Little Miss Muffet. I followed Mr Gough the butler down a dark passageway until we came to a spacious kitchen. He introduced me to Mrs Agnes Hugsbody the cook and then, giving me a quick glance, as if I had a smell about me, he walk off stiffly back the way we'd come. "Molly! Come and show the new girl where she's to sleep and 'er chores," Mrs Hugsbody bellowed over her huge shoulder. A small girl appeared from the pantry behind Mrs Hugsbody and stood gaping at me. She was shorter than I was, with long blonde hair from beneath her cap. Her eyes were light blue and watery. "What�s 'er name, then?" said Molly still gaping at me. "Alice Atkins," Mrs Hugsbody replied. "She�s 'ere to 'elp yer." "About time," Molly stated boldly. "Less of your lip, my girl. Go show 'er where yer sleep and give 'er the uniform on the chest-of-drawers." "Yes, Mrs 'ugsbody," Molly replied meekly. She nodded her head for me to follow and so I did. Up a back staircase along umpteen passageways until she came to a small door. "Right 'ere we are, " she said, opening the door and entering. The room was small with a large metal bed, a chest-of-draws and an old wardrobe that Noah must have thrown out. The ceiling slanted downwards towards the window where a drab pair of curtains hung. "Bit small ain't it," I said looking round the walls, which were covered in a faint flowered wallpaper. "I�ve seen smaller," said Molly. "�ope yer don't mind sharing a bed and potty," she added with a smile. I said I didn't and she passed me the uniform from the chest-of-draws. "Shall I put it on now?� I asked holding the uniform against me shyly. "Of course now," Molly said," we've got work to do, Alice." She watched me for a few seconds then said: " Yer ain't shy are yer? Gawd blimme, you've got nuffink I ain't seen before." So I undressed and put on the uniform with me blushing and her looking out the window smiling to herself. * * * After a hard day's work we eventually climbed the stairs to our room. Closing the door behind us Molly went over to the window and drew the drab curtains on the world. I stood by the door watching her waiting for her next instructions as she was senior to me, so Mr Gough informed me at dinner. After drawing the curtains, Molly turned and gazed at me. She suggested we get ready for bed as it was cold standing about when the cold nights drew in. So we did. I shyly and her not giving a fig about me watching her or how shy I felt. Then we washed quickly in a wash bowl with cold water and climbed into the large iron bed. " I should cuddle up close because it gets really cold up' ere," Molly said suddenly, moving next to me. "This ain't a bad place to work," she said in my ear after a few minutes. "And old Gough's not as bad as 'e looks, and old Mrs 'ugsbody's bark is worse than 'er bite, and the other upstairs maids are a good laugh when yer get to know 'em." And so she chatted for ages with me listening in the dark. 3. Then I sensed her hand on my stomach and strangely I didn't seem to mind after I got over the shock of it. She was lying silent staring at the dim light through the curtains from the gas lamp in the street outside. "�ave you been 'ere long?� I asked suddenly. "Three years. Came when I was fourteen. Where had you been before yer came 'ere?� "Worked in my uncle's shop, but he died and the shop was sold and I was out of a job, so I came 'ere." I said quietly. She snuggled up even closer to me. "Didn�t fink you'd done this sort of work before. But you'll do. I've 'ad worse to work with," said Molly. I let her go on speaking and listened until her voice droned off and I went to sleep. * * * One morning after I'd been working at the house for a month, Molly poked me in the ribs and said: "�ave you ever kissed anyone?� "No," I replied. "What no one?� Molly said, surprised. "No, not a soul." Molly turned towards me and stared at me on the pillow. She pushed a strand of hair away from my face. "Would yer kiss me?� Molly asked quietly. I gazed at those light-blue eyes of hers staring at me and felt myself blushing. I didn't know what to say and so I shook my shoulders. "I won't bite yer," she whispered. I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. She smiled and brushed her hand against my cheek. "That�ll do for starters," said Molly. After that we lay silently, side by side. 4. "Yer won't see much of 'is Lordship," said Molly, later that day as we were sorting out the larder, "he don't make 'is way down 'ere. But Lady Ladmere often comes down to see cook and 'ave a nose round." "I ain't seen 'er yet," I said. "She�s been away with 'er daughters." "I didn't know she 'ad daughters, " I said. "Yes, three of 'em. Charlotte, Emily and Anne," Molly informed. "What are they like?� "They�re all right; they don't come down 'ere much." Molly looked over her shoulder and then moved closer to me. "Yer didn't mind kissing me this morning did yer?� "No, it was nice," I whispered shyly. I couldn't tell her it churned me over inside with excitement, but I wanted to, wanted to tell her how much she had come to mean to me recently, but I didn't, I just whispered what I said and gazed at her. She nodded and smiled and I saw a sparkle in those eyes of hers as she stood for a few moments putting away some items we had unpacked. I felt then like kissing her again, but I didn't, I just helped put away those groceries before Mrs Hugsbody came to see why we were taking so long at our chores and have moan at us. After seeing Lady Ladmere three times she eventually spoke to me. "And you must be Atkins?� "Yes, Madam," I replied. "Is Atkins doing her work to your satisfaction?" she asked Mrs Hugsbody. Mrs Hugsbody said I was a good worker and she was pleased with my work and Lady Ladmere nodded her head and after studying the kitchen for a while and asking other questions she came over to me again. "Keep up the good work, Alice." And off she went. * * * "And she called me Alice," I informed Molly later that morning. "Ain�t you the lucky one," said Molly with a grin. "Part of the family now, then." She looked about her to see where Mrs Hugsbody was and seeing she wasn't about Molly gave me a peck on the cheek. Although we hadn't actually said anything soppy like we loved each other, I think we knew we did. Our intimacy at night had gone passed the kissing stage. In fact it got to the state of affairs that I knew I could never tell me mother what me and Molly did beneath the sheets at night. She'd have a heart attack if she knew. And what was worse, we'd be thrown out of the house if anyone else discovered what we did. So we were careful and quiet. And kept it to ourselves. * * * "Terrible news about the Titanic," said Mrs Hugsbody over dinner in the servant's dining hall. "It is indeed a great loss and tragedy," Mr Gough replied stiffly. "All those poor souls," said Molly. 6. Mr Gough read more from the newspaper about the disaster, his voice solemn and sombre. Mrs Hugsbody was wiping her eyes with her apron. Freddy the footman sat listening intently to every word as though it were gospel he was hearing. Molly sat watery-eyed holding my hand under the table. I watched Mr Gough's lips. His upper lip didn't hardly move at all and his lower lip moved stiffly. The parlour maids Polly and Milly sat glum and grave and held handkerchiefs to their eyes and dabbed them now and then as the facts were related to us. "One knows not when the Lord comes," stated Mr Gough after he came to the end of the passage he was reading. He gazed round at us all as if he were reading our thoughts and aware of our sins. "Beware," he said solemnly, pointing his finger at us all. We all nodded but said nothing. Dinner had been somewhat spoilt by the news and we ate little and that in silence. * * * "What was Freddy doing to you in the passageway?� I asked Molly that night as we lay cuddling in bed. "Trying it on, the filthy bugger," Molly replied. "Didn�t yer tell Mrs 'ugsbody?� "No, I dealt with Freddy myself." "What�s up with 'im. �e tried it on with Milly the other week?� "That�s men for yer, Alice, can't keep their friggin' 'ands to themselves." Molly snuggled closer to me. "At least Lord Ladmere don't try any of that nonsense like some of 'is class do." "Do they?� I said shocked. "Course they do," Molly stated. "And their sons are bloomin' worse. Thank God 'e ain't got sons." Molly paused for a few moments. "Mind you I wouldn't mind if one of those daughters were to creep into me bed some cold night." "Molly! �ow could yer say such a fing. I fort you were faithful to me and what we 'ad together?� I said crossly. Molly looked at me seriously for a few minutes then smiled. "Yer daft fool, I was only joking," Molly said giving me a kiss. "I suppose Emily wouldn't be bad though," I ventured in a whisper, thinking of the middle daughter, tall and dark-haired. "Better than old 'ugsbody," Molly said. And we just fell into a sad state of giggling beneath the sheets, half trying to keep quiet, half being helpless to do so, until we finally lay exhausted in a limp embrace, long after the street lamp had gone out and the rest of the house had sunk into a deep sleep. * * * Lord Ladmere made one of his rare visits to the kitchen one morning to speak with Mrs Hugsbody. He glanced slowly round at everything then focused his gaze on Molly. He whispered something to her and she nodded and followed him out of the kitchen. She was gone for ages. Which meant that I had to do the work for both of us. Finally she returned in an agitated state saying nothing to me or Mrs Hugsbody when she asked where she'd been. Mrs Hugsbody shrugged her broad shoulders and went off to the larder in a right mood. "Where yer been?� I asked quickly. "Tell yer later, not now," Molly said. She went all silent again. And for the rest of the day we worked in that strained atmosphere, which even Freddy couldn't lighten with his poor jokes at dinner, or Polly and Milly with their gossip from Above Stairs * * * "�e what?� I said to Molly as we sat on the bed before undressing. "�s very words to me." Molly looked down at her hands in her lap. "I couldn't believe 'e was sayin' what 'e said. I thought 'e was wanting something important when 'e asked me in the kitchen to go to �is study." Molly shook her head and her blonde hair fell about her shoulders. "Guess we were wrong about 'im. Perhaps all men are the same." "Course they are. Might 'ave known 'e was no better." "What now?� I asked putting my arm round her. "What did yer say to 'im when 'e said what 'e did?� "Said I wasn't that kind of girl.�e sniffed and laughed and said what kind of girl was I then. Not the sort that gets into a gentleman's bed I said." "What did 'e say to that?� I asked hugging her close to me. "Said 'e could always find another girl as a housemaid if I was not up to the job." Molly paused and put her hands over her face. I didn't know what to say to her so I sat hugging her while she wept. Three weeks went by and Molly didn't go above stairs to Lord Ladmere's room, except once, when he asked Mr Gough to send her to him. She wasn't going to go alone, so I went with her. Lord Ladmere was not amused when I turned up with her, and asked me what I was doing above stairs when he hadn't asked for me. I told him I wasn't leaving Molly alone with him and he said that if I didn't do as I was told he would have me dismissed without a reference. I told him I would tell Lady Ladmere why I wouldn't leave Molly with him and why I was being dismissed. He cursed us both with language that would make a sailor blush and told us to get out. He never bothered Molly again. In fact he never ventured to the kitchen much after that, but I think Polly made a few trips upstairs to him, but she didn't say much about it and we didn't ask. Best not to Molly said. Best say nothing. * * * "�ave yer 'eard about poor Polly?� Molly said to me one morning once Mrs Hugsbody had gone off to the larder. "No, what about 'er?� "She left last night." "Why?� I asked surprised. "Milly said to me this morning that Polly'd got 'erself pregnant." "�ow can she get 'erself pregnant?� I asked. "It takes two to get someone pregnant don't it?� "Course it does, yer idiot," Molly said. "No prizes for guessing who the father is." Molly looked over her shoulder. "That could've been me. I could 'ave been in 'er position." Molly said no more as Mrs Hugsbody was returning and we weren't sure if she knew the news. We never saw Polly again. Milly heard Polly had returned home in disgrace and a little payment from we knew whom. But neither Mr Gough or Mrs Hugsbody mentioned Polly again. * * * "There�s another girl coming tomorrow to replace Polly," Molly said one night as we snuggled down in bed. "�ope she's got more sense," I said. "Poor Polly. Wonder what she'll do with 'er life now?� "Ruined it, poor cow." Molly kissed me. "You saved me from a similar fate. Could 'ave been me." "Men shouldn't 'ave that power to ruin women." "They 'ave since time began, 'spose they always will," Molly said sadly. She kissed me again and laid her head against my shoulder. "Maybe one day Molly we'll 'ave power to stop it." "I�m not sure if we will, Alice. Men 'ave power in more ways than one, you see if they ain't." "The Suffragettes 'ave some good ideas I've read about," I said. "They won't achieve much," Molly whispered. "Only get themselves locked up and force-fed in prison." "Better than ending up like Polly," I said. Molly was silent for a few minutes. "Yes, you're right. Better prison and all that than ending ruined like Polly." Then we made love as if it were some kind of confirmation of our future lives together. Against all odds. Against the power of men. Against our slavery.
Copyright © 2000 Terry Collett |