The Innkeeper's Daughter

by Val Wood

  Friday 16 January was the date of the official opening of the Maritime. Mr Newby, who had come for a final meeting with them, suggested that they open at eleven o’clock and invite some notable people from the town. ‘Business people and trade,’ he said. ‘Shopkeepers and those involved in shipping and fishing. Then word will get round that this is once more a respectable establishment. Mr Allen has said he will come too. In fact it was his idea that we formally invite people.’

  Sarah agreed. ‘That’s what we want, some decent folk to give it a good name.’

  ‘Aye, we do,’ Joe butted in. ‘But we want working men as well. They’ll be our bread and butter, not these well-off blokes from out of town.’

  Bella was inclined to agree with Joe. But she guessed that the people Mr Newby and his partner wanted to invite would spread the word, and if they were coming then there would be comments in the local newspapers, the Hull Advertiser or the Eastern Morning News.

  ‘A mix of customers is what we need,’ she said. ‘We don’t want to exclude anybody. Why don’t we announce on a poster that the official opening is at eleven o’clock and that we’re open for business that night at six and will serve a free slice of fruitcake with ’first glass of ale or spirit?’

  Sarah looked askance for a minute. ‘More baking,’ she said. ‘But – well, I allus did it at Christmas at ’Woodman so I suppose I can do it again.’

  ‘Excellent idea.’ Mr Newby rubbed his hands together. He let his gaze wander around the saloon, which was ready and waiting for customers. ‘Excellent!’

  ‘What do you think, Nell?’ Bella had noticed that although her sister wasn’t making any contribution to the conversation, she was listening intently. ‘Any ideas?’

  ‘We could distribute some leaflets to shops and – and theatres mebbe. You know, so that ’audience could come after a show.’

  ‘Yes!’ Bella said eagerly. ‘There’s one not far from here, isn’t there?’

  ‘Yes.’ Nell had a pink flush on her cheeks as she spoke. ‘Royal in Humber Street and ’Queen’s in Paragon Street just round ’corner. I could tek them,’ she added eagerly.

  ‘We’ll see to the printing of leaflets,’ Mr Newby said. ‘We know a printer who can turn them out very quickly.’

  And now all of this was completed and in place and all they had left to do was give a final polish to the furniture in the saloon, light fires and put a vase of flowers on the counter. Bella thought wistfully of the snowdrops and aconites that used to grow under the hedge of the paddock at the Woodman but those were no longer available to them; however, she found a flower seller in Whitefriargate, the main shopping street in the town, and bought some early hyacinths brought in from Holland; Joe brought the bottles of brandy, gin and whisky up from the cellar and arranged them on the shelves behind the counter and Bella was relieved to see that they were intact and unopened.

  The new mahogany beer engine was in place with its shiny brass taps and Sarah’s choice of pale green and ivory pump handles. The two green ones had a picture of a ship within an elongated oval on them and the two ivory ones had a wave-like pattern of the same green. She’d murmured to Joe and Bella that their father would have approved of them and they’d agreed that he would.

  The draymen had been with the beer delivery and a small crowd of interested onlookers had gathered round to watch them carefully lower the casks, held by strong rope, through the open trapdoors to where Joe and Carter were waiting in the cellar below to manoeuvre them into position.

  Bella and her mother had bought new grey dresses and long white aprons, with small white caps to cover their hair. Alice had a new black dress and grey apron and she had been given the task of clearing the tables of jugs and glasses and washing them. Finally, to Joe’s delight, they had bought him a long leather apron like the one his father used to wear.

  Nell had turned up her nose at the offer of a new grey dress, and both Bella and Sarah knew that she didn’t want to serve either, although she had been shown what to do. ‘I’ll help Alice,’ she said petulantly, ‘and do ’washing up or prepare food in ’kitchen.’

  Sarah had decided that they would offer food at dinner time: beef or ham and bread and pickles or meat pies which they would buy from a local butcher she considered was of good standard, so they agreed that Nell could look after that side of things.

  ‘We don’t want a miserable-looking serving maid,’ Sarah said in an aside to Bella. ‘I don’t know what’s up wi’ lass, I’m sure.’

  Bella thought she knew; Nell was still hankering after another kind of life and it wasn’t here with them at the Maritime.

  The day dawned, and with the exception of Nell and Henry they were all up early; Carter arrived at seven o’clock in time for breakfast. He’d given a wink at Alice and she put an extra rasher of bacon on his plate. Joe noticed and shot a glance of annoyance at Carter and then at Alice. By nine o’clock there was little left to do. Sarah had taken the last batch of bread out of the oven, the beef and ham was sliced with a damp cloth laid over and plates were stacked ready to serve the food.

  ‘We’d better pull another couple of pints, Joe,’ Sarah said. They’d already tried the ale after it had settled; Bella had only taken a sip as she wasn’t overfond of it but Joe and Sarah had pronounced it to be good. ‘We want to be sure it’s all right. You and Carter have a glass.’

  Bella saw a gleam in Carter’s eyes, but he noticed her looking at him and said, ‘Nay, missis, I’d better not. Don’t want to travel down that road again.’

  Joe licked his lips. ‘Shame to let it drain down ’sink,’ he said. ‘I’ll just have a half.’

  Mr Newby and Mr Allen were the first to arrive and Bella was surprised to see that Justin Allen was much younger than Mr Newby. He was in his very early thirties and very handsome with his neat moustache and sideburns, and quite charming. She blushed when he spoke to her, which he did quite frequently. And then suddenly it was eleven o’clock and the saloon was full of men: gentlemen in smart attire and carrying top hats or bowlers and others in wool jackets with soft hats who might have been shopkeepers, and there was a hubbub of conversation and laughter.

  Reuben Jacobs had also come; when he had come to dinner with them on New Year’s Day Bella had invited him to the opening as he had been so helpful and supportive, but today he stayed very much in the background. Bella and Joe were kept busy drawing beer or serving brandy and gin, Carter was helping Alice to wash glasses and Nell came in and out with plates of food. Mr Newby said a few words about the reopening to the assembled company and then so did Mr Allen, who confirmed that they were greatly indebted to the Thorps, the well-known Holderness innkeeping family who had taken over the Maritime and were united in their determination to make it once again a premier establishment.

  Bella and her mother stood side by side as he was speaking and Joe was behind the counter; when Mr Allen had finished, both Bella and her mother dipped their knee in response. Sarah nudged Bella. ‘Say summat, Bella,’ she muttered. ‘Go on, say thank you. You’ll know what to say.’

  ‘Gentlemen.’ Bella hesitated. She had never before spoken in public – the nearest she had ever been to addressing an audience was when she’d led the assembly at school – but she managed to thank them for their support and hoped that they would see them again soon on a less formal occasion, which raised a smile from most of them and a quizzical eyebrow from Justin Allen.

  People finished their drinks and started to drift away shortly afterwards, including Mr Newby and Mr Allen, who shook hands with Joe and gave a courtly bow to Sarah and Bella. As they went out of the door, they held it open for a man coming in.

  ‘Bart!’ Sarah said.

  ‘Sarah!’ the portly man replied brusquely. ‘I thought I’d have received an invitation to ’opening seeing as it was me that put your name for’ard.’

  Before she could answer, Alice came hurrying through from the kitchen holding an envelope in her hand. ‘Mrs Thorp,’ she said. ‘This was on ’kit
chen table.’

  ‘Whatever is it? Who’s been in my kitchen when me back’s turned?’ Sarah slit open the envelope and slid out the note-paper, and as she read the contents she put a hand to her forehead. ‘No,’ she gasped. ‘No. I can’t believe she’d do such a thing.’

  ‘What, Ma?’ Bella asked.

  ‘She’s left home,’ Sarah said, her voice breaking. ‘Our Nell. She’s run off with ’theatre folk.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  ‘SHE CAN’T HAVE done,’ Bella said. ‘She was here less than ten minutes ago, fifteen minutes at most.’

  ‘Let me look.’ Joe took the note from Sarah. He read it, and unfastening his apron said, ‘She can’t have gone far; I’ll go and find her. Which theatre will it be?’

  Sarah and Bella shook their heads. ‘No idea,’ Bella said. ‘She mentioned ’Queen’s and ’Royal as being nearby.’

  ‘Excuse me.’ Reuben Jacobs’s soft voice broke in. ‘Is something wrong? Can I be of assistance?’

  ‘I don’t think so, Mr Jacobs,’ Sarah said. ‘Not this time. It seems that our Nell has run off with ’theatre folk. Joe’s going to try and find her. Hurry up, Joe,’ she urged. ‘She can’t have been gone long.’

  ‘A good half-hour, I should say,’ Reuben commented. ‘She was not here during the speeches, I noticed, which I thought at the time was rather odd; I felt that she would have wanted to be included.’

  ‘I didn’t notice,’ Bella murmured. ‘I thought she was with us.’

  ‘Go get your coat, Joe,’ his mother said again. ‘Try ’nearest theatre, that one in Paragon Street, I don’t know what it’s called; ask if she’s there an’ if she is fetch her home.’

  ‘If I might suggest …’ Reuben broke in again and they looked at him expectantly. ‘Perhaps the first place to look might be the railway station? If the theatre company is moving on, then they will be travelling by train rather than by coach.’

  Sarah, Bella and Joe looked at each other, then Joe dashed for his coat. Sarah shook her head. ‘But what’s she doing for money?’

  ‘She’ll have signed a contract,’ Bart boomed and Sarah looked startled as if she’d forgotten he was there. ‘They often sign up local talent an’ tek ’em wi’ them to next show, wherever they’re playing.’

  Joe rushed back, struggling into his coat. ‘I’ll run to ’station first, Ma,’ he said. ‘An’ if she’s not there I’ll tout round ’theatres an’ ask if they know her. Beats me if they’ve tekken her on, for what can she do? She’s got a loud voice but she’s not got any acting talent.’

  He shot out of the door, and Bella said in a low voice, ‘But we don’t know that, do we? How do we know if she can act or not?’

  ‘But it’s not right.’ Sarah’s voice dropped to a whisper. ‘These acting people are vagabonds and ne’er-do-wells. It’s not a profession for a decent young woman.’

  ‘If you will permit me, Mrs Thorp.’ Reuben Jacobs broke in again and Bart looked him up and down. ‘I’ll take a walk along Humber Street and enquire at the Royal Theatre after your daughter’s whereabouts. It is a reputable theatre,’ he added, ‘and I’m quite sure there are some respectable people working in it, but you are quite right to be cautious.’ He glanced at Bella. ‘Perhaps you’ll tell your brother and it will save him another journey? I will come back and report my findings.’

  ‘What a good man he is,’ Bella said with feeling, after he had gone out. ‘He always seems to be here when we need help.’

  Bart harrumphed. ‘Jew, isn’t he? What’s he to you?’

  Bella stared at him. ‘I beg your pardon. What did you say?’

  ‘I asked if he was a Jew.’ His tone was derogatory.

  ‘I don’t think we’ve been introduced,’ Bella said curtly. ‘You are—’

  ‘This is your uncle Bartholomew,’ her mother told her.

  ‘Ah!’ Bella put her chin up and surveyed him. ‘My brother and I have been waiting to meet you to ask what could possibly have made you think that our mother would want to take on a derelict building with a bad reputation.’

  Bart Stroud looked taken aback. ‘Well, it’s not derelict now, is it?’ He dropped his voice. ‘But where will you put ’dogs now that you’ve spruced ’place up? There’s money to be made. Lots of it.’

  ‘Not here, there isn’t,’ Sarah said firmly. ‘We don’t have dealings with such cruel and degrading sport. We’ve spent a deal o’ money getting this place put right, and if I’d seen it afore I put my name to it I’d nivver have tekken it on. Joseph would’ve turned in his grave if he’d thought I was coming to such a place.’

  ‘Tsk! Getting above yourself, aren’t you, Sarah,’ Bart rebuked. ‘Have you forgotten your beginnings?’

  ‘No, I haven’t,’ Sarah answered sharply. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, we were brought up to believe in honest labour and that’s ’doctrine Joseph and me have followed all of our lives, and I don’t need you to tell me owt different! And what’s more,’ she raised an accusing finger and Bella listened and watched in astonishment; her mother had at last found her mettle, ‘you needn’t think that you can bring your dog-fighting cronies here, cos you can’t. This is going to be a respectable place for decent people.’

  Bart picked up his hat, which he’d removed when he came in. ‘You’ve changed, Sarah. When you came to ask my advice last year I thought we were going to get along, just like we did when you were a little lass, but I can see’ – his eyes turned to Bella, and his mouth turned down – ‘I can see that you’ve been influenced by others. You could’ve made a mint o’ money here wi’ a bit o’ gambling and a bit o’ singing wi’ that other daughter o’ yourn and I’d have been glad to help you; but nivver mind.’ He ran his fingers round the brim of his hat, which Bella noticed was very grimy. ‘I’ll give you six months.’ His lips turned down into a sneer. ‘And I’ll put a shilling on it that you’ll be heading back to ’country and your cabbages and turnips.’

  ‘I can’t believe that he’s your brother, Ma,’ Bella exclaimed when he’d gone, banging the door behind him. ‘He’s nothing like you!’

  Sarah shook her head. ‘When I met up wi’ him again I thought he’d altered his ways, but now I see that he hasn’t. He allus wanted to be in charge; he made me do things his way and not ’way I wanted to. When I met your da and he said I could do what I wanted wi’ my life it was like a breath o’ fresh air, but … I’m sorry, Bella. After I lost him, your da I mean, I wanted somebody – somebody older, to advise me on what to do and that’s why I came to Hull to ask Bart. I’d forgotten, you see, just how – how …’

  ‘Manipulative?’

  ‘Aye,’ her mother said. ‘That’s ’word I wanted, and it was Bart who told Nell about ’theatres and performers and how she’d be able to sing, and so I was persuaded by both of them.’ She took a handkerchief from her apron pocket and blew her nose. ‘And now it seems I might have lost her as well.’

  ‘She’ll be back,’ Bella said, though not convincingly as she didn’t think that once Nell had got away she would ever come back; the brighter lights of other towns would entice her. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Let’s put our feet up for half an hour. We’ve another opening tonight, don’t forget, and this one is even more important: tonight our customers are paying good money.’

  Reuben Jacobs came back half an hour later, followed soon after by Joe. Reuben said he had been advised that the company playing at the Royal Theatre had left for Leeds, but no one he had spoken to knew if there was a new young woman with them, just the regular ones, he’d been informed, and they were not young. He stayed a little longer and then took his leave of them, with Bella and Sarah once more giving him their thanks.

  Joe had gone to the railway station and said that there was such a crush of passengers getting on a train and people seeing them off that by the time he’d got anywhere near the platform the guard was waving his flag and the train was steaming out. He glanced at Bella as he spoke and his eyebrows flickered a little, and she gathered
by that signal that there was more he could say, but chose not to.

  Alice made a pot of tea and the four of them ate a light lunch of beef and ham left over from the morning. Then, as one, they rose from the table to clear the saloon and prepare for the evening opening.

  ‘Where’s Carter?’ Sarah asked Joe.

  ‘Dunno. I thought he was here helping to clear up.’

  ‘He was clearing ’tables in ’saloon when I last saw him,’ Alice volunteered. ‘When I came in with Nell’s letter,’ she added.

  But he wasn’t there when they returned to the room, and although the tables were cleared they weren’t wiped down and the dirty glasses were still in the sink behind the counter.

  ‘I’ll wash up,’ Alice volunteered, and Joe, surprisingly, said he would help her, when normally he shied from that particular job. Bella gave a little smile and wondered if it was because of Alice that Joe was offering.

  When their mother had disappeared into the kitchen and Alice had gone to get more clean cloths and towels, Bella leaned on the counter and whispered, ‘What did you really see, Joe? Did you see Nell?’

  He hesitated for a moment. ‘I wasn’t sure,’ he said in a low voice. ‘There was a crush of folk like I said, and then I saw somebody who looked like our Nell. She turned round and looked straight at me, then she put her foot on ’step and her hand on ’rail and disappeared on to ’train. I could’ve run after her, but I thought – who am I to dictate to her? If that’s what she wants to do, should I stop her? She’ll come back home if she doesn’t like ’theatre life, just like William will, except he’s tied to ’army for a long time.’

  Bella nodded silently. If only she had been so brave, who knew what she might be doing now? A lump came into her throat. Would she have been any happier doing what she wanted and not giving consideration to anyone else, particularly her father and mother? No, she thought, she knew that she wouldn’t. Her conscience would have troubled her.