The Summer Maiden

‘What’s mine is yours, Carrie. We can live there together.’

‘Are you suggesting we should all move to Wapping? What would Mama say to that?’

‘She’s not going to have much choice. Unless your uncle returns very soon we’ll lose this place and have nowhere else to go other than the Captain’s House. It’s not huge, but Mr Bromley could use one of the rooms to tutor pupils, including Max and James.’

‘But we know nothing about him, Sadie.’

‘That’s easy, we’ll just ask the boys what they think. I have a feeling that it would work well, and really, what choice do we have? We could never raise the amount it costs to keep them at boarding school.’

‘I’m not giving up so easily.’ Caroline gazed round the room. ‘I’ve never thought about it before, but some of the ornaments and paintings that my parents collected must have a value. Mama took all her jewellery, I know because I saw her packing it, but there are the silver candlesticks and salvers – they must be worth quite a lot of money.’

‘Are you hoping to pay the rent from such a sale?’

‘Why not? If I can just keep everything together until Uncle George returns I’m sure we’ll be all right.’

‘I wish I could be as optimistic, but you’re right to try.’

‘If the worst happens, I suppose we’ll have to move to the Captain’s House.’

‘At least we would have a roof over our heads.’

‘I don’t think that Mama would want to live in Wapping now.’

‘She grew up in Limehouse. I don’t suppose you’ve ever ventured into that rough area, but it’s nothing like Finsbury Circus. As a child Essie worked the river with your grandfather, and they were very poor.’

‘Nevertheless, I’ll do everything I can to save our home.’

‘You’d better start by finding another cook,’ Sadie said drily. ‘Would you like me to go below stairs and see what I can do?’

‘Yes, please do, and I’ll go through the house and sort out items we can sell. I’ll make a placard to tie to the railings outside, advertising the sale. What do you think, Sadie?’

‘It might work, Carrie. It’s worth a try.’

Caroline spent the rest of the day going from room to room, picking out the objects that she thought had the highest value and arranging them in the dining room. Ingram was stiff with disapproval and made his feelings perfectly clear without saying a word. She ignored him and went ahead, enlisting help from Max and James when they returned from their trip to the zoo. They were bubbling with enthusiasm and James had decided that he wanted to be an explorer like Dr Livingstone and bring back rare species for the Zoological Gardens. Max was more interested in the sale of their property, but was very relieved to find that Caroline had not touched anything in his room.

That evening they made a large placard advertising the sale, taking turns in painting the letters with Indian ink. They took it outside and Max hung it over the railings for all to see, and straight away it attracted the attention of passers-by. Caroline stood back, eyeing it critically.

‘I think that should do the trick.’

‘It’s just as well that Mama went to Devonshire,’ Max said, grinning. ‘She wouldn’t have allowed this.’

‘I can’t see any alternative. The rent is due in a few days’ time and there’s a huge pile of unpaid bills.’ Caroline glanced over her shoulder to see the butler standing at the top of the steps, clutching a portmanteau in his gloved hand. ‘Are you going somewhere, Ingram?’

‘This is public humiliation, Miss Caroline. I’m going to stay with my sister in Highgate while I seek another position. I’ve left my address in the housekeeper’s office, but I think you’ll find that Mrs Hayes will be the next to leave. We can’t afford to work for nothing.’

‘How long is it since you were paid?’ Caroline stared at him in surprise.

‘Too long, Miss Caroline. If you come into funds you can send the money to me, not that I’m pinning my hopes on such an outcome.’ He marched down the steps and walked off, swinging a large black umbrella with a horse’s-head handle.

‘That belonged to Papa,’ Max said angrily. ‘Shall I go and get it from him, Carrie?’

She laid her hand on his arm. ‘No, let him keep it. I’m truly sorry that I can’t pay him what he’s owed, but I’ll tell you this – I will get the money somehow, and I’ll recompense the servants and the creditors, even if it takes for ever.’

Max shrugged and raised his eyebrows. ‘Good luck with that, Carrie.’

She gazed at her younger brother as if seeing him for the first time. ‘You’ve grown so tall, Max. Soon I’ll have to look up to you.’

‘If I was older I’d go out and earn my living and you wouldn’t have to worry about money.’

‘We’ll look after each other,’ Caroline said, smiling. ‘Let’s go inside and see what Sadie has prepared for our supper. She tells me that she learned to cook when she was even younger than you.’ Caroline linked arms with her brother and they mounted the steps together. She glanced over her shoulder before entering the house and was pleased to note the growing number of people who stopped to read the sign posted on the railings outside. Tomorrow would be a good day – she had a feeling in her bones. They would make enough money to stave off disaster and enable them to sit it out until their uncle’s ship returned to London.

Next morning crowds of people flooded into the house. Caroline had opened the door and was almost knocked over in the stampede. Luckily she had placed Max and James in the middle of the entrance hall with Sadie on duty in the dining room. The house had been eerily quiet as, following Ingram’s example, most of the servants had walked out. Mrs Hayes had departed that morning, leaving a couple of kitchen maids, who had nowhere else to go. Caroline had set them simple tasks and Sadie had prepared a stew, which was simmering on the hob in readiness for their meal later in the day.

‘Not that way,’ Caroline cried anxiously as a well-dressed couple headed for the staircase. ‘The items for sale are in the dining room. Please follow the others.’

Glaring at her, the pair retraced their steps and fell in line behind the queue that was already stretching out onto the pavement. Caroline was still directing the prospective purchasers when James pushed his way through the crowd to whisper in her ear.

‘Aunt Sadie says you’re to come to the dining room. She can’t manage on her own.’

Caroline nodded. ‘All right, but you must stand here.’

‘I don’t know what to do.’

She patted her brother’s curly head. ‘Just make sure they go straight to the dining room and don’t allow anyone to go upstairs or into any of the other rooms.’

James glanced at the crowds. ‘I’ll try, Carrie.’

‘Good boy. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ Caroline hurried towards the dining room, threading her way through the lines of people, some of whom were pushing and shoving as if expecting to snatch a bargain. She found Sadie besieged by customers eager to purchase an ornament, a vase or silk cushion. Others had armfuls of Esther’s best porcelain dinner service, and a large lady in purple had two silver candelabras clutched to her ample bosom. Sadie appeared to be arguing with a gentleman whose raised voice and flushed cheeks indicated a state of extreme agitation.

‘But that is an outrageous price. I could go to the potteries and purchase an item like this for half the price.’

‘Then I suggest you buy a ticket at the railway station and travel north, sir.’ Sadie snatched the vase from him, holding it high above her head. ‘Any offers over one guinea for this eighteenth-century Sèvres vase?’

Caroline stepped aside as the bidding began and the vase finally sold for double the asking price. ‘Well done, Sadie.’

Sadie smiled and turned back to the customers who were clamouring for her attention. Caroline began taking money and soon her apron pocket was filled with coins, including several golden guineas, and finally all the items she had chosen were sold. But the crowd refused to disperse and within minutes they were swarming over the house like a colony of worker ants. Caroline raced up the stairs after them and, having persuaded them to go back down, she positioned herself at the bottom of the staircase, refusing to allow anyone to pass. The mood seemed to change and frustrated buyers began to vent their anger on anyone who would listen. James was in tears and Max was threatening to punch the next person who accosted him. Sadie had her hands full in the dining room and Caroline was beginning to panic. She was about to rush outside and look for a constable to restore the peace when a group of tradesmen burst into the house, led by two burly officials.

‘What is the meaning of this?’ Caroline demanded. She managed to keep her voice steady even though her knees were trembling.

The tallest and broadest of the two leaders stepped forward. ‘This is an illegal sale.’

Caroline tossed her head. ‘I don’t know what you mean. This is private property, so kindly leave.’

He waved a sheet of paper under her nose. ‘This is a court order, miss, and these gentlemen are owed a great deal of money. I want to see Mr Manning.’

‘My father is dead.’ Caroline’s voice broke on a sob.

‘I can’t help that, miss. Who is in charge of the household?’