Every day for a week, Richard Wyndham had visited the Bell Inn with arms full of flowers for Ann Felton. He watched the armour with which she had surrounded herself slowly begin to crack. He was sure he was winning her over with his charm and good looks and he was desperate for her to forgive him his indiscretion of speaking about her behind her back.
Lord Wyndham felt wretched about how badly he had treated the girl despite her being just a kitchen maid. He had not been raised to be so disrespectful to a woman, no matter her status in life. He knew his parents would chastise him for this dreadful behaviour, which caused him to feel even more distress. He also realised that he should be back in the shire tending to his tenant farmers and his business, but he could not bring himself to leave the Black Country town until he had made amends with Ann Felton.
The beautiful young girl had not left his thoughts and, the more he saw her, the more he wanted her. He had no idea whether she would ever feel the same for him, but he continued to live in hope.
The fact that they were on different social levels was a constant reminder each time he visited the Bell, but Wyndham pushed it aside. It was not his intention to merely have a dalliance with this young woman and then drop her like a stone when he returned home. He had no idea how he could make a relationship like this work, but he was determined to try. Richard Wyndham was beginning to realise how much Ann had come to mean to him in such a short time, and how much he stood to lose if he pursued the notion of a long term relationship.
Ann too had realised the wall she’d built around herself was crumbling. She had thought of nothing but Richard Wyndham this past week. She found herself looking forward to his visits and she smiled as she looked around her at the flowers now filling the pub. She could not deny she found him extremely attractive and he was trying his best not to upset her in any way. Was it time she gave in to his constant requests for her to have dinner with him?
He had taken to having his drink in the snug with her friends and she laughed at the banter now taking place between them all.
‘Sure, Annie, if you’ll not dine out with Mr Wyndham, I will be happy to take your place so I will,’ Mary said with a grin.
‘He wouldn’t want you,’ Len said.
‘Maybe not, but you wouldn’t turn your nose up, I’ll be betting,’ Mary replied.
Gladys glared at her husband, daring him to respond to Mary’s words.
Seeing the look, Len wisely kept his mouth shut.
Then with a hand on his heart, Wyndham said, ‘Ann, please, please say you will have dinner with me. Please!’
‘All right, Mr Wyndham, I will have dinner with you,’ Ann finally relented, ‘provided it’s all right with Gladys.’
‘I don’t mind, yer can work yer afternoon off instead,’ Gladys grinned.
‘Thank you, I will collect you at seven sharp tomorrow night.’ Lord Wyndham beamed as he left the public house to the applause of all the women.
Ann looked at her friends who were sat in the snug and she studied them each in turn as they chatted quietly. In the three years she had known them, they had shown her nothing but kindness and Ann’s heart melted with fondness and gratitude.
There was Maisie Bancroft, with her auburn hair which glistened in the light from the gas lamps. Her dark eyes held a sparkle as she laughed. She too had been left an orphan when in her late teens and unfortunately couldn’t find work, so she had kept herself alive by selling her body to any who were willing to pay well enough.
Ann recalled how she, herself, had begged for food and clothing when she was turned out of her home.
Ann’s eyes moved to Patsy Somerton – the outspoken one. Never afraid to speak her mind, she was brassy, with blonde hair which was always piled up untidily on her head. Her blue eyes shot ice when she was riled and there was no mistaking what her profession was. Her face was always painted and her décolletage showing more than was proper, at least in Ann’s opinion. Her voice was loud but often held a joke to brighten someone’s day. Patsy’s heart was as big as her blousy personality.
Ann then watched Florence Darton, known to all as Floss. She was quite timid, with brown hair which bounced as she turned this way and that. Ann wondered how she managed out on the street, being such a gentle soul. Floss came from a fairly well-to-do family who had arranged her marriage to a man twice her age. She had known the man was only after the dowry that came with her. Begging her parents not to force the marriage upon her, all her pleading fell on deaf ears. So, gathering her courage, she had run away, vowing never to return and to feed and take care of herself; she had turned to the streets.
Mary Reed with her fiery titian hair stood no nonsense from anyone. She was independent and went her own way regardless of what others thought. Mary’s Irish lilt gave her what others saw as an easy going nature, but when her temper flared, folk moved quickly out of the way. Her parents had come to England in 1852, during the great potato famine in Ireland. Settled here, their family increased and thirteen children were born, and amazingly all survived. Mary had moved out of the cramped home as soon as she was old enough – yet another having to find work on the streets.
Ella and Eve Hall were sisters and both were quiet. Mousy brown hair in disarray, they listened to the conversation going on around them. Eve was the younger of the two and she and Ella got along surprisingly well. They shared the renting of a two-up, two-down house a few streets away. They were private girls and no one knew much about their lives previous to their appearing on the street corner. Well liked among the group, they too, had hearts of gold.
Ann watched them all now laughing and giving the landlord hell. She knew they were grateful for his providing somewhere for them to go during the hours they were not working; she also knew Len Pritchard loved to have them in his pub.
Leaving the bar quietly, Ann returned to the kitchen.
‘So you’m going out with ’im after all then?’ Gladys asked as she followed behind.
Ann nodded.
‘You just mind what you’m doin’, my girl!’ Gladys snapped but with an underlying fondness Ann had rarely witnessed.
Plunging her hands into the water in the sink, Ann began her task of washing the dishes, but she was all of a flutter and couldn’t concentrate on her work.
‘Come on, Ann! I need them plates as you’m supposed to be washin’,’ Gladys called out in the steamy kitchen.
Ann grabbed the tea cloth and dried the plates before handing them to an exasperated Gladys.
Yet again, peals of laughter erupted from the snug.
‘Christ A’mighty! I swear I’ll do fer that man, you see if I don’t!’
Ann smiled, knowing Gladys thrived on telling her husband off for his philandering. Beneath the constant bickering, there was still something that held the couple together, and Ann guessed each would be lost without the other.
Shuffling out of the kitchen, Gladys’s voice bounced off the walls. ‘I ain’t puttin’ up with this much longer, Leonard Pritchard!’
Silence descended and Ann sneaked along the short corridor to watch the show she knew was coming.
The girls were sitting quietly when Gladys entered the small room and Len was polishing a glass, whistling a little tune.
‘If you lot don’t behave, I’ll shut this bloody snug down, you mark my words!’ Gladys waved a finger across the room. ‘And you can get yer arse in that cellar and do some bleedin’ work for a change!’ Her words aimed at her husband, Gladys stood waiting.
‘Certainly, my little turtle dove,’ Len mumbled.
Rolling her eyes, Gladys turned back towards the kitchen.
Ann sped back along the passage and was putting the kettle to boil as her employer ambled in.
‘Bloody men! I ’ope as Mr Wyndham is better than the one I got! Just you be careful, Annie, keep yer ’and on yer ’appeny!’
Ann tittered at the way Gladys had warned her to be chaste and ladylike and not to give in to any demands made on her.
‘I will, Gladys,’ she said.
Later that evening, Ann was sorting through her clothes to find something respectable for her evening out with Richard Wyndham and realised she had very little in the way of Sunday best. Picking out an old black dress she laid it on the bed. Oh dear, it will look like I’m in mourning!
Just then a knock came to the door, making her jump. No one ever came to her door – no one except Len Pritchard.
‘Go away, Len, I’ve told you before!’ she yelled.
‘It ain’t Len, our Annie; it’s me, Maisie.’
Opening the door, Ann saw the woman who she had bantered with in the bar on her return from the market.
‘Oh, Maisie, I thought it was “Lecherous Len” again!’ Ann giggled. ‘Come in.’
Staring at the black dress on the bed, Maisie shook her head. ‘Oh blimey, is that the best you got?’ she asked, tipping her head at the offending article.
Ann nodded.
‘You can’t be going out in that, girl! Not with somebody like Mr Wyndham. Bloody hell, he’s quite a catch!’ Maisie wiped imaginary sweat from her brow.
Sighing loudly, Ann said, ‘In that case, there’s nothing for it; I just won’t go.’
‘What did you say?!’ Maisie spun the girl to face her. ‘Look here, when was the last time you was took out to dinner? Never!’ Seeing Ann’s nod, she went on. ‘Right then. Here, I brought this for yer, it should fit as we’m about the same size.’ Passing over a box, Maisie smiled. ‘I was glad when I heard you agree to going out with Mr Wyndham, but I guessed you’d ’ave nowt to wear. So, I popped home and brought this for you to borrow.’
‘You shouldn’t have, Maisie,’ Ann said but was grateful to her friend for thinking of her.
‘It was only to Queen Street; just down the road,’ Maisie waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.
Ann peeped inside and saw a navy blue velvet gown. She gasped as she drew it out of the box carefully. The bodice fit where it touched as she tried it on; the skirt gathered on one side at the waist then dropped to her shoes. A silver lizard brooch was pinned near one of the capped sleeves.
‘Oh, Maisie, it’s beautiful! How did you manage to…’ Ann stopped short, realising what she was about to ask about where her friend had got the dress could be seen as prying.
Maisie smiled, assuring Ann she was not at all offended. ‘One of my gentlemen bought it for me.’ Then Maisie’s head rocked up and down slowly as she walked around Ann. ‘Lovely, Ann, bloody lovely! Now, get your hair washed and tomorrow I’ll come and fix it up for you.’
Slipping the gown off and laying it on the bed, Ann hugged her friend. ‘Thank you, Maisie, thank you so much!’
*
The following day after much hard work, Ann retired to her bedroom to get ready. True to her word, Maisie arrived and pinned Ann’s hair up in a chignon at the back before retiring back downstairs to the snug.
The girls all trooped outside to see Ann step out of the pub’s dingy doorway.
‘She looks so beautiful,’ Floss murmured, her genteel voice barely more than a whisper.
Richard was waiting outside too, standing by the cab he had arrived in. He was bowled over when he saw Ann walk towards him. She was a delight to behold. Helping her into the cab, he said over the noise of the applause from the girls, ‘Albert Hotel, please, driver.’
When they arrived, Ann was escorted to the centre table in the dining room of the hotel. Every eye in the room was directed at her. Never having been in a place this grand, she felt distinctly uncomfortable but was determined not to show it. Wine was poured and food presented and Richard Wyndham put her at her ease with his quiet chatter.
Ann was glad now her parents had been insistent she learn good table manners, although the range of cutlery laid out perplexed her a little. Occasionally glancing around, she soon realised which of the shiny implements she should use.
Ann was mesmerised by the smile on the face of the man she was having dinner with. His brown eyes shone in the lamplight and crinkled at the corners when he laughed. Even, white teeth showed clear and bright; his skin held a tan from many hours spent in the sunshine. He listened attentively when she spoke, which told her he was interested in what she had to say.
Thinking her life dull and boring, Ann was reluctant at first to reveal anything about herself. However, it was not long before she was telling him everything.
‘I was made an orphan when I was little and I had to live hand to mouth out on the streets. Then, fortunately, I secured the job at the Bell Inn.’
‘Ann, it must have been dreadful, you are such a brave woman,’ Richard said, his heart going out to her.
They laughed together when she changed the subject and told him about Gladys and Len and their love-hate relationship.
‘Gladys most definitely loves to hate Len! He flirts with the women but it’s all a show; he only does it to annoy Gladys.’ Ann said with a small shake of her head.
She told him of the girls he’d already met who frequented the snug and how they rallied to protect her. Ann’s love for these women was evident by the way she spoke about them.
Richard was in his element; here he was having the time of his life with the woman who had enchanted him. His eyes never left her as she talked; he wanted every curve of her face imprinted on his brain. Every smile, each word; he wanted to remember everything about her so as to enjoy her in his mind when they weren’t together. Feeling very comfortable with Ann, he began to tell her about himself.
Richard Wyndham, Viscount of Shrewsbury, lived in North Shropshire overseeing a vast estate given over to him by his father. His parents resided in the south of the county where the Earl managed his own massive farming lands.Many farmers and dairymen relied on the good nature of this young Viscount, who turned a blind eye when they hunted the odd deer on his land to support their diet. He often bought some of their produce too for use in his own household. He encouraged them to keep down the rabbit population for fear of the ground being left in holes and a danger to horses. Moles also were kept in check due to their tunnels undermining the land. Lord Wyndham knew each of his tenant farmers by name and was always welcomed warmly on his frequent visits.
The evening wore on and all too soon they were in the carriage on the way back to the Bell.
‘Thank you for a lovely evening,’ Ann said, the darkness covering her blushes.
‘Thank you, Ann, for agreeing to come out with me. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope we can do this again very soon.’ Richard kissed the back of her hand before seeing her safely inside.
Ann swept into her bedroom in a daze, only to be faced with none other than Len Pritchard sitting on her bed.
‘Well now, look at you all dolled up!’ he said drunkenly.
Ann saw the feral grin on his face in the lamplight.
‘What do you think you’re doing in my room?’ she snapped.
‘Oh, I came to see if you’d had a nice time and to collect my payment.’ His grin broadened.
‘What payment?’ Ann already knew the answer to her question by the leer crossing his face.
‘You don’t think I’d let you off work without some compensation, do you?’ Len licked his lips in anticipation.
‘You’ll get nothing from me, Len Pritchard, and well you know it!’ Ann pulled the door open wider as a sign for him to leave.
Len moved towards her.
‘All right, if that’s how you want to play it,’ Ann said, but before she could turn and walk out of the room, Len had grabbed her around the waist. He pressed his thick slobbery lips against hers.
Ann tried to push him away, but the man was too strong. He was pawing at her body and Ann felt the sickness rise to her throat. Len ran a wet tongue up her neck as she struggled to free herself.
‘Get off me!’ she growled in his ear. ‘Get away from me this instant!’
She heard him laugh, which turned to a gurgle as she brought her knee up sharply. Immediately, she was released as Len bent over cupping his groin and groaning.
‘Annie, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it! Aww Annie, I d’aint mean to scare you!’ He managed between gasps of pain.
Seeing her chance, Ann fled from the room and marched down the hall, banging loudly on Gladys’s bedroom door whilst yelling, ‘Gladys! Get your filthy husband out of my room – NOW!’
In an instant, the woman was out of the door in time to see her husband slink out of Ann’s room. All hell broke loose as she began to berate and beat Len with her fists for not being in his own bed at that time of night.
Ann rushed back into her room and quickly wedged the chair beneath the door handle. As she undressed for bed, she thought about the wonderful time she’d had with Richard Wyndham, only to be spoiled by ‘Lecherous Len’.
Snuggled beneath the covers, Ann made her decision – it was time to move on. She had finally had enough.
When morning dawned, Ann was already out of bed. Throwing her few belongings into a small carpet bag, she carried it downstairs to the kitchen, the box with Maisie’s dress under her arm.
Gladys, bustling and mumbling, cast her a glance, and Ann said, ‘Would you be kind enough to give this box back to Maisie for me?’
‘No. Give it her yourself!’ the woman snapped.
‘I won’t be here. I’m leaving – right now.’ Ann saw surprise register on Gladys’s face and went on, ‘I can’t and won’t put up with Len any more! I don’t know how you live with him, Gladys!’
‘I ain’t got nobody else. I know what he’s like, Annie, but I also know it’s usually all show. He does it to rile me and I bite back to rile him. It’s the way we’ve allus been with each other. Having said that, he overstepped the mark with you and I told him straight, one more incident such as that an’ he’d be out on his ear! The trouble is, I can’t do without him,’ the woman said miserably as she plopped herself onto a chair.
‘Oh, Gladys!’ Ann’s heart went out to her. ‘I’m sorry but he took a step too far with me and now the only thing I can do is leave.’
‘I’ll be sorry to see you go, lass, but I can see the need. Where you off to?’
Shaking her head, Ann said quietly, ‘I’m not sure, Gladys, but after last night I have to leave this place.’
To her surprise, the woman who had been her employer for the last three years stood and gave her a hug. ‘If life gets too ’ard for you, come back ’ere to me.’
Nodding, Ann picked up her bag and walked free from her life in the Bell Inn.
She didn’t hear Gladys yelling at her husband for the part he had played in losing the best kitchen maid they’d ever had.