Free Yew Tree Gardens by Anna Jacobs Page B

Bennerden used to pay me weekly and let me take the money home. I should have asked before I got my trunk, only I’m all of a maze today. Can you please pay me weekly as well? If you can’t, I’ll have to look for another job.’
    ‘Of course I can. When is your next money due?’
    ‘Today, sir. Mam and the kids won’t have enough to eat if I don’t get paid.’
    Gil saw an opportunity of becoming a philanthropist immediately, which would no doubt please the ghost of Miss Bennerden if she was keeping an eye on him. ‘I’ll give you the wages at once.’
    Her expression brightened. ‘Oh, thank you, sir. If I can only get the money for Mam, I shan’t care what them in the village say about me. It fair breaks my heart to see the little ’uns go hungry.’
    ‘How much?’
    ‘Five shillin’ a week, sir.’
    It seemed a pitifully small amount. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his change purse, selecting three half-crown pieces and holding them out to her. ‘Here.’
    She took two of them, leaving the third coin on his palm. ‘It’s too much, sir. I don’t get seven shillings and sixpence a week.’
    ‘You do now. You just got a rise for your loyalty.’ He could see Walter nodding approvingly.
    ‘Oh, sir.’ She clapped one hand to her mouth and blinked her eyes, but a few tears escaped. ‘It’ll be such a big help to Mam.’
    He pressed the other coin into her hand and said gently, ‘You can run home tomorrow morning and give your mother the money.’
    ‘Thank you, sir.’ She mopped her eyes then pulled a pinafore out of the bundle and tied it round herself. ‘Right. What shall I do first?’
    ‘Can you please make us all a cup of tea, you included, Lizzie? Then perhaps you can tell me what’s going on. I have no idea why people are angry with me.’
    He’d lost all desire to sleep, but his bad leg was aching furiously, so he limped across to the big kitchen table and sat down.
    ‘They said you had a gimpy leg and a bad arm, sir. Did you have an accident like Miss Bennerden?’
    Somehow he wasn’t offended by her question. ‘Yes, a riding accident.’
    ‘Must have been a bad one. Still, you’ve got the house and all, haven’t you? So you’ll be all right.’
    Walter grinned at him from the other side of the room and Gil knew what he was thinking. The girl was right. Suddenly he knew he would manage better, thanks to a kind lady. Whatever happened from now on, Miss Bennerden had given him a chance to do something useful with his life. Like helping Lizzie and her family. That might not be exciting but it was important.
    He had felt so useless!
    Leaning back in his chair, he watched Lizzie make a cup of tea, her movements quick and sure.
    Walter came to sit next to him. ‘Nice big kitchen, this. Where did the cook go, Lizzie?’
    ‘She went to work for Mr Chapman as well. He must have got some money, because even though he has a bighouse, it used to be just Ben as helped him out and Mrs Kendey to scrub and wash for him twice a week.’
    She quickly produced a pot of tea and found them some stale bread, which she toasted and offered with a new jar of jam. ‘Sorry, sir. They took the butter and stuff that’d go bad with them. They wasn’t meaning to steal anything, but no one likes to see good food go to waste.’
    ‘You’ll need to eat too,’ Walter pointed out.
    ‘Ooh, it wouldn’t be right to eat with the master!’
    ‘It would if I say so,’ Gil told her. ‘Sit down, Lizzie. I won’t eat anything till you do.’
    He waited till she was finishing her second cup of tea, after three slices of toast and jam. ‘I’d be really grateful if you’d tell me why people are so upset with me, Lizzie. I need to know.’
    ‘Well … it’s because of Mr Chapman, sir, Mr Duncan Chapman. He lives in the village and he’s a relative of Miss Bennerden as well. He did a lot for her after he come to live here, a few years ago. She got very frail towards the end, poor lady.’
    ‘What did he