Dilly Court - The Christmas Wedding

Daisy sighed and shook her head as she made her way to the kitchen where she could hear Hattie shouting and crashing about. A gust of smoke enveloped her as she opened the door.

‘I’ll never get used to this brute,’ Hattie said, flicking a cleaning cloth at the stove. ‘Maybe there’s a nest on top of the chimney pot. Whatever it is, I can’t get the fire to draw properly.’ She wiped her face with the back of her hand, leaving a streak of soot on her cheek.

Daisy looked round the large kitchen and spotted a besom propped up against the back door. ‘Maybe I can clear the blockage,’ she said hopefully.

‘You’re never going to push that broom up the chimney, are you?’ Hattie demanded anxiously. ‘You’ll bring a fall of soot.’

She spoke too late. Daisy had snatched up the besom and was poking it up the chimney. A shower of soot, dried leaves and bits of twig covered everything, including Daisy. She stood for a moment, coughing and gasping for air.

‘I told you so.’ Hattie threw up her hands. ‘Look at the mess you’ve made. Well, I ain’t cleaning it up. I warned you, but would you listen? No, you would not, and everything is covered in soot. I’m going to tell the mistress.’ She stomped out of the room.

Left to clean up, Daisy stared down at her once clean travelling gown, which was now ruined. Soot was still settling on every surface and she could only be thankful for the fact that most of their china, pots and pans had yet to be unpacked. She was wondering what to do when someone knocked on the back door.

‘Come in.’

The door opened and a pale-faced young woman stepped inside. She was muffled against the cold and her fair hair hung limply from beneath her bonnet. ‘You’ve had a bit of a mishap, miss,’ she said calmly.

‘The chimney was blocked.’ Daisy eyed her curiously. ‘Can I help you?’

‘It looks like I can help you.’ The stranger took off her bonnet and shawl and hung them on a row of pegs. ‘I was on my way home when the young doctor stopped to enquire about my mum – she’s been took sick these last few days. I told him that she was getting better, thanks to the medicine he gave her.’

‘That must have been Dr Neville, but why have you come here?’

‘You’re Miss Marshall, aren’t you?’

Daisy gazed down at her sooty clothes and smiled ruefully. ‘Yes, although I doubt if my friends would recognise me now.’

‘I’m Linnet Fox, from the village. Dr Neville knew I was looking for work because I’d been to Creek Hall to enquire, but he said you might need some help, miss.’

‘I don’t know how much my uncle would pay, Linnet, but we do need someone.’

Linnet rolled up her sleeves. ‘Let’s clean the range first then, miss. We’ll get the fire going and then we can heat up some water and sort out the rest.’

The door burst open before Daisy had a chance to reply and her aunt came to a sudden halt, with Hattie peering over her shoulder. ‘Good heavens! I’ve never seen anything like it.’ She glared at Linnet. ‘Who is this?’

‘Dr Neville sent her, Aunt Eleanora,’ Daisy said hastily. ‘He thought we might need some assistance in getting things straight.’

‘Who is she and how do we know she’s trustworthy?’

Linnet bobbed a curtsey. ‘I’m Linnet Fox, ma’am. My pa was gamekeeper at Creek Hall when the old doctor was alive, but he’s too poorly to work now, and my mum is sick with lung fever. I’m a hard worker and honest.’

‘I’ve got to have someone, ma’am,’ Hattie added, peering over Eleanora’s shoulder. ‘I can’t be expected to cope on me own.’

Eleanora glanced round the room. ‘You may have a trial period, at the usual rate, whatever that might be. My husband will sort that out, but consider yourself hired, and please get this disaster sorted out as quickly as possible. We’ve been travelling for hours and we need a hot meal.’

‘Don’t worry, Aunt,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘I’ll help Linnet. We’ll get the kitchen cleaned up in no time.’

Eleanora nodded and turned on her heel, bumping into Hattie, who was still grumbling. ‘I told her not to poke the broom up the chimney, ma’am. I told her not to do it, but she done it all the same.’

‘Yes, thank you, Hattie. I think I get the gist. You can unpack my things upstairs while they get to work, and let’s hope that Pickford’s manage to get our furniture here before dark, otherwise we’ll be sleeping on the floor.’ She shooed Hattie away and closed the door behind her.

‘You might like to wash your face and hands first, miss,’ Linnet suggested tactfully. ‘Soot burns something chronic if it gets in your eyes. I’ll make a start sweeping up.’

It took almost an hour to get the kitchen clean, and Linnet had proved herself invaluable as she set about the work methodically, managing to get the fire going so that it blazed up the chimney. She showed Daisy where the pump was situated in the back yard, and the privy, which was in a small wooden hut that had been built to straddle a narrow stream.

‘Does the night soil collector get this far out?’ Daisy asked.

Linnet’s laughter echoed off the outbuildings. ‘Lord, no, miss. Lean closer and you’ll hear the brook racing down to the creek. You sit on the seat and let nature do the rest. No need to dig latrines or such.’

Daisy felt a blush rise to her cheek. As a person raised in the city she knew she had a lot to learn. ‘Thank you, Linnet. An excellent idea, I’m sure.’

‘And don’t worry about the pump water,’ Linnet said, smiling. ‘You’re luckier than most of the people in the village: this one taps into a spring deep down. The water is crystal clear and safe to drink.’ She lifted the pump handle and began to work it vigorously. ‘But this will be my job. You’re a young lady and you don’t need to know this.’

‘I’ll have to find something to do with my time.’ Daisy watched closely. ‘I never gave a thought to how hard servants have to work, but I’m beginning to appreciate it now.’ She went indoors, leaving Linnet to her labours. It was little wonder that the servants at the Carringtons’ establishment had treated her with scorn. They must have considered her to be ungrateful and idle, while they had to slave from dawn until well after dark in order to please their employers. Daisy felt a twinge of sympathy for them as she looked down at her reddened hands. She held the door open for Linnet as she staggered past her, hefting two wooden pails filled with water.

‘Thank you, Linnet,’ she said earnestly. ‘I don’t know how I would have managed if you hadn’t come knocking on the door.’

‘Thank the young doctor, miss. He’s so good and kind – I just hope he decides to stay in Little Creek, but I’m afraid he’ll go away and leave us without a physician again.’

‘Was it so very bad before he came to live here?’

‘I doubt if you could imagine it, miss. I mean it’s obvious you’re used to better things. You’re a lady for a start and you’ve got hands that have never known hard work, but for us in the village it’s a matter of life and death to have a doctor nearby. My cousin died in childbirth, and the babe soon after. If Dr Neville had been at Creek Hall I dare say they’d both be alive now.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Daisy said gently. ‘How sad.’

‘Life is hard, miss.’ Linnet filled two large pans with water and placed them on the hob. ‘We can finish up when the water is warm enough. Then your cook can make a start on supper and I’ll head off home. Mum will be wondering where I’ve got to.’

‘But you will come tomorrow?’ Daisy asked anxiously.

‘Yes, of course, miss. I’ll be here early, so no need to worry.’ She cocked her head on one side. ‘That sounds like your furniture has arrived. I can finish up here if you want to go and help the old lady.’