Lily Steps Up

by Judi Curtin

‘Is her mother still sick?’ I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

  ‘Unfortunately her mother is still very unwell.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ It was half true. Miss Flan­agan’s mother was probably a nice lady, but …

  Did I dare to hope?

  Could it be that Miss Flanagan wasn’t coming back?

  Could it be that Miss Connor wanted me to take her place?

  But then all my hopes faded away.

  ‘Luckily for Miss Flanagan,’ continued Miss Connor. ‘She has five sisters, and they are all able to help out so that Miss Flanagan can return to us at Lissadell.’

  I put my head down so she wouldn’t see the stupid tears that had come to my eyes. ‘I’m happy for her,’ I said.

  Then Miss Connor put her arm around my shoul­der. ‘I can see that you like it here, Lily,’ she said. ‘And I am sorry you cannot stay. Don’t worry though. You are young and you are bright. You will find your place in the world.’

  Now the tears flowed down my cheeks. What if my place in the world was to be always far away from my family, doing a job that bored me almost to death?

  * * *

  But soon afterwards something terrible happened – something that made me realize that a boring life is not the worst thing in the world.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ‘Oh, Lily,’ said Nellie, when I got to our room after a long day. ‘Johanna and I have had the most perfect day together. We walked to the village and we even had tea and cake in a tea-room – like real ladies. I was afraid to go in at first, but Johanna said it would be all right – and it was. I love my days off with her. I wish every day could be Thursday.’

  ‘I’m glad you had a nice time,’ I said, pulling off my boots and throwing myself onto the bed. ‘I could tell you about mine, but it would send you straight to sleep. First I cleaned the fireplaces, and then …’

  Nellie lay back on her bed and gave a big fake snore, and we both laughed. Just then there was a knock on the door.

  ‘Mrs Bailey wants to see you both in the servants’ hall,’ said Maggie.

  ‘It’s late,’ I said. ‘Why would she want to see us at this hour?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Maggie. ‘But it’s not only you two. She’s asked to see all of the household staff. There’s something going on, but don’t ask me what it is.’

  She hurried on to the next room, and I slowly put my boots back on to my sore, swollen feet.

  * * *

  Mr Kilgallon and Mrs Bailey were both in the dining hall – standing with their hands clasped in front of them and looking very serious. I had no idea what was going on, but I could tell that it wasn’t good.

  Most of the servants were already lined up in two rows. Usually the dining hall was a place full of chat and laughter, but now no one was speaking. Some people looked confused and some looked tired. Nellie and I went and stood next to Johanna and Isabelle. They both nodded at us, but no one smiled.

  Ita, the scullery maid came running in, with her boots unlaced and her hair still tied up in rags. ‘Sorry, Mrs Bailey,’ she said. ‘I was so sound asleep, I couldn’t drag myself out of my dreams. I …’

  She stopped talking when she saw the rows of silent servants. ‘Sorry,’ she whispered again, and went and stood next to the kitchen maids.

  ‘That is everyone,’ said Mrs Bailey. ‘Please close the door, Harry, and then we may proceed.’

  Even Harry, who was usually all smiles, looked serious as he went to close the door.

  I felt sick.

  What was happening?

  What did Mrs Bailey want to proceed with?

  Had someone died?

  Were the Gore-Booths moving away and closing up the house for good?

  Were we all going to lose our jobs?

  Mr Kilgallon took a step forward. ‘I apologise for bringing you here like this,’ he said. ‘But something terrible has happened.’

  All around me, it was as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Mr Kilgallon’s next words.

  ‘Something very valuable has disappeared,’ he said.

  I felt like breathing a big sigh of relief. I didn’t own anything valuable, and I hadn’t made anything valu­able disappear. I wished he’d hurry up with his little speech, so I could go to bed.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Ita. ‘What’s gone missing?’

  Mr Kilgallon glared at her, but Mrs Bailey answered the question. ‘It is a very precious gold locket belong­ing to Lady Mary. She is quite certain that it was in her jewellery box this morning, and now it is no longer there. We have searched her room, and have to conclude that it has been stolen.’

  Now I could hear gasps from the other servants. We had all heard the stories of people in big houses who had been sacked because of theft. Times were hard in the country, and many of us had families who needed our wages. Which of us would risk our good jobs for a gold locket?

  ‘Oh, my,’ said Ita. ‘Are the police on their way?’ At the mention of police, some people went pale, and Delia began to cry. I knew I hadn’t done anything, but I couldn’t help feeling guilty anyway.

  ‘The police have not been called … yet,’ said Mr Kilgallon. ‘I ask you all to stay here while we conduct a search of your rooms. You may sit if you wish, but please do not leave the dining hall.’

  And then he and Mrs Bailey walked out of the room.

  * * *

  As soon as the door was closed the whispering began.

  Nellie, Johanna, Isabelle and I went to sit together at the end of the big table. Nellie was holding tightly to her sister’s hand.

  ‘Poor Lady Mary,’ I said. ‘That locket was very special to her.’

  ‘Save your pity for whoever took it,’ said Isabelle. ‘Their life in Lissadell is over now – and their life in service too.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ I asked.

  ‘Anyone who’s sacked for stealing will leave with­out a reference – and without a reference they’ll never again get a job – or not a decent one anyway.’

  ‘Serves them right,’ said Johanna. ‘Whoever did this is causing trouble for all of us.’

  Nellie didn’t say anything. She always hated fuss and bad feeling.

  Then I noticed that two of the kitchen maids were staring at Johanna. They were sitting at the other side of the table, but I could hear little bits of their whis­pered conversation. ‘… the only new person here … always in Lady Mary’s room … lots of chances to … bad breeding … workhouse …’

  I remembered what Nellie had told me, how often other servants were suspicious of ladies’ maids, never sure if they could be trusted. Was Johanna going to suffer because she was new, and because she spent so much time with Lady Mary?

  I wanted to run over and shake the whispering girls, and tell them that Johanna would never steal, that just because she spent time in the workhouse, that didn’t mean she was a bad person.

  But I didn’t dare to do anything – I couldn’t let Nellie know what they were saying. So instead I glared at the kitchen maids until they began to talk of something else.

  * * *

  Much later, Mrs Bailey and Mr Kilgallon came back into the room, and the nervous whispering stopped.

  ‘We have found the locket,’ said Mrs Bailey, hold­ing it up for us to see. It swung from her fingers, and twinkled in the glow from the gaslights. It seemed like a very small thing to be causing such a big fuss.

  ‘You may all go to your rooms,’ she said, and people began to get up, muttering about how late it was, and how tired they were. Then she continued. ‘Except you, Johanna. Would you please come with us? Lady Mary is waiting for you upstairs.’

  Now the muttering got louder and louder. The kitchen maids were standing right in front of me and I heard one of them saying ‘I knew it … can always tell bad blood – Ow!!’

  She turned back to look at me, but I was busy admiring the Latin writing on the large beam run­ning over our heads – and pretending I hadn’t pulle
d her hair sharply.

  Johanna had gone white, and looked as if she were going to faint.

  ‘It wasn’t me,’ she whispered. ‘I didn’t take it. I’d never steal. It’s wrong.’

  Mrs Bailey came over. ‘Come along, Johanna,’ she said. ‘Let’s not make things even worse.’

  ‘I didn’t do it,’ said Johanna. ‘I swear it wasn’t me.’

  Mrs Bailey took Johanna’s arm, but Nellie held on to the other one. Nellie had a fierce look in her eyes, a look I had never seen before, a look that made me a little afraid. But I knew that if she didn’t let go, she was going to be in trouble too

  ‘It’s all right, Nellie,’ I said. ‘I bet this is all some kind of mix-up. Let’s go to our room, and when everything is sorted out, Johanna can come back and tell us all about it.’

  Slowly Nellie let go of her sister, and allowed me to lead her to our room.

  We put on our nightgowns, but I knew we wouldn’t sleep until we saw Johanna again. Nellie came to my bed, and I wrapped Mam’s shawl around the two of us.

  Nellie sobbed and sobbed in my arms. ‘It’s a mis­take,’ she said. ‘I know it’s a mistake.’

  ‘Of course it is,’ I whispered. ‘Try not to worry. Lady Mary is fair and decent. She’ll sort everything out.’

  * * *

  It was very late when Johanna came to our room. She was still pale, and her eyes were red from crying.

  Johanna sat on Nellie’s bed, and Nellie ran over and curled up beside her.

  ‘Tell us everything,’ I said.

  ‘They found the locket under my bed,’ said Johanna. ‘They said it was in the old biscuit box where I keep Mam’s bible, and Daddy’s pipe. But I didn’t put it there. I never touched it – well, I did often, when I was tying it on Lady Mary’s neck – but I never took it. I wouldn’t do such a thing. Stealing is wrong.’

  ‘And did Lady Mary believe you?’

  Tears came to Johanna’s eyes. ‘No. She didn’t believe me. She kept saying she understood, that I had so many changes in my life, and how hard things were for me. She said I probably borrowed the locket, and meant to put it back tomorrow. I could see that Mrs Bailey didn’t agree with that, but Lady Mary kept on talking anyway. I told her a hundred times I hadn’t taken the locket, and she kept not believing me.’

  ‘So now?’ I asked.

  ‘Nellie’s right when she says Lady Mary is a saint. She believes I took her locket, but she still wants to give me another chance. She said if it happens again, I will have to leave Lissadell, but if it doesn’t, she’s prepared to forget all about it.’

  I knew Johanna was innocent, but I still couldn’t help feeling that she was lucky Lady Mary hadn’t called the police. If the police had come, they would never have believed Johanna’s story.

  ‘Well that’s not so––’ I began.

  ‘That’s terrible,’ she snapped. ‘Lady Mary says she is giving me a second chance, but that’s not fair – I haven’t used up my first one yet – and I never would. I know how lucky I am to have this good job, and to be with Nellie. I would never, ever do anything to spoil that.’

  ‘I know,’ I said. ‘I believe you.’ It was the truth. Poor Johanna had lost the rest of her family, and being with Nellie was the most important thing in the world to her.

  ‘I haven’t been sacked,’ she said. ‘But now everyone here thinks I’m a thief.’

  ‘Lily and I don’t,’ said Nellie fiercely.

  Johanna gave us a sad smile. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘But that’s not enough. From now on, everyone will be staring at me, waiting for me to take something else. My life is ruined.’

  Nellie cuddled closer to her sister, but I couldn’t stay still. I jumped out of bed and began to walk up and down the small room.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ I said. ‘We know you didn’t take the locket, Johanna, but how did it end up under your bed?’

  ‘Magpies often take shiny things,’ suggested Nellie.

  ‘I know, pet,’ said Johanna gently. ‘But they don’t bring them into houses. They don’t hide them in boxes under beds.’

  ‘So who did it?’ I asked. ‘Who would do that to you?’

  ‘No one ever really trusts lady’s maids,’ said Johanna. ‘We all know that’s true.’

  ‘Maybe,’ I said. ‘But no one would do that to you just because you’re a lady’s maid.’

  ‘I suppose whoever did this really hates me, then,’ said Johanna.

  ‘That would make sense,’ I said. ‘Except no one hates you.’

  I knew this was true. Johanna had been snappy when she first arrived, but that often happened when new servants came to Lissadell. Who knew what ter­rible lives they were escaping from? People under­stood this, and were ready to give second chances. Even the gossiping kitchen maids never meant any real harm. They would never try to ruin someone’s whole life like that.

  I gave a big yawn, and I couldn’t help thinking about how close it was to morning, and how little sleep I would be getting that night, and how cross Mrs Bailey was going to be about all the fuss.

  ‘I’m going to bed,’ said Johanna suddenly.

  ‘You can sleep here with me if you like,’ said Nellie.

  ‘That’s all right, darling,’ said Johanna. ‘I don’t want to act as if I’m guilty. I am going to act as normal.’

  Then she kissed her sister on the cheek and held her head high as she walked from the room.

  Poor Johanna. I wondered how she could be so brave, but then I remembered that she’d had a ter­rible life, and this was far from the worst thing that had ever happened to her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Next day, when Johanna came into the servants’ hall there was a bit of pointing and whisper­ing, but Mrs Bailey marched to the top of the room and put on her sternest face.

  ‘Has anyone got something they would like to say?’ she said.

  No one said a word.

  ‘Hmm, that’s what I thought,’ said Mrs Bailey. ‘There’s no one in this room who’s perfect, and that’s for certain sure.’

  Johanna took her place, but she didn’t touch her food. I smiled at her, but I couldn’t tell if she even saw me, as she sat there in silence.

  * * *

  As the days passed slowly by, and nothing else went missing, people began to talk about different things.

  One day I went into the small room off the kitchen where Harry ironed the newspapers. I did this when­ever I could, as I loved to hear what was happening in the big, wild world outside Lissadell.

  ‘What’s the news, Harry?’ I asked, as I sat on a stool in the corner of the room. ‘Is there anything I should know about?’

  He laughed as he held the paper towards me. ‘There’s a lot here about the Irish Citizen Army,’ he said.

  ‘Has that got something to do with Countess Markievicz?’

  He smiled. ‘Sometimes it seems that she is part of every group in Dublin. I believe she’s still well in with the Volunteers and Cumann na mBan and the Fianna, but she’s very big with all the Citizen Army crowd too, to be sure. I hear it said she’s their treas­urer, and she’s been out to Lucan and Clondalkin trying to gather followers to the cause.’

  I had heard of the Citizen Army, of course, but still I was shocked. It was very hard to imagine the glam­orous countess being part of a real army.

  ‘Tell me all about them, Harry,’ I said. ‘You always know more about these things than I do. Is it a real army with uniforms?’

  ‘Oh, yes, it’s a real army. I believe they have ordered dark green uniforms from Arnotts – very posh I’m sure.’

  ‘And are women like the Countess – are they allowed to fight?’

  ‘They are allowed and encouraged,’ he said. ‘They drill alongside the men, as if they were equals.’

  ‘And have they got guns?’ I whispered the words, almost shocking myself.

  ‘Some have rifles and some have sticks. Knowing the Countess, though, I expect she will have got her­sel
f a rifle.’

  This was so exciting! It was hard to imagine the fine lady I knew marching in a real army with a gun and a uniform. I could have sat there all day, chatting to Harry, but Mrs Bailey was calling for me, and I didn’t want to be involved in a small battle all of my own.

  * * *

  When I went to sweep the library later, I was sur­prised to find Maeve there.

  ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘I thought you were at Ardeevin.’

  ‘I was supposed to be, but Gaga was coming here for the night, so I escaped with her. Miss Clayton will be so cross when she realises I’m not there.’

  ‘For someone who has escaped, you don’t look very happy.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she said, holding up the newspaper. ‘Gaga tries to keep me away from the news, but she’s not very good at it.’

  I smiled. If Maeve wanted to do something, it was very hard to stop her.

  ‘Have you seen this?’ she asked.

  ‘Er, I think I might have. Was it on the tray Harry was carrying upstairs?’

  I wasn’t sure if the family knew that many of the servants read the daily newspaper before it made its way up to the drawing room.

  ‘There’s a story about Mother here,’ she said. ‘As usual.’

  ‘Really?’ I said, trying to sound as if this was news to me.

  Maeve gave a big sigh. ‘My friend Stella’s mother is often in the newspaper too.’

  ‘Well, that’s all right then, isn’t it?’

  ‘Not really. Stella’s mother is famous for attending garden parties, and going to fashionable balls. What my mother does is … very different.’

  I felt sorry for her. Saving Ireland was all very well, but Maeve was paying the price for that. Even when she was surrounded by people, she had a lonely, sad air about her.

  ‘Anyway, enough about Mother,’ said Maeve, crum­pling the newspaper and throwing it onto a table. (I couldn’t help thinking how Harry would have to iron it all over again.) ‘I heard what happened with Johanna. Do you think she really took Aunt Mary’s locket?’

  ‘No!’ I said, shocked. ‘She definitely didn’t.’