Read Online Orphans of the Storm by Katie Flynn - Free Book Online Page A

weekly by Gladys, would fetch a decent price and so could not be included. Jess was amused to see, amongst Mrs Fielding’s treasures, the kitchen knife with a bone handle and only half a blade which the three of them always tried to grab when preparing vegetables.
    And in the end, as Jess had suspected he would, Mr Bellamy simply told them to put the stuff in their own rooms and refused to charge them anything. ‘He’s a nice feller, nearly as nice as his ma,’ Cook said appreciatively. ‘Wish I’d took more now, but there you are. I dare say I shouldn’t be greedy.’
    When Jess had explained to Ken that the house and its contents were to be sold and that Mr Bellamy had asked her if she would take charge of the place until the sale was completed, he was very understanding, even though he had hoped for an earlier wedding.
    ‘I know you’ve got that two hundred pounds, which is an awful lot of money, but I guess Mr Bellamy will pay you pretty well for being in charge,’ he had said. ‘And it would be grand if we could put your inheritance away as a sort of nest egg, like. Anyway, you were that fond of old Mrs B. that I guess you’ll want to do right by the son, even if his wife is a nasty piece of work. So you stick to your post, love, and we’ll marry when all the business is settled.’
    Jess had agreed that this was fair, and, indeed, she had quite enjoyed this new twist to her work. Like most nurses, she was neat and methodical, and got a good deal of satisfaction from making order out of chaos. Within a month of Mrs Bellamy’s death, Cook had moved up to Southport, but Gladys had agreed to stay on and the two of them rather enjoyed managing for themselves. Jess had little experience as a cook, but Gladys had watched Mrs Fielding closely as she worked, often assisting in simple tasks such as mixing pastry, preparing meat and vegetables and making gravy or custard. Now Gladys taught Jess all she knew, and when necessary Jess took down one of the well-thumbed and food-bespattered cookery books and consulted its pages. Very soon, she and Gladys were not only eating well themselves, but could serve up a tasty dinner for Mr Bellamy when he spent the day in the house.
    ‘It’s all good training for when we do get married, because, before, my cooking skills were distinctly limited,’ Jess had told Ken. ‘But now I can make you a delicious meal without spending an awful lot of money, or a positive feast if it’s some sort of celebration. And there’s other things. When I was in nursing, our uniforms were laundered, so I never knew how to starch a collar, or sides to middle sheets, though I was a dab hand at darning because some of my black stockings were more darn than anything else. But now Gladys and I have had to learn to do all sorts. Oh aye, whoever gets me for a wife is a lucky feller!’
    They had been strolling in Prince’s Park enjoying the late October sunshine, and now Ken, grinning, bent and gave her a quick kiss. ‘I’d be a lucky feller even if you couldn’t boil water,’ he had assured her. ‘I’m marrying Jess Williams, not a cook, or a cleaner, or a laundry worker, and don’t you forget it.’ He sighed. ‘What chance of a wedding before Christmas, do you suppose?’
    ‘Oh, I should think we’ll be finished before then,’ Jess had said hopefully. ‘Tell you what, Ken, it might be best if we decide on a firm date some way ahead, and tell Mr Bellamy. I don’t think it’s occurred to him that I have plans of my own, but if he knows I shan’t be available – well, say after Christmas – then I’m sure he’ll get things moving. The last thing he wants is to have to organise things himself.’
    This was true, for she and Gladys had noted, some while since, that Mr Bellamy was no organiser, and when, later that same day, she had told him she and Ken had decided on a Christmas wedding, she saw by his suddenly widening eyes that he did not relish the prospect of losing her. He had