Read Online The Dollmaker's Daughters by Dilly Court - Free Book Online
Authors: Dilly Court
Tags: Historical Saga
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piece of pie onto Granny’s plate. ‘Leave him be. He’ll eat when he’s a mind to.’
Quick to recognise the note of anxiety in her mother’s voice, Ruby got to her feet, dropping a kiss on her father’s forehead. ‘I’ll make you some bread and milk later, Poppa.’
Sarah lowered herself onto her chair at the table. ‘Come and get your tea while it’s still hot, Ruby.’
‘What did the doctor say, Mum?’ Ruby asked in a low voice as she took her seat.
‘He said he reckoned that your dad’s poisoned hisself with all that lead what he mixes with the wax,’ Sarah whispered. ‘The doctor said he’d seen it often enough with painters and the like.’
Ruby stared at the food, her appetite gone. ‘Poisoned?’
Sarah shot an anxious glance at Aldo. ‘Shhhh! Don’t say nothing to your pa. He’s got to be kept quiet. The doctor told me to give him a dose of laudanum if the pain got too much for him.’
‘But there must be something else that he could do for him?’
‘The doctor said that nature must take its course. Anyway, Ruby, your dad’s a tough old bugger; after a few days’ rest I’m sure he’ll be right as rain. Now eat your tea or you’ll be the next one took sick.’
Ruby took a mouthful of pie and forced herselfto swallow it. Normally this would have been a real treat but tonight the food stuck in her throat. Doctors were clever, well-educated men who had studied for years; she couldn’t believe that there was nothing they could do for Poppa and, even if Mum didn’t realise it, Ruby knew that lead poisoning was often fatal.
‘Is that last piece of pie going begging?’ Granny Mole rattled her fork on her empty plate. ‘D’you want to see me fade away for want of food?’
‘Billy Noakes’s horse eats less than you do, Ma,’ Sarah said, with a flash of her old humour, winking at Ruby as she cut the last slice of the pie in half. ‘Pass that to your gran and mind she don’t bite your finger off an’ all.’
‘Yes, and you’d take me down the knacker’s yard as soon as look at me,’ grumbled Granny, grabbing the plate. ‘You wait till you’re old and feeble, Sal. Let’s hope your girls treats you like what you deserve.’
Sarah shot Ruby one of her rare smiles. ‘I dunno about Rosetta, she’s a flighty piece and her head’s stuffed full of nonsense. I just hope she finds a decent job and that she’ll get fed up staying with Lottie and come home.’
‘That Carlottie’s a tart,’ observed Granny Mole through a mouthful of pie.
‘Lottie’s too old for that sort of nonsense now, Ma.’ Shrugging her shoulders, Sarah turned toRuby, smiling. ‘At least I know I can rely on my Ruby. How many girls would take their sister’s place in that stinking sweatshop just to help their family? How did your day go, love?’
Ruby pushed her plate away. ‘Mum, I got something to tell you.’
The news that Ruby had not been paid paled into nothing compared to the shocking knowledge that one of the street gangs was working so close to home. Granny Mole insisted that Sarah stuck a chair under the door handle, just in case the lock was not strong enough to keep intruders out. Aldo sat with tears running down his sunken cheeks, bemoaning the fact that he was too weak to protect his family; only Sarah remained calm, demanding to hear every last detail of the attack. However, Ruby was quick to notice that, after Granny Mole and Aldo had been put to bed, Mum wedged a chair under the door handle.
‘I’m only doing it to keep your gran happy,’ she said, meeting Ruby’s eyes with a careless shrug.
‘Yes, Mum.’ Ruby was about to make the fire safe for the night, but Sarah pushed her out of the way.
‘You get yourself to bed, ducks. You’ve had a time of it today.’
Any form of sympathy from her mother was so rare that Ruby was touched almost to the point oftears. She had grown up knowing that Rosetta with her rebellious, high-spirited ways was her mother’s favourite, and
Quick to recognise the note of anxiety in her mother’s voice, Ruby got to her feet, dropping a kiss on her father’s forehead. ‘I’ll make you some bread and milk later, Poppa.’
Sarah lowered herself onto her chair at the table. ‘Come and get your tea while it’s still hot, Ruby.’
‘What did the doctor say, Mum?’ Ruby asked in a low voice as she took her seat.
‘He said he reckoned that your dad’s poisoned hisself with all that lead what he mixes with the wax,’ Sarah whispered. ‘The doctor said he’d seen it often enough with painters and the like.’
Ruby stared at the food, her appetite gone. ‘Poisoned?’
Sarah shot an anxious glance at Aldo. ‘Shhhh! Don’t say nothing to your pa. He’s got to be kept quiet. The doctor told me to give him a dose of laudanum if the pain got too much for him.’
‘But there must be something else that he could do for him?’
‘The doctor said that nature must take its course. Anyway, Ruby, your dad’s a tough old bugger; after a few days’ rest I’m sure he’ll be right as rain. Now eat your tea or you’ll be the next one took sick.’
Ruby took a mouthful of pie and forced herselfto swallow it. Normally this would have been a real treat but tonight the food stuck in her throat. Doctors were clever, well-educated men who had studied for years; she couldn’t believe that there was nothing they could do for Poppa and, even if Mum didn’t realise it, Ruby knew that lead poisoning was often fatal.
‘Is that last piece of pie going begging?’ Granny Mole rattled her fork on her empty plate. ‘D’you want to see me fade away for want of food?’
‘Billy Noakes’s horse eats less than you do, Ma,’ Sarah said, with a flash of her old humour, winking at Ruby as she cut the last slice of the pie in half. ‘Pass that to your gran and mind she don’t bite your finger off an’ all.’
‘Yes, and you’d take me down the knacker’s yard as soon as look at me,’ grumbled Granny, grabbing the plate. ‘You wait till you’re old and feeble, Sal. Let’s hope your girls treats you like what you deserve.’
Sarah shot Ruby one of her rare smiles. ‘I dunno about Rosetta, she’s a flighty piece and her head’s stuffed full of nonsense. I just hope she finds a decent job and that she’ll get fed up staying with Lottie and come home.’
‘That Carlottie’s a tart,’ observed Granny Mole through a mouthful of pie.
‘Lottie’s too old for that sort of nonsense now, Ma.’ Shrugging her shoulders, Sarah turned toRuby, smiling. ‘At least I know I can rely on my Ruby. How many girls would take their sister’s place in that stinking sweatshop just to help their family? How did your day go, love?’
Ruby pushed her plate away. ‘Mum, I got something to tell you.’
The news that Ruby had not been paid paled into nothing compared to the shocking knowledge that one of the street gangs was working so close to home. Granny Mole insisted that Sarah stuck a chair under the door handle, just in case the lock was not strong enough to keep intruders out. Aldo sat with tears running down his sunken cheeks, bemoaning the fact that he was too weak to protect his family; only Sarah remained calm, demanding to hear every last detail of the attack. However, Ruby was quick to notice that, after Granny Mole and Aldo had been put to bed, Mum wedged a chair under the door handle.
‘I’m only doing it to keep your gran happy,’ she said, meeting Ruby’s eyes with a careless shrug.
‘Yes, Mum.’ Ruby was about to make the fire safe for the night, but Sarah pushed her out of the way.
‘You get yourself to bed, ducks. You’ve had a time of it today.’
Any form of sympathy from her mother was so rare that Ruby was touched almost to the point oftears. She had grown up knowing that Rosetta with her rebellious, high-spirited ways was her mother’s favourite, and
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