Valued (Episode 23 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 22 - Denied

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.  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!:

 

“Yer’d better make sure ‘e’s nowhere to be seen once we’ve got people comin’ an’ goin’” Gwladys growled from her position stirring the porridge pot.

“I think that is a little unfair!” Aefelthrith protested.

“No, we must be reasonable, Aefelthrith” ‘John Thomas’ interrupted, “Gwladys has a valid point”

“Bloody right!” Gwladys sniffed, “yer’ve only gotter ‘ave one of ‘em catch so much as a glimpse of ‘im and we’ll be up to our knees in the Watch”

“What, both of them?” Aefelthrith smirked.

“That’s two too many” Gwladys started to pour out the breakfast.

“I will repair to the loft, Gwladys” ‘John Thomas’ reassured her, “as soon as I have finished my repast”

“Huh!” Gwladys scoffed.

There was a knocking at the street door.

“Oh!” Aefelthrith’s hand went to her mouth.

“See!” Gwladys glared at her, “getcher self be’ind that curtain” She snapped at ‘John Thomas’.

Gwladys went to the door and there was a muttered exchange.

“It’s alright, it’s only ‘Arry” She shouted, leading the boy into the kitchen, “D’yer want some breakfast?”

“Ooh ar, ta missus” ‘Arry looked very pleased with this turn of events, “’oo’s ‘e?” He nodded toward the emerging ‘John Thomas’.

“Dunner yer worry ‘bout ‘im” Gwladys shook her head, “you ain’t seen ‘im, right?”

“Fair ‘nuff” ‘Arry said, philosophically, as he turned his attention to his bowl.

“How can you put your trust in that child?” Aefelthrith hissed.

“I’d trust ‘im more’n I would most folk, partic’ly ‘im!” Gwladys nodded in ‘John Thomas’s’ direction, who blushed.

A silence descended over the breakfast table.  Well, as silent as you could get when ‘Arry was devouring porridge.

“D’yer want me to get clearin’ out the back?” He said, eventually, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

“Yeah, yer can get on with that” Gwladys nodded, clearing the pots away, “but not where…yer know”

“Right, fair ‘nuff, missus” ‘Arry jumped down from the table.

“Not where?” ‘John Thomas’ asked.

“Oh, it is just that…” Aefelthrith began.

“Just ‘ush up!” Gwladys snapped, “The fewer folk what know about that, the better”

“But…but…he is a gentleman!” Aefelthrith protested.

“Yeah, well, mebbe, but right now, ‘e’s a fugitive an’ ‘e needs to be back up the loft, sharpish!” Gwladys glared at ‘John Thomas’, who nodded and slipped back up the stairs.

“I think you are being most unfair!” Aefelthrith stamped her foot.

“Look, missy” Gwladys sighed, “I’m gonna open the shop in a minute.  From then on, we’ll ‘ave all sorts comin’ and goin’ an’ we canna take any risks with ‘im bein’ about, alright?”

“But it is perfectly fine if that child sees him!”

“’Arry?  Yeah, ‘e’s no problem.  ‘E wunner say a dickie bird” Gwladys went off through the curtaining to open the shop.  Aefelthrith slumped down as the table with the intention of having a prolonged sulk.  Gwladys came back to find that nothing had been done about washing the breakfast pots.

“Yer plannin’ on doin’ owt today, eh?”

“There is a drawer I might tidy” Aefelthrith sniffed.

The shop door-bell rang.

“Right, well, afore yer set about that ‘uge task, yer can come through with me an’ ‘ave a go at valuation”

“WHAT?” Aefelthrith looked horrified.

“It wunner do yer no ‘arm” Gwladys said, cheerfully, “I canna do everything ‘round ‘ere, an’ it’s your business too, yer need to know ‘ow it works”

“But…but…” Aefelthrith spluttered.

“Come on, get yersen in there” Gwladys grabbed her by the elbow and steered her through the curtaining, into the waiting shop.  A small boy, dressed in rags, with matted hair, was trying to peer over the shop counter.

“Yes?” Gwladys asked.

“Me mam says what can yer give us on this?”  He retrieved a battered pocket watch from the recesses of his costume and pushed It over the counter.

“Right, what do yer think?” Gwladys picked up the item and handed it to Aefelthrith, who held it as if it might explode at any moment.

“What do I think about what?”  Aefelthrith held the item some feet away from her.

“What d’yer reckon it’s worth?” Gwladys asked, patiently.

“Oh…erm…a pound?” Aefelthrith hazarded a guess.

“Coo!” The small boy looked extremely excited.

“’Old yer ‘orses!” Gwladys snapped, deflating the child.  Then, turning to Aefelthrith, she said, “A pound?  D’yer really think it’s worth that much?”

“I have no idea!” Aefelthrith whined, “I have never bought such a thing in my life”

“Alright, fair enough” Gwladys nodded, “well, look, if’n it were brand new an’ ‘ad just come out of the jewller’s winder…it ‘asn’t as it?” She glared at the boy, who cowered back.

“Nah, missus.  It were me grandfaither’s”

“Right then” She turned to Aefelthrith, again, “like I were sayin’, if it were brand new, then mebbe a pound wouldn’t be so far off.  D’yer think it’s brand new?”

“Well, hardly!” Aefelthrith looked at the timepiece with disgust, “it is battered, filthy, I am not even sure that it is working and I am certainly not going to try and find out by placing it anywhere near my ear!”

“Right, so, what d’yer think it’s worth, now?”

“A few shillings, perhaps?” Aefelthrith ventured another guess.

“’Ansome!” The boy grinned.

“What did I tell yer?” Gwladys frowned at him.  “Look, I tell yer what, an’ only ‘cause I’m feelin’ generous, I’ll give yer thruppence fer it”

“Thruppence?” The boy and Aefelthrith said in unison.

“Yep!” Gwladys folded her arms.

“Aw missus” The boy looked as if he might burst into tears, “me mam said I weren’t to come back with nowt less than sixpence”

“Thruppence!” Gwladys said, with an air of finality.

“I canna do it” The boy said, in a small voice, shuffling his bare feet on the shop floor.

There was a heavy silence as the boy stared at Gwladys and she stared at him, whilst Aefelthrith stared at both of them in appalled wonder.

“Alright, tell yer what, fourpence, and that’s me final offer.  Tek it or leave it!” Gwladys glared at him.

“Fair ‘nuff” The boy nodded and held out his hand for the money and receipt.  The transaction completed, the boy scampered out.

“That seemed a little harsh” Aefelthrith observed.

“’Arsh!” Gwladys snarled, “It were not bloody ‘arsh.  If it were owt, it were gen’rous!” She folded her arms and glared at Aefelthrith.  “I’ve bin back through the ledgers an’ ‘Anty Marj’ never let ‘im ‘ave more’n thruppence”

“He has been here before?”

“Yeah, ‘e’s in an’ out of ‘ere with that watch most weeks.  Look, say ‘e didn’t redeem it, what d’yer reckon we’d get fer it?”

“I really do not know” Aefelthrith looked bemused.

“Werl, like yer say, it’s battered, filthy, it dunner work ‘cause I’ve tried it.  Best we could ‘ope fer is to sell it fer scrap.  Might mek a tanner, mebbe a bit more, mebbe not even that, just depends”

“Is it really his grandfather’s?”

Gwladys shrugged, “’Oo knows?  Could be burridoubt it.  Prob’ly nicked from some visitin’ gent’s pocket an’ it's ad an ‘ard time since”

“I am not sure we should be dealing with such…” Aefelthrith shuddered, “low life”

“Dunner knock it, them’s our bread an’ butter” Gwladys heaved out the ledger and began recording this latest transaction.  The shop door-bell rang again and a heavily draped woman, with a toddler on her hip, edged through the doorway.

“Your go!” Gwladys winked and nudged Aefelthrith, who looked as if something disgusting had just been presented to her.  Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and said:

“How may we help you today, madam?” In her best ‘posh’ voice.

“I want to know how much you’ll give me for this” The woman rooted in her pocket and produced a, very impressive, jet necklace. 

Aefelthrith picked the necklace up from the counter, squinted at it in the dim light from the shop windows, and announced, “Thruppence!”

“Thruppence!  Bloody three pence?  You cheating, tight-fisted…” The woman’s shouts set the child crying, “Now look, you’ve set him off!”  She pulled down her hood and kissed the child on the forehead in an effort to quieten him.  Aefelthrith looked aghast.

“Oh my god!  Dolly?”

Dolly looked up from the crying child and, for the first time, took notice of who was behind the counter.

“Bloody hell!” She looked shocked, “You two?”

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)