quarters and the rear of the shop.
She soon forgot him in the cheerful bustle of the market. Even during hard times like this, there was still fresh farm food available for those with money. Her basket was soon so full she had to buy a string bag as well. She was particularly looking forward to eating the crumbly white cheese and the jam made by farmers’ wives. In the end she decided to find a lad to help her carry the things back.
It was a man whom the stallholder summoned, after a whispered, ‘He’s out of work, miss, hope you don’t mind? He’ll only expect the same money as a lad would.’
‘I’m happy to have his help.’
The man looked gaunt and when they got back he was puffing a little. She gave him a shilling and he stared at it as if he’d never seen one before.
‘It’s too much, miss.’
‘Do you have a family?’
He nodded.
‘Then take it for their sake.’
He drew himself up. ‘Only for their sake. I’m not strong enough to do the stone breaking, so I have to take what jobs I can.’
‘If you’ve nothing better to do, I’ll be going to the market at the same time next week, and would appreciate help with my baskets.’
He nodded, raised one hand and walked off, the tired, slouching gait of a man with no energy to spare.
That encounter decided her. She would definitely help her cousin with the relief work now she was feeling better. Well, she would do once the inventory was completed. It was going to take longer than she’d expected, because Mrs Blake had been a hoarder. She’d have to ask Mr Dawson whether she should clear out the dead woman’s drawers ready for the new occupants. Not a pleasant task, but someone had to do it.
As she turned to go inside, she saw Prebble watching her through the shop window.
She wasn’t surprised when Dot came up a short time later to say he’d asked to see her. ‘Show him up.’
She didn’t ask him to sit down.
‘I noticed you’d been to the market, Miss Blair.’
She inclined her head and waited.
‘And I couldn’t help noticing that some of the things you’d purchased are items we sell in the shop, jars of jam, for instance.’
How had he seen that? The jam had been at the bottom of her basket. Had he dared to go and poke around in her kitchen? He must have done. It was the only way he’d have been able to see some of the items. She held back her annoyance, hoping it didn’t show in her face. ‘I don’t consider that to be any concern of yours, Prebble.’
‘I beg to differ, Miss Blair. We’re both employed by the shop, have a duty to be loyal to it, and—’
‘I’m not answerable to you for what I do, Prebble, so if that’s all you wanted to see me about, you can go back to your work. I certainly have things to do.’
His expression was stormy for a moment or two, then it became glassy, as if he was hiding his feelings.
But though he wasn’t a large man, he radiated such menace she was glad to see him go. She could see why the young maid was afraid of him and was thankful the bedroom she slept in had a lock on the door, because the open access from the shop still worried her. Dot said it had been the bedroom the master slept in towards the end and he’d always locked the door too ‘because Mrs Blake did wander sometimes’.
The events that led to Mrs Blake being locked away were still so vivid in Dot’s mind that every now and then she shared a memory with Alice. It didn’t paint a picture of a happy household. And it was thought that the madwoman had had her own husband killed, though no one had been able to prove that or catch the person who did it for her.
It was another hot day, with the sort of heat none of them had ever experienced until they came to Australia. Pandora stopped work to wipe her sweaty brow with her forearm. She was glad of the awning Reece had built to shade the outdoor table that was used for both cooking preparations and eating. She was making damper and her sister Cassandra was
She soon forgot him in the cheerful bustle of the market. Even during hard times like this, there was still fresh farm food available for those with money. Her basket was soon so full she had to buy a string bag as well. She was particularly looking forward to eating the crumbly white cheese and the jam made by farmers’ wives. In the end she decided to find a lad to help her carry the things back.
It was a man whom the stallholder summoned, after a whispered, ‘He’s out of work, miss, hope you don’t mind? He’ll only expect the same money as a lad would.’
‘I’m happy to have his help.’
The man looked gaunt and when they got back he was puffing a little. She gave him a shilling and he stared at it as if he’d never seen one before.
‘It’s too much, miss.’
‘Do you have a family?’
He nodded.
‘Then take it for their sake.’
He drew himself up. ‘Only for their sake. I’m not strong enough to do the stone breaking, so I have to take what jobs I can.’
‘If you’ve nothing better to do, I’ll be going to the market at the same time next week, and would appreciate help with my baskets.’
He nodded, raised one hand and walked off, the tired, slouching gait of a man with no energy to spare.
That encounter decided her. She would definitely help her cousin with the relief work now she was feeling better. Well, she would do once the inventory was completed. It was going to take longer than she’d expected, because Mrs Blake had been a hoarder. She’d have to ask Mr Dawson whether she should clear out the dead woman’s drawers ready for the new occupants. Not a pleasant task, but someone had to do it.
As she turned to go inside, she saw Prebble watching her through the shop window.
She wasn’t surprised when Dot came up a short time later to say he’d asked to see her. ‘Show him up.’
She didn’t ask him to sit down.
‘I noticed you’d been to the market, Miss Blair.’
She inclined her head and waited.
‘And I couldn’t help noticing that some of the things you’d purchased are items we sell in the shop, jars of jam, for instance.’
How had he seen that? The jam had been at the bottom of her basket. Had he dared to go and poke around in her kitchen? He must have done. It was the only way he’d have been able to see some of the items. She held back her annoyance, hoping it didn’t show in her face. ‘I don’t consider that to be any concern of yours, Prebble.’
‘I beg to differ, Miss Blair. We’re both employed by the shop, have a duty to be loyal to it, and—’
‘I’m not answerable to you for what I do, Prebble, so if that’s all you wanted to see me about, you can go back to your work. I certainly have things to do.’
His expression was stormy for a moment or two, then it became glassy, as if he was hiding his feelings.
But though he wasn’t a large man, he radiated such menace she was glad to see him go. She could see why the young maid was afraid of him and was thankful the bedroom she slept in had a lock on the door, because the open access from the shop still worried her. Dot said it had been the bedroom the master slept in towards the end and he’d always locked the door too ‘because Mrs Blake did wander sometimes’.
The events that led to Mrs Blake being locked away were still so vivid in Dot’s mind that every now and then she shared a memory with Alice. It didn’t paint a picture of a happy household. And it was thought that the madwoman had had her own husband killed, though no one had been able to prove that or catch the person who did it for her.
It was another hot day, with the sort of heat none of them had ever experienced until they came to Australia. Pandora stopped work to wipe her sweaty brow with her forearm. She was glad of the awning Reece had built to shade the outdoor table that was used for both cooking preparations and eating. She was making damper and her sister Cassandra was
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