Unearthed (Episode 37 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 36 - Digging

Ok, so last week, Dolly apprehended a note from Clarence meant for Aefelthrith arranging another assignation.  This time, Dolly decreed she would be going in Aefelthrith's place.  In the meantime, Gwladys called everyone down to the garden, told Dolly about the previous skull they had unearthed (much to Aefelthrith's horror) and set everyone to digging to see what else might be there (also to Aefelthrith's horror).  Now read on:

 

The sun was sinking fast and the garden, that had previously been a jungle of weeds, now resembled a battlefield.  All was upturned earth, interspersed here and there with bones and the occasional skull.  Gwladys, Dolly and Aefelthrith were resting with their backs to outhouse, legs spread out in front of them.  ‘Arry was still digging, industriously, in the centre of the plot.

“Four then, eh?”  Dolly remarked.

“Looks that way” Gwladys nodded.

“Have you seen the state of my hands?”  Aefelthrith moaned.

“Not enough for a plague pit then?”  Dolly mused, ignoring her.

“Canna see it, not really” Gwladys shook her head.

“I mean, look at them, just LOOK AT THEM!  I am certain they will never be the same again”

“Very small graveyard then?”  Dolly suggested.

“With just four people innit?  ‘S’pose it’s possible” Gwladys conceded, “burrit ain’t very likeIly, is it”

“Needlework, embroidery perhaps, that is what these hands were intended for” Aefelhrith stared at her soil-stained and blistered digits, “not hewing the sod like some…labourer!”

“Oh gerrover yer sen!”  Gwladys snapped, “Yer ‘ardly did nowt.  It were me an’ Dolly an’ ‘Arry what broke the back on it”

“I played my part” Aefelthrith insisted, coldly.

“Well, it’s time I made a move” Dolly eased herself to her feet, “I need to give young Master Henry there his tea, and get him bathed, from the look of things!”  Dolly nodded toward her son and heir who was cheerfully throwing handfuls of dirt about.  “Then I need to get myself cleaned up as well, ready for my assignation, later, eh Ethel?”  Dolly grinned.

“Assignation, what’s that when it’s at ‘ome?”

“Got a date, haven’t I?  After curfew and all” Dolly winked.

“I am sure that I want nothing to do with the enterprise” Aefelthrith sniffed.

“D’yer want me to keep an eye on the little ‘un for yer?”

“That would be kind, if you could, Gwladys”

“Mind yer dunner fall foul of the Watch though, eh?”

“I will keep my eyes peeled but, when all’s said and done, there’s only two of them!  How difficult can it be?”  Dolly shrugged, “Unless someone shops me?”  She stared at Aefelthrith.

“I am sure I do not know what you mean!”  Aefelthrith gave Dolly a haughty look.

“’Arry!  We’re goin’ in fer us tea, are yer comin’ or what?” Gwladys yelled.

“I’ll be in, in a bit” ‘Arry shouted back, “I wanna do a bit more while it’s still light”

“Good lad” Gwladys nodded and smiled, “good lad!”

* * * *

Back in the kitchen, Dolly was attempting to get her progeny at least somewhat clean, Gwladys was tending a couple of pots on the stove and Aefelthrith was still assessing the damage to her hands.  The shop doorbell rang and a very familiar voice yelled:

“I’VE GOT YER NOW, YER BUGGERS!”

“Oh flamin’ ‘ell” Gwladys looked at the ceiling, shook her head and went to peer around the curtaining separating the living quarters from the shop itself.

“I CAN SEE YER, DUNNER THINK I CAN’T!”

“It’s Anty Marj!” Gwladys hissed.  The old woman, all dressed in black and with her arms folded, stood like a small, malevolent, thunder cloud in the middle of the shop floor.  Beside her was a formally dressed, tall, emaciated man who looked as if every last drop of happiness had been wrung from him, years ago.

“Who’s ‘Anty Marj’?”  Dolly looked puzzled.

“It’s ‘er what owned this place afore we bought it off ‘’er” Gwladys explained.

“She thinks that we cheated her” Aefelthrith added.

“Oh well, ‘ere goes!”  Gwladys took a deep breath, stood as tall as she could and marched into the shop.

“Anty, how naice to see you, again” Gwladys said in her best ‘posh’ accent, “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure” She added, indicating Anty Marj’s companion.

“This ‘ere’s me lawyer, an’ ‘e’s gonna put paid to your little games, an’ no mistake!” Anty Marj grinned.  It was a disturbing sight.

“I must remind you, ma’am, that I am not in fact a…”  The tall man began, with a voice like a mausoleum.

“You shut yer ‘ole you an’ remember who’s payin’ yer” Anty Marj snapped, and turning back to Gwladys, “’E’s gonna prove as ‘ow you cheated me”

“Is that so?” Gwlaldys raised an eyebrow.

“My client has made an accusation of impropriety relating to the conduct of the transaction which granted ownership of these premises to yourself and your erm,” The man consulted a notebook he produced from a deep pocket in his jacket, “business partner” He concluded.

“Impropriety is it?” Gwladys rummaged in her skirts, “Would yer like to see the Bill of Sale, would that help, eh?”

“That would bring a welcome degree of clarity to the proceedings, ma’am, thank you” The man bowed slightly and attempted, what appeared to be, a faint smile.

“Don’t you get callin’ ‘er ‘ma’am’” Anty Marj snarled, “I dunner want ‘er getting’ airs and graces”

“I think this is the document you want” Gwladys managed to produce a piece of paper from her voluminous and, somewhat mud-stained, skirts.

The ‘lawyer’ read it, carefully.

“It aint the ‘riginal” Gwladys explained, “I made a fair copy straight after.  Anty ‘ere’d ‘ave the ‘riginal”

“I have not been apprised of this document, ma’am” The ‘lawyer’ intoned to Anty Marj.

“It dunner mean nowt” Anty Marj dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand.

“On the contrary, ma’am.  If this is, indeed, a fair copy of the original Bill of Sale, which I cannot, at this point, say without sight of that original, then I have to say that it is a very comprehensive and all-encompassing document”

“Meanin’ what?” Anty Marj frowned.

“Well, in my profession, when called upon to review such documents, we look for gaps, inconsistencies, ambiguities and suchlike.  Within these we can mount a legal challenge to the document, and, therefore, the transaction’s, validity…”

“Yer what?”

“By which I mean, if there is something missing, or not quite correct, we might be able to make the case that the transaction was not valid or, to put it another way, it would be as if the sale never took place”

“Hah!  See!  Toldjer!” Anty Marj beamed at Gwladys.

“However, I regret to say that, that scenario is not the one that pertains, in this instance”

“How d’yer mean?”

“I have to say that, whoever composed this document…”

“That were ‘er!” Anty Marj pointed at Gwladys.

“Well, in that case, ma’am” The ‘lawyer’ bowed slightly, “I must congratulate you on the thorough and detailed manner in which this document has been drafted”

“Oh, ta!” Gwladys grinned and nodded to him.

“In point of fact, it is so well drafted“ The ‘lawyer’ gave Gwladys a weak smile, “that I can see no basis on which to challenge the validity of this transaction”

“Yer what?” Anty Marj looked frantically from one to the other, “D’yer mean yer ain’t gonna do owt?”

“I can see no basis for legal action of any sort, ma’am” The ‘lawyer’ bowed to her, reached into an interior pocket and produced a folded piece of stiff paper, “My bill, ma’am” He bowed again and strode out of the shop.

“Well, bugger me!” Anty Marj fumed.  She opened the paper, carefully, and stared at the writing therein, “Bloody ‘Ell, I thought it were just you what was thievin’ off of me!”

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 38