course you must say no if it’s too much for you.’
He waited, sure it would be something and nothing.
‘That young maid, Harriet, is apparently a great reader and has finished all the books in the schoolroom, though I find that hard to believe. Mrs Stuart wondered if we had anything in the library we might allow her to read.’
‘She’ll probably just want some rubbishy novels,’ her husband said at once. ‘She won’t find anything like that in our library.’
‘If the girl really has read every book in the schoolroom, then she’s read a couple of shelves of textbooks as well,’ Joseph said, his interest piqued.
‘Well, I doubt whether a girl like that could have read so many books in just a few months. She probably skimmed through the difficult ones. But still, it’s a harmless occupation and a quiet one, so I’m inclined to humour her. Happy maids stay with you, and that makes life so much easier. Servants are getting very uppity these days.’
Joseph really liked the idea of helping Harriet, but shrugged, knowing better than to show great interest in this, or his mother would start to worry that it was too much for him. ‘I could quite easily select a few books for her. It’d only take me a few minutes. Though I’d rather do that during the daytime than wait until she’s finished her duties in the evenings. Perhaps she could be spared for a few minutes to tell me about her interests.’
His mother let out a little puff of irritation. ‘Of course she can be spared. She must come at a time that’s convenient to you. That isn’t the point. I don’t want you wearing yourself out.’
‘I’m in the library most of the time anyway during the colder weather, and as I said, it’ll only take a few minutes. I’ll speak to Mrs Stuart tomorrow.’
‘Then that’s settled.’ His father changed the subject to their next visit to London and his mother joined eagerly in the discussion about when they would move to town.
Joseph leant back and let them talk. It didn’t bother him to be the only family member in residence here. In fact, he preferred it. When his parents were away, he found life at Dalton House far more congenial.
He smiled at the thought of helping Harriet. He’d enjoy that and feel he was doing something worthwhile for a change. She seemed a very nice young woman.
He’d worked out which painting she reminded him of:
Sancta Lilias
by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He had a print of it in a book about Pre-Raphaelite artists. He didn’t always like Rossetti’s faces, but this one was lovely, and very like Harriet now she didn’t look so gaunt.
That same year Norris Harding found himself a more interesting job, working in a rather special sort of club, in charge of keeping order.
‘You’ve got a job in a house of ill repute!’ his mother exclaimed, scandalised. ‘But we agreed to stay respectable.’
‘It’s a very exclusive place, and I’ll be making five times the money I do now.’
There was dead silence for a moment or two and he waited, not allowing himself to smile at her astonishment, but relishing it nonetheless.
‘Five times as much!’
‘Yes. Such places bring in a lot of money, if they’re discreetly run. The women there are a better class of whore, clean and pretty. And the customers may not be gentry, but they’re self-made men who have plenty of money.’
Her voice turned suddenly harsh. ‘I forbid it. I’m trying to
rise
in the world, not let you drag us down to the gutters and associate with … with such females.’
‘Think I don’t know your own mother was a whore?’ He used the word deliberately.
She turned pale. ‘How did you find that out?’
‘From my new friends. One of the older fellows knew her.’
‘Well, I haven’t followed her example. She saw to that, did everything she could to keep me respectable.’
‘Let’s face it, Ma, I’ll never make my fortune by working for someone else, and we don’t have the connections for me
He waited, sure it would be something and nothing.
‘That young maid, Harriet, is apparently a great reader and has finished all the books in the schoolroom, though I find that hard to believe. Mrs Stuart wondered if we had anything in the library we might allow her to read.’
‘She’ll probably just want some rubbishy novels,’ her husband said at once. ‘She won’t find anything like that in our library.’
‘If the girl really has read every book in the schoolroom, then she’s read a couple of shelves of textbooks as well,’ Joseph said, his interest piqued.
‘Well, I doubt whether a girl like that could have read so many books in just a few months. She probably skimmed through the difficult ones. But still, it’s a harmless occupation and a quiet one, so I’m inclined to humour her. Happy maids stay with you, and that makes life so much easier. Servants are getting very uppity these days.’
Joseph really liked the idea of helping Harriet, but shrugged, knowing better than to show great interest in this, or his mother would start to worry that it was too much for him. ‘I could quite easily select a few books for her. It’d only take me a few minutes. Though I’d rather do that during the daytime than wait until she’s finished her duties in the evenings. Perhaps she could be spared for a few minutes to tell me about her interests.’
His mother let out a little puff of irritation. ‘Of course she can be spared. She must come at a time that’s convenient to you. That isn’t the point. I don’t want you wearing yourself out.’
‘I’m in the library most of the time anyway during the colder weather, and as I said, it’ll only take a few minutes. I’ll speak to Mrs Stuart tomorrow.’
‘Then that’s settled.’ His father changed the subject to their next visit to London and his mother joined eagerly in the discussion about when they would move to town.
Joseph leant back and let them talk. It didn’t bother him to be the only family member in residence here. In fact, he preferred it. When his parents were away, he found life at Dalton House far more congenial.
He smiled at the thought of helping Harriet. He’d enjoy that and feel he was doing something worthwhile for a change. She seemed a very nice young woman.
He’d worked out which painting she reminded him of:
Sancta Lilias
by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He had a print of it in a book about Pre-Raphaelite artists. He didn’t always like Rossetti’s faces, but this one was lovely, and very like Harriet now she didn’t look so gaunt.
That same year Norris Harding found himself a more interesting job, working in a rather special sort of club, in charge of keeping order.
‘You’ve got a job in a house of ill repute!’ his mother exclaimed, scandalised. ‘But we agreed to stay respectable.’
‘It’s a very exclusive place, and I’ll be making five times the money I do now.’
There was dead silence for a moment or two and he waited, not allowing himself to smile at her astonishment, but relishing it nonetheless.
‘Five times as much!’
‘Yes. Such places bring in a lot of money, if they’re discreetly run. The women there are a better class of whore, clean and pretty. And the customers may not be gentry, but they’re self-made men who have plenty of money.’
Her voice turned suddenly harsh. ‘I forbid it. I’m trying to
rise
in the world, not let you drag us down to the gutters and associate with … with such females.’
‘Think I don’t know your own mother was a whore?’ He used the word deliberately.
She turned pale. ‘How did you find that out?’
‘From my new friends. One of the older fellows knew her.’
‘Well, I haven’t followed her example. She saw to that, did everything she could to keep me respectable.’
‘Let’s face it, Ma, I’ll never make my fortune by working for someone else, and we don’t have the connections for me
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