probably seven or eight, Eliza thought, but she only looked five or six. Her brown eyes were underlined with smudged shadows and appeared to be far too large for her oval face; her lips quivered as though she was trying hard not to cry.
‘She’s too little,’ Eliza said, placing her arm around Millie’s shoulders. ‘She won’t have the strength to do my work.’
Mrs Tubbs seized Stinger from the wall, swishing it through the air. ‘Fancy another taste of Stinger then do you, Eliza?’
‘No, I don’t and I don’t want to work above stairs neither.’
‘Ho, don’t you? We’ll have to see about that. Bend over, girl. You watch this, Millie Turner, because this is what bad servant girls gets.’ Brandishing the cane, Mrs Tubbs advanced on Eliza.
‘Beat me again and I’ll call a copper.’
Mrs Tubbs let out a roar of laughter that made the saucepans clang together on their hooks in a carillon. ‘And who’d take any notice of a scrap of a girl like you? I’m within me rights towhip you whenever I feels like it, ain’t that right, Maisie?’
Maisie lifted her head, opening one eye. ‘Give her what for, that’s what I say.’
‘Bend over. I won’t tell you again.’ Mrs Tubbs took a step nearer to Eliza.
She stood her ground. ‘I won’t.’
Mrs Tubbs’s fat arm shot out, grabbing Eliza by the scruff of the neck, and bending her double over a stool she held her down with one hand, using the other to lift Eliza’s skirts and expose her bare buttocks. She brought the cane down hard, again and again. Millie’s terrified keening and Maisie’s drunken laughter drowned Eliza’s screams. Mrs Tubbs seemed to have lost all self-control and, for a moment, Eliza was certain that she was going to die. Then, suddenly, the beating stopped and a man’s voice was raging at Mrs Tubbs. Raising her head, Eliza saw Dr Prince snatch Stinger from her and break it across his knee.
‘That’s what I think of you, madam. You are nothing more than a sadistic bully and you should be reported to the magistrate for child cruelty.’
Sick with pain, Eliza slipped to the floor. As she tugged her skirts over her bare backside she felt something warm and sticky on her hand. It was blood. Stifling an anguished cry, she was convinced that she was dying; bleeding to death after that savage beating.
Mrs Tubbs glared at Dr Prince with narrowed eyes. ‘That’s no child. She was bleeding before I took Stinger to her. She’s begun her courses and that means she’s full grown. Do you fancy being the first to have her, Dr Prince? I’ll do you a cheap deal if you like.’
He tossed the broken pieces of the cane onto the flagstones and stamped on them. ‘Madam, you disgust me. I’m taking this child away from here and if you try to stop me, I’ll have you closed down for running a brothel.’
Mrs Tubbs recoiled as if Dr Prince has slapped her across the face, but she appeared to recover quickly. ‘One word from you, Freddie Prince, and I’ll have you arrested for peddling quack medicines.’
‘Touché!’ He clicked his heels together in a mock salute and his generous mouth curved into a wry grin. ‘It takes one scoundrel to recognise another. But,’ he added, his smiling fading, ‘I meant what I said about child cruelty. I’m taking Eliza back to her family, and if I hear you’ve been ill-treating that other poor, unfortunate little creature, then I promise you I’ll have the law on you.’
Trembling and still not fully understanding why she was bleeding and what Mrs Tubbs had meant by her ‘courses’, Eliza was more concerned about Millie than herself. She wrapped her arms around the terrified child. ‘There, there, don’t cry little Millie.’
‘Take Eliza then,’ Mrs Tubbs stormed, ‘and you can take that one as well, she’s too weak and puny to be of any use to me. You can leave her at the workhouse door on your way to finding a new lodging. I don’t want the likes of you upsetting my gentlemen
‘She’s too little,’ Eliza said, placing her arm around Millie’s shoulders. ‘She won’t have the strength to do my work.’
Mrs Tubbs seized Stinger from the wall, swishing it through the air. ‘Fancy another taste of Stinger then do you, Eliza?’
‘No, I don’t and I don’t want to work above stairs neither.’
‘Ho, don’t you? We’ll have to see about that. Bend over, girl. You watch this, Millie Turner, because this is what bad servant girls gets.’ Brandishing the cane, Mrs Tubbs advanced on Eliza.
‘Beat me again and I’ll call a copper.’
Mrs Tubbs let out a roar of laughter that made the saucepans clang together on their hooks in a carillon. ‘And who’d take any notice of a scrap of a girl like you? I’m within me rights towhip you whenever I feels like it, ain’t that right, Maisie?’
Maisie lifted her head, opening one eye. ‘Give her what for, that’s what I say.’
‘Bend over. I won’t tell you again.’ Mrs Tubbs took a step nearer to Eliza.
She stood her ground. ‘I won’t.’
Mrs Tubbs’s fat arm shot out, grabbing Eliza by the scruff of the neck, and bending her double over a stool she held her down with one hand, using the other to lift Eliza’s skirts and expose her bare buttocks. She brought the cane down hard, again and again. Millie’s terrified keening and Maisie’s drunken laughter drowned Eliza’s screams. Mrs Tubbs seemed to have lost all self-control and, for a moment, Eliza was certain that she was going to die. Then, suddenly, the beating stopped and a man’s voice was raging at Mrs Tubbs. Raising her head, Eliza saw Dr Prince snatch Stinger from her and break it across his knee.
‘That’s what I think of you, madam. You are nothing more than a sadistic bully and you should be reported to the magistrate for child cruelty.’
Sick with pain, Eliza slipped to the floor. As she tugged her skirts over her bare backside she felt something warm and sticky on her hand. It was blood. Stifling an anguished cry, she was convinced that she was dying; bleeding to death after that savage beating.
Mrs Tubbs glared at Dr Prince with narrowed eyes. ‘That’s no child. She was bleeding before I took Stinger to her. She’s begun her courses and that means she’s full grown. Do you fancy being the first to have her, Dr Prince? I’ll do you a cheap deal if you like.’
He tossed the broken pieces of the cane onto the flagstones and stamped on them. ‘Madam, you disgust me. I’m taking this child away from here and if you try to stop me, I’ll have you closed down for running a brothel.’
Mrs Tubbs recoiled as if Dr Prince has slapped her across the face, but she appeared to recover quickly. ‘One word from you, Freddie Prince, and I’ll have you arrested for peddling quack medicines.’
‘Touché!’ He clicked his heels together in a mock salute and his generous mouth curved into a wry grin. ‘It takes one scoundrel to recognise another. But,’ he added, his smiling fading, ‘I meant what I said about child cruelty. I’m taking Eliza back to her family, and if I hear you’ve been ill-treating that other poor, unfortunate little creature, then I promise you I’ll have the law on you.’
Trembling and still not fully understanding why she was bleeding and what Mrs Tubbs had meant by her ‘courses’, Eliza was more concerned about Millie than herself. She wrapped her arms around the terrified child. ‘There, there, don’t cry little Millie.’
‘Take Eliza then,’ Mrs Tubbs stormed, ‘and you can take that one as well, she’s too weak and puny to be of any use to me. You can leave her at the workhouse door on your way to finding a new lodging. I don’t want the likes of you upsetting my gentlemen
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