Reunited (Episode 38 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 37 - Unearthed

In the last episode, Gwladys, 'Arry, Dolly and (a very reluctant) Aefelthrith had unearthed the skeletal remains of four people in the shop's garden, which posed something of a problem.  Dolly was gearing up to meet Clarence later, disguised as Aefelthrith and Gwladys had to deal with a vindictive Anty Marj, this time accompanied by her legal representative.

Gwladys marched back into the kitchen, dusting her hands and with a satisfied smile on her face.

“Werl, that’s cooked ‘er goose” She grinned, “’least fer the time bein’”

“What’s her beef, then?” Dolly asked, looking up from her attempt to scrub Henry back to cleanliness.

“It would take far too long to explain” Aefelthrith said, in a bored tone.

“Yeah, like Ethel says, it’s all a bit…convoluted, if that’s the word?” Gwladys went to stop a pan from boiling over, “I ‘spect she’s spent all the money she made off what we gave ‘er fer this place, an’ now she wants it back.  Trouble is, I dunner reckon we’ve ‘eard the last of ‘er”

The back door opened and a very grubby ‘Arry made his way in.

“Gawd, yer a mess!” Gwladys exclaimed, “Yer’d best get yer sen cleaned up at the tap afore we ‘ave us meal”

“I fount summat” ‘Arry looked pleased with himself.

“Didjer?” Gwladys frowned, “It’s not another skull, is it?”

“Nah, it’s this” He handed Gwladys a small disc of metal.  She screwed her eyes up and peered at it.

“Come in the shop, I need ter ‘ave a look with me spy glass”

Gwladys and ‘Arry made their way through the curtaining, into the shop, where Gwladys retrieved her magnifying glass from a shelf.

“I dunner reckon it’s real” ‘Arry grinned, “It’s too bright, innit?  Nice thing though”

“Where were it?” Gwladys asked, peering through the glass at the disc.

“In that middle bit, where I were diggin’ afore”

Gwladys weighed the disc in her hand and frowned.

“’S’eavy, innit?” She mused. She picked up a cloth and rubbed the disc, vigorously.  Even in the gloom of the shop, it shone brightly.

“See worrimean?  ‘S’too bright to be real, innit?” ‘Arry said.

“I dunno” Gwladys frowned and pursed her lips, “Can I keep this, just for a bit?”

“S’from your garden” ‘Arry shrugged.

“Yeah, but you fount it.  I’ll let yer ‘ave it back once I’ve found out a bit more about it, alright?”

“Fair enough”

“Just do me a favour” Gwladys bent down and whispered, “say nowt about this to no-one, right?”

“What, not even…” ‘Arry jerked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen.

“No, not even them.  This’ll be just between you an’ me, just fer the time bein’”

“If that’s wotcher want” ‘Arry looked bemused.

“It is, just fer a bit” Gwladys patted him on the shoulder, raising dust clouds in the process, “Now, let’s get back an’ getcher some grub, eh?”

She started toward the kitchen and then stopped, abruptly.

“Oh yeah, there’s summat else” She turned and looked at ‘Arry, gravely, “yer not to dig in’t garden, not ‘til I tell yer, yer can, alright?  An’ I dunner want anyone else diggin’ neither, right?”

“Wha?  What’m I gonna do then?  I gotta do summat to earn me keep, me mam said!”  ‘Arry looked on the point of tears.

“There’s plently ter do around ‘ere” Gwladys smiled at him, warmly, “’Ow are yer on cleanin’ winders fer a start off?”

“I dunno?”  ‘Arry shrugged, “I ain’t never done nowt like that”

“Werl, there y’are then.  First time fer everythin,’ ain’t there?”

* * * *

Later that night, Gwladys and Aefelthrith were lying in bed, both pretending to be asleep but actually wide awake, for very different reasons.  There was the sound of the Hall Door to the street, opening and closing, followed by some suppressed giggling and footsteps heading up the stairs.

“Are yer awake?” Gwladys asked.

“I am now!” Aefelthrith snapped.

“Sounds like Dolly’s ‘ome” Gwladys observed.

“Indeed!”

“Dunner sound like she’s alone, neither”

“I really could not say”

“Wonder who it could be?” Gwladys mused, innocently.

“You know very well who it could be!” Aefelthrith snarled, pulling a handful of bedclothes over her head in an effort to drown out the noise.

Gwladys tried to smother a titter.

“I do not imagine, for one moment, that they have been troubled by The Watch, despite the late hour!”  Aefelthrith grumbled.

“Luck of the draw, innit?”  Gwladys shrugged.

“Hmph!”

“Oh, yeah, while I think on it, yer’ll be alright if I leave yer ‘ere with them tomorrow, won’t yer?”

“Leave me with them?  Why?  Where are you going?”  Aefelthrith sat up and glared at Gwladys.

The door of, what had been, Aefelthrith’s room, creaked open and closed, accompanied by more giggles.

Gwladys raised herself on her elbows and rubbed her eyes.

“Got a bit o’ business to ‘tend to”

“Business?  Surely if this is something that relates to this establishment, then I should be involved?”

“It dunner.  Werl, not d’rectly”

“So, what does it concern?”

“Right now, it’s best yer dunner know” Gwladys tried to settle back down again, “I’ll tell ye when I get back, alright?”

“No, it is not alright!  I take exception to being excluded in this manner, and by my own m….”

“Wha?”

“Nothing” Aefelthrith turned and buried herself under the bedclothes.

“Yer were gonna say ‘maid’, weren’t yer?”

“No” Aefelthrith said, in a small voice.

“Hmm” Gwladys said, dubiously, “I’ll believe yer, thousands wouldner”

* * * *

The following morning, Aefelthrith deliberately delayed coming down stairs in the hope of avoiding an encounter with anyone she would rather not meet (which, at the moment, was just about everybody) but, eventually, had to give up the unequal struggle as the smell of breakfast wafted up the stairs.

“Werl, look who it inner!” Gwladys grinned, broadly, as Aefelthrith attempted to sidle into the kitchen unnoticed.

“Good morning” Aefelthrith nodded and clutched her forehead, “I seem to have something of a headache.  I may take my breakfast back to my room”

“Dunner be so daft!” Gwladys splodged a large portion of porridge into a bowl and slammed it onto the kitchen table, “Get yersen outside o’ that and yer’ll soon feel better”

Aefelthrith nodded, weakly, and settled herself on the bench by ‘Arry, who was, to her distaste, meticulously cleaning his bowl of any evidence of food.  Across from her, Dolly was enjoying, rather unusually, an uninterrupted breakfast because Clarence was entertaining Henry on his knee.  Both father and son were looking less than convinced about the wisdom of this exercise.

“Morning Ethel” Dolly grinned.

“Good morning, Aefelthrith” Clarence said, sheepishly.

“There y’are, y’see!  Jest one big ‘appy family!”  Gwladys sat down at the head of the table, “If yer’ve still got that ‘eadache, I’m goin’ to the ‘pothecary in a bit, I’ll see if ‘e’s got summat fer it”

“Apothecary?  Are you alright, Glad?”  Dolly looked concerned.

“Yeah, nowt wrong with me” Gwladys nodded, “an’ I wanna make sure it stays that way, an’ all” She added, under her breath.  “Oh, an’ one more thing, the garden’s out of bounds ‘til I get back, alright? I’ve told ‘Arry but that goes fer all on yer, understand?”

“Very mysterious, Glad.  Anything we can help with?”  Dolly looked concerned.

“Nah, nothin’ fer yer to worry about.  I’ll let yer know all about it in a bit.  But fer now, no-one goes inter the garden, partic’ly no-one from The Watch, are yer listenin’ Ethel?”

“I am not simple, Gwladys!  Why would I invite The Watch into our garden?”

“Just makin’ sure” Gwladys folded her arms and looked around the table, “there’s quite a bit afoot. I dunner want ter go inter it right now but we all need to be careful”

“I think there’s been quite enough ‘afoot”, just lately, to last us all for quite a long time” Aefelthrith sniffed.

Dolly grinned.  Clarence blushed.

“Nice to be all back together again, ain’t it?”  Dolly winked.

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)