Morning (Episode 31 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid)

Continued from Episode 30 - Watch!

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?:

Dolly stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen, balancing a grizzling Harry on her hip and yawning furiously.

“Mornin’” Gwladys nodded to her from her bubbling pan of porridge.

“I know it is” Dolly grumbled, “and it’s come around a damn sight too soon, if you ask me!  Her Ladyship not up yet?”

“’Avin’ a lie in”

“Wish I was!  What the hell was going on last night?”

“Goin’ on?  Dunner know what yer mean?” Gwladys said, innocently, stirring her pot determinedly.

“Well, it was late on, definitely past dark, and it sounded like one of you two were opening and closing drawers just for the hell of it…”

“Time o’ year, innit?   Things goin’ bump in the night an’ al that?” Gwladys kept stirring.

“Thing going bump in the night?  What do you mean?”

“Ghosties ‘n’ ghoulies an’ long-legged beasties an’…stuff” Gwladys petered out, still stirring.

Dolly frowned at her and shook her head.

“That’s as may be, but they don’t normally go in for opening and closing drawers, do they?”

Gwladys shrugged.

“Then it sounded like somebody dragging a body downstairs, that woke our Henry up!”  Dolly looked cross. “I thought I heard the hall door open and shut an’ all”

“Can’t think what…”  Gwladys began.

“I’d just got him back off to sleep when some damn fool opens a window and starts whistling out of it!”

“Whistlin’?” Gwladys looked up from her stirring.

“Yeah, you know…” Dolly placed two fingers in her mouth and emitted a piercing shriek, which set her son and heir off again.  “Oh, I’m sorry my love, did mummy make you jump?  Did she?”  Dolly cooed over her son.

“Well, yer cert’nly made me jump” Gwladys went back to her stirring.

“Are you saying you didn’t hear any of that?”  Dolly looked at her, incredulously.

“Nah” Gwladys shook her head, “sound sleeper, me!”

“I’d just got him settled down again, when somebody starts hammering on the hall door…fit to wake the dead it was!”

“Nah, that I did ‘ear” Gwladys nodded.

“I know, ‘cause I heard you go down stairs to it.  Who the hell was banging the door at that time of night?”

“It were the Watch”

“The Watch?  What did they want?  Oh no, don’t tell me he was here to see Her Ladyship, not at that time of night?”  Dolly pointed to the ceiling.

“Not as such, no” Gwladys prevaricated.

“Well, what did they want?”

“It were…it were to do with the curfew”

“The curfew?  What about the curfew?  None of us were out after the bell, or else…hang on a minute” Dolly looked thoughtful, “There were all that racket with the drawers, then somebody dragging something down stairs, then the hall door opening…was she doing a flit?”

“Who?” Gwladys asked, innocently, playing for time.

“You know very well who I mean” Dolly stamped a foot, “Was she sneaking out from here and the Watch caught her?”

“I couldn’t say” Gwladys shook her head.

“Where the heck could she have been going?”  Dolly mused, “At that time of night, on her own?  Unless…?”

“What?”

“She was meeting up with him, wasn’t she?”  Dolly asked, triumphantly.

“Who?”

“My feller, Clarence, this one’s father, she was meeting up with him, weren’t she?  It’s the only thing that makes sense” Dolly’s eyes blazed.

“Yer’d ‘ave to ask ‘er” Gwladys said, glumly.

“I damn well will do, just you wait and see!”

“But, later, eh?  Not in front of the little ‘un” Gwladys looked tenderly at Henry, “it ain’t right to drag ‘em inter grown-up squabbles”

“Squabbles?  I’ll have her bloody eyes out for this” Dolly fumed.

“Look,” Gwladys put a lid on the pan and sat down, heavily, at the table, “she’s younger than both on us, she ain’t seen the world like we ‘ave…”

“She won’t see nowt again, if it’s left to me!”

“’E were ‘er first love, ‘er only love to be fair” Gwladys explained, “They were betrothed, that means summat in ‘er world.  Then ‘e turns up ‘ere an’ gives ‘er all that sweet talk, well, you an’ me, we wouldn’t ‘ave fallen fer it but ‘er…”

“I’ll flatten her!” Dolly snarled.

“I reckon yer’d do better flattenin’ ‘im” Gwladys got up to answer a knocking at the hall door.  Dolly heard her say, ‘’Arry!  Yer just in time fer breakfast, come on in”

Gwladys returned, with ‘Arry in tow.

“Sit yer sen down an’ I’ll get yer summat” She indicated the kitchen table.

“I’ll not, missus, if it’s all the same” ‘Arry said in a crackly, little voice.

“Not eatin’?” Gwladys looked aghast, “Whatever’s the matter, lad?”

“It’s…it’s me mam” He choked back the tears, “she’s proper poorly”

“Well, she’s not been too good fer the best part of some time, now ‘as she?”

“This…this is diff’rent” ‘Arry struggled to speak, “I reckon…I reckon it’s the end.  Will yer come?”

“Me?” Gwladys looked astounded.

“Aye” ‘Arry nodded, “I dunno, p’raps yer could ‘elp ‘er?”

“Where’s yer father?”

‘Arry shrugged.

“What about a doctor?”

“We canner afford one” ‘Arry shook his head, “any road, they’re no bloody good.  Yer the only one I know what knows owt about owt, will yer come?”

“Aye lad, I’ll come with yer” Gwladys fetched a shawl from a hook and put on a weather-beaten hat, “although I dunner know what use I’ll be to yer” Turning to Dolly, she said, “Get you an’ ‘im some breakfast, an’ if ‘er ladyship puts in an appearance, do me a favour, just try countin’ ter ten, eh?  Come on, ‘Arry!”

* * * *

‘Arry led Gwladys through a maze of back streets that she had never known existed.  Each seemed scruffier and more decrepit than the last.  Finally, they reached a particular alley into which the daylight hardly seemed to make an appearance.  The buildings either side leant toward each other, like a crowd of drunks seeking mutual support, crowding out the sky above. 

The centre of the alley was a gutter that was filled with things you really did not want to know about.  The smell was indescribable.  Gwladys held her shawl over her mouth and nose and gagged a little.  ‘Arry turned and said:

“It’s the smell, innit?  Yer get used ter it…werl, a bit”

“Just lead on, ‘Arry” Gwladys’s muffled voice urged.

‘Arry started to half-run towards, what appeared to be, a pile of old timber and junk at the end of the alley.  He stopped by the pile and beckoned for Gwladys to catch up.

“C’mon missus” He said, before diving into the pile.

“Right!” Gwladys said, determinedly, and, against her better judgement, took a deep breath, gathered her skirts and ducked down into the hovel before her.

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)