The Factory Girl // Book 1 in the Rosie Grey series

Chapter Seven

"I keep telling Charles he needs to get rid of some of these books, but he will not listen to me. He tells me he is keeping them for Robert or even Zachariah," a voice said. Startled, I turned around and came face to face with Mrs Ealing who was standing near one of the windows at the back of the room.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't see you there," I said, twisting the cloth.

"It's quite alright, you looked caught up in your work, who am I to disturb someone who is doing so well?" She paused. "I've had a conversation with both Robert and Matilda and they have filed me on what happened this morning. As far as I'm concerned, dropping the smelling salts was an accident and not something that could have been helped, despite what Matilda may have said, you will not be losing your position."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Besides, from what I've witnessed of your cleaning ability, you will do well here."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"I shall leave you to it, I must see how Esther is getting on with Charlotte. My husband will come and see you about your arm later on this evening, I believe he has a solution. Goodbye, Rosie."

"Goodbye, ma'am."

With a small smile, Mrs Ealing placed something down on one of the small tables beside an armchair and left the room, passing me as she walked out into the hall. I watched her go, surprised that she had been so calm about me interrupting her, not even caring that I had entered the room without permission. The only person who seemed bothered by my arrival was Matilda and I couldn't figure out why it would be such a problem. My hope was that by the end of my trial, Matilda would have warmed to me enough that it would not interfere with Doctor and Mrs Ealing's decision to keep me on beyond the two weeks.

After recovering from my initial shock, I continued with my cleaning, wiping down the bookshelves and the side tables throughout the room. I also went as far as to straighten up some of the cushions on the chairs as well as the dollies that hung over the back of the armchairs. I moved my way around the room, retying the curtain ropes and cleaning the window sills. With Esther distracted by Charlotte, I thought it best to continue cleaning the other rooms as she wouldn't have the opportunity. Although I was helping Esther out with the chores she normally did, deep down I felt as though the more work I did, the more chance I had of being kept on after the trial.

Glancing around the room, I grabbed the cloth and headed back to the kitchen to see what Miss Jenkins would want me to do next if anything. I dropped the cloth back into the room I had got it from and headed back into the kitchen where Miss Jenkins was busy making luncheon for the family. "Ah, you're back!"

"What can I do now?" I asked.

"Well, Esther has gotten caught up with Miss Charlotte and I'm running low on potatoes. Could you go into the garden and try to find Samuel and ask him to bring some into the pantry? He should be near the vegetable patch, so it won't take you too long to find him."

"Who's Samuel?"

"The gardener, he was employed by Doctor Jenkins just over a year ago, we don't see him too often."

"Okay, where is the vegetable patch?"

"Through that door, follow the path and then through a small gate and you'll be there, if Samuel isn't there, hang around for a few minutes and he'll turn up, he's never too far away."

"I can do that."

"Great, off you go then."

Miss Jenkins waved her hand at me and gestured me to the small door at the back of the kitchen, a door I hadn't noticed until it was pointed out. Nodding, I disappeared through the gate and out onto a gravel path that wound away from the house. Taking Miss Jenkins' instructions on board, I followed the gravel path until it stopped right in front of a small wooden gate that enclosed the vegetable patch. The rest of the vegetable patch was concealed behind a slightly dirty, pointed fence that lay at different angles, as though it hadn't been built properly. Compared to the house, the fence didn't look as though it was part of the house at all, it was dirty and mismatched whilst the house had been cleaned from top to bottom.