Nessie’s stomach had been in knots all day waiting for Mr Grimshaw’s knock on the door but thankfully, when it eventually came, Reuben was dozing in the chair at the side of the fire. Drawing her shawl about her slim shoulders against the biting cold she stepped outside and faced her landlord calmly, showing no sign of the turmoil inside.
As soon as he saw her, he leered, his greedy eyes raking up and down her body, from the promising curve of her breasts to the tips of her toes.
Her eyes were drawn to his thick, grey eyebrows and she stared at them like someone in a trance. They rose up and down as if they had a life of their own and Nessie shuddered.
‘So, you’ve got all the rent money for me this week, I assume?’ It was more of a statement than a question and Nessie silently held her hand out displaying the coins on her palm.
He grimaced. ‘Huh! That ain’t even half of what you owe, so what we goin’ to do about it, eh?’ His thick, wet tongue was sliding from one end of his slobbery lips to the other, but just as she was about to answer, Ruby West from the end cottage suddenly sashayed up to him. Ruby had been widowed some years before and Nessie had often wondered how she managed to make ends meet, for she didn’t appear to go out to work, she always seemed to be too busy entertaining the numerous gentlemen that called. Nessie had heard rumours that she sold her favours and she had no doubt that Ruby could have, for although she was now in her early forties she was still a fairly attractive woman, small and voluptuously plump with only the merest hint of grey in her hair.
‘Now, Seth, you ain’t hasslin’ this poor little lass, are you?’ she said flirtatiously.
At the sight of her, he ran his finger around the inside of his shirt collar and squirmed uncomfortably.
‘Let her alone, can’t you, or is she to carry on where her mother left off?’
Nessie frowned. What did Ruby mean? But then Mrs Hewitt appeared too with a laden shopping basket on her arm and, looking towards them, she said icily, ‘So what you up to, Seth? Take what the poor lass is offerin’ an’ be patient, can’t yer? Her brother is laid up wi’ a broken ankle but she’ll catch up on her arrears soon as she can, yer should know that be now.’
Looking decidedly uncomfortable again, Mr Grimshaw snatched the money from Nessie’s hand and without another word followed Ruby to her cottage, disappearing through the door with her.
Mrs Hewitt tutted. ‘Well, happen we won’t see him fer another good hour or so an’ we can guess how she’s payin’ her rent, can’t we?’
‘What do you mean, Mrs Hewitt?’ Nessie asked innocently. ‘And what did she mean when she asked him if I was to carry on where my mother had left off?’
Colour burned into Mrs Hewitt’s cheeks as she stared at a spot above Nessie’s head. And then suddenly Nessie realised what she had been intimating and she gasped as her hand flew to her throat.
‘Surely she wasn’t saying that my mother paid our rent by … by lying with him?’ Her voice was wobbly and tears had sprung to her eyes.
‘Don’t you go judgin’ yer ma,’ Mrs Hewitt scolded, annoyed, as she wagged a plump finger at her. ‘She was a good woman an’ she just did what she had to do to keep a roof over yer heads. She’d have done owt fer you kids. She ain’t the only one hereabouts, neither. There’s more than one poor woman pays Seth Grimshaw in kind, make no mistake about it. He’s a lecherous old sod.’
Nessie could only stare back at her as she reeled in shock. The thought of her mother suffering Seth Grimshaw’s hands on her made her feel physically sick and yet never once had her mother given any indication of what was going on, nor once had she complained. Seeing the horror on the girl’s face, Mrs Hewitt softened and closing the gap between them she reached out and gently brushed Nessie’s copper-gold hair from her face.
‘Don’t you get worryin’ now,’ she soothed. ‘Here look, I did a bit o’ shoppin’ fer yer. An’ no, don’t get arguin’ an’ cuttin’ yer nose off to spite yer face. There’s more than enough there to keep yer goin’ fer a few days an’ I won’t even miss it now that most o’ my lot are workin’.’ She pushed the basket into the girl’s arms, and as Nessie began to protest, she ended gently, ‘An’ think on what they say, everythin’ happens for a reason. Somethin’ will turn up, pet, you’ll see. Meanwhile, my Cecil is out lookin’ fer a nice sturdy branch that Reuben can carve into a crutch. He’s a knack wi’ carvin’ wood, ain’t he? An’ happen that’ll enable him to get about a bit better. Away in now out o’ the cold an’ I’ll see yer later. If Seth Grimshaw should show up again just send him round to me an’ I’ll sort the bugger out!’
Nessie couldn’t help but grin through her tears as she watched Mrs Hewitt waddle away into her cottage.
‘What’s this then?’ Reuben had just woken up and looked at the basket curiously as she entered the room.
‘Mrs Hewitt got some food in for us, bless her,’ Nessie answered as she began to unpack it, avoiding his eyes. Luckily it appeared that he had heard none of the conversation outside and she would never repeat it. Reuben had always put their mother on a pedestal, let it remain that way.
‘Why would she do that?’ he scowled. ‘We’re not quite charity cases yet!’
As Nessie thought of the weeks ahead, she began to panic; they very soon could be and the prospect of the workhouse loomed larger. How were they going to survive if Reuben couldn’t go back to his job?
As the contents of the basket were piled onto the table, Nessie smiled. There was a twist of tea, flour, a large cabbage, onions and carrots as well as some liver and kidneys and other useful food items. She had even thought to buy them some cheap, tallow candles, which Nessie was more than grateful for. They had run out of oil for the lamps some days ago and now they wouldn’t have to sit in darkness. Mrs Hewitt had done them proud and she immediately began to wash the liver and chop some onions. At least they would eat well this evening.
‘Ugh, what’s this?’ Marcie grimaced when her meal was placed before her later that day. ‘You know I don’t like liver!’
‘So don’t eat it then,’ Reuben answered shortly. ‘You can’t be that hungry if you can leave good food.’
Marcie glared at him as she flounced away from the table. ‘I shall be glad when Monday comes and I can live somewhere civilised,’ she retorted as she stamped upstairs to fetch her bonnet and her shawl.
‘Oh, Reuben, she’ll be gone in a few short days. I know she can be trying but can’t you at least pretend to get on for the short time she’s going to be here now? For me?’ Nessie implored. ‘I don’t want her to leave with bad feeling between us.’
Reuben sighed and looked shamefaced. ‘Sorry,’ he muttered.
Nessie patted his hand and forced a smile as she passed him Marcie’s dinner. It was better than seeing it go to waste.
Monday morning seemed to dawn in the blink of an eye and in no time at all, Marcie was ready to leave for her new life in Haunchwood House. The few clothes she had were packed into one of her mother’s old linen pillowcases, not that she thought she would need them for long. She would wear a uniform during the days she was working and once she was paid she intended to treat herself to some new clothes. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had anything new and she was sick of going without.
‘So, you’re all ready to go then,’ Nessie said tearfully as she stood on the front doorstep with her. Marcie had already said goodbye to Reuben and Joseph and could hardly wait to be gone.
‘Yes, and if I don’t get a shufty on I’ll be late for my first day, which won’t make a very good impression, will it?’
‘No, I don’t suppose it will.’ Nessie pulled her sister into her arms tearfully. She felt like a mother hen seeing one of her chicks leave the nest. ‘Off you go then and I’ll look forward to seeing you on your first Sunday off in four weeks’ time,’ she said, trying to sound bright.
Marcie nodded as she turned about and set off down the path and not once did she look back as Nessie stood there with tears streaming from her eyes.
‘Come away in, pet,’ Reuben said kindly. Over the last few days he had fashioned a sturdy crutch out of the fallen branch Mr Hewitt had found for him and now he was managing to hobble about a bit, although he still couldn’t put any weight on his injured ankle. She turned to see him standing behind her and with a sniff she nodded and went back inside, closing the door softly behind her.
‘Well, that’s one less we have to worry about,’ Reuben said stoically, then seeing his sister’s expression he hurried on, ‘What I meant was, at least we know Marcie will be well fed and cared for. So now we just have to decide what we’re going to do.’
‘I’ve been thinking about that,’ Nessie admitted. ‘And I was thinking that, for now at least, I could perhaps go out and find a job to tide us over … just till you’re able to work again that is, and if you feel able to cope with Joseph.’
When his expression darkened, she rushed on, ‘I’m sick of sitting here worrying about how we’re going to manage, so it’s time to do something about it. I know I couldn’t earn as much as you but surely anything is better than nothing for the time being?’
His shoulders suddenly sagged as he lowered himself onto a chair. Reuben supposed she had a point but it went sorely against the grain to think that his sister had to go out to work to feed him when she did so much already.
‘I’ve also been giving some thought about what sort of job you might be able to do if you are left with a weak ankle once the break has mended and I came up with an idea. One that I think you’d like, as it happens.’
‘Go on then,’ he muttered sullenly. The work on the railways had been hard and back-breaking at times, but for all that he’d enjoyed it and couldn’t envisage himself in any other job.
‘Carpentry!’ Nessie smiled at him as he stared at her in amazement.
‘But I’ve got no qualifications,’ he objected.
‘I know that but you certainly have a flair for it so I’m sure there’s a cabinetmaker somewhere who would give you proper training.’ She spread her hands to encompass the furniture in the room, as if to prove her point. He had carved the high-backed wooden bench that stood beside the fireplace, the shelves that held the pots and pans, he had even carved some cupboards from old wooden packing cases that they’d found at the local tip, and they’d raised many a comment because they were so beautifully finished.
His face brightened at the prospect for a second but then he frowned again. ‘An’ how would we live while I’m doing this training? An apprentice don’t get paid much, I know, an’ we have to eat an’ pay the rent.’
‘Ah well, I’ve thought about that too.’ Nessie grinned. ‘I was thinking we could perhaps ask Mrs Hewitt if she could watch Joseph during the day so that I could work as well. We’d pay her of course and it would only be until you were qualified then I probably wouldn’t have to. What do you think?’
Reuben stroked his chin as he stared ahead thoughtfully. ‘I suppose it might work,’ he admitted eventually.
‘In that case I shall go into town this very day and start to make a few enquiries,’ she said jubilantly. Anything was better than just sitting there and fretting, as far as she was concerned. And so after a lunch of bread and cheese, she left Joseph in Reuben’s care and set off for the town with a spring in her step for the first time in weeks.