"Some things in my life never seem to change, hard work being on of them...getting ordered about, being another. And, as always, trouble seemed to follow me. I'd taken Mr Grace's book and now it was gone. I could think of only one person who'd want the book so badly, and i was in no hurry to meet her ever again."
Series 3, Episode 10
"Don't want me getting in trouble Jack?"
Emma had been running around trying to find Miss Emily since lunch time, but she was nowhere to be found. Mrs Penhaligon was only getting more stressed and that meant you would have to be even more carful around her. She can snap easily when things don't go her way.
Suddenly, Emma collided with another body, "I am so sorry, I wasn't looking were i was going." She only hoped it wasn't Mrs Penhaligon.
"No, it was my fault, I was in a rush." The voice of Hetty Feather filled her ears.
"Your Hetty," the red haired girl gave a nod, "I'm Emma, I don't believe we have properly met." Emma said as she stuck her hand out to shake.
"It's lovely to meet you." Hetty said, taking her hand and shaking it.
"You don't know where Miss Emily is by any chance," Emma inquired, "Mrs Penhaligon is going round the bend looking for her."
Hetty hesitate before saying what she was about to next, but something told her she could trust Emma. "I think she's in trouble."
"How so?" Emma was now curious, this problem seemed to be more then what meets the eye.
"I was given this letter," Hetty says while handing Emma a folded piece of paper. "A horrible women, Matron, has Emily and she wants me to give her an important book in exchange for her." Hetty continues as Emma reads through the letter.
"What should we do?" Emma says, in shock by what is going on. Nothing like this has ever happened at Calendar Hall.
"Follow me." Hetty says as she heads off, Emma close behind. They soon arrived in a hall with stone flooring and ivy reaching up the walls. "Gid!" Hetty calls out, as the two girls approach him.
"Oh, not again," Jack mutters, Emma only just realising he is there, "Some of us have got work to do." He calls out to Hetty and Gideon. Hetty rolls her eyes at this.
"Miss Emily's got your uniform. Edwin knows where she sneaks off to. Everything's fine" Gideon states calmly.
"Everything is not fine. Matron has Emily, and she wants to swap her for the book. But you know what she's like, we can't trust her, we have to get Emily out of there." Hetty frantically says. Who ever this Matron person was, Emma did not like the sound of her.
"Out of where?" Jack questions, "And who's Matron? Look, if Miss Emily's in trouble you'll have to tell Mr Calendar. He'll get the police."
"No." Hetty says, "I know who we're dealing with. Matron's escaped the police once, and she'll do it again."
"Miss Emily could disappear." Emma says, trying to get Jack to help them.
"So, what are you going to do?" asks Jack.
"You cover for Gid for one hour," Hetty says looking at Jack, before turning to Emma and saying, "And you cover for me. That's all I need." Jack still seemed unconvinced.
"Come on Jack," says Emma, "Miss Emily could be in serious danger." Jack looks at her and sighs.
"One hour." he says. Gideon and Hetty then leave the room.
"I hope they'll be alright." Emma says, worried about the outcome of all this.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Jack says, "but you better get back inside, I don't want Mrs Penhaligon getting mad at you, she's worked up enough."
"Don't want me getting in trouble Jack?" Emma says in a teasing tone, a smile spread across her face.
"Just get inside." Jack says, trying his best not to smile at the girl.
"Alright, alight." Emma says, her hand up in defence, "I'm going." she says turning back and walking inside, still smiling.
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Emma was in the kitchen with Agnes when Sheila comes in with a basket of eggs and says, "No muck, and all uncracked."
"I'll send you again." Agnes replies, pleased with Sheilas work, "Cook, eggs!" She shouts as she exits the kitchen and Mrs Penhaligon enters.
"Sheila, Emma have you seen Hetty? She seems to have deserted her post." Mrs Penhaligon says as Emma and Sheila share a look.
"Hetty?" Emma says.
"She is your friend, you must know where she is." Mrs Penhaligon says.
"Sometimes she needs a little time to herself, Mrs Penhaligon." Sheila starts, "She's had such a tragic life."
"Really." Mrs Penhaligon says, unimpressed.
"Her mother worked at the foundling hospital in disguise, you see," Sheila continued as Mrs Penhaligon started putting away handkerchiefs and Agnes walked into the kitchen, curious by the story, "and Hetty was all happy when she was with her, and then she got thrown out. Everything changed. She tried to escape to find her, and she was searching on the streets."
"Never." Agnes says as Emma rests her head on her chin, intrigued by the story. If cook saw them now she would scold them for gossiping.
"Or, she was, until Miss Smith found her. She was a good sort. She tried to smuggle her mother into the foundling hospital to visit, and she managed it."
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"And after all that, she still had to see Matron's face every single day." Sheila finishes Hetty's life story.
"Thank you, Sheila, most interesting, but we still have work to do." Mrs Penhaligon says.
"Yes, Mrs Penhaligon." Agnes says as Emma and her start to walk out of the kitchen.
"And when Hetty does finally turn up she will be dismissed with a suitably bad reference." Mrs Penhaligon says.
"She'll get the sack?" Emma asks in shock.
"Many people have hard lives," Mrs Penhaligon states, "It does not excuse careless work and poor behaviour." Emma and Sheila share a look of disbelief before Mrs Penhaligon sends her upstairs.
Emma walks past the front door to see Edwin there and a carriage pulling up. It had to be Hetty. She quickly stands next to Edwin. Gideon, Emily and Henry exit the carriage.
"Em, quick, go change," Edwin says, "If I see anyone, I'll try and keep them away while you get that dress back."
"No, Edwin, we'll tell Father." Emily says, "He'll send help."
"We don't need help," Gideon says, "Hetty has a plan, I'm sure of it. And if you tell, they'll know she got you in trouble."
"And what does that matter." says Emily.
"She'll get sacked," Gideon says in disbelief, "She can get sent to the workhouse."
"Where even is Hetty?" Emma says.
"Is someone going to explain?" Emma turns to be met by Mrs Calendars stern look. This was not going to end well.
"Em, you really should have used that servants' entrance." says Edwin, smiling to himself.
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"It seems my daughter was missing and I wasn't informed!" Mr Calendar says. We were all now in the library, Mr Calendar pacing around.
"I did ask Mrs Penhaligon to tell you." Mrs Calendar says.
"You were busy, sir- and the girl is off an errant." Mrs Penhaligon says.
"Errand?" Emily says, clearly angry.
"What does that matter?" Edwin quickly says, "Right now, Hetty needs our help."
"This is what they want, Mr Calendar," Sheila says handing Mr Graces book to him, "Sir, it's all about Matron."
"Hetty said the book would be handed over here, this afternoon." Emma says standing next to Sheila. Mrs Calendar look distressed the moment Matron was mentioned.
"You believe Matron will come to Calendar Hall?" questions Mr Calendar. Mrs Calendar takes the book off him and begins to read it.
"Hetty will make sure of it." says Gideon.
"No wonder they want it back." Mrs Calendar states still reading the book.
"Do you really think these people can be trusted?" asks Mr Calendar, turning to his wife.
"No, I know Matron," Mrs Calendar says, all of us shocked she would know this women, "Gertrude Bottomley. We were friends a long time back and, no, she cannot be trusted."
"Everyone, back to your duties" Mr Calendar says.
"But Hetty-" Gideon begins.
"Back to your duties." Mr Calendar says again. With that Mrs Penhaligon, Sheila, Gideon and Emma walk out of the library.
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"The dinner guests will be on their potted shrimp starters by now." Sheila says. It was the end of a long day, Matron was now caught and now locked away, Hetty was visiting her mother and Henry's parents were at the house to discuss Emily's education. Jack, Gideon, Agnes, Sheila and Emma were now sat around that kitchen table eating.
"If only." Agnes says.
"What is a potted shrimp?" asks Jack.
"Dunno" says Gideon.
"Cook made them." Emma says before eating more bread.
"It's, like, shrimp... in a pot." says Agnes. Gideon laughs a bit at this.
"I couldn't care less, and neither should you," Jack says, "We'll never get upstairs to try it."
"Candlelight and glistening tiaras." Sheila says, resting her head on her hand and staring up into space.
"Mrs Calendar, looking beautiful." Agnes says.
"I wanna see it all." Sheila says.
"Downstairs is our life, Sheila." Gideon says.
"Just have to get used to it." Emma says as Jack steals some bread off her plate. She raised her eyebrows at him, only for him to sniggered and eat it. Emma giggled and shuck her head. They all continued to laugh and joke until they finished, Emma loved these moments where she could relax after the stress of the day.
"Ida was right, of course. I'd never wanted to be a servant. I wanted to tell stories. This story was true...And everyone in it got what they deserved...It wasn't a happy ending for them...But, for me, I was happy. I was free, and I had my mother. I didn't know what my future was, but I knew that I had one. Being a servant was just the beginning, because I'm Hetty Feather, and I will keep on writing as the next part of my story unfolds."
a/n This chapter was hopefully a bit more interesting. That is it for series 3 since there is only two episodes with Calendar Hall. Also if you haven't seen Hetty Feather in a while you might want to rewatch, just so you'll get the storyline better. Thank you for reading so far.