Lady Jane by Norma Lee Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

sacrificing, and the problems she faced trying to keep that great house running and tend to poor Sebastian. No, she decided, I’ll say nothing. The girl’s young and strong, and will take no harm, after all, and if it proves too much for her she’ll come scurrying back to London like all the rest, no doubt.
    “Very well, Jane, I’ll make the arrangements. How soon would you be able to leave?”
    “For all of me, this minute, m’lady,” Jane replied, with such a blinding smile that Lady Stanier was quite dazzled.
    She laughed in genuine pleasure at so much happiness. “We’ll make it tomorrow, shall we? That will give me time to write my sister and warn her of your coming. You will want to collect your belongings from your lodgings, I make no doubt.”
    Jane’s smile faded at the thought of going back to the Blodgetts, but she knew she must go, if not to collect her pitifully few belongings, at least to thank Mrs. Blodgett for her kindness. Terrible as the accommodations had been, they had been offered with no hesitation, and if they had not been, Jane would have been in the streets, for she had had no place to turn to besides these friends of her mother’s.
    “You will of course come back here directly to spend the night, child. I’ll send a footman to buy you a seat on the Mail that leaves in the early morning and you can leave directly from here,” offered Lady Stanier kindly, guessing the reason for the fading smile.
    “Oh—oh—m’lady—” Jane whispered, unable to express her gratitude for this kindness.
    “Yes—I see. Very well, off you go. Mrs. Hawks will see to you when you come back and see you safe on the Mail in the morning, so I’ll say good-bye to you now and wish you luck.”
    “Thank you—thank you, m’lady,” Jane said, giving her her most respectful curtsy.
    She sped through the streets back to Cheapside, joy making it seem a short journey. I’ll give the few shillings I have left to Mrs. Blodgett, she decided, for I’ll not need them now. This reminded her that she had not asked about wages, nor any other practical question, come to that. But she didn’t really care about such things. If only I can have a decent place to sleep and be able to keep mesel’ clean, I shan’t mind anythin’, she thought. And besides I’ll have good food there for sure, and all that clean air—oh, I shall like it fine and not miss Lunnon at all.
    When she opened the door of the Blodgett’s, she was dismayed to find Mr. Blodgett in sole possession of the premises. He sat stolidly at the kitchen table and glowered from under his brows at her, his only greeting a grunt.
    “I’ve come for me things,” Jane announced, nervously edging her way past him to the corner of the room where her box stood. “I’ve found a place and I’m to go straight back. Where’s Mrs. Blodgett?”
    “She gone off to see her auntie and not back yet, and me wantin’ me dinner and waitin’ near an hour,” he grumbled, swinging about to watch her as she hastily stuffed her things into the box and strapped it closed.
    When she turned she found him eyeing her speculatively. His eyes slid around to the door and then back. He grinned, revealing the rotten stumps of teeth long gone, and rose ponderously from the bench and approached her.
    “No need to go rushin’ back, now is there? Two o’ us could have oursel’s a bit o’ fun, eh?” he wheezed insinuatingly, reaching for her.
    She flinched back from his hands and from the wave of ale-soaked fumes he breathed over her.
    “Don’t try your tricks on me, Blodgett. You should be ashamed of yoursel’ anyway, and me the same age as your own daughters!”
    She pushed roughly past him and started for the door. His hand shot out to catch her wrist as she went by, and without a moment’s hesitation she turned and swung her box around in the same movement and hit him with all the force of her residual anger and outrage at Leach, the leather box slamming against the side