Gypsy - Lesley Pearse [23]
Beth was surprised by Mrs Langworthy. She had expected someone middle-aged and grey-headed, not a relatively young woman with flaming red hair, sparkling green eyes and such a warm smile.
‘Welcome, Beth,’ she said, getting up from the table and offering her hand. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t here to meet you yesterday, but Mrs Bruce told me all about you and your circumstances. I am so sorry to hear of your recent loss, and I do hope your little sister won’t mind me sharing you with her.’
Beth was so staggered at that unexpected warm greeting that for once she was tongue-tied. She shook her new mistress’s hand and looked at Mrs Bruce for guidance.
‘Molly is with a neighbour who she is well used to,’ Mrs Bruce explained.
‘Then I’m sure she’ll be quite happy,’ Mrs Langworthy said. ‘I’ll let Mrs Bruce show you around and tell you what’s needed today. I have to see to my father-in-law now, but I shall see you later in the morning.’
A small, slender, dark-haired Irishwoman in her twenties was making the bed in Mrs Langworthy’s bedroom, which overlooked the square. Mrs Bruce introduced her as Kathleen and explained once they left the room that Kathleen lived in and had a room up on the top floor. ‘She is a general maid — she does all the cleaning and lights the fires. We have a cook who comes in daily, you’ll meet her later, and then there’s myself. Just a small staff, but the Langworthys don’t entertain much, and of course Mrs Langworthy takes care of old Mr Langworthy.’ Mrs Bruce indicated the other room at the front of the house and explained that was his room.
‘This is Mr Edward’s room,’ she said, opening a door at the back. It was starkly masculine, with a vast, highly polished mahogany wardrobe, its own washbasin with brass taps and a large bed, already made and covered with a heavy dark blue quilt. ‘The bathroom,’ she said, opening the next door. ‘One of the beauties of this house was that it was built with modern facilities.’
Beth had never seen an indoor water closet before, only pictures of them in magazines, and couldn’t resist saying so.
‘Neither had I until I came to work for the Langworthys.’ Mrs Bruce smiled. ‘There is another water closet on the ground floor too, along with the one in the backyard.’
The final room was a guest room. Mrs Bruce said her own bedroom was up next to Kathleen’s.
Mrs Langworthy’s clothes, which it would be part of Beth’s duties to take care of, were in a dressing room off her bedroom, but the housekeeper said that for today she wanted Beth to do only laundry.
It wasn’t until they got back to the basement, having viewed the large drawing room which took up half the house from front to back, and Mr Edward’s study, a small room also looking out on to the square, that Beth realized she wasn’t going to be paid so well for doing nothing.
The laundry room had its own door out to the yard, with two big white sinks, another low one which was called a sluice, a mangle and a large gas boiler, which had to be lit from underneath.
There was a big basket of sheets smelling strongly of urine, which had to be boiled, and then Mrs Bruce lifted the lid on an enamel pail to reveal soiled napkins.
‘Try and think of this as no worse than your Molly’s,’ she said, even though she had her nose turned away to avoid the horrible stench. ‘Rinse them off thoroughly in the sluice, then they must be boiled with the sheets. There will be other washing, though there is none today, but I want you to remember that old Mr Langworthy’s linen goes in the boiler alone, after everything else has been done.’
‘How long do I boil it for?’ Beth asked, trying not to gag at the very thought of what was in the pail.
‘Twenty minutes to half an hour,’ the housekeeper said. ‘While it’s boiling you can wash any delicate items by hand in the sink.’
‘Mrs Langworthy has to change him?’ Beth just had to ask. She couldn’t imagine anyone as lovely and well bred as her doing such a thing.
‘Yes, she does, Beth. He always was a difficult man, even before he had his stroke. But since then he’s become very much worse