Authors: Sylvia Burton
‘It’s coming. Oh Ellie, its coming’, shouted Jenny, loosening her grip on the towels and putting both hands between her legs.
Bet took away Jenny’s hands and said, her voice strangely gentle, ‘come on lass, let’s have a look’.
Bet could see the baby’s head. ‘You barn’s nearly here lass. When you feel like ‘pushing’, push for all you worth. You’ll be all right love, you’ll see’.
Jenny let out a moan, which promptly turned into a grunt. She pushed. Her face turned bright red and her eyes almost popped out, and there was the baby’s head. Ellie could see the red hair and she felt a rush of excitement. She rubbed Jenny’s
hand, as she gave another push, then another.
‘One more lass and that should do it.
eh, it’s got ginger hair’, said Bet, smiling broadly, ‘it’s a good job you husband’s got ginger hair, eh!?’
Jenny pushed once more, her face the colour of beetroot. ‘Aaagh!’ she cried.
Her head fell back onto the pillow as the baby shot out into the Bet's strong hands. ‘It’s a girl! Well, by the heck, I could have sworn you were having a boy. But there you are, it’s a girl, and a bonny one, an all’.
Ellie had not realised that she had been holding her breath, until now, as she let it out, with relief.
‘Oh Jenny, did you hear? You have a lovely little girl’.
She wrapped the child in a piece of sheet and placed the little mite in her mother’s arms.
Jenny held the baby to her heart and wept. ‘I don’t know how I will ever thank you. You have both been wonderful’. She turned her gaze to Bet. ‘Really, you have been so good, thank you so much’.
Bet stood there in her old, drab, clothes and scruffy tangled hair and beamed at Ellie. ‘I didn’t do so bad after all, did I?’
Ellie answered her with a smile of genuine affection. ‘Bet, you were marvellous. How would I have managed without you?’
Ellie sat by the bed with Jenny while Bet tied and cut the umbilical cord and gave the baby, once more, to Jenny. She cleaned up the mess and made two pots of tea.
‘I’ll be off then. When that Midwife gets here, tell her she had better watch out for her job cause if she’s not careful, I’ll have it off her’. She called ‘ta’ra’, as she closed the door.
Jenny couldn’t take her eyes away from the baby. All the ter
rible pain was now forgotten.
‘Is y
our real name Ellen?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Ellen Windsor’, she said, and felt proud of her name.
‘Well, Ellen Windsor, my daughter is to be named Sophie but I would like to give her a second name. Would you mind if I gave her your name? If you hadn’t come here today, who knows what may have happened to her? Or me for that matter?’
Ellie was flattered and she had to admit, very, pleased. She put her hands to the back of her neck and unfastened the clasp of the chain.
‘I want Sophie to have this pendent. My Mother gave it to me when I left home, to work at the Courtney Residence, and I think it fitting that I make a gift of it to your lovely daughter.
‘Oh Ellie, no I couldn’t let you do that. What would your mother think?’
‘My mother would understand and she would be proud of me tonight. Please take it. It’s important that you do’.
She held out the chain and Jenny no longer hesitated, but accepted the gift for her baby.
‘All I can say is ‘thank you’.
Ellie stayed with Jenny until Mark returned. He was surprised and overjoyed to see his wife, sitting up in bed, with his tiny daughter snuggled up to her breast. He slowly went towards the bed and gave her a kiss, tears of joy running down his face.
Ellie looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, it was eight o’clock and she had been here for five hours. ‘I really do have to go now. Missus Blunt will wonder what has happened to me’.
Jenny held out her hand to her new friend, ‘Ellie, I will always be grateful to you and I’ll never forget your kindness to me. Will you visit us sometimes?’
‘Yes Jenny, of course I will. How else will I know how my little Sophie Ellen is fairing?’
Mark looked up in surprise, ‘Ellen? Yes I like it’.
Ellie donned her cape, picked up the empty basket and left for Thornton Avenue.
Chapter
Thirteen
Ellie was about half way to Thornton Avenue when she had a strange feeling of foreboding. She quickened her step, not daring to turn around. Too late she realised that someone was following her.
The road was dark, with little light from the gas lamps, and Ellie forced herself to turn around, straining to see through the dimness. She saw no one.
As she quickened her stride, two strong hands grabbed her, roughly, from behind and pulled her into a nearby alley. She screamed and kicked her assailant but he was too strong for her. A callused hand was clamped across her mouth to prevent her screams and she was dragged, still kicking, to the ground.
She could feel the man’s breath on her face and the foul smell of ale washed over her. She knew she had to get away, but how? He had her pinned down and was already fumbling under her petticoat. She held her legs tightly together as her hand reached out, searching for something with which to defend herself.
Desperately, her fingers clawed around, at last finding a stone but already she feared it might be too late. The man had his face against hers, his rough bristle scratching her skin as he ripped wide her legs.
God help me
, she silently prayed.
The hand, which had covered her mouth, was, suddenly, no longer there as the man used both hands to pull at her drawers.
Ellie let out a blood curdling scream, the sound reverberating down the road.
The rough hands clawed at her skin whilst his mouth bit at her neck. Ellie continued to struggle, but could not prevent his bloated body pressing, ever closer, to her own.
Suddenly, everything changed. For a moment she didn’t know what was happening. She was no longer being restrained. Her attacker was, somehow, flying through the air. She tried to stand up but, for the first time, felt a sharp pain in her leg and could only sit on the ground trying to catch her breath.
She didn’t have to wait long. The man ran for his life, limping into the night, and left Ellie dazed and distressed. It was then that she heard a voice seeming to come from far away.
‘Are you all right Miss? My God, I don’t know what the world’s coming to when this kind of thing can happen’.
A gently hand lifted her chin, then, Ellie heard his sharp intake of breath.
‘Ellie? Is it you? Oh Lord, are you hurt?’ He cradled her in his arms and whispered, ‘if he’s done you harm, I’ll kill the cowardly blaggard’.
She strove to see, though a misty veil of tears, and there in front of her, was Richard.
When, at last, she found her voice, it was hoarse.
‘Oh Richard. Thank God you came along, I don’t know how long I could have fought him’, she said, trying to get to her feet.
‘Stay where you are, for a moment, Ellie. You were near to fainting and I want to make sure you are well before you stand’.
His concern was genuine and Ellie felt a flow of gratitude towards him. Of course, he would have helped anyone in the same situation. Any special concern he felt was because she was a member of his family’s
household staff. Nevertheless, she was relieved to see him.
Now, regaining some of her strength, she said, ‘you have been most kind Sir. Now I really must be going, Missus Blunt will be worried about me, being out so late’.
‘Yes, I wondered about that. What are you doing around here, Ellie?
‘I was on an errand for Cook, and was just on my way back’.
She said nothing about where or how long she had been. She was simply too weary.
‘You should be all right now. The colour is back in your cheeks’. He helped her to her feet, ‘do you feel steady enough to walk Ellie?’
‘Yes, I feel fine now, thank you’.
Although he was on his way to a rendezvous with a young ‘lady’ of questionable virtue, and very keen to see her, Richard was reluctant to let the girl go back to the house alone.
‘I am going to accompany you home and you will inform Missus Blunt that I said you are to go straight to bed’.
He stopped her as she began to protest, ‘no Ellie, listen to me. You may feel quite all right, at the moment, but there is such a thing as ‘delayed shock’ so we need to be cautious.
She did not attempt to argue with him, as he flagged down a passing cab and helped her into it, covering her knees with the fringed rug.
The journey was only a short one but one which Richard would not easily forget.
As he sat close to Ellie, sensing her still racing heartbeat and had the, almost irresistible, desire to hold her in his arms and kiss her soft, pink lips. He wanted to tell her how much she had been in his thoughts, ever since the day when she had served him breakfast and how, after having set eyes on her, he had lost all interest in Elizabeth Goodyear, much to his mother’s disappointment.
He had seen her around the house and gardens on several occasions and had wanted to speak to her. Som
ehow, he was always afraid to. Afraid? It was well known that Richard Courtney was afraid of no one, not even his father, who was a master of discipline. Yet, he had to admit, he was afraid of this little scullery maid ‘from nowhere’.
Deep in the recess of his mind, he knew he was afraid of her rejection. He had been rejected before, by young women he had propositioned, and taken it with a shrug but if Ellie should do the same, he didn’t know if he could be so philosophical.
His instincts told him, that Ellie would only settle for marriage, and it wasn’t marriage that Richard had in mind. Had it been so, marriage to such a girl would be out of the question. His parents would never allow it. Still, he was obsessed with the girl and could do nothing but think about her.
They had reached home and were turning into the driveway, when Richard asked, ‘can you manage from here Ellie? If you’re sure you’re all right, I can take the cab and be on my way’.
‘Yes Sir, of course, and thank you again for your help. I’m really very grateful’, she said, as she stepped down from the cab.
Ellie looked much better. To him, she looked like the most wonderful, desirable and beautiful woman on earth. However, Richard thought,
but, sadly, not for me
’.
As the cab began to move, his heart was singing. He looked very much like a young boy as thought about her and smiled.
‘She called me Richard!’ he said, incredulously.
‘Beg pardon Sir?’ said the driver, from above Richard’s head.
‘Nothing Driver. Carry on’. He laughed and his smile was broad.
As Ellie entered the kitchen, she heard the cab driving off into the night. She never thought she would see the day when she would have been glad to call this house ‘home’.
She was to relay, to Missus Blunt all the events of the day, at Jenny’s house but said nothing of her attack or her encounter with Master Richard.
Cook showed her gratitude to Ellie by telling her she should not come down to work, the next day, until eight o’clock.
‘You look a little tired
dear’, then added, ‘and so you should with all you have done today. Get yourself off to bed and I’ll save you some breakfast in the morning’.
Ellie, gratefully, did as she was told but sleep did not come for some time. When it did, it was only to relive the nightmare of her attack, and in her dreams it was Richard, the attacker, with no kind gentleman to save her.
Chapter
Fourteen
The household set off for the country on Saturday, the first day of September, and everyone was rushing around doing the last ‘bits and pieces’. Ellie and Kate, having none of their usual work to do, had been assigned to the packing of picnic baskets for the journey.
Kate was in an exuberant mood, overflowing with good spirits, so much so that Cook was quite lenient with her.
‘If you laugh too much, my girl, it’s said that you’ll end up weeping', but she, herself, laughed at the scullery maid’s enthusiasm.
The two friends were wearing their new walking out clothes and matching bonnets. Kate could never get anything right and, at the moment, her bonnet was so loosely fastened that the whole thing had become ‘lop sided’, and once more, she looked quite ridiculous.
There was a holiday feeling in the air and even Miss Maud was reasonable with everyone. Not with Ellie, of course, but at least she did not find cause to reprimand her as was her habit.
It had been decided that Miss Maud would not be needed at
York so she had been given the opportunity to take leave at this time. As she had no family living, she had decided to stay at the town house with William and, because of this, it was decided that there would be no need to bring in some local woman to take care of the Butler.
Cook was not at all pleased about these arrangements but when she had mentioned her objections to William he had dismissed her protests, with a sharp word.
‘Good heavens woman, it will only be for
one
week. You will be back before you know it. Seeing that his tone had upset her, he now spoke with gentle persuasion.
‘Come Rose, it will do you good to get away from me for a little while. I will still be here, grumpy as ever, when you get back. You can be sure of that.
Where else would I find someone as kind as you to look after me? You surely don’t think I would be satisfied with the likes of Miss Maud for very long, do you?’
These few words made all the difference to Missus Blunt. And the fact that he had called her 'Rose' was not lost on her.
Could it be that he, at last, had some kind of love for her?
As she thought about this, she worked with a song in her heart and was quite looking forward to the change of scenery.
At
twelve o’clock, everyone congregated in the front garden, each with their own personal belongings. William and Miss Maud were also there to wave them off.
Someone called, ‘are you all ready then?’
A cry of ‘hooray!’ went up from the, dozen or so, people standing in the driveway and they set off to walk the two miles to the railway station.
They were all looking forward to the visit, some of them never having had a holiday and, although they had been told not to consider the journey as such, the girls could hardly help but do so.
They arrived at the railway station, where they boarded the steam train, which would take them to York. The locomotive seemed to take ‘forever’ to reach their destination. However, the girls enjoyed their first experience of the steam engine, and gazed with wonder at the green countryside as the train passed went along.
Here and there were herds of cows, the odd farmhouse with chickens running around, and they were fascinated to see a flock of sheep being herded into pens by the farmer and his dogs.
The highlight of the journey was the picnic baskets. Everything tasted so much nicer than when the same thing was eaten in the kitchen, or so it appeared. Eating, as the train clanged and swayed, was so exciting.
As they alighted from the train in
York station they found a number of horse drawn carts waiting for them and soon they were on their way to the country house and the adjoining farm. When they were within sight of the Courtney property, they saw the house, tall and elegant, basking in the late summer sunshine. Across the spectacular, landscape, they could see the animals grazing in the fields and Ellie was aware of the constant noise of the birds, about to fly off to warmer climes.
On arrival at the house, Ellie and Kate were allocated a large bedroom with a double bed, in which they both were to sleep. Kate was ecstatic. The room was much nicer than the one at home. Under the window, which was made up of small square panes, there stood a dressing table and, although they were pleased it was there, neither of them had anything to put on the pine top.
In all truth, they did not know for certain, what should actually sit there? Ellie shrugged her shoulders.
‘We must have led a sheltered life Kate’.
They both laughed at this and started to look inside the many drawers, both disappointed, at find only floral lining paper.
They worked from, almost non-stop from their arrival, through Sunday and Monday and, though the work was not so hard, it seemed to be little different from
Leeds.
They had, so far, had one consolation. The view, when they arose from their night’s sleep, was wondrous to
behold. The bedroom was not in the attic, as it was at home, but had a real window, which they could open and breathe in the fresh, clean air. There was no smoke here but a thin mist, which hovered over damp fields. Ellie felt the ‘pureness’ of the county and wished she could live here, always.
The day was Tuesday, and the girls had been working since seven that morning, so they were pleased to be given the rest of the day off as most of the family were out visiting friends and were not expected back until after dinner.
Cook had said, ‘you may as well have a look around and enjoy your freedom while you can. I will see to any work that has to be done, there will be little of it, so I will easily manage.
As the girls were leaving, Missus Blunt called after them, ‘see you have a good time, now’.
‘Thank you’, they replied, as they almost skipped out of the door.
After walking, for almost an hour, they came upon the biggest tree they had ever seen, so decided to rest there.
Thin streams of sunlight filtered through the branches, projecting a pattern beneath, where the two girls were sitting.
‘Tell me, once more, about your family, Ellie’.
‘What is there to tell Kate? I’ve told you the little there is’, she said, smiling at her friend.
‘Oh Ellie, tell me again.
Please.
I enjoy it so much’.
‘Well, there was something I was told, which made me smile, even though it was quiet serious for Harry’, said Ellie as a whimsical look appeared in her beautiful eyes.
‘It was shortly after I started work at the Courtney residence’, she continued, ‘it appeared that Harry had found a small wild mouse which he had named ‘Whiskers’. He used to feed it with any bits of food he could find and felt responsible for the little mite. One cold morning he found the poor thing dead in the cardboard box, which he had used as a bed for the creature. He was so upset, he wept for hours. Mother felt sorry for him and tried to pacify him as best she could. She said she would give the mouse a Christian burial later that day when they were all at school.
As soon as he had left the house, mother went outside to the lavatory
yard, and with a piece of paper as protection, gingerly picked up the stiffened animal. It was very tiny but Mother could hardly bear to touch it so, as quickly as she could, dropped it into the hole in the bench and flushed it away with a bucket of water.
What she
didn’t
know was that Harry had come back home, for a forgotten pencil, and seen Mother going into the yard. Having followed her, he witnessed what she had done, but knowing he would get into trouble if she saw him there, he slipped back out of the yard and went to school.
The following Sunday, Aunt Dora asked him why he looked so glum. Harry burst out, ‘Why did Whiskers have to die Aunt Dora?’
Aunt Dora said, in her kindly way, ‘I expect it was because he was poorly, love’.
Harry’s eyes had filled with tears and Aunt Dora hugged him and told him not to cry because ‘Whiskers’ had gone to Jesus.
Harry looked up at Aunt Dora, with his eyes wide, and asked, ‘Does Jesus live in the ‘water closet then, Auntie?’
Ellie’s smile was now a little saddened as she thought of her young brother.
‘Oh Ellie what did your aunt say then?’ asked Kate feeling sorry for little Harry.
‘Poor Aunt Dora was unable to answer. I don’t know that I could either’, said Ellie, but felt both sorry and amused by the incident.
They sat quietly for a while, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on their faces, Ellie picking the tiny daisies and placing them in her pinafore.
‘It’s like another world here, isn’t it Kate?’ she said, threading daisies into a long chain. Kate nodded, dreamily. When Ellie had finished the ‘daisy chain’, she fastened the ends together, and then placed it over Kate’s black curls.
‘There, you look like a princess waiting for your prince to come’.
‘There’ll be no prince for me Ellie. Not ever’.
‘Don’t talk nonsense. You’re a nice looking girl and one day someone is going to come along and ask you to marry him, and you will live happily ever after’.
‘No Ellie, that’s not for me’. Kate lay there, her face serious and without a sign that she meant her remarks to be amusing. Ellie was surprised by what Kate had said.
‘You mean you don’t wish to marry. Not ever?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean Ellie. That is, I don’t want to marry in the usual sense of the word’, she said with a far away look on her face.
‘I do want to marry, but I want to be married to Christ’.
Ellie, for a moment, did not grasp what her friend was saying, and then she realised what Kate actually meant.
‘Oh Kate. You want to be a nun, is that it?’
‘That’s it Ellie’, she laughed, ‘for my sins’.
‘I don’t imagine you have any sins Kate’.
‘Oh yes I have.
I once stole three eggs’ she said, mischievously, a giggle escaping her lips.
Ellie laughed, ‘oh
dear, it was awful wasn’t it?’ she said. ‘It was a long time ago but not very funny at the time, eh?’
‘No, not funny at all Ellie, but I’ve changed since then. Now I
know
what I want. And it is because of you that I am the way I am. It was you who taught me to read and write and the Bible taught me the rest’.
‘You have changed Kate, but you are still the same, good natured girl who first befriended me’. Ellie felt the tears prick the back of her eyes. She swallowed hard.
‘Do you mean it, about being a nun? Really Kate?’
With her eyes closed, Kate nodded. As she opened them, Ellie saw the truth. Right there, in her eyes.
Ellie felt touched. Feelings of, both sadness, and happiness enveloped her as she reached out and found Kate’s hand.
‘If that’s what you want from life Kate, you must give it your best efforts. I will always be here for you no matter what you decide to do. And I think that Jesus is very fortunate to have you as his bride’. With that, they were silent, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
Over the past two years, Ellie had learnt much of Kate’s past. How her parents had died of TB in
Dublin when she was only two years old. Her Grandmother had died long ago and her Grandfather was too old, and infirm, to care for her. The only other relative was an Aunt, married to a Yorkshire man, and living in Leeds. They had, reluctantly, agreed to take Kate to England, and bring her up as their own child.
For three years they gave her shelter, along with food and clothing, but not once, in all those years, had they shown her love. How could they? They had none to give. The had agreed, when they had first married, that they didn’t want children, yet here they were saddled with an orphan child, and they didn’t take kindly to the idea. They decided that three years was more than enough.
They solved their problem by taking Kate, at the tender age of five, to the workhouse. No questions were asked when the heartless pair said that she was no relation to them and that they had found her, and cared for her, until they could no longer afford to do so. After all, who would ever know the truth? They were the only family she had, here in England, so there was no one to dispute their story.
Poor little Kate had to learn to work in that cold, unfeeling place. There were many unwanted children there, and others who live there with their families. The families lived in the same workhouse, but were separated according to their gender. Men and women were not allowed to mix at any time. The rules were very strict in the workhouse. There were some women, of course, who would manage to ‘sneak away’ in the night and slip through an open window, to meet up with their men folk.
Small children, up to the age of six, were usually left with their mothers, but unfortunately, children without a family were treated less kindly. Scorned by the other children, the orphans mostly kept to themselves but, on occasions, some aging prostitute would befriend them or travelling men, who were there ‘short term’. These poor little mites received any show of kindness with gratitude.