Ending (Episode 35 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid)

Continued from Episode 34 - Discovering

The story so far:  Gwladys and Aefelthrith have started a new life, running a pawn shop, formerly owned by 'Anty Marj',   Gwladys engaged a young urchin, 'Arry, to help clear the back garden of weeds.  Unfortunately, his digging produced a skull, about which  Gwladys swore him to secrecy and quiickly buried the evidence, which gave them a breathing space, until Sergeant Argent of the Watch appeared in the shop.  Fortunately, he was not pursuing his enquiries but was, to her extreme shock and horror, pursuing Aefelthrith, romantically.  Meanwhile, 'Arry revealed that his Mam said the place had always been a shop BUT Anty Marj had originally had a partner, thought to be her sister, whose name was Sarah, who had disappeared.   With this news, Gwladys tried  to persuade Aefelthrith to go out with Sergeant Argent so that they could find out more, to which she eventually agreed but only with the proviso that Gwladys should serve as chaperone.  On their 'date', Sergeant Argent regaled Aefelthrith with tales of t - he town, much to Gwladys's frustration but he knew nothing about the history of the shop, then Constable John confirmed that there had been a 'Sarah' but that she had disappeared.  Eager to show off his skills of detection, Sergeant Argent insisted on mounting an investigation.  The following day, the Sergeant and his Constable began their search of the premises and were only diverted from digging up the garden by some quick thinking on the part of Aefelthrith.  Meanwhile, Gwladys was surprised to find a rather familiar, and flamboyant, 'sea captain' in the shop, just at the same time that Aefelthrith was dealing with a street urchin with a message for the 'sossij', which turned out to be the Sergeant.  The message revealed that the Watch were needed to apprehend ' a fraud, a trickster and a mountebank', so it was perhaps just as well the the 'Captain' had made himself scarce!  Aefelthrith and Gwladys fell out about the 'Captain' and the torch that Aefelthrith obviously still held for him.  Would he come back, that evening?  When a beggar turned up at the back door, it turned out he had. 'John Thomas' explained that things had not gone well for him, since they left.  Dolly had run off with the Squire's son, the pub had shut as it wasn't commercially viable and their son was now being raised by Dolly's parents, leaving 'John Thomas' to try his hand at fraud again, albeit on his own this time.  And then, just as he was telling them all of this, there came a knock at the door.  It turned out to be the Watch, acting on a tip-off that a beggar had been seen going into the building.  As Gwladys tried to stall them, Aefelthrith tried to get 'John Thomas' to leave but, on discovering he had nowhere to go, smuggled him up to the loft just as the Watch made their entrance.  Gwladys managed to restrict their search to downstairs, by sheer force of character, but she was dumbstruck to learn that Aefelthrith had offered to shelter 'John Thomas' in their loft!  Out of the blue, Dolly showed up, trying to pawn a jet necklace.  It soon became apparent that her version of events was somewhat different to that of 'John Thomas', who seemed to have run away from the loft when he heard Dolly's voice.  Gwladys, much to Aefelthrith's annoyance, decides to offer Dolly and her child a room.  Aefelthrith could not believe that 'John Thomas' had abandoned Dolly and his son and was even more annoyed when Sergeant Argent turned up and asked her and Dolly to go out for a walk.  Whilst Gwladys was trying to amuse young Henry, the baby, she was surprised to hear a voice yelling "YER'VE CHEATED ME!", which was Anty Marj, returned (with Constable John in tow) to accuse Gwladys and Aefelthrith of fraud.  Fortunately, Sergeant Argent arrived on the scene and decreed that Gwladys had no case to answer, which didn't satisfy Anty Marj, who vowed revenge.  That night, Gwladys and Aefelthrith were sharing a bed (again) to give Dolly a room, much to Aefelthrith's annoyance, but it did give them a chance to share their thoughts and memories, ending with the surprise admission that Gwladys had a child that she had been forced to give up.  The following day, with Gwlaldys refusing to talk about her nightime admission, Aefelthrith was coerced into scrubbing the shop doorstep.  Noticing a pile of rags on the street, she shouted to Gwladys who told her to go and get them.   When she bent down to check the 'rags', a hand grabbed her and pulled her into the alleyway, which turned out to be a familiar face.  Clarence asked her to run away with him that night and she went away to think about it.  In the dead of night, Gwladys was woken by the sound of Aefelthrith opening drawers and packing her bag.  She tried to talk her out of it, but to no avail.  Aefelthrith sneaked out and hurried toward her assignation, only to be apprehended by the Watch for being abroad after the curfew.  She gave them a cock and bull story about having been to a sewing circle and lost track of time.  Returned safely to her home, Constable John  pointed out that, if she was going home, why had she walked past the shop when they caught her?  The following morning, Dolly complained to Gwladys about the noise in the night, then realised what had been going on.  'Arry turned up and asked Gwladys if she could come and help his mother who was very ill.  Gwladys reluctantly left Dolly and Aefelthrith together and made her way through a series of slums, to the hovel that 'Arry called home.  Back at the shop, Dolly interrogated Aefelthrith about her movements, eliciting a confession, eventually.  Gwladys met 'Arry's mother, who was clearly on her death bed.  She told Gwladys that 'Arry had been adopted and that his father had no time for him.  She begged Gwladys to give him a home and work, to which Gwladys agreed although 'Arry wasn't happy about the arrangment and leaving his mum.  Back at the shop, Dolly and Aefelthrith were having a full and frank debate about Aefelthrith's attempted clandestine meeting with Clarence the previous night, when Sergeant Argent and Constable John turned up to ask Aefelthrith a few more questions about her actions, much to Dolly's amusement.  Gwladys returned with a reluctant 'Arry and was surprised and pleased to find Dolly minding the store and doing a grand job.  Having settled 'Arry into his new lodgings, Gwladys left to be with his mother.  Meanwhile, Aefelthrith tried to sneak out, in the hope of meeting Clarence, but was waylaid by Dolly who proposed that Aefelthrith should arrange another rendezvous with him but that she (Dolly) would go instead.  'Arry, in the meantime, was back at work in the garden, when his spade hit something hard and unyielding:

 

“I…I don’t understand!” Aefelthrith followed Dolly into the kitchen.

“There’s nothing TO understand” Dolly shrugged, “if he wants to run off with you and makes an arrangement for you to meet him again, tonight, that’s fine.  The only thing is, instead of you going, it will be me”

“You are asking me to lie to him?”  Aefelthrith looked shocked.

“He wouldn’t think twice about telling you any story he liked” Dolly chuckled, “so don’t be looking so put out about telling a bit of a fib”

“And if I did this, what will you do to him?”

“Do to him?”  Dolly looked puzzled, “Why should I do anything to him?”

“Well…you know…a woman scorned and all that” Aefelthrith looked uncomfortable.

“Ha!  That’s me, is it?” Dolly grinned, “Look, all I want to do is to remind him of his responsibilities” She picked Henry up and beamed at him.

“Well, if you are sure that is all…” Aefelthrith began, when the back kitchen door burst open and ‘Arry ran in.

“Missus!” He shouted.

“Oh, that is all I need!” Aefelthrith threw her hands up in horror, “What are you doing here?”  She frowned at ‘Arry.

“Doin’ the gardenin’” ‘Arry explained, carefully keeping both hands behind his back.

“Well, the garden is NOT in here” Aefelthrith sniffed.

“No, I know missus, only…”

“Only what?”

“I found this” ‘Arry produced a skull from behind his back.

Both Aefelthrith and Dolly screamed.  Henry reached out in the hope of having something new to play with.  Aefelthrith was the first to recover her senses.

“What are you doing with that, again?”

“Again?” Dolly looked perplexed.

Aefelthrith whirled around to look at her and said, “Again?  Did I say ‘again’?”

“Yes, you did” Dolly nodded.

“Oh, right, I cannot think why!” Aefelthrith looked flustered, she turned to ‘Arry and hissed, “What made you dig that up?  You wicked boy!”

“I ain’t wicked!” ‘Arry yelled, “I ain’t!”  He sobbed and ran through the kitchen and up the stairs, skull still clutched in his hands.

“Well, that went well” Dolly remarked as the boy rushed past her, “thinking about it, you always did have a way with children”

“Where is he going now?”  Aefelthrith asked.

“Up to his room, I suppose” Dolly shrugged.

“His ROOM?”  Aefelthrith looked aghast, “Since when has he had a ROOM?”

* * * *

Gwladys staggered in through the back door from the alleyway, threw her shawl and hat onto a coat hook and slumped down at the kitchen table, head in hands.  Aefelthrith appeared from the shop.

“Oh, you’re back then?” She said, sniffily.

Gwladys nodded but made no reply.

“Well, it’s just as well that I was here to mind the shop, wasn’t it?”

“I left Dolly looking after it.  Where is she?”

“She and Henry are upstairs in HER room” Aefelthrith said, pointedly.

“And ‘Arry?”

“He’s upstairs in HIS room”

“I need to speak to ‘im” Gwladys started to ease herself up from her seat at the table.

“In fact, the only person who doesn’t appear to have their own room, is ME!”  Aefelthrith stamped her foot.

“I ain’t got time for all this, not now Ethel” Gwladys sighed and ran a hand over her brow, “’is mam’s died and somebody needs to tell ‘im”

“She died?  Were you with her?”

“Yeah, I promised ‘im I’d do that fer her.  It were pretty peaceful.  At least she went to ‘er rest knowing ‘e were taken care of”

“That’s…that’s very sad”

“I’ve been makin’ ‘rrangements since.  I’ve been all over” Gwladys rubbed her aching back.

“Arrangements?  What sort of arrangements?”

“Makin’ sure she has a good Christian burial, lettin’ her feller know what’s ‘appened, stuff like that.  Not that ‘e were that interested”

“Burial?  Who’s paying for that?”

“We are”

“WHAT?”  Aefelthrith looked shocked.

“She were a good woman, tret badly, an’ she deserves a bit of dignity in death even if she never ‘ad none in ‘er life” Gwladys glared at her, daring her to argue, “any road, why’s ‘Arry in ‘is room?  I thought ‘e’d be out in’t garden”

“He dug that skull up, again!  When I took him to task, he ran off with it.  The boy’s a liability” Aefelthrith folded her arms.

“Aye, well, ‘e’s an orphan now an’ ‘e needs lookin’ after, not scoldin’” Gwladys began the laborious ascent up the stairs.

* * * *

In the loft, Gwladys found ‘Arry sitting on a rafter with his back to the angle of the roof, head in his hands.

“’Arry?”  Gwladys said, softly.

“I ain’t wicked!” A muffled voice insisted.

“I ain’t said you are”

“She did, the other missus” ‘Arry sniffed.

“She were a bit…agitated” Gwladys shrugged, “pay ‘er no heed.  Now listen, ‘cause I’ve got summat I need to tell yer”

“It’s me mam, innit?”  ‘Arry snuffled.

Gwladys sighed and went to sit beside him.

“Yes, son, it’s yer mam” She put an arm around his shoulders and he buried his face into her, “It were peaceful an’ quick.  I was with ‘er all the time, an’ I made sure she knew you were gonna be safe an’ well looked after.”  She patted his shoulder, “She smiled when I told ‘er that, then she passed over”

She hugged the sobbing child and crooned a lullaby until the crying abated.

“She went to ‘er Maker with peace in ‘er ‘eart, an’ I doubt she ‘ad much of that in ‘er life, eh?”  Gwladys reassured him.

“Wha…What’ll ‘appen to me now?” He managed, eventually, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“What’ll ‘appen to yer?  Yer stayin’ ‘ere, ain’t yer?  Less’n yer’ve got other plans?”

‘Arry looked up at her and managed a weak smile.

“Nah, nothin’, not just yet”

“Right, well that’s that settled then” Gwladys winked, “now, what’s this about yer diggin’ that skull up, again?”

“I didner” ‘Arry insisted.

“Now then, ‘Arry” Gwladys reached over and picked up the skull, which was sitting next to him, “what’s this then?”

“It’s a skull”

“Then, why did yer say yer didner dig it up again?”

“’Cause I didner!” ‘Arry insisted, vehemently.

Gwladys frowned and gestured at the skull.

“I mean, I didner dig it up AGAiN” ‘Arry folded his arms and looked put out.

“Yer mean…this ain’t the skull yer dug up in the first place?”

“No, it ain’t” ‘Arry shook his head, dislodging various things in the process, “I dug that up on’t other side of the garden.  It's another skull!”

You can find the previous adventures of Gwladys and Aefelthrith in both Kindle and paperback formats at The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid (link is external)

Now read Episode 36