New York, March, 1921.
Eliza sighed and pushed her long hair back out of her face. She'd never been so tired in her whole life. She'd just spent three hours scrubbing the nursery floors to the extent that she could see her weary face reflected in the shiny floorboards. She wondered whether Cal had known that her position would consist more of the jobs that Mrs. Neville, the governess, didn't want to do herself. And if he had, would he have made alternate arrangements or not? After what she had remembered about him on the Titanic she wasn't too sure what to think. She stood up, stretching her aching back.
"Eliza. Have you done those floors?" Mrs. Neville asked.
"Yes Ma'am." Eliza replied politely.
"Make yourself as decent as you can manage-and I know that's not much!-and you can come down to the lake with the children and I." Mrs. Neville said.
Eliza hurried to the small room she had been given and changed her apron, and fixed her hair. "Well it's not great, but it'll have to do." She told her reflection.
The children, James and Rosemary, were seven, and five respectively, and Eliza didn't think she had ever met more spoilt children in her life. They had quickly picked up on the contemptuous way their governess treated Eliza, although they didn't understand the reason why, and acted in the same way.
"Eliza, carry my ball. My arms hurt." Rosemary whined, and Eliza glanced at Mrs. Neville to see what she thought of the order.
"Well go on girl!" Mrs. Neville said. And then to the children; "Can you both hold my hands please children?"
The children obediently took their governesses hands, and they walked down to the lake, followed by Eliza, dutifully carrying the bright red plastic ball. As she walked Eliza decided that Cal would never have put her here had he known that instead of learning to be a governess she would be little more than a glorified maid. After all, if he wanted her to learn the job and be able to support herself, then surely he wouldn't have wanted her to be stuck doing the dirty jobs?
"Eliza you walk too slow. Try and keep up girl." Mrs. Neville said sharply, and Eliza quickened her pace.
At the lake James wandered along the edge, watching the ducks, whilst Mrs. Neville and Rosemary played a spirited game of ball, with Eliza fetching the ball when it went too far!
"JAMES!" Mrs. Neville called sharply. "Don't get too close to the water!"
"I'm alright." James called back.
Eliza sighed, and wished she could just sit there and have some peace and quiet. In the five months she had been working there she hadn't had the chance!
"JAMES! I warned you about getting too close!" Mrs. Neville said angrily. "If you get a foot wet I'll punish you!"
James frowned sullenly. Eliza reflected that as well as being spoilt the two children didn't seem particularly happy children. But then with their parents constantly away, and the servants their only real family, who could blame them? In a way she thought rich people had their own problems to deal with, and sometimes being poor, and having a real family would be better! She remembered how happy her home had been. Even when their stomachs were growling from lack of food, and they were cold from the lack of warmth, there was always plenty of love. She sighed, and wondered whether or not her parents were looking down on her from heaven now. If they were they'd be amazed to see the person she'd become. Attending schools with rich, privileged girls, getting this position so that eventually she could become a governess herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by a cry from Mrs. Neville.
"JAMES!" She cried. This time there was no anger in her voice, only bare naked fear. Eliza looked up. James had wandered around the lake to the little cove, and peering over he had fallen in, and was now thrashing about frantically.
Eliza didn't hesitate. Within moments she too was around the lake, and then she jumped in fully clothed to hall the drowning boy to safety. On the banks of the lake James sat shivering and in shock. His sister was equally pale, and Mrs. Neville was ropable.
"Damn you girl." She swore at Eliza. "You should have been paying more attention to him!"
"I'm sorry. I was busy fetching the ball for you." Eliza said angry that the governess had blamed her, even after she had jumped into the lake and saved the boys' life! Clearly the governess was not about to jump in!
"You silly, foolish thing-" Mrs. Neville continued, beginning to get worked up, but Eliza interrupted her.
"-shouldn't we get James up to the house and warmed up? He'll catch cold otherwise!" Eliza said.
Mrs. Neville's eyes narrowed. "Now you're going to tell me how to do my job..Come on James. Lets get you into some dry clothes."
Eliza followed behind, knowing there would be hell to pay later on, even though she didn't think it was her fault, and had she not been there that the boy might have even died!
*****
"The mistress is quite distressed at her son's accident." Mrs. Neville said later that night. "In fact she was ready to fire you this instant, but I convinced her otherwise. I explained that even though you were clearly negligent in your duties you still did save James' life."
"Negligent?" Eliza repeated, frowning. "You never told me to keep an eye on him!"
Mrs. Neville snorted. "It went without saying. Let me tell you something for nothing girl-you've got a lot to learn!"
Eliza didn't reply.
"You may go now." The governess said, dismissing her.
In her own room that night Eliza shivered remembering the close call the young boy had survived. Was the governess right about her having neglected her duty? Maybe she wasn't cut out for this kind of work? And then she shook the thoughts away. No, she told herself, she was right. It had never been her duty to keep an eye on the boy, and Mrs. Neville just didn't want to blame herself! She gritted her teeth and decided that there was no way she was going to let the woman beat her. She was determined to learn the job and become a governess and make her parents up in heaven proud of her, and also to justify the faith Cal had shown in her. She was still angry at him for what he had done, but she was beginning to realise that however selfish his motivations, had he not done what he had, she would have died on the Titanic!
Eliza sighed and pushed her long hair back out of her face. She'd never been so tired in her whole life. She'd just spent three hours scrubbing the nursery floors to the extent that she could see her weary face reflected in the shiny floorboards. She wondered whether Cal had known that her position would consist more of the jobs that Mrs. Neville, the governess, didn't want to do herself. And if he had, would he have made alternate arrangements or not? After what she had remembered about him on the Titanic she wasn't too sure what to think. She stood up, stretching her aching back.
"Eliza. Have you done those floors?" Mrs. Neville asked.
"Yes Ma'am." Eliza replied politely.
"Make yourself as decent as you can manage-and I know that's not much!-and you can come down to the lake with the children and I." Mrs. Neville said.
Eliza hurried to the small room she had been given and changed her apron, and fixed her hair. "Well it's not great, but it'll have to do." She told her reflection.
The children, James and Rosemary, were seven, and five respectively, and Eliza didn't think she had ever met more spoilt children in her life. They had quickly picked up on the contemptuous way their governess treated Eliza, although they didn't understand the reason why, and acted in the same way.
"Eliza, carry my ball. My arms hurt." Rosemary whined, and Eliza glanced at Mrs. Neville to see what she thought of the order.
"Well go on girl!" Mrs. Neville said. And then to the children; "Can you both hold my hands please children?"
The children obediently took their governesses hands, and they walked down to the lake, followed by Eliza, dutifully carrying the bright red plastic ball. As she walked Eliza decided that Cal would never have put her here had he known that instead of learning to be a governess she would be little more than a glorified maid. After all, if he wanted her to learn the job and be able to support herself, then surely he wouldn't have wanted her to be stuck doing the dirty jobs?
"Eliza you walk too slow. Try and keep up girl." Mrs. Neville said sharply, and Eliza quickened her pace.
At the lake James wandered along the edge, watching the ducks, whilst Mrs. Neville and Rosemary played a spirited game of ball, with Eliza fetching the ball when it went too far!
"JAMES!" Mrs. Neville called sharply. "Don't get too close to the water!"
"I'm alright." James called back.
Eliza sighed, and wished she could just sit there and have some peace and quiet. In the five months she had been working there she hadn't had the chance!
"JAMES! I warned you about getting too close!" Mrs. Neville said angrily. "If you get a foot wet I'll punish you!"
James frowned sullenly. Eliza reflected that as well as being spoilt the two children didn't seem particularly happy children. But then with their parents constantly away, and the servants their only real family, who could blame them? In a way she thought rich people had their own problems to deal with, and sometimes being poor, and having a real family would be better! She remembered how happy her home had been. Even when their stomachs were growling from lack of food, and they were cold from the lack of warmth, there was always plenty of love. She sighed, and wondered whether or not her parents were looking down on her from heaven now. If they were they'd be amazed to see the person she'd become. Attending schools with rich, privileged girls, getting this position so that eventually she could become a governess herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by a cry from Mrs. Neville.
"JAMES!" She cried. This time there was no anger in her voice, only bare naked fear. Eliza looked up. James had wandered around the lake to the little cove, and peering over he had fallen in, and was now thrashing about frantically.
Eliza didn't hesitate. Within moments she too was around the lake, and then she jumped in fully clothed to hall the drowning boy to safety. On the banks of the lake James sat shivering and in shock. His sister was equally pale, and Mrs. Neville was ropable.
"Damn you girl." She swore at Eliza. "You should have been paying more attention to him!"
"I'm sorry. I was busy fetching the ball for you." Eliza said angry that the governess had blamed her, even after she had jumped into the lake and saved the boys' life! Clearly the governess was not about to jump in!
"You silly, foolish thing-" Mrs. Neville continued, beginning to get worked up, but Eliza interrupted her.
"-shouldn't we get James up to the house and warmed up? He'll catch cold otherwise!" Eliza said.
Mrs. Neville's eyes narrowed. "Now you're going to tell me how to do my job..Come on James. Lets get you into some dry clothes."
Eliza followed behind, knowing there would be hell to pay later on, even though she didn't think it was her fault, and had she not been there that the boy might have even died!
*****
"The mistress is quite distressed at her son's accident." Mrs. Neville said later that night. "In fact she was ready to fire you this instant, but I convinced her otherwise. I explained that even though you were clearly negligent in your duties you still did save James' life."
"Negligent?" Eliza repeated, frowning. "You never told me to keep an eye on him!"
Mrs. Neville snorted. "It went without saying. Let me tell you something for nothing girl-you've got a lot to learn!"
Eliza didn't reply.
"You may go now." The governess said, dismissing her.
In her own room that night Eliza shivered remembering the close call the young boy had survived. Was the governess right about her having neglected her duty? Maybe she wasn't cut out for this kind of work? And then she shook the thoughts away. No, she told herself, she was right. It had never been her duty to keep an eye on the boy, and Mrs. Neville just didn't want to blame herself! She gritted her teeth and decided that there was no way she was going to let the woman beat her. She was determined to learn the job and become a governess and make her parents up in heaven proud of her, and also to justify the faith Cal had shown in her. She was still angry at him for what he had done, but she was beginning to realise that however selfish his motivations, had he not done what he had, she would have died on the Titanic!