in, ’ettie,” he said. It was his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Hettie Huggins, who had been setting her cap at him for ages and finally seemed to have succeeded.
“Pleased to see you again, yer ladyship,” Mrs. Huggins said, dropping me a curtsy, although there wasn’t really room for her ample hips to bend. “I’ve been taking care of your granddad, since he had a nasty bout of bronchitis.”
“Oh, no. Are you all right now?” I turned to look at him.
“Me? Yeah. I’m right as rain, ducks. Couldn’t be better, thanks to ’ettie ’ere. She fed me up like I was a prize chicken. In fact, we were just going to have some of her stew, weren’t we, Hettie? Want to join us?”
“Her ladyship won’t want stew, Albert. It ain’t what posh people are used to.”
“I’d love some, please,” I said. Then added, “Just a little,” in case they didn’t have much. But Mrs. Huggins ladled out a big bowl with barley and beans and lamb shank and they nodded with satisfaction as I wolfed it down.
“Anyone would think you hadn’t seen a decent meal in a month of Sundays,” Granddad said. “You’re not still growing, are you?”
“I hope not. I’m taller than some of my dancing partners,” I said. “But I do love a good stew.”
They exchanged a look of satisfaction.
“So what are things like up in the Smoke?” Granddad asked.
“Smoky. We’ve had horrible fogs. I’ve hardly been out.”
“Same down here. That’s what done in Albert’s chest,” Mrs. Huggins said.
“So what can we do for you, love?” Granddad asked, looking at me fondly.
I took a deep breath. “I’m looking for a maid, in rather a hurry, I’m afraid.”
Granddad burst out laughing. “I didn’t mind pretending to be yer butler, love, but I ain’t wearing a cap and apron and being a maid for you.”
I laughed. “I wasn’t expecting you to. I was wondering if you knew anyone who had experience in service and who was out of work.”
“I reckon we can come up with half a dozen girls who’d jump at the job, don’t you, ’ettie?” Granddad turned to her and she nodded.
“A maid for you, yer ladyship? Your own personal maid, like?”
“Precisely.”
“I shouldn’t think the position would be hard to fill. You’d have girls lining up to work for a toff like you. Why don’t you just put an advertisement in the newspapers?”
“There are some complications,” I said, realizing as he said it that an advertisement might be a jolly good idea. Why hadn’t I thought of it before? “Firstly, it’s only a temporary position. I want a girl to accompany me to a royal wedding in Europe.”
“In Europe?”
“Romania, to be exact.”
“Blimey” was all Granddad could find to say to that.
“And I can’t pay her much. I’m hoping I’ll be able to pay her something when I return.”
Granddad shook his head, making tut-tutting sounds. “You are in a bit of a pickle, aren’t you? What about your brother and his snooty wife, can’t they spare you a servant?”
“Nobody at Castle Rannoch wants to travel to London, let alone abroad. I’m looking for an adventurous girl, but I can’t afford to pay her much.”
“Seems to me,” Granddad said slowly, “that a girl might want to take up this position so that she could use you as a reference. Former maid to royalty. That might be worth a darned sight more than money.”
“You know, you’re right, Granddad. You’re brilliant.”
He beamed.
“My niece Doreen’s girl is looking for work, as it happens,” Mrs. Huggins said quickly. It was clear that her brain had been ticking as he made that suggestion. “Nice quiet little thing. Not the brightest, but it might help her land a good position if she had a reference from a toff like you. Why don’t I speak to her about it and send her up to you if she’s willing to give it a try.”
“Brilliant,” I said. “I knew I was doing the right thing coming to you two. You always have an answer for
“Pleased to see you again, yer ladyship,” Mrs. Huggins said, dropping me a curtsy, although there wasn’t really room for her ample hips to bend. “I’ve been taking care of your granddad, since he had a nasty bout of bronchitis.”
“Oh, no. Are you all right now?” I turned to look at him.
“Me? Yeah. I’m right as rain, ducks. Couldn’t be better, thanks to ’ettie ’ere. She fed me up like I was a prize chicken. In fact, we were just going to have some of her stew, weren’t we, Hettie? Want to join us?”
“Her ladyship won’t want stew, Albert. It ain’t what posh people are used to.”
“I’d love some, please,” I said. Then added, “Just a little,” in case they didn’t have much. But Mrs. Huggins ladled out a big bowl with barley and beans and lamb shank and they nodded with satisfaction as I wolfed it down.
“Anyone would think you hadn’t seen a decent meal in a month of Sundays,” Granddad said. “You’re not still growing, are you?”
“I hope not. I’m taller than some of my dancing partners,” I said. “But I do love a good stew.”
They exchanged a look of satisfaction.
“So what are things like up in the Smoke?” Granddad asked.
“Smoky. We’ve had horrible fogs. I’ve hardly been out.”
“Same down here. That’s what done in Albert’s chest,” Mrs. Huggins said.
“So what can we do for you, love?” Granddad asked, looking at me fondly.
I took a deep breath. “I’m looking for a maid, in rather a hurry, I’m afraid.”
Granddad burst out laughing. “I didn’t mind pretending to be yer butler, love, but I ain’t wearing a cap and apron and being a maid for you.”
I laughed. “I wasn’t expecting you to. I was wondering if you knew anyone who had experience in service and who was out of work.”
“I reckon we can come up with half a dozen girls who’d jump at the job, don’t you, ’ettie?” Granddad turned to her and she nodded.
“A maid for you, yer ladyship? Your own personal maid, like?”
“Precisely.”
“I shouldn’t think the position would be hard to fill. You’d have girls lining up to work for a toff like you. Why don’t you just put an advertisement in the newspapers?”
“There are some complications,” I said, realizing as he said it that an advertisement might be a jolly good idea. Why hadn’t I thought of it before? “Firstly, it’s only a temporary position. I want a girl to accompany me to a royal wedding in Europe.”
“In Europe?”
“Romania, to be exact.”
“Blimey” was all Granddad could find to say to that.
“And I can’t pay her much. I’m hoping I’ll be able to pay her something when I return.”
Granddad shook his head, making tut-tutting sounds. “You are in a bit of a pickle, aren’t you? What about your brother and his snooty wife, can’t they spare you a servant?”
“Nobody at Castle Rannoch wants to travel to London, let alone abroad. I’m looking for an adventurous girl, but I can’t afford to pay her much.”
“Seems to me,” Granddad said slowly, “that a girl might want to take up this position so that she could use you as a reference. Former maid to royalty. That might be worth a darned sight more than money.”
“You know, you’re right, Granddad. You’re brilliant.”
He beamed.
“My niece Doreen’s girl is looking for work, as it happens,” Mrs. Huggins said quickly. It was clear that her brain had been ticking as he made that suggestion. “Nice quiet little thing. Not the brightest, but it might help her land a good position if she had a reference from a toff like you. Why don’t I speak to her about it and send her up to you if she’s willing to give it a try.”
“Brilliant,” I said. “I knew I was doing the right thing coming to you two. You always have an answer for
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