‘What’s wrong?’
Nanny Smith rocked backwards and forwards shaking her head. ‘I’m ruined, ruined.’
‘Keep your voice down,’ Kitty said, taking her by the shoulders. ‘You’re frightening Miss Leonie.’
Hiccuping and sniffing, Nanny wiped her eyes on her apron. ‘It’ll be the workhouse for me now. My dad won’t take me in and I’ll be dismissed without a character.’
Kitty stared at Nanny’s swelling belly and wondered how she could have missed the signs; she had seen them often enough with Maggie. ‘You’re in the family way?’
‘Yes, are you satisfied? Now you’ll get my job and I’ll be out on the streets.’
‘But Bob will marry you, won’t he?’
Nanny shook her head. ‘I dunno, I haven’t told him yet. He’ll have to leave service if we get married, then what will we do?’
‘You’ll manage,’ Kitty said, trying to sound positive. ‘My sister, Maggie, has five nippers. It’s hard but they get by somehow.’
‘You don’t know anything about anything,’ stormed Nanny, glaring at her, red-eyed. ‘You’re the mistress’s pet now, but you just wait until you fall for what some bloke tells you and you let him have his way. You’re no better than me, so shut up.’
Kitty shuddered inwardly at the thought of being intimate with any man. Sid’s probing fingers and mask-like expression as he tore at her clothes flashed before her eyes. She had not been near Sugar Yard since that day and, even in the relative safety of Tanner’s Passage, Kitty always walked warily, jumping at shadows.
Looking into Nanny’s woebegone face, swollen and ugly from her bout of crying, Kitty felt nothing but pity. Even though it had been grudgingly given, Nanny had helped her a lot during the past few months. She had been assiduous in teaching her manners and correcting her speech, although Kitty knew quite well that this had been done more out of irritation than a conscious attempt to educate her. Even so, Kitty was grateful and had been eager to learn. If she could improve herself it would help her get work in a dress shop or, her latest and most burning ambition, to be Lady Mableton’s personal maid. After all, Miss Lane was getting on a bit; she must be fifty, if she was a day, and that was very old. Perhaps, one day soon, she’d retire to a cottage on Sir Desmond’s country estate in Essex.
‘You must speak to Bob,’ Kitty said earnestly. ‘Tell him the truth and find out if he means to stand by you.’
Nanny shot her a suspicious look. ‘Why would you care what happens to me?’
‘It could happen to anyone,’ Kitty said, suppressing a shudder. ‘Us women have got to stand together, like them in that Women’s Suffrage movement.’
In the days that followed, there seemed to be uproar both above and below stairs. Captain Mableton’s unannounced arrival had caused panic in the servants’ quarters. Mrs Brewster sent the housemaids scurrying up to get his room ready and Mrs Dixon set about making his favourite meals. Kitty overheard Olive, Dora and Jane chatting excitedly about the captain’s dashing good looks and lovely manners. They nudged each other and suppressed coy giggles when they were supposed to be saying morning prayers. Kitty thought they had all gone quite mad; as if someone like the captain would look twice at a serving maid! But at least Nanny was a lot happier now that Bob had agreed to stand by her. They had both given their notice in at the same time, leaving Mr Warner and Mrs Brewster just a month to find suitable replacements, and that only added to the feverish atmosphere below stairs. James, the second footman, was tipped by the lower servants to get Bob’s job, but nothing was yet settled and Mr Warner went about looking harassed.
Above stairs, Sir Desmond had become even more demanding than before, raging at the painful condition that kept him chairbound, and was not resolving as quickly as the doctors had predicted. His shouting and roaring could be
Nanny Smith rocked backwards and forwards shaking her head. ‘I’m ruined, ruined.’
‘Keep your voice down,’ Kitty said, taking her by the shoulders. ‘You’re frightening Miss Leonie.’
Hiccuping and sniffing, Nanny wiped her eyes on her apron. ‘It’ll be the workhouse for me now. My dad won’t take me in and I’ll be dismissed without a character.’
Kitty stared at Nanny’s swelling belly and wondered how she could have missed the signs; she had seen them often enough with Maggie. ‘You’re in the family way?’
‘Yes, are you satisfied? Now you’ll get my job and I’ll be out on the streets.’
‘But Bob will marry you, won’t he?’
Nanny shook her head. ‘I dunno, I haven’t told him yet. He’ll have to leave service if we get married, then what will we do?’
‘You’ll manage,’ Kitty said, trying to sound positive. ‘My sister, Maggie, has five nippers. It’s hard but they get by somehow.’
‘You don’t know anything about anything,’ stormed Nanny, glaring at her, red-eyed. ‘You’re the mistress’s pet now, but you just wait until you fall for what some bloke tells you and you let him have his way. You’re no better than me, so shut up.’
Kitty shuddered inwardly at the thought of being intimate with any man. Sid’s probing fingers and mask-like expression as he tore at her clothes flashed before her eyes. She had not been near Sugar Yard since that day and, even in the relative safety of Tanner’s Passage, Kitty always walked warily, jumping at shadows.
Looking into Nanny’s woebegone face, swollen and ugly from her bout of crying, Kitty felt nothing but pity. Even though it had been grudgingly given, Nanny had helped her a lot during the past few months. She had been assiduous in teaching her manners and correcting her speech, although Kitty knew quite well that this had been done more out of irritation than a conscious attempt to educate her. Even so, Kitty was grateful and had been eager to learn. If she could improve herself it would help her get work in a dress shop or, her latest and most burning ambition, to be Lady Mableton’s personal maid. After all, Miss Lane was getting on a bit; she must be fifty, if she was a day, and that was very old. Perhaps, one day soon, she’d retire to a cottage on Sir Desmond’s country estate in Essex.
‘You must speak to Bob,’ Kitty said earnestly. ‘Tell him the truth and find out if he means to stand by you.’
Nanny shot her a suspicious look. ‘Why would you care what happens to me?’
‘It could happen to anyone,’ Kitty said, suppressing a shudder. ‘Us women have got to stand together, like them in that Women’s Suffrage movement.’
In the days that followed, there seemed to be uproar both above and below stairs. Captain Mableton’s unannounced arrival had caused panic in the servants’ quarters. Mrs Brewster sent the housemaids scurrying up to get his room ready and Mrs Dixon set about making his favourite meals. Kitty overheard Olive, Dora and Jane chatting excitedly about the captain’s dashing good looks and lovely manners. They nudged each other and suppressed coy giggles when they were supposed to be saying morning prayers. Kitty thought they had all gone quite mad; as if someone like the captain would look twice at a serving maid! But at least Nanny was a lot happier now that Bob had agreed to stand by her. They had both given their notice in at the same time, leaving Mr Warner and Mrs Brewster just a month to find suitable replacements, and that only added to the feverish atmosphere below stairs. James, the second footman, was tipped by the lower servants to get Bob’s job, but nothing was yet settled and Mr Warner went about looking harassed.
Above stairs, Sir Desmond had become even more demanding than before, raging at the painful condition that kept him chairbound, and was not resolving as quickly as the doctors had predicted. His shouting and roaring could be
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