Free A Change of Fortune by Beryl Matthews Page B

as much as her. ‘I wish you a happy and safe New Year.’
    Her head came up and what he saw made him draw in a deep breath of appreciation. What beautiful eyes; she was going to be a real beauty in a couple of years.
    ‘What have you got, Jen?’ Edna asked.
    She unwrapped her parcel, trying to stop her hands from shaking. That had been an ordeal. She felt safe down here with the servants, but was terrified she would meet someone upstairs who might guess who she really was. The deception was a constant worry in case she slipped and said something revealing. In a way the hard schedule of work she had to do every day was helping to push the fear to the back of her mind, but at times like this it came rushing back.
    ‘Oh, that’s lovely,’ the cook said as Jenny held out a bright red scarf and matching gloves.
    They all showed their gifts, smiling with pleasure as they inspected each one. All were things servants would not have been able to buy for themselves. Jennycouldn’t help wondering if her mother had been this kind …
    ‘Back to work,’ the housekeeper ordered. But there was a smile on her face for once. ‘Edna, Jenny, cook will need your help today.’
    The time flew as they hurried from one job to another. It was nearly eleven that night before the final clearing up had been done. It was then they had a party of their own in the servants’ hall. They had a wind-up gramophone and some records, and this was played after they had eaten their fill of the Christmas food. They danced to and sang the popular tunes of the day. Tomorrow was still a working day for them, so at midnight they began to bring the party to an end. The footman put on a record by Jenny’s favourite singer, Al Bowlly. He told them that it had only been recorded the month before, and he’d bought it last week. It was called ‘S’posin I Should Fall in Love with You’. It was a sentimental song and touched Jenny’s heart, as she listened to his lovely voice. It brought back such happy memories of their dancing lessons at Templeton. Her friends would all be enjoying a family Christmas now. For a moment sadness tried to overwhelm her, but she fought against it. She was doing well on her own, and mustn’t dwell on the past.
    Jenny joined in the laughter as they washed their plates and glasses, feeling much more relaxed. It had been silly to get in a panic about meeting the family upstairs. No one would see her as anything but a lowly under housemaid. She was safe here.

7
    They were even busier on New Year’s Eve, when they prepared the house for a lavish dinner party in the evening. Mrs Douglas didn’t scold as Edna, Jenny and the footman, Ron Stokes, ran up and down the servants’ stairs.
    The family had a late breakfast at ten o’clock, which was a blessing, and by the time they’d finished eating, the fires were burning, floors cleaned, guest rooms prepared and everything was gleaming without a speck of dust to be seen.
    Edna leant on the banister at the bottom of their stairs and mopped her brow, still grinning broadly. ‘We made it.’
    Jenny was beginning to wonder if anything put her friend in a bad mood. No matter how hard the work, she seemed to sail through it with a smile on her lips and a joke or two.
    The footman, Ron, slithered down the stairs. ‘Is that all you’ve got to do?’ he joked.
    ‘Just catching our breath. Look at poor old Jen, she’s gasping for air.’
    Jenny giggled, enjoying the friendly banter. There was a strict order of rank among servants and, being very low in the order of things, she hadn’t expected it to be this friendly. But it was. It never ceased to amaze herand she couldn’t help wondering if this household was unique in that way. If it was, then she had been very lucky to get this job. She didn’t always feel like that of course. Many nights, as she crawled into bed absolutely exhausted, she felt anything but grateful.
    ‘Well, make sure you recover by tonight because while the