately avoided asking about Eliza because she knew that Pearl was grieving for her family, although to the girl’s credit it had not affected her work.
But now she could wait no longer, and as she sat at her dressing table, while Pearl removed the clips from her hair, she suddenly blurted out, ‘How is Lizzie coping in the kitchen, Pearl? Is she missing me? The poor darling must wonder what is happening but my mother feels . . .’
Her words trailed away as she realised that it wasn’t really the done thing to speak to Pearl of her mother’s feelings. The girl was only a maid after all, although with each day that passed, Emmaline was growing more fond of her. Pearl never complained and did whatever was asked of her to the very best of her ability. She was very polite and had come so far in the short time since Emmaline had employed her. Emmaline’s instincts told her that Pearl was to be trusted, and would keep her confidences. Monty’s tutor back at home was always telling her how clever the girl was and how quickly she could grasp things once they were explained to her. She could now read and write almost as well as Emmaline could and her grammar had certainly improved vastly.
Now after taking out the last of the pins, Pearl picked up the hairbrush and answered, ‘She’s doing all right, ma’am. Thanks for asking.’
‘Really?’
When Pearl nodded, Emmaline fell silent. Her mother had made her solemnly promise that once they were back in Canada, she would make Eliza stay in the job she had been employed to do. But oh, she did miss the girl, she couldn’t deny it.
Before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve and once again all was hustle and bustle as the staff rushed about preparing for the party that was to take place at the house that evening.
‘I shouldn’t be surprised if half of the people you’ve invited don’t turn up in this weather, my love,’ Andrew warned as he sat behind a newspaper at his desk in the study. It was the only downstairs room where he could get a bit of peace and quiet at present, and his wife had joined him in there.
‘I fear you could be right, darling.’ She glanced towards the window, where the snow was still coming down like a thick white curtain. ‘But then I intend to make the most of it however many come. Emmaline and Zack will be going home in a few days’ time and I wanted them to have a special night to remember. Who knows how long it will be before we see them again?’
Laying his paper down, he came to stand behind her and placed his arms about her waist. ‘And how do you think Emmaline is now?’
She sighed. ‘Much better, I think, but I’ve had to nip the obsession she seemed to have with the little blonde servant girl in the bud. I fear Emmie was trying to replace Elizabeth and we both know that that could only have ended in disaster. She must allow herself to grieve properly without looking for distractions
, otherwise she’ll never get over her loss.’
‘Actually, I don’t think any of us will ever do that,’ he said sadly. ‘We simply learn to live with it and carry on. But come – we mustn’t be maudlin today. It’s almost the start of a brand-new year and Elizabeth wouldn’t have wanted to spoil it, God bless her.’
‘You’re quite right as always,’ his wife said softly, and they stood in silence staring out at the snow as they thought of the little granddaughter they had adored.
‘It’s beautiful isn’t it?’
Pearl hadn’t heard her mistress quietly enter the room and her voice made Pearl start and step quickly away from the stunning gown hanging on the door of the armoire that she had been admiring.
‘Y-yes, ma’am. It really is,’ she muttered, feeling embarrassed.
‘It was ridiculously expensive,’ Emmaline confided as she stroked the soft velvet of the skirt. ‘But my husband insisted I should have it.’
The dress was a rich red trimmed with silver braid and silver embroidery about the low-cut neckline and around the bottom of the three-quarter-length sleeves. It fitted tightly into the waist and the skirt was full, falling in gentle folds that shimmered in the light. Pearl was sure it was the most beautiful gown she had ever seen, and could hardly wait to see her mistress wearing it. But first she must wash her hair and take her bath, which Pearl had readied for her.
Almost an hour later, Emmaline sat at the side of the fire as Pearl rubbed at her hair, and at last it was time to start getting ready.
‘I thought I would wear my hair up tonight,’ she informed Pearl. ‘We can put it up in curls on top and tease some ringlets out.’ She laughed as she saw the look of dismay flit across Pearl’s face. Dressing her hair was still the one thing that Pearl hadn’t quite mastered, and she sometimes wondered if she ever would. Emmaline’s hair was so thick and wavy that it seemed to have a mind of its own. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll do it between us and I’m sure it will be fine,’ Emmaline told her kindly.
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