Mrs Boots

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Author Note

Acknowledgements

Also by Deborah Carr

About the Author

About the Publisher

About This Book (#u8f6ae994-2552-5861-8865-777f4164b402)

This ebook meets all accessibility requirements and standards.

I’d like to dedicate this book to Florence Boot and to all strong women who help others to recognise the best in themselves

Chapter 1 (#u8f6ae994-2552-5861-8865-777f4164b402)

August 1885 – 27 Queen Street, St Helier, Jersey

Florence Rowe waved at Emile, the boarder from the chemist at number 29 who had raised his hat in a friendly salute. As usual at this time of day, Queen Street was bustling with shoppers and shop assistants out on their errands. She didn’t mind waiting for her good friend, Albert, to finish wrapping the packet of tea she had been sent to buy for her father’s stationer’s shop, which was situated between the chemist and the tea merchants. She loved her job in her father’s shop, on the bustling street, but it was always nice to step away for a few minutes to catch up with Albert’s news and share her own with him.

‘I had a customer in here yesterday,’ he said, tidying away the small weights he had used to calculate the correct amount of tea leaves. ‘He’s an artist from Birmingham. He came to the island last week to stay with relatives for the rest of the summer. He was telling me that it was reported in his local newspapers about a poor young woman on a roof.’

‘Sorry,’ Florence asked, confused. She was used to Albert’s catastrophising, but this story was a little odd. ‘What did you say?’

‘Someone heard screams in the middle of the night.’

‘Where, here?’

‘No, in Kidderminster.’

Florence realised she had no idea what Albert was talking about. ‘Maybe you should start again. From the beginning.’

‘The artist told me that just before he came to the island he read about a local woman, a young lady somnambulist, dressed only in her night clothes. She was still asleep when she climbed out of an upstairs window and onto the roof of her family home.’

‘How do your customers come to share such stories with you.’ She was struggling not to giggle. ‘They only come in to buy tea.’

‘Maybe they can see that I need a little drama in my life.’ A customer entered the shop just then and Albert lowered his voice and added, ‘We’ve been friends since we were children, Florence; can you remember a time when we had something worth being excited about?’

‘Apart from going to the theatre, or such like?’ she asked, not wishing him to become maudlin, which he could, if she ever let him.

‘Yes, those outings are fun, but not like the story the artist told me.’

Florence was always fascinated by Albert’s latest intrigue. Her father wouldn’t entertain the newspapers being read in their home. His only connection to them was caused by necessity when he advertised his stationer’s, W. H. Rowe. Albert was her connection to the sensational stories printed in them. He loved discovering the latest dramas occurring on the island and she loved that he took time to share them with her. She wasn’t sure though if it was the stories themselves, or his dramatised account of them.

‘Was she all right?’ she asked.

‘Yes, thankfully,’ Albert continued. ‘The girl’s father and a police constable threw a rope up to her. They managed to rescue her before she fell headlong to her death.’

Florence focused her attention on her purse so that he couldn’t see her amusement at his dramatics. ‘That’s a relief. Poor thing, waking up in such a predicament.’ She wondered how much longer he was going to spend wrapping up her tea.

‘That’s what I thought.’ He patted the neat package. ‘There you go.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, paying him and taking her tea.

‘It’s such a relief that the weather has improved, don’t you think?’

‘Yes. Father has been fretting about the stock not being delivered on time, as the ferries were cancelled due to the summer storms last week.’

Albert nodded, happy to have another drama to focus on. ‘We’ve had the same problem here,’ he said, putting her money in the till and giving her change. He folded his arms across his chest. ‘Thankfully we had a delivery brought in this morning. Now everyone is panicking that the weather will change again, so they’re all rushing to stock up on their favourite tea mixture before it does.’

‘That’s one of the downsides of living on an island, my father always says.’ Florence knew the problem well. Her own mother was always concerning herself with the boats’ arrivals at the harbour. ‘Hopefully it’ll stay nice and hot for a while now. It is supposed to be summer, after all.’

She went to say something else, but, as she glanced out the window, all thoughts of what it was disappeared as she noticed one particular lady marching up the pavement on the opposite side of the street, her lady’s maid at her side laden with various bags and boxes. Florence could not help feeling sorry for the young woman scuttling along slightly behind her mistress, who was, by the determined expression on her lined face, on her way to give some poor soul a scolding.

Florence groaned.

‘Whatever is the matter?’ Albert asked. ‘Are you unwell?’

She shook her head. ‘No, look.’ She pointed out of the window. ‘She’s paused. I think she’s about to cross over to this side.’

He stepped forward, peered out at the focus of her concern and shivered theatrically. ‘I hope she doesn’t come in here. She’s a monstrous woman. She always has something, or someone, to complain about.’