Usual disclaimers... sob!
Has anyone seen Pendragginink? She's gone AWOL!
Right, there are four chapters uploaded today... unfortunately Mul is still poorly and was too unwell to edit for me on Tuesday like we normally do.
I am going on holiday on Saturday and will not be back for a fortnight. The earliest update will be 8th or 10th August... and I assure you that I will be getting withdrawal symptoms too from being without internet access for that long!
Okay... on with the story...
###
Chapter 9 - Disgrace
Every day Bessie lived in fear of her pregnancy being discovered, every day she sighed in relief when she shut her door and locked the world outside. Every time she was paid she would save as much as she could, realising that there would soon come a time when she could not work and that she would be responsible for two mouths to feed, not just her own.
But despite loosening her dress and slouching it was barely another two months before her pregnancy became more noticeable. Knowing glances and snide remarks followed her about the Mansion as she worked and it was little surprise that soon she found herself staring at the feet of Anthony Bullier who was butler and head of staff of the Governor's household.
"Leave that Bessie," he ordered. "I want to see you in my office now."
Placing the scrubbing brush and bucket where it would not be in the way, she followed him to his office. He had always been fair to her in the past, incredibly so compared to Thomas, but rules were rules and it was rather evident that she had broken them.
"Explain yourself Bessie!" he ordered, frowning sternly.
Bessie looked to the floor, tears welling in her eyes. "I would have thought it was obvious," she said quietly.
Anthony sighed in exasperation, realising she was going to be difficult. "Name the father! If you are married there will be less shame to the child! Is it one of the staff? Who is it?" he demanded.
Bessie shook her head slowly. Did he really expect her to say who the child's father was? "I cannot," she repeated, "for that would compound my shame..."
"He is not married is he?" Anthony worried. "If he is he will still be forced to support you..."
"He is not married," she said quietly, "But I cannot name him..."
"Cannot or will not?" he pressed.
Bessie swallowed nervously. "I know his name but I cannot tell you," she sighed.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Anthony said gravely, unsurprised as she nodded. "You have been a good worker Bessie, but the Governor will not condone your actions. Please, one last time, name the father and I will see you married..."
Bessie looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "No," she whispered. "I'd sooner marry the Devil!" She turned to leave but did not look back and neither did he call her back. There was no place for a disgraced maid in the Governor's household and both of them knew it. Anthony frowned, pondering her comment and wondering what on earth she could possibly have meant by it.
###
Bessie knew that she would be unable to find employment as a maid following her dismissal and realised that the only chance of a job would be if one of the taverns were hiring and there was no way the better class taverns would hire her. She sighed heavily and headed for the docks. The dives there were always looking for staff and were not choosy about who they hired. But it seemed even dives were not hiring pregnant women and her choices got more and more limited. Finally she entered the Grey Mare Tavern, overlooking the docks. Resigned to yet more disappointment, she walked slowly up to the bar.
"We don't serve women!" the barman sneered. "Get out!"
"I was not after a drink - I was after a job," she said calmly, having been insulted more times in the last few hours than in most of her life.
"Have you worked in a bar before?" He put his cloth down, walking around to the front of the bar to get a better look at her, noting that she was pretty enough with her unusually pale blonde hair.
"In Bermuda," she replied cautiously. Perhaps this time she would be lucky - most other places had just laughed and told her to get out. She did not like the way that he looked at her, undressing her with his eyes, but she was desperate and if he did not take her on then she would have to seriously consider whoring... if she were able in her current state.
"How long yer got?" he pointed to her stomach.
"Not due for five months..." she said.
He frowned. "Come back in two hours. If you are still standing by the end of the evening I'll take you on for four months or for as long as you can carry a tray!"
"And the wages?" she pressed.
"If you survive, I'll match the Governor's wage," he offered. The gossip had already flown around the town and he knew who she was - the disgraced maid. He could afford to match the wage though, it was less than he usually had to pay and he knew she be desperate enough to take it - and she was.
Bessie nodded gratefully. "Two hours then..."
###
Although she was grateful for the job, Bessie hated it. The smoke, the filth, the stench of the dockers and whatever low-life crawled through the doors with their wandering hands and suggestive tongues. But whenever she thought she could bear it no longer she reminded herself of the life growing within her and forced herself to go on. She would need every shilling soon, all too soon, and each night – or early morning – she crawled into her bed she cursed the name of Jack Sparrow.
Has anyone seen Pendragginink? She's gone AWOL!
Right, there are four chapters uploaded today... unfortunately Mul is still poorly and was too unwell to edit for me on Tuesday like we normally do.
I am going on holiday on Saturday and will not be back for a fortnight. The earliest update will be 8th or 10th August... and I assure you that I will be getting withdrawal symptoms too from being without internet access for that long!
Okay... on with the story...
###
Chapter 9 - Disgrace
Every day Bessie lived in fear of her pregnancy being discovered, every day she sighed in relief when she shut her door and locked the world outside. Every time she was paid she would save as much as she could, realising that there would soon come a time when she could not work and that she would be responsible for two mouths to feed, not just her own.
But despite loosening her dress and slouching it was barely another two months before her pregnancy became more noticeable. Knowing glances and snide remarks followed her about the Mansion as she worked and it was little surprise that soon she found herself staring at the feet of Anthony Bullier who was butler and head of staff of the Governor's household.
"Leave that Bessie," he ordered. "I want to see you in my office now."
Placing the scrubbing brush and bucket where it would not be in the way, she followed him to his office. He had always been fair to her in the past, incredibly so compared to Thomas, but rules were rules and it was rather evident that she had broken them.
"Explain yourself Bessie!" he ordered, frowning sternly.
Bessie looked to the floor, tears welling in her eyes. "I would have thought it was obvious," she said quietly.
Anthony sighed in exasperation, realising she was going to be difficult. "Name the father! If you are married there will be less shame to the child! Is it one of the staff? Who is it?" he demanded.
Bessie shook her head slowly. Did he really expect her to say who the child's father was? "I cannot," she repeated, "for that would compound my shame..."
"He is not married is he?" Anthony worried. "If he is he will still be forced to support you..."
"He is not married," she said quietly, "But I cannot name him..."
"Cannot or will not?" he pressed.
Bessie swallowed nervously. "I know his name but I cannot tell you," she sighed.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Anthony said gravely, unsurprised as she nodded. "You have been a good worker Bessie, but the Governor will not condone your actions. Please, one last time, name the father and I will see you married..."
Bessie looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "No," she whispered. "I'd sooner marry the Devil!" She turned to leave but did not look back and neither did he call her back. There was no place for a disgraced maid in the Governor's household and both of them knew it. Anthony frowned, pondering her comment and wondering what on earth she could possibly have meant by it.
###
Bessie knew that she would be unable to find employment as a maid following her dismissal and realised that the only chance of a job would be if one of the taverns were hiring and there was no way the better class taverns would hire her. She sighed heavily and headed for the docks. The dives there were always looking for staff and were not choosy about who they hired. But it seemed even dives were not hiring pregnant women and her choices got more and more limited. Finally she entered the Grey Mare Tavern, overlooking the docks. Resigned to yet more disappointment, she walked slowly up to the bar.
"We don't serve women!" the barman sneered. "Get out!"
"I was not after a drink - I was after a job," she said calmly, having been insulted more times in the last few hours than in most of her life.
"Have you worked in a bar before?" He put his cloth down, walking around to the front of the bar to get a better look at her, noting that she was pretty enough with her unusually pale blonde hair.
"In Bermuda," she replied cautiously. Perhaps this time she would be lucky - most other places had just laughed and told her to get out. She did not like the way that he looked at her, undressing her with his eyes, but she was desperate and if he did not take her on then she would have to seriously consider whoring... if she were able in her current state.
"How long yer got?" he pointed to her stomach.
"Not due for five months..." she said.
He frowned. "Come back in two hours. If you are still standing by the end of the evening I'll take you on for four months or for as long as you can carry a tray!"
"And the wages?" she pressed.
"If you survive, I'll match the Governor's wage," he offered. The gossip had already flown around the town and he knew who she was - the disgraced maid. He could afford to match the wage though, it was less than he usually had to pay and he knew she be desperate enough to take it - and she was.
Bessie nodded gratefully. "Two hours then..."
###
Although she was grateful for the job, Bessie hated it. The smoke, the filth, the stench of the dockers and whatever low-life crawled through the doors with their wandering hands and suggestive tongues. But whenever she thought she could bear it no longer she reminded herself of the life growing within her and forced herself to go on. She would need every shilling soon, all too soon, and each night – or early morning – she crawled into her bed she cursed the name of Jack Sparrow.