Linda Finlay - The Flower Seller

‘Hello there,’ she smiled. ‘I’m Isabella Carrington.’ The younger ones giggled but the older girl smiled back.

‘I’m Dorothy, the eldest, but you can call me Dotty. Best to be friends if we’re to share a room, don’t you think?’ Share a room? Isabella’s heart sank.

‘Me an’ all,’ the youngest girl piped up, her dark pigtails swinging from side to side.

‘That’s Alice, who’s six,’ Dorothy supplied. ‘It’ll be a bit of a squeeze but I’m sure we’ll manage.’ Isabella swallowed hard. Three people in one bed chamber? But she had no time to dwell on the matter, for her aunt was signalling for the boys to get to their feet.

‘This is William, he’s fifteen. Joseph here is twelve, and Thomas nine,’ she said, pointing to each in turn. They nodded solemnly but didn’t reply, and Isabella saw the eldest frowning at her clothes. Then the door swung open and her uncle staggered into the room, reeling under the weight of her portmanteau.

‘Oh, I thought you were going to get the boy to do that,’ she exclaimed. They all turned to her in shocked silence.

‘You must mean me then,’ William muttered, shooting her a glare as he stalked from the room.

‘I meant your servant boy,’ Isabella explained, giving her aunt a bewildered look.

‘Cor, bless you dear, we don’t have no servants here,’ she replied.

‘What, none at all?’ Isabella gasped. ‘Then who does all the work?’

‘We do, of course. All mucks in together,’ her uncle replied, looking her up and down. ‘I hope you’ve brought some sensible clothes with you. Them fancy threads’ll be no good for working the land.’

‘Working the land?’ she gasped.

‘Ah,’ he nodded. ‘Come the morrow you’ll be pitching in too. Got to earn your keep, girl.’

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