‘You’re part-Romany?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Chrissie tilted her head at a proud angle. She wasn’t ashamed of her heritage and wasn’t going to let anyone belittle her because of it. Her dad had been a decent and hard-working man.
‘We have need of a scullery maid,’ she said briskly. ‘You will get a half-day a week off, and be expected to work late when there are guests in the house.’
‘Hard work don’t worry me, ma’am,’ Chrissie told her, relieved to be offered a job. ‘I’d be happy to take the job.’
The housekeeper’s expression softened, and she almost smiled. ‘You address me as Mrs Conway; only the lady of the house is ma’am. When can you start?’
‘Immediately, Mrs Conway. I ain’t got nowhere else to go.’
The housekeeper stood up and swept out of the room calling for Pat, and a young girl who couldn’t be more than fourteen rushed up, still holding a scrubbing brush. ‘Take Christine upstairs to the room next to yours.’
‘Yes, Mrs Conway.’ The girl hastily dried her hands on her apron and gave Chrissie a shy smile as she reached out for her bag.
‘I can manage that,’ she told her. ‘You lead the way.’
They walked up the winding servants’ stairway to the attic rooms and Pat opened a door for her to enter. ‘This is yours, and I’m right next door. There’s a pot in the cupboard by the bed in case you need it in the night. I’ll bring up hot water in the morning for you to wash with.’
Chrissie studied the room, turned back the blanket and examined the bed. It was spotlessly clean and she smiled at Pat. ‘Much nicer than sleeping in the street, and that is where I could have ended up if I hadn’t got this job. What’s it like here?’
‘Hard work, but we get good grub and the rest of the staff are nice.’
‘What about the family?’
The girl hesitated and then shrugged. ‘The Hamlins are all right, I suppose, but we don’t see much of them.’
‘You don’t sound too sure.’
She shrugged again. ‘Well. The son has just come home after travelling a lot and he’s always staring at me. He frightens me a bit, but I expect it’s my imagination.’
‘Maybe, but if he gives you any trouble let me know and I’ll sort him out.’
‘Oh, no! If we cause any trouble we’ll lose our jobs.’
Pat looked so horrified that Chrissie was sorry she had said anything. She laughed. ‘Don’t worry; I’ll behave myself as long as I’m not pushed too far. I’m not used to being a servant so I’ll be relying on you to show me what I should do.’
Pat relaxed then and looked much happier. ‘Do you want to unpack now?’
‘No, I’ll leave it until tonight. I haven’t got much.’
‘We’d better get back, then. Mrs Conway will have jobs for us to do.’
As they made their way downstairs Chrissie knew this wasn’t going to be easy for her. She had always spoken her mind when she came across things she didn’t agree with, and was going to have a struggle to stop herself from answering back. She needed this job, though, so perhaps that would keep her in order.
Chrissie soon found out just how hard the domestic servants worked, but that didn’t worry her. She had a roof over her head and plenty of good food from a cook who was proud of her talent. The long days filled with constant activity also helped her to come to terms with the loss of her dad. He had brought her up from the age of ten by himself when her mum had died, and she had loved him dearly. Her mum had died far too early, but she could remember them together, and it had been a happy marriage. Now that was all gone and it hurt her so much to think of her parents, Bessie and the business. They’d had such fun and laughed a lot.
She was scrubbing the entrance hall with determination when the front door opened and she was looking at a pair of wet, muddy riding boots as they left dirty prints all over her clean floor. She glared up at the man. He hadn’t even wiped his feet on the mat on the step! It was an effort not to tell him off, but she remembered just in time that she was a lowly servant. This was the first time she had seen the master’s son, and she took an instant dislike to him. Sitting back on her heels she held his gaze, her dark eyes showing her annoyance, and when he laughed and began to make even more mess she could have hit him. She studied his retreating figure as he walked away, still laughing. There was no doubt that this was the man Pat was afraid of and she could understand the timid girl’s worry about him.
‘What a mess!’ Mrs Conway exclaimed. ‘How did this happen?’
‘The son marched in with muddy boots and made as much mess as he could. He thought it was funny.’
The housekeeper looked furious. ‘Visitors are expected within the next hour so clean it up as quickly as possible.’
‘Yes, Mrs Conway.’ It took three buckets of clean water to remove the mud and by the time she had finished she was fuming. That spoilt brat had better stay out of her way or she might give him the thrashing he deserved. She was tall and strong, and from what she had seen of him he was a weakling. Bullies always were, and coming from the slums she had dealt with a few in her time.
In less than an hour the hallway was spotless and the tiles gleaming brightly.
‘That’s an excellent job,’ the housekeeper said as she inspected Chrissie’s work. ‘Take a break now, you have earned it, and Cook has just taken a lovely fruit cake out of the oven.’
‘Thank you, Mrs Conway. I’ll empty the bucket first.’ She stood up and took a critical look at the floor, nodding in satisfaction. Then she hurried back to the scullery anticipating a lovely slice of hot fruit cake.
The rest of the staff had heard about the incident and showed their disapproval. ‘That young man needs his backside walloped,’ the cook declared, handing round the cake.
‘He nearly got a hiding from me,’ Chrissie admitted, ‘but I remembered just in time that I was a servant and he the master’s son.’
‘And you could have done it.’ John the footman studied Chrissie with admiration. ‘I reckon you’re ten times stronger than him, and taller.’
The young bootboy danced up to her in a boxer’s pose with a huge grin on his face. ‘Let’s see how tough you are. Come on, show us your muscles.’
With one quick movement she swept the lad off his feet and tossed him over her shoulder, making him squeal with laughter. ‘All right, I believe you. Put me down!’
The room was full of laughter as she put him back on his feet. This was the first time she had laughed since her dad took ill, and it felt good.
The family were entertaining that evening and it was eleven o’clock before they were able to go to bed. It had been a long day and Chrissie was asleep almost before her head touched the pillow.
What was that? She sat up in bed and listened, instantly awake. There was a muffled cry coming from Pat’s room, and Chrissie’s first thought was that she was having a bad nightmare. She hastily lit a candle, grabbed her robe and hurried to the girl’s room. What she saw enraged her. The son was there and holding his hand over her mouth as he tried to subdue her. He half-turned as the candle lit the room and rocked back as Chrissie hit him and dragged him off the bed.
‘Take your hands off her, you dirty beast!’ She hoisted him up and slammed him against the wall. ‘She’s only a child!’
The moment Pat had been released she started to scream in terror. John, the footman, was the first one to reach the room, quickly followed by the butler and the rest of the staff.
‘What’s going on here?’ Andrews, the butler, demanded, turning to Chrissie who now had a firm hold on the son.
‘This beast was trying to rape Pat,’ she told him.
‘What are you doing in the servants’ quarters in the middle of the night, sir?’ the butler asked angrily while trying to comfort Pat.
‘It’s my bloody house and I can go where I like.’
‘But you can’t do what you like to us.’ Chrissie gave him a shake to emphasise her point.
‘Yes
, I can. You’re all just dirt.’ He got one hand free and caught her a stinging blow across the face. ‘Get off me, you bitch! You’ll pay for this.’
When he went to hit her again she ducked and then retaliated, splitting his lip and making him groan from the blow.
The men stepped in quickly to stop the fight, took hold of the son and dragged him out of the room.
‘Let’s have a look at your face,’ Mrs Conway said as soon as the men had gone. ‘You’re going to have a black eye, and are you hurt anywhere else?’
‘No, I’m all right, it’s Pat I’m worried about.’ She sat on the bed by the frightened girl who was silent now, but shaking, with tears running down her cheeks.
Pat wrapped her arms around Chrissie and said over and over again, ‘Thank you.’
‘Shush. It’s all over now. I doubt he will bother you again. But if he so much as looks at you, let me know and I won’t hold back on my punches again.’
There was an amused chuckle from the footman as he came back with the butler. ‘If you held back on that punch then remind me never to upset you.’
‘That wouldn’t be a good idea.’ She grinned, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. ‘Where I come from you learn early in life to stick up for yourself. What have you done with that nasty man?’
‘We’ve escorted him back to his own part of the house,’ the butler replied and sat on the bed by Pat. ‘You all right, lass? He didn’t hurt you, did he?’
Pat held out her thin arms and showed him the livid marks. ‘He … frightened me, Uncle.’
‘Well, he won’t do that again. I’ll see to that!’
‘I think what we all need now is a nice strong cup of tea,’ Cook declared. ‘We won’t be able to sleep now, so everyone down to the kitchen.’
They all sat around the large table, and while Mrs Conway was applying a salve to Pat’s arms, the butler spoke quietly to Chrissie. ‘You know there will be consequences from this night?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll take all the blame. The rest of you only arrived after it was all over.’
‘Oh no you don’t. We’ll stand together on this, so you tell it like it is when you are questioned.’
‘Let’s see what happens in the morning. Perhaps he’ll slink away in shame and not say anything to his family.’
‘There isn’t much hope of that.’ He squeezed her arm. ‘Thank you for saving the child from being hurt too much.’
Chapter Three
The breakfast had only just been cleared away when the butler came for Chrissie. ‘We’ve been ordered to the master’s study.’
She threw the cloth in the bucket and got to her feet. ‘We?’
‘You, me and Pat.’
‘Can’t they leave her out of it?’ she declared angrily. ‘The poor girl is still in a state after that attack on her.’
‘We’ll be with her, so she’ll be all right.’ His expression was grim. ‘This won’t be pleasant. I don’t think the old man and his son have a decent bone in their bodies.’
‘If they are looking for a fight then they’ll get one!’ After drying her hands on her apron she said, ‘Where’s Pat?’
‘She’s waiting for us in the hall.’ He caught hold of her arm as she made to walk away. ‘Remember what I said. Don’t try to gloss over this in an effort to save our jobs. The one in the wrong here is the boy; we did nothing wrong.’
‘Perhaps he just wants to apologise,’ she joked.
The butler gave a grim smile and shook his head.
Pat was so frightened she was shaking and Chrissie had to support her. ‘What … what does the master want? … I don’t wanna go in there.’ A tear trickled down her cheek.
‘You are not to worry about them,’ Chrissie assured her. ‘We’ll be with you, but it’s really me they want to see.’
‘Come on, my girl, dry your eyes and don’t let them see they can frighten you.’ The butler smiled to reassure his young niece. ‘There isn’t anything for you to be frightened about. Chrissie will deal with them,’ he joked.
‘You can be sure of that!’ Chrissie guided Pat towards the study door.
The footman opened the door for them and whispered softly, ‘We’re all with you.’
Chrissie nodded and rolled up her sleeves, ready for the confrontation. She could take care of herself and was determined to see that the rest of the staff didn’t suffer if she could help it. She was certain she had lost this job, but she didn’t want any of the others to be dismissed as well.
The master was standing by the fireplace, with a thunderous expression on his florid face. His wife was seated by the window and the son was standing a few paces away from his father and looked smug. That told Chrissie all she wanted to know. The father was going to support his son, no matter what he had done the night before. But it gave her some satisfaction to note the son’s swollen lip and livid bruise where she had hit him.
The master turned to Chrissie immediately and pointed to his son. ‘I want an explanation for this unwarranted attack on my son!’
So this was how it was going to be: the son had denied any wrongdoing and the father believed him. She showed no emotion when she spoke. ‘Your son was about to rape a fourteen-year-old girl so I pulled him off her. He hit me and I hit him back.’
‘How dare you accuse my son of such a thing!’ he bellowed. ‘He’d had a little too much to drink and wandered in to the servants’ quarters.’
Chrissie couldn’t help herself, she laughed. ‘Is that what he told you?’
‘He wouldn’t lie to me. I believe him above the likes of you.’ He almost spat in contempt.
‘What Miss Banner has told you is the truth,’ the butler told him. ‘The rest of the staff were also witnesses to the attack and are prepared to sign statements, if necessary.’
The master turned his fury back to Chrissie. ‘You’re lying and have convinced everyone else that it is the truth. My son wouldn’t touch dirty tarts like you and the girl!’
That was too much, and furious, she took a step forward. ‘Be careful who you are calling names, sir. I come from the slums, but let me tell you something. We look after each other, and if your son had been caught by us he would never have been able to attempt such a thing again.’
He snorted in contempt. ‘Violence is rife where you come from. You don’t know anything about civilised behaviour.’
‘Don’t be so quick to condemn.’ She spoke firmly and clearly. ‘You are the one who doesn’t have anything to be proud of. You have a son who doesn’t know the first thing about civilised behaviour. He believes that because of his privileged position he can do what he likes and he knows you will support him. I think this attempted rape should be reported to the police; let them deal with him.’
‘I have it all written out for the police, should we decide it necessary to report this.’ The butler pulled an envelope out of his pocket and showed it to them.
‘Father, don’t let them get away with that!’ The son sounded alarmed now.
Chrissie ignored the son and the father’s stunned expression and, knowing she was certainly going to be dismissed, continued. ‘Your son needs to be taught discipline and respect for others, whatever their station in life. If you put him in the army they might be able to make a gentleman out of him, but I doubt they will even take him. He will certainly end up in prison if he isn’t dealt with and taught the difference between right and wrong.’
‘Enough! Get out of this house at once, and take that other piece of dirt with you.’ He pointed at Pat, who grabbed Chrissie’s hand and looked at the butler in alarm. ‘Uncle …’ she wailed.
‘It’s all right, lass. I will also be leaving today.’ He put his arm around the terrified child’s shoulder, and then addressed the master. ‘Pat is my youngest sister’s child, sir, and is in my care after her mother died. I would not allow her to stay in a household where she is in danger of being molested.’
By now the master was apoplectic with rage. To have the butler accuse
his son in this way was too much. ‘Get out! You will all leave this house with no pay or references. I’ll see that you can never get another job. No one will employ you after I spread the word about your unforgivable actions.’
‘You do that, sir, and we will have to defend ourselves by explaining about your son’s attack on a fourteen-year-old child. Society will react badly to such news.’
‘They won’t believe you!’ he roared at the butler, and then stormed out of the room.
Chrissie turned her attention to the son and noted that he was now drained of all colour. When they had entered the room he’d had a smirk on his face, confident his father would deal with the situation. Now it was a different story. He was clearly shocked that servants should dare to defend themselves. They hadn’t remained mute and subservient, and the butler leaving as well hadn’t been expected. Three people out there who knew the truth could rip his reputation to pieces.
‘Come on, my dears, let’s get out of this house.’ The butler took hold of Pat’s arm and Chrissie followed them to the door.
‘Wait.’
They turned to face the mistress, who had spoken for the first time. ‘Andrews, you and the child do not need to leave. My husband will calm down and I will see that nothing like this happens again. You are an excellent butler and I do not wish to lose you.’ She gave Chrissie a sad smile. ‘I am afraid I cannot do anything about your dismissal, as much as I would like to.’
‘I understand, but the rest of your staff are blameless and I would not like to see them suffer because of my actions.’
‘I will see they do not. Andrews and Pat may stay and—’
‘I’m sorry, madam,’ he interrupted. ‘We will be leaving with Chrissie. I am responsible for Pat and will not put her at risk by staying, and she would never be happy here again. Thank you for your kindness, though.’
They left the room then, and before the door was completely closed behind them they heard the mistress turn on her son. ‘You ought to be ashamed of yourself, and your father is no better. You are a disgrace to this family, and when word gets out, as it certainly will, we shall be shunned by society.’
When Midnight Comes Page 2
