Old Sins Long Shadows (3 page)

Chapter 2

Janey did not receive a reply from her mother and the gulf between them widened a little more
. She would continue to write and send her money each month, as she had done since entering service, but as each month passed with no acknowledgement or contact from her it caused her mother’s knife forged from bitterness to twist in Janey’s heart. To block out the rejection she did as she had always done since entering service, immerse herself in her work.

She soon fell into a routine that formed a structure to her day
. Rising early each morning she brought Lady Brockenshaw her tea in bed, discussed and prepared her clothes for the day and helped her to dress. Whilst she breakfasted with her husband, Janey tidied her room and sorted out potential washing and mending. After breakfast she escorted her ladyship to her boudoir where Janey remained with her for the rest of the morning.  During this time she read her correspondence to her and replied on her behalf, other times it were books and poetry, chosen from their extensive library. On warm days Janey would escort Lady Brockenshaw around the gardens or on a carriage ride. Throughout the day, especially during these excursions, she would describe in detail what she could see so that her mistress was able to enjoy as much of the experience as possible. However it was when her mistress retired for a nap Janey enjoyed her duties the most. After changing into her day dress, she would fetch her mistress’ little King Charles, and head for the open space of the moor. During these walks she was free from her other duties and away from the remaining staff.

Only some of the domestic staff had welcomed her
. Mrs Friggens and Mr Tallock accepted her as a new member of staff and although they did not fully agree that a girl of only twenty should have such a position, they were not threatened by her. She was not a cook and would never be considered for a butler post. These facts allowed them to be generous and treat her in the manner of which her position warranted. The remaining indoor servants, led by Mary, treated her with suspicion, just as Miss Petherbridge had warned her and the housekeeper did little to discourage it.

On her first day of work Miss Petherbridge made it abundantly clear she d
id not agree with her mistress’ choice. She showed her resentment by rarely addressing her and did not invite her to take tea in her parlour to discuss the running of the house, an invitation that was preserved for the higher members of staff, of which she was one. This blatant snub by the housekeeper, which surprisingly was not contradicted by the butler who appeared to take a submissive role to his peer, gave momentum to Mary’s treatment of her and where Mary led, weaker characters such as Charlotte and Lizzy followed.

Mary and Janey had only one thing in common – they were both twenty years of age and there the similarity ended
. Where Janey had risen through the ranks, Mary had not and took no joy in domestic servitude. She hated working within a big house and resented the class divide and the submissive role she had to take. Where Janey was educated and well spoken, Mary had disliked school and her language at times was quite coarse. Where Janey was innocent in the ways of the world, Mary was wily and experienced, and where Janey had no close family to confide in, Mary’s family was large and lived in St.Wenna. Belonging to a large supportive family gave Mary confidence and a strong self-belief that would do her well in her life if she so chose, but Mary was not wise and she did not use her characteristic positively. Envious of Janey’s position of superiority she took pleasure in pointing out to Lizzy and Charlotte what she believed to be the detrimental changes Janey’s presence was making. They noticed that Janey’s opinion was valued by Lady Brockenshaw and her influence showed in the change of her dress and hair style. Suddenly the cage and crinoline dresses she had worn in the past were no longer desired and a dressmaker was commissioned to make dresses incorporating a fashionable bustle. Once satisfied with a centre parting and low bun, their ladyship began to wear her hair high with decorative combs and slides.

The servants found it strange that a blind woman should be so concerned with fashion and they did not appreciate that Lady Brockenshaw no longer wanted her disability to isolate her from society
. Janey, however, did understand and her ladyship valued Janey’s unique empathy for her position. Janey’s relationship with Lady Brockenshaw quickly became close and within days her mistress had stopped using her surname to address her. This unusual privilege was noticed by Mary and the housekeeper and resentment for her grew. If she could change how her ladyship dressed, what other changes could she make they asked themselves.

Mary’s persecution was subtle, but Janey noticed her influence over Lizzy and
Charlotte for what it was. Chatter between the servant girls would abruptly stop when she entered the kitchen or servant’s hall, during meals the serving bowls filled with food were not passed to her and her attempt to join in their conversations were rebuffed or ignored. Janey felt alienated and missed her friends from her previous job, but she would not let Mary isolate her further. Purposefully she took her mending into the servant’s hall, or sat in a chair in the kitchen where they worked until eventually, unable to keep their silence in her presence much longer, they began to talk again as they worked just as they had done before.

Initially she was still not included in their conversations and it was during these times she listened as she quietly worked and heard about the darker side of life
. She heard about the ‘baby farmer’ from Callington who had offered, for a fee, to find families for unwanted babies but had killed them instead. She heard how the woman was hung at Bodmin Gaol and had wriggled for a full three minutes before she died and how shortly afterwards the rope had been cut into short lengths and sold as souvenirs to the waiting crowd. She heard about Helman Tor, sited less than a mile away, where unwanted babies were known to be thrown and it was rumoured their cries could be heard in the night.

Yet despite Mary’s best efforts,
Charlotte and Lizzy were gentle girls and their attitude towards Janey finally began to thaw. It started with a shy smile and an acceptance of a cup of tea from her. Eventually their natural inquisitive minds took over and they began to ask her about herself. Mary was not pleased but there was little she could do to stop it, Janey’s quiet ways and gentle modest offers of friendship to them in the little things she did began to break down their shell. However the initial isolation Janey had felt in those early days and weeks, against her best efforts,
had
affected her and caused her to take comfort in an unlikely source.

Lady Brockenshaw doted on her only son, James, often talking about him with such pride and indulgence that Janey grew to like the portrait she painted of him with her words
. While Janey dressed her hair, she would retreat to her memories of his childhood, taking joy in relating these stories to her captive audience as she combed and pinned her hair from behind. Then, of course, there were his letters.

James Brockenshaw was an avid writer, if not a regular visitor
. Every three days a letter would arrive, written in his familiar neat hand and it was Janey who opened and read them to her. His letters gave his mother great joy, they provided an escapism as he described his adventures, his plans to visit but overall they reflected a considerate son who adored his mother and enjoyed her love in return. When Janey held his letters in her hand and read the elegantly written words that he had not long before written, she began to experience an intimacy and a strange closeness with the man she had never met. If she had not felt so isolated and alone in those initial weeks she may have saw the letters for what they were, but she had sacrificed her friends in Truro by moving to St.Wenna and any kind word held value and she appreciated it all the more. Soon she found herself looking forward to reading his letters as much as his mother did and she replied to his correspondence in the neatest handwriting she could produce.

He had spent much of the summer with his friends in
Bath but was planning to return next month and his latest letter told his mother about the friends he hoped to bring with him. Suddenly the topic in his letter changed and she found that she was reading praise from him to the writer of his mother’s letters. Janey’s voice trailed off as she read the last sentence, her face blushing at his praise. Her mistress’ voice broke into her thoughts.

‘
My son never misses the opportunity to bestow a compliment,’ smiled Lady Brockenshaw, ‘I shall enjoy James being home again. Life can be rather dull without him.’  Janey reread the last sentence to herself again, taking pleasure in his words, before reading the remainder of the letter out loud. Her hand shook slightly with excitement, a connection had been made between them, as fragile as a spider’s web but a connection none the less. During a time when the majority of her peers resented her presence he had reached out and touched her with his praise – and she savoured it and thought more of him for it.

As the arrival date neared the tension and excitement rose in the servant’s quarters as extra work was created for all. The guest’s bedrooms were thoroughly cleaned, extra wine delivered and extra food deliveries were arranged. Miss Petherbridge directed the operations like a major in charge of an army, thriving on the responsibility and position as supervisor and while she took stock of her orders in her office, the latest delivery arrived. Charlotte heard the cart wheels trundle into the yard before the other staff and she looked out the window, as she wiped her red chapped hands on her apron.

‘
Who is that?’ asked Charlotte, craning her neck to get a better view. All the girls, including Mrs Friggens, joined her to look; even Janey left her work to see what had taken their interest. She instantly recognised the man unloading a churn of milk from the cart in the back courtyard. It was the man who had been building the stone wall.

‘
That’s Daniel Kellow,’ replied Mary, nudging her way to the front to get the best view, ‘He owns the farm next door, he is a friend of my brother,’ she added proudly.

‘
He is lovely!’ the scullery maid sighed, fanning herself. Mrs Friggens rolled her eyes and went back to her cooking whilst the four girls watched in silence, each one admiring the strength in his body as he unloaded another churn of milk and half a slaughtered pig. His shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows showing muscular forearms tanned by the sun. With ease he lifted the heavy items onto his shoulder and carried them to the dairy and cold room. He did not appear to notice them watching and they followed his movements as if mesmerized by his animal grace.

Finally he finished, climbed up into the cart and picked up the reins. He casually turned to look at them, his smouldering eyes finding their target and - he winked
. Janey blushed with humiliation but he did not seem to notice. Already he had flicked the reigns and was on his way. She immediately sank into the shadows mortified he had caught her watching him.

‘
He winked at you!’ exclaimed Charlotte turning to Janey.

‘
No he didn’t,’ she denied immediately. She had just started to form a friendship with Lizzy and Charlotte, the last thing she wanted was to become alienated again.

‘
Yes he did, it was definitely at you,’ joined in Lizzy.

Mary’s eyes narrowed accusingly as all the girls looked at her, Janey retreated to her chair, picking up her sewing from the floor
on the way which she had unwittingly dropped.

‘
I don’t know what you mean. You are mistaken, it was not for me,’ she replied. At that moment she hated the man for singling her out in such a way. Angrily she stabbed the needle into her needlework. Mrs Friggens saw her discomfort and reminded the remaining girls they had work to do, in turn they returned to their chores.

‘
If you girls have any sense you’ll keep away from Daniel Kellow,’ she looked at Lizzy, ‘He’d take you in and spit you out in a blink of an eye. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly.’  The implied insult did not register with Lizzy.

‘
’ow does he own a farm?  Most are tenant farmers around ‘ere, aren’t they?’

Mrs Friggens began to knead the bread she was making.

‘When he was a lad he was caught thieving in the village by Zachariah Trebilcock, the farmer who owned the farm. Well, Zachariah, in his wisdom, gave the boy a home as he had no family.’ She looked about her to see if there were any eavesdroppers, ‘He’s illegitimate and his mother had died.’  Janey started to feel a little sympathy for the boy of all those years ago, if not the man he was today. She pretended not to listen but her ears strained to hear. ‘Mind you, I bet there were times Zachariah wished he hadn’t. There were many a time he had to bring Daniel home after some fight or other and of course when he was a young man of sixteen…well,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘there were quite a few fathers knocking on their door and warning him off their daughters, I can tell you. Not that the daughters minded.’  Mrs Friggens started to knead the bread into shape to place in the range, ‘Give him his due, when Zachariah was took bad with arthritis and could hardly move his hands Daniel seemed to settle down and started running the farm. Zachariah would have had to sell the farm if it weren’t for him. Eventually he changed his will so everything was left to Daniel as Amy, his wife, had died three year before. Six months after Zachariah had changed his will he was found dead, his head bashed in.’