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Authors: Dominic Luke
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understand,’ she told Richard. ‘You don’t know what it’s like. I’m no better than Polly, locked in a cage.’
‘What about me?’ said Richard sulkily. ‘How would you like it if you weren’t even allowed to get up? How would you like it if you had a withered leg?’
Very proud of it he was too, thought Dorothea bitterly, her mind on the terrible governess as she sat there on the edge of Richard’s bed. But then she listened to her words again and told herself to stop being so unkind. Richard might be a bit of a misery at times, he did tend to
wallow
in it (as Mrs Browning would have said). But wasn’t it enough to make anyone a misery, being in his shoes? Besides, most of the time she enjoyed his company and being permitted to visit his room was the only lasting advantage of her failed escape. She had a duty to cheer him up, not to wallow in troubles of her own.
‘Is your leg really so bad? Can’t you stand on it at all?’
Richard lowered his voice. ‘Sometimes I try, when Nurse isn’t looking. Sometimes I can stand up for just a second, if I hold onto the bed.’
‘Try now. I will help. You can hold on to me instead of the bed.’
But Nurse as always seemed to have a sixth sense and came striding into the room at just the wrong moment. ‘Now that’s enough. Master Richard is tired. He needs his rest.’
‘But I don’t
like
resting, Nurse. It is resting that makes me tired in the first place.’
‘What sort of talk is that?’ Nurse plumped his pillows, felt his forehead, manhandled him like a rag doll. ‘All this to-do is making you peaky. Miss Dorothea must leave you in peace.’
As she was ushered from the room, Dorothea heard him call anxiously after her, ‘You will come again, I suppose?’
‘Of course I will come. As often as they’ll let me.’
But Nurse said, ‘I’ll have the last word on that score,’ and she shut the door in Dorothea’s face.
‘And where have you been, my girl?’ said Nanny as Dorothea returned to the day room.
‘I was talking to Richard. Nurse sent me away.’
‘Humph! Well! Isn’t that Nurse all over!’ Nanny glowered, sitting in her chair by the fire. ‘Such an uppity creature. My word, isn’t she! All out for herself, too. I know
her
game. There’ll be rich pickings, she’s thinking, when Master Richard comes into his own. That’s what
she’s
after, mark my words! Artful madam!’
‘W—what do you mean, Nanny? What will Richard come into?’
‘Never you mind, my girl. It’s none of your business. I’ll have no more of your questions. You can save your breath to cool your porridge. Now, you just sit quiet like a good girl and don’t go waking Baby whilst I pop and have word with Cook. I haven’t told her yet what
that woman
said to me this morning.’
Dorothea sat meekly at the big table, anxious not to get in Nanny’s bad books. But once Nanny had gone Nora winked and said cheerily, ‘Take no notice, miss. She’s like a bear with a sore head today. She’s had words with Mrs Bourne again.’
It was scant comfort, however, to be reminded of the bickering and squabbling which seemed to be the stock in trade here. Nanny never had a good word to say about anyone except her ally Cook. But what was it, exactly, that she had got against Nurse? What sort of rich pickings could Nurse ever hope to gain from so thin, puny and pasty-faced a boy as Richard? It was yet another mystery. At times, she felt as if she was being kept in the dark about
everything
.
Nora went off to ‘do’ Nanny’s room, leaving Dorothea alone in the day room, the fire crackling, Polly biting the bars of her cage. How dreary it was! Dorothea yawned, tracing the grooves in the table, found herself wishing that Roderick was here, even though she’d been only too glad to see the back of him at the end of the Easter holidays.
He’d arrived from school to express surprise at finding her in the nursery. ‘I thought you’d have gone back where you came from
‘What about me?’ said Richard sulkily. ‘How would you like it if you weren’t even allowed to get up? How would you like it if you had a withered leg?’
Very proud of it he was too, thought Dorothea bitterly, her mind on the terrible governess as she sat there on the edge of Richard’s bed. But then she listened to her words again and told herself to stop being so unkind. Richard might be a bit of a misery at times, he did tend to
wallow
in it (as Mrs Browning would have said). But wasn’t it enough to make anyone a misery, being in his shoes? Besides, most of the time she enjoyed his company and being permitted to visit his room was the only lasting advantage of her failed escape. She had a duty to cheer him up, not to wallow in troubles of her own.
‘Is your leg really so bad? Can’t you stand on it at all?’
Richard lowered his voice. ‘Sometimes I try, when Nurse isn’t looking. Sometimes I can stand up for just a second, if I hold onto the bed.’
‘Try now. I will help. You can hold on to me instead of the bed.’
But Nurse as always seemed to have a sixth sense and came striding into the room at just the wrong moment. ‘Now that’s enough. Master Richard is tired. He needs his rest.’
‘But I don’t
like
resting, Nurse. It is resting that makes me tired in the first place.’
‘What sort of talk is that?’ Nurse plumped his pillows, felt his forehead, manhandled him like a rag doll. ‘All this to-do is making you peaky. Miss Dorothea must leave you in peace.’
As she was ushered from the room, Dorothea heard him call anxiously after her, ‘You will come again, I suppose?’
‘Of course I will come. As often as they’ll let me.’
But Nurse said, ‘I’ll have the last word on that score,’ and she shut the door in Dorothea’s face.
‘And where have you been, my girl?’ said Nanny as Dorothea returned to the day room.
‘I was talking to Richard. Nurse sent me away.’
‘Humph! Well! Isn’t that Nurse all over!’ Nanny glowered, sitting in her chair by the fire. ‘Such an uppity creature. My word, isn’t she! All out for herself, too. I know
her
game. There’ll be rich pickings, she’s thinking, when Master Richard comes into his own. That’s what
she’s
after, mark my words! Artful madam!’
‘W—what do you mean, Nanny? What will Richard come into?’
‘Never you mind, my girl. It’s none of your business. I’ll have no more of your questions. You can save your breath to cool your porridge. Now, you just sit quiet like a good girl and don’t go waking Baby whilst I pop and have word with Cook. I haven’t told her yet what
that woman
said to me this morning.’
Dorothea sat meekly at the big table, anxious not to get in Nanny’s bad books. But once Nanny had gone Nora winked and said cheerily, ‘Take no notice, miss. She’s like a bear with a sore head today. She’s had words with Mrs Bourne again.’
It was scant comfort, however, to be reminded of the bickering and squabbling which seemed to be the stock in trade here. Nanny never had a good word to say about anyone except her ally Cook. But what was it, exactly, that she had got against Nurse? What sort of rich pickings could Nurse ever hope to gain from so thin, puny and pasty-faced a boy as Richard? It was yet another mystery. At times, she felt as if she was being kept in the dark about
everything
.
Nora went off to ‘do’ Nanny’s room, leaving Dorothea alone in the day room, the fire crackling, Polly biting the bars of her cage. How dreary it was! Dorothea yawned, tracing the grooves in the table, found herself wishing that Roderick was here, even though she’d been only too glad to see the back of him at the end of the Easter holidays.
He’d arrived from school to express surprise at finding her in the nursery. ‘I thought you’d have gone back where you came from
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