Digging (Episode 36 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 35 - Ending

Look, I can't honestly believe anyone actually ploughs their way through 'The Story So Far' each week.  Let's face it, if anyone's just joining the saga, you're a bit late on parade!  However, you can find out all that's gone before, at the start of last week's episode.  For now, all you need to know is that last week, Dolly told Aefelthrith, in no uncertain terms. that, if Clarence tried to meet up with her again, Dolly would go in her place.  They were debating this when 'Arry appeared, clutching another skull he had found in the garden.  Scolded by Aefelthrith, 'Arry retreated to his new-found 'room' in the loft.  Gwladys returned from nursing 'Arry's mother with the dreadful news that she had passed away, whereupon 'Arry told her about the new skull.  Now read on:

Dolly was enjoying herself, sorting her way through the various pledged items cluttering the shelves in the shop.  Humming, she tried to find each of the pieces in the ancient ledger, so that she could get some idea of the value attached to them. 

The door opened and the bell rang, insistently.  A very small boy marched in.  Dolly looked at him, quizzically.

“Yes?”  She said.

“I’se lookin’ fer Missus Fflith” The boy wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

“Who?”

“I’se got to axe fer a Missus Ferfllfthht” He tried again.

“I don’t know what you’re saying!”  Dolly scowled.

“It’s some bugger wiv a lot of ‘fuffs’ in her name”

“Do you mean Miss Aefelthrith?”

“Do I?”  The child looked unsure.

“I think you probably do.  What do you want with her?”

“I gotta bitta paper”

“You have a piece of paper?”

“Yeah. s’worrIsaid! Itz ‘ere” He rummaged in his pocket and produced a very crumpled piece of paper.

“Let me see” Dolly held out her hand.  The boy shrank back and peered at the paper as if waiting for instructions.

“Nah” He shook his head, “the feller said as ‘ow I were to give it ter that Missus Fufflethirth, an’ only ‘er”

“Hmm,” Dolly looked thoughtful, “I suppose I could give you something?”

“Yeah?” The boy looked cautiously optimistic, “Such as?”

“Well, I was thinking of…” Dolly leaned over the counter, and smiled, “…a clip around the ear, you cheeky little bugger!” She said as she whipped the note from the boy’s hand.

“’Ere!” The boy protested and began to cry.

“Oh give over!” Dolly snapped, “Stop your shriking.  I’ll give it to her, you’ve done your bit”

“’E…’E…reckoned she’d give me a tanner” The boy said, between sobs.

“A tanner?” Dolly looked at him with astonishment, “I’m not giving you a tanner!”

“Penny then?” The boy asked, hopefully.

“Farthing, and that’s more than it’s worth!” Dolly said, hands on hips.

“Fair ‘nuff” The boy snuffled and held out his hand.

Dolly retrieved a tiny coin from the till and dropped it into his hand.

“Ta missus!” The boy said, happily, running swiftly out of the shop before she changed her mind.

Dolly frowned and uncrumpled the paper, which read:

‘ A. Meet me tonight at the same place.  Try not to bring the Watch this time! C.’

Dolly folded the paper and put it into her pocket.

‘So, that’s the game, is it?’  She thought to herself.

* * * *

Gwladys and ‘Arry were in the garden.

“I fount it ‘ere” ‘Arry pointed at the disturbed soil.

“Hmm” Gwladys looked thoughtful, “and t’other one, we found that over there, right?”  She pointed behind her.

“Yeah, that’s it” ‘Arry nodded.

“Yer’d best bury this ‘un agin” Gwladys handed the skull to him, “and put a stick or summat ter show where it is, eh?”

“Right y’are” ‘Arry nodded.

“I dunner like this” Gwladys frowned, “I dunner like this at all” She looked around the garden.  “You, me, Aefelthrith an’ Dolly, we’ll ‘ave to get to grips with this ‘ere garden.  I ‘ope I’m wrong, but I reckon there could be more of them bones an’ things lyin’ ‘round”

* * * *

Dolly knocked on Aefelthrith’s bedroom door.

“Come!” Aefelthrith called, imperiously.

Dolly pushed open the door and found Aefelthrith sitting on the bed, sorting through her undergarments.

“Oh, it’s you!”  Aefelthrith said, sniffily.

“Got something for you” Dolly grinned, holding out the crumpled paper.

“A message?  For me?”

“Looks like it might be” Dolly nodded, “guess who it’s from?”

“I could not hazard a guess”

“Well, let’s see, it’s from someone called ‘C’.  Now, I wonder who that might be?” Dolly mused, putting a finger to her chin.

“Again, you have me at a disadvantage” Aefelthrith looked away.

“Well, whoever this mysterious ‘C’ is, he, or I suppose possibly she, wants you to meet him, or her, tonight, in the same place, and to not bring the Watch this time” Dolly raised an eyebrow, “It is quite the mystery, is it not?”

“All right, let us not continue this play-acting” Aefelthrith snapped, “you clearly know what this is all about, what do you want?”

“What we agreed, before” Dolly said, sternly, “I’ll go tonight, not you, do you understand?”

“I dislike acting dishonestly” Aefelthrith grumbled, “and dishonourably, for that matter!”

“Ha!  That’s a laugh!” Dolly snapped, “How ‘dishonourable’ is it to try and run off with the father of my child, eh?”

Aefelthrith sniffed and dabbed her eyes.

“Oh, give it a rest!  We don’t need no waterworks!”  Dolly snarled, “You can get yourself an early night and I’ll deal with this”

“ETHEL, DOLLY, ARE YOU UP THERE?”  Gwladys yelled.

“Yes” Dolly replied.

“I NEED YER DAHN ‘ERE, RIGHT NOW!”

“Oh gawd!  Now what?”  Dolly opened the door, “Are you coming, or what?”

* * * *

Gwladys and ‘Arry were in the garden when Dolly and Aefelthrith appeared.

“Right then, Dolly” Gwladys said, “there’s summat I’ve got ter tell yer.  ‘Arry ‘ere ‘as been clearin’ the back garden for us…”

“I know that” Dolly nodded.

“Yeah, but what yer dunner know is that, a while back, ‘e fount a skull”

“You are going to tell her about that!”  Aefelthrith looked astounded, “It is supposed to be a secret”

“Oh, give over!”  Dolly snapped, “Who the hell am I going to tell?”

“When you two’ve quite finished!” Gwladys glared at them, “The thing is, now ‘e’s fount another one, an’ I reckon we need ter give the garden a good goin’ over, in case there’s some more, an’ we need you two to ‘elp us”

“You mean…clearing these weeds?”  Aefelthrith looked horrified.

“Werl, a bit more’n that” Gwladys looked around the wasteland, “We’ll need ter dig down a bit, see if there’s owt lyin’ there”

“What are you thinking, plague pit?” Dolly asked, rolling her sleeves up.

“PLAGUE PIT!!” Aefelthrith was open-mouthed at the prospect.

“Nah, I dunner think so” Gwladys shook her head, “I reckon if it were, they’d all be more or less together.  Instead, we’ve got one ‘ere” She pointed, “an’ t’other over there”

“Graveyard then?”

“Not ‘cording ter them Watch fellers, ‘s’always been a shop, they reckon”

“Hmm, bit of a mystery?”

“Get yer sen inter the shop, there’s a couple’ve shovels in the pledged items” Dolly skipped off.

“Erm!” Aefelthrith stood with her hands on her hips.

“What?” Gwladys frowned.

“I may be mistaken but I thought I was the joint owner of this establishment?”

“Yeah, y’are” Gwladys nodded.

“So, when do I get a say in all of this, hmm?”

“Yer do gerrasay” Gwladys replied, as Dolly returned with the shovels, “Yer get ter say where yer gonna start shovellin’”

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 37