Lofted (Episode 21 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 20 - Explained

The story so far:  Gwladys and Aefelthrith have started a new life, running a pawn shop, formerly owned by 'Anty Marj', who they managed to convince they were distantly related to.  'Anty Marj', after some typical twists and turns, was persuaded to sell by receiving Aefelthrith's precious ring and went away a happy woman.  Meanwhile, Gwladys engaged a young urchin, 'Arry, to help clear the back garden of weeds, as a means of giving him a bit of income to support his poorly mother and avoid him either going down the pit or up the chimney, much to Aefelthrith's displeasure. 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.  Coincidentally, Sarah was the name that Gwladys had told Anty Marj was the name of their shared relative.  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 the 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!:

 

The three of them (Aefelthrith, Gwladys and ‘John Thomas’) sat at the table, rooted to the spot, as the thunderous knocking from the door leading on to the street, continued.

“I’ll go, shall I?” Gwladys eyed the other two up, who avoided her gaze.

“Perhaps…perhaps it would be best, if you would not mind?” Aefelthrith said, eventually.

“Thought as much!” Gwladys stood up, frowned at her companions, and stomped down the hall to the door.  Once there, deciding that the best form of defence, is attack, she drew herself up to her full height, took a deep breath, flung the door open and, at her most imperious, said, “HYES?”

This action seriously wrongfooted Sergeant Argent, who had been hammering on the door with one hand whilst talking to Constable John, skulking behind him.  When he went to hammer again, without looking, and found there was suddenly no door to knock, he found himself involuntarily launched toward Gwladys’s ample bosom.  He just managed to stop himself in time, but it was a very close-run thing and was, without doubt, the most intimate he had been, with a lady, in his entire life.

“SERGEANT!”  Gwladys looked down at the crimson face, currently just inches away from her chest, with appalled wonder.

“Hyaargh!”  Sergeant Argent scrambled to get himself upright, again, “Madam, do please accept my humble apologies.  I regret that I must have lost my balance there, for a moment”

“Hur, I’ll ‘ave ter remember that one” Constable John chuckled.

Sergeant Argent glared at him, then turned back to Gwladys, who said:

“Hwell?” with an icy stare.

“Ah yes,” Sergeant Argent straightened his clothing and tried to regain some composure, “I am afraid that we need to inspect your premises, may we come in?”

He went to step through the doorway, but Gwladys’s arm shot out and barred the way.

“NO!” She said, firmly.

“Pardon?” 

“I said, no.  It is not convenient”

“Not convenient?” Sergeant Argent looked puzzled.  This had never happened to him, before.  Normally you asked if you could come in, of course you did, but it was generally accepted that this was a given, so they normally just strolled in, past the quivering inhabitant.

“That is correct” Gwladys nodded.

“Woshesay?” Constable John asked.

“She said…” Sergeant Argent began, with the air of one who does not believe what he’s just heard, “She said that it’s not convenient”

“Oh!  Right-ho.  We can knock off then, can we?”

“No, we cannot ‘knock off’” The Sergeant glared at his subordinate, “we are on official business.” Turning to Gwladys again, he tried to take command of the situation, “Madam, we are acting on information received...” He began.

“From whom?” Gwladys raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

“I beg your pardon?”  Sergeant Argent felt that this conversation was getting away from him.

“Who ‘as been givin’ yer information?” Gwladys explained.

“I cannot divulge that it’s…it’s…Watch business!” Sergeant Argent spluttered.

* * * *

Back in the kitchen, Aefelthrith was desperately trying to think of a solution to their problem.  It was obvious, from the tone of voice, that Sergeant Argent was at the door and could discover them at any second.

“You…you must go” She stammered, “you could go out through the shop, I’ll muffle the door-bell.  You could be back at your lodgings in no time”

“Ah!” ‘John Thomas’ looked a little sheepish.

“What do you mean ‘Ah’” Aefelthrith asked, suspiciously.

“Well, you see, I do not have ‘lodgings’ as such” He explained.

“You do not have…?” Aefelthrith looked at him, aghast, “Why ever not?”

“A slight problem with cash flow” ‘John Thomas’ looked suitably embarrassed.

“Then, where are you staying?”

“I have managed to bivouac in the woods” ‘John Thomas’ explained, “It is quite romantic, sleeping under the starts…except when it rains, of course!”  He coughed, somewhat dramatically and productively.

“Oh no!”  Aefelthrith raised a hand to her mouth, in horror, “you must not do that.  You cannot sleep in the woods, night after night”

“I regret, I have no choice” ‘John Thomas’ shrugged.

Aefelthrith stared at him, hands on hips and tapped her foot.  She was aware of the increasing hubbub at the street door.

“Well, we had better make sure that you do have a choice!” She said, eventually, “Come with me” and headed for the stairs.

“Oh, really?” ‘John Thomas’ said, a smile bordering on a leer crept into place.

“To the loft!” Aefelthrith hissed, in explanation, as they skulked down the corridor, currently being blocked at the doorway by Gwladys’s impressive bulk.

“Oh!”

* * * *

“I ain’t lettin’ yer march in ‘ere, without a ‘by your leave’, on account of some ‘information’ what yer’ve got from someone yer won’t tell me about” Gwladys stated, firmly.

“I cannot divulge my sources!” Sergeant Argent spluttered.

Constable John, aware that this impasse could last all night, said:

“It were ‘im, ‘cross the road”

“Constable!” Sergeant Argent looked daggers at him.

“An’ what did ‘e say?” Gwladys looked at them, sternly.

“He said…or rather, our source said,” The Sergeant glared at his Constable, again, “that a mendicant or beggar-type person, not dissimilar to the person for whom we are searching, had been seen entering your premises a little earlier”

“An’ yer believed ‘im?”

“He had…our source had no reason to lie” The Sergeant matched her, stare for stare.

“No reason ter…?  Yer do know ‘e can’t stand us, right?”

“Who cannot?”  Sergeant Argent asked, now thoroughly confused.

“’im, ‘cross the road” Gwladys explained, “’e canna stand it that we’re ‘ccessful businesswomen.  ‘E reckons we’ve got no right runnin’ no business”

“Is that so?” The Sergeant rubbed his chin in thought, then recovered his composure, “Of course, it might not be him”

“It were!” Constable John intervened.

“An’ yer gonna tek ‘is word fer it, are yer?”  Gwladys tapped a foot, meaningfully. “Why would we ‘ave a beggar on the premises, eh?”

“If you would just let us inspect the building…”  Sergeant Argent said, wearily.

Gwladys took a deep breath, hoped against hope that the footsteps she had heard on the stairs meant that Aefelthrith had taken matters in hand, stepped to one side and said:

“Alright then, come on in!”

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)