Amelia asked, frowning.
“Have I met her before?”
“Not so as I know, mum,” Mrs. Edley replied. “I’ve got
nothing against her, mind, but she’s come right up to the front door, bold as
brass. I know I’m new at being in service but even I see that she should’ve
come round to the kitchen door.”
“Did she say what she wanted?”
“No, mum.”
“I will see her.” Amelia set down the botanist’s journal
that Thaddeus had brought her. “You could bring us some tea.”
“That one can have a glass of buttermilk and be thankful,”
Mrs. Edley retorted, forgetting herself again. An extremely disapproving sniff
accompanied the comment.
“Nonetheless. She’s likely cold and wet from the rain. Tea
would do her good,” Amelia insisted.
“As you say, mum,” Mrs. Edley said dourly. She opened the
door and gestured to the woman waiting outside. “Please to come in, Mrs. Knox.
Miss Horton will see you.”
A well-worn middle-aged woman entered the front room,
looking ill-at-ease but fiercely determined. Her sharp chin stuck out at a
belligerent angle and Amelia couldn’t tell if the skirmish with Mrs. Edley had
brought on the pugnaciousness or if the woman was just uncomfortable with her
mission. The thin woman dropped an awkward curtsy and when Amelia indicated
that she should sit, Mrs. Knox sat on the edge of a chair holding her straw bag
on her lap like a shield.
“While we are waiting for the tea to arrive, Mrs. Knox,
please be so kind as to inform me how may I be of service,” Amelia said
pleasantly but in such a way so as not to encourage familiarities.
“Well, I don’t rightly know how to begin, mum,” the woman
said. Amelia blinked at her, surprised to hear such a lovely voice coming from
such a plain, no-nonsense woman. “It’s my oldest daughter. She needs a position
and I was hoping that you might find your way to hiring her.” Mrs. Knox looked
at Amelia keenly but when she didn’t stop her from speaking the woman rushed
on.
“My Beth has a right good hand wi’ the young ones, mum.
It’ll be a sore loss to us to part wi’ her, she’s that good wi’ them, truly.
She’ll be ever so good wi’ the new baby. Y’see, mum, she’s made up sixteen
earlier this month and it pains a mother to say it, but my Beth is a plain girl
wi’ no prospects. She’s got to make her way in the world, she has. Else I don’t
know what may become of her.”
“I see,” Amelia said, frowning lightly in thought. Before
she could say anything, though, the woman continued.
“Our Beth can turn her hand to any housework that needs
doing, too, mum. I taught her good and she’s always been a quick learner,” Mrs.
Knox promised, leaning forward eagerly. “Mrs. Edley is a hard-working woman and
she’s always been house-proud. But a babe is a lot of extra work. I’m thinking
she’ll be happy for more help.”
Mrs. Edley entered the front parlor carrying a tray laden
with tea things accompanied by bread and butter.
“Thank you, Mrs. Edley. Would you stay for a moment, please?
I think you should be consulted in this matter.”
“Yes, mum?” she asked, suspicion in every line of her stiff
body. She plunked the tea tray down on a table and glared at Mrs. Knox.
“Mrs. Knox has suggested that her daughter, Beth, would make
an excellent nursery maid and maid-of-all-work.”
“But I’m your maid-of-all-work,” Mrs. Edley stated blankly.
“Ah, yes, but if I hired Beth, you would need to be promoted
to housekeeper.”
“A proper housekeeper?”
“Yes. A proper housekeeper, with staff to direct,” Amelia
said, smiling at her dazed henchwoman.
Mrs. Edley visibly shook herself back in control. She pulled
a chair from where it sat against the wall and placed it beside Amelia’s.
“Mum?”
“Please, sit.”
“Thank you. Now, Mrs. Knox. Can your Beth sew at all?”
“Out of course, she can,” the affronted mother asserted. “She
has a right pretty hand and makes up all the clothes for
“Have I met her before?”
“Not so as I know, mum,” Mrs. Edley replied. “I’ve got
nothing against her, mind, but she’s come right up to the front door, bold as
brass. I know I’m new at being in service but even I see that she should’ve
come round to the kitchen door.”
“Did she say what she wanted?”
“No, mum.”
“I will see her.” Amelia set down the botanist’s journal
that Thaddeus had brought her. “You could bring us some tea.”
“That one can have a glass of buttermilk and be thankful,”
Mrs. Edley retorted, forgetting herself again. An extremely disapproving sniff
accompanied the comment.
“Nonetheless. She’s likely cold and wet from the rain. Tea
would do her good,” Amelia insisted.
“As you say, mum,” Mrs. Edley said dourly. She opened the
door and gestured to the woman waiting outside. “Please to come in, Mrs. Knox.
Miss Horton will see you.”
A well-worn middle-aged woman entered the front room,
looking ill-at-ease but fiercely determined. Her sharp chin stuck out at a
belligerent angle and Amelia couldn’t tell if the skirmish with Mrs. Edley had
brought on the pugnaciousness or if the woman was just uncomfortable with her
mission. The thin woman dropped an awkward curtsy and when Amelia indicated
that she should sit, Mrs. Knox sat on the edge of a chair holding her straw bag
on her lap like a shield.
“While we are waiting for the tea to arrive, Mrs. Knox,
please be so kind as to inform me how may I be of service,” Amelia said
pleasantly but in such a way so as not to encourage familiarities.
“Well, I don’t rightly know how to begin, mum,” the woman
said. Amelia blinked at her, surprised to hear such a lovely voice coming from
such a plain, no-nonsense woman. “It’s my oldest daughter. She needs a position
and I was hoping that you might find your way to hiring her.” Mrs. Knox looked
at Amelia keenly but when she didn’t stop her from speaking the woman rushed
on.
“My Beth has a right good hand wi’ the young ones, mum.
It’ll be a sore loss to us to part wi’ her, she’s that good wi’ them, truly.
She’ll be ever so good wi’ the new baby. Y’see, mum, she’s made up sixteen
earlier this month and it pains a mother to say it, but my Beth is a plain girl
wi’ no prospects. She’s got to make her way in the world, she has. Else I don’t
know what may become of her.”
“I see,” Amelia said, frowning lightly in thought. Before
she could say anything, though, the woman continued.
“Our Beth can turn her hand to any housework that needs
doing, too, mum. I taught her good and she’s always been a quick learner,” Mrs.
Knox promised, leaning forward eagerly. “Mrs. Edley is a hard-working woman and
she’s always been house-proud. But a babe is a lot of extra work. I’m thinking
she’ll be happy for more help.”
Mrs. Edley entered the front parlor carrying a tray laden
with tea things accompanied by bread and butter.
“Thank you, Mrs. Edley. Would you stay for a moment, please?
I think you should be consulted in this matter.”
“Yes, mum?” she asked, suspicion in every line of her stiff
body. She plunked the tea tray down on a table and glared at Mrs. Knox.
“Mrs. Knox has suggested that her daughter, Beth, would make
an excellent nursery maid and maid-of-all-work.”
“But I’m your maid-of-all-work,” Mrs. Edley stated blankly.
“Ah, yes, but if I hired Beth, you would need to be promoted
to housekeeper.”
“A proper housekeeper?”
“Yes. A proper housekeeper, with staff to direct,” Amelia
said, smiling at her dazed henchwoman.
Mrs. Edley visibly shook herself back in control. She pulled
a chair from where it sat against the wall and placed it beside Amelia’s.
“Mum?”
“Please, sit.”
“Thank you. Now, Mrs. Knox. Can your Beth sew at all?”
“Out of course, she can,” the affronted mother asserted. “She
has a right pretty hand and makes up all the clothes for
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