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Authors: Rebecca Ann Collins
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face. Looking at her hands, neat and small, but coarsened and brown with exposure and hard work, Becky was amazed by her resilience. She did not wish to embarrass her further, but there was a question to which she had to have an answer.
"Alice, when we were out in the garden, I heard you tell the gentleman, Mr Bingley, that Tom could speak until the night the police took his father away. Is that true?"
"Yes, ma'am," she replied. "He could say little words like 'Papa' and 'Mama,' and he would sing to himself all day long. He was a happy little boy."
"And when did they take his father away?" asked Becky gently.
Alice looked down at her hands, which were clasped tight together.
"When Tom was two years old. It was not right, ma'am; he was accused of stealing from his employer... but he never did it... He was innocent, but the police would not listen. They took him away," and there were tears rolling down her face as she said, "Please believe me, ma'am, my husband was no thief; he never stole anything. He was a good, hardworking man."
Becky was deeply moved. "Where is he now, Alice?" she asked gently.
The girl wiped her tears away with her sleeve and said, "I do not know, ma'am. Some say he is in jail, and others say he was sent to Botany Bay. I don't rightly know what has happened to him, ma'am."
"And have you no parents? No other family?"
The girl replied quickly, "No, ma'am, they died when I was little."
Becky's heart went out to her, and she struggled to control her voice when she asked, "Does that mean you are alone, except for the boy?"
"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. The housekeeper came in to say Mr Thomson the apothecary had arrived to see Tom, and Alice went with her.
Later, after Mr Thomson had prescribed some medication for the boy, and he was put to bed in the room Mrs Bates found for them, Alice returned and Becky sent her with one of her older servants to inform the hop farmer that she would not be able to return to work in his fields. When Alice looked surprised, not understanding her instructions, Becky explained, "Tell him your boy is sick and needs looking after. Make sure you get all the wages due to you, mind. When you return, Mrs Bates will find you some work to do."
The girl thanked her, uncomprehending, as if in a dream; she was still unable to believe what was happening to her.
Becky had not yet decided what she would do about Alice; she wanted to know more and speak with Catherine before deciding how to proceed. However, of one thing she was quite certain--she was determined that the girl was not going to return to the hop fields.
***
When Becky joined the others, they were enjoying the soft sunshine on the terrace. They were eager for information, and this time she had more to tell them.
Although she did not intend to reveal any of Alice's secrets, she was able at least to satisfy their curiosity to the extent that they accepted her judgment, that the girl could not be turned over to the police, nor could she be permitted to return to her hazardous, itinerant way of life--roaming the countryside looking for work and sleeping rough in barns and outhouses.
"It is only a matter of time before she will either be picked up by the police and thrown into prison or meet some even more dreadful fate," said Becky.
Anna agreed with her. "It is quite astonishing that she has survived this far; she seems so young."
"She certainly does, but she is also surprisingly strong and stubbornly independent," said Becky, and Catherine pointed out that many young women were compelled to do the same when they were either deserted or widowed.
"There is no help for them, except the workhouse or the streets. Many, especially if they have a child to support, try to keep body and soul together by working in the fields or factories, where they are often exploited; it really is a cruel and depressing world," said Catherine.
Later, when Becky and Jonathan met to discuss
"Alice, when we were out in the garden, I heard you tell the gentleman, Mr Bingley, that Tom could speak until the night the police took his father away. Is that true?"
"Yes, ma'am," she replied. "He could say little words like 'Papa' and 'Mama,' and he would sing to himself all day long. He was a happy little boy."
"And when did they take his father away?" asked Becky gently.
Alice looked down at her hands, which were clasped tight together.
"When Tom was two years old. It was not right, ma'am; he was accused of stealing from his employer... but he never did it... He was innocent, but the police would not listen. They took him away," and there were tears rolling down her face as she said, "Please believe me, ma'am, my husband was no thief; he never stole anything. He was a good, hardworking man."
Becky was deeply moved. "Where is he now, Alice?" she asked gently.
The girl wiped her tears away with her sleeve and said, "I do not know, ma'am. Some say he is in jail, and others say he was sent to Botany Bay. I don't rightly know what has happened to him, ma'am."
"And have you no parents? No other family?"
The girl replied quickly, "No, ma'am, they died when I was little."
Becky's heart went out to her, and she struggled to control her voice when she asked, "Does that mean you are alone, except for the boy?"
"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. The housekeeper came in to say Mr Thomson the apothecary had arrived to see Tom, and Alice went with her.
Later, after Mr Thomson had prescribed some medication for the boy, and he was put to bed in the room Mrs Bates found for them, Alice returned and Becky sent her with one of her older servants to inform the hop farmer that she would not be able to return to work in his fields. When Alice looked surprised, not understanding her instructions, Becky explained, "Tell him your boy is sick and needs looking after. Make sure you get all the wages due to you, mind. When you return, Mrs Bates will find you some work to do."
The girl thanked her, uncomprehending, as if in a dream; she was still unable to believe what was happening to her.
Becky had not yet decided what she would do about Alice; she wanted to know more and speak with Catherine before deciding how to proceed. However, of one thing she was quite certain--she was determined that the girl was not going to return to the hop fields.
***
When Becky joined the others, they were enjoying the soft sunshine on the terrace. They were eager for information, and this time she had more to tell them.
Although she did not intend to reveal any of Alice's secrets, she was able at least to satisfy their curiosity to the extent that they accepted her judgment, that the girl could not be turned over to the police, nor could she be permitted to return to her hazardous, itinerant way of life--roaming the countryside looking for work and sleeping rough in barns and outhouses.
"It is only a matter of time before she will either be picked up by the police and thrown into prison or meet some even more dreadful fate," said Becky.
Anna agreed with her. "It is quite astonishing that she has survived this far; she seems so young."
"She certainly does, but she is also surprisingly strong and stubbornly independent," said Becky, and Catherine pointed out that many young women were compelled to do the same when they were either deserted or widowed.
"There is no help for them, except the workhouse or the streets. Many, especially if they have a child to support, try to keep body and soul together by working in the fields or factories, where they are often exploited; it really is a cruel and depressing world," said Catherine.
Later, when Becky and Jonathan met to discuss
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