Lily Steps Up Read online

  ‘No, you didn’t tell me,’ I said, feeling a bit cross, both because Maeve wasn’t excited about the trip, and because I was going to miss her so much. ‘Who’s going?’

  ‘Everyone – Uncle Joss and Aunt Mary and the children and Gaga and me.’

  ‘But I’ll see you again before you go?’

  ‘I don’t think so. Gaga says I must have extra les­sons to make up for all the time I’ll be away, so I’m going back to Ardeevin tonight. Gaga and I will leave from there, and meet everyone else in Dublin, and travel on from there together.’

  Now I felt like crying. Dublin sounded so far away and exotic – I could hardly even imagine that it was a real place.

  And then I wasn’t cross any more, as I thought of something wonderful. ‘If all the family is away, does that mean that Nellie and I and all the other servants have a holiday too? We won’t have much work to do – no bedrooms to clean, except our own, no fires to light, no fancy drawing rooms to tidy. Do you know, Maeve, do we have a holiday too?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Lily. When we’re on holidays, well, we’re on holidays, and I don’t know what happens in Lis­sadell while we’re gone. I hope you have a holiday, Lily, I really do, but I don’t actually know.’

  * * *

  I didn’t get a chance to talk to Nellie until bedtime. I had worked late, finishing the servants’ stairs, so Nellie had put out the light by the time I got to our little room. The light that came in from the pas­sageway was just enough for me to see her curled up under the blankets. I smiled when I saw one of Master Michael’s storybooks still open on the bed beside her. No matter how tired she was, she always read a few lines before settling down for the night.

  ‘Did you have a nice time with Maeve?’ she asked sleepily.

  I wanted to hug her. While I’d been lying on a rug in the sunshine, eating treats, Nellie had been work­ing hard, with barely a break to catch her breath, but she wasn’t jealous or anything. She really seemed to care about me having a nice time.

  ‘I had a lovely afternoon,’ I said. ‘But tell me, Nellie, did you know that the whole family is going away to England next week?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Isabelle mentioned it yesterday. She’s already busy sorting out the babies’ clothes, and packing their little bags.’

  ‘But why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘I didn’t think you’d care. I’m sorry you’ll miss Maeve, but otherwise …’

  ‘But when they’re gone, do we …?’ Suddenly I felt stupid. What had I been thinking? If the servants were getting a holiday, they’d all be happy and excited. If we were getting a holiday I’d know it by now.

  ‘Do we what?’ asked Nellie.

  ‘Do we … I mean, if they’re gone what are we sup­posed to do all day long?’

  I’d given up on the idea of a holiday, but maybe a few hours extra in bed every morning was still a possibility?

  Now Nellie sat up, and in the dim light I could see her long red curls tumbling around her shoulders.

  ‘Oh, Lily,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry. This is all new to you. You weren’t here the last time they went away, were you? It’s not much fun, I can tell you that.’

  ‘But …’

  ‘When the family goes away, we have to clean the house from top to bottom.’

  ‘We do that every day anyway, don’t we?’

  ‘This is different. We have to clean every single thing in the house. Mrs Bailey will have lists as long as her arm, and she’ll follow us around the place like a wild woman, pointing at things we’ve missed and having conniptions. Oh, Lily, I get tired even think­ing about it.’

  Nellie gave a big yawn and lay down again. I wasn’t sure I understood what she was saying – as far as I could see, the house was clean enough. What did I know though? I was only an under-housemaid, and I had to do what I was told.

  Chapter Three

  At last the big day arrived and Mr Kilgallon, the butler, told all the servants to line up in the hall­way. We watched in silence as the footmen carried the last of the suitcases and trunks out of the house.

  ‘Looks as if they’re going away for three years,’ whispered Nellie, and I thought I’d choke from trying not to laugh. She was right, though – the things they were taking would barely fit into my whole house. I thought that England must be a strange place if the family had to bring so many supplies to survive a few weeks there.

  Lady Mary and Sir Josslyn came down the big stairs, looking wonderful in their warm travelling clothes. Behind them came the nurse, with baby Brian in her arms, and Isabelle, the children’s maid who was carrying Bridget. Isabelle was my friend, and she had been very kind to me when I arrived at Lissadell. I knew I’d miss her when she was away.

  Michael and Hugh were trailing behind everyone else. Poor little Hugh was sobbing. He looked tired and confused, as if he’d have been happier staying in the nursery playing with his toy soldiers. I wanted to give him a big hug, but I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do, so I smiled at him instead, hoping that would help.

  Sir Josslyn gave a little speech, saying how he hoped we would all keep well, and that he knew we would work hard while they were gone. When he finished I started to clap, but no one else joined in. Mr Kilgallon glared at me, so I pretended I’d been trying to catch a fly between my palms, making Nellie giggle.

  Lady Mary shook everyone’s hand, as if she were saying goodbye to us forever. Then she and Sir Josslyn and the children got into the motor car. There wasn’t room for Isabelle and the nurse, so they travelled on the pony and carriage, squashing themselves in amongst the trunks and suitcases and presents for the family in England. I’d have felt sorry for them, except that they were going to Dublin and England and places I could only dream of. I’d happily have travelled on the back of a smelly old pig-cart for the opportunity they had.

  The little procession set off on their journey and the servants stood there for a second, before Mr Kilgallon clapped his hands.

  ‘No holiday for us,’ he said. ‘Time to set to work. No dilly-dallying now.’

  I looked up to see Mrs Bailey walking towards me with a determined look in her eye and a long sheet of paper in her hand.

  ‘Nellie, Lily,’ she said. ‘Gather your traps. You’re starting in Lady Mary’s room, so I’ll see you there in five minutes.’

  * * *

  The next few days were the longest of my whole life. The footmen took down the curtains from each bedroom, and carried them outside and laid them across the clothes lines. There Nellie and I had to beat them until our backs were breaking. When that was done, all the mattresses and bedding were car­ried outside and wiped and brushed.

  While these were airing, Nellie and I had to scrub every inch of every room – under the beds and inside the wardrobes and in dark corners I’d never have thought of cleaning. All the windowpanes had to be polished with vinegar and old newspapers, and I wondered if my fingers were going to be black for­evermore. Every ten minutes, Mrs Bailey appeared, criticising and complaining and saying that we wer­en’t working hard enough.

  On the third day, Nellie and I emptied Maeve’s wardrobe so we could clean it. As we were putting the beautiful clothes back, I pointed out a dress, ‘This is the one I wore the first time Maeve said she wanted to paint me.’

  ‘I bet it was lovely on you,’ said Nellie as she picked up another dress and held the bright blue fabric to her cheek. ‘I think this is the softest thing I have ever touched,’ she sighed.

  The blue of the dress matched her eyes perfectly, and made her curls shine like polished copper.

  ‘Oh, Nellie!’ I didn’t know how to continue. It was hard to believe that this sweet, smiling girl had been so mean and grumpy when I first knew her. Now I loved her and wanted her to have everything in the world.

  ‘What?’ she asked, as she put the dress back in the wardrobe and picked up our brushes and mops.

  ‘Don’t you sometimes think that life is unfair? Maeve has wardrobes full of dresses sh
e hardly ever wears, and you and I …’

  ‘I know,’ she said, as we went out of the room. ‘Life is unfair, but complaining about it doesn’t make it any better. I tell myself every day how lucky I am to be here at Lissadell.’

  ‘Lissadell is a beautiful house, and the Gore-Booths are kind – but don’t you think the endless work …?’

  ‘I don’t mind the work too much – I quite like making things shiny and clean.’

  I smiled at her. ‘I wish I could be like that.’

  ‘I try to be happy with what I have, and who knows, maybe there are great things waiting around the corner for both of us?’

  ‘Knowing our luck, the only thing waiting around the corner for us will be Mrs Bailey,’ I said.

  I jumped as Mrs Bailey appeared out of Gaga’s bedroom. ‘You were saying, Lily?’ she said.

  ‘Oh, er, I was only saying I hoped you’d be here so we could tell you we’re finished in Miss Maeve’s bedroom.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ said Mrs Bailey. ‘Is that a fact?’

  I looked at the floor and bit my tongue and didn’t answer. Sometimes being an under-housemaid was very hard.

  Chapter Four

  On Friday night I fell into bed feeling that I would never again be able to move, but on Saturday morning I jumped up like a newborn lamb, ready to enjoy every moment of my day off.

  I took my sewing basket from under the bed, and pulled out the dress I was making for my little sister, Anne. I smoothed the soft fabric and smiled. Every stitch was perfect – even the hard, fancy ones on the sleeves. When we were at school, my friend Hanora and I were the very best at sewing, and Miss O’Brien made pets of us. Often Hanora and I stayed back when everyone else went home and she showed us stitches that the other girls would never have been able for. Because of Miss O’Brien, and Mam, who still helped me, I could sew nearly anything.

  I threaded my needle and began to sew the first tiny yellow button in place.

  Nellie opened her eyes. ‘Why are you sewing now?’ she asked. ‘You never sew on Saturdays, you’re in such a hurry to get home to your family.’

  ‘I know. I’m dying to get on the road, but Winnie’s dress has been finished for ages, and I only have to put the buttons on Anne’s. It’s going to be such a great surprise for them, I can’t wait any more.’

  ‘I’m excited for them too,’ said Nellie. ‘I can picture their happy faces. They sound like such sweet little girls.’

  Saturday was the day I lived for, the only day I could spend with my family. Nellie didn’t have that, though – her whole world was in Lissadell.

  Life was so unfair!

  ‘I’ll help you to get ready,’ said Nellie, jumping out of bed. ‘So you’ll get home faster.’

  She opened our little shared wardrobe and began to lay out my clothes for me – my Sunday best dress, and my clean stockings and my coat.

  ‘Thank you, Nellie,’ I said. ‘You’re a good friend.’

  * * *

  It was a bright and breezy day and I sang to myself as I walked along the shore. My basket was heavy, but I didn’t care. Cook had given me a big bunch of car­rots, a lump of cheese, a loaf of fresh bread and some freshly churned butter. She had added a little bag of ginger biscuits, because I had once told her that my brothers loved them.

  The dresses for Winnie and Anne were folded up in tissue paper and balanced on top of everything, and even thinking about them made me smile. Sometimes I hated my work in Lissadell, but without it, I would never have such beautiful presents for my favourite little girls in the world.

  * * *

  Denis and Jimmy were playing on the road in front of the house. They didn’t run to hug me anymore, in case any of their friends were nearby, but their smiles told me they were glad to see me.

  ‘Mam,’ shouted Jimmy. ‘Lily’s here. Lily’s here.’

  Mam came to the door, wiping her hands on her old familiar worn-out apron. I ran into her safe, warm arms and she held me for a long time. That first hug on a Saturday was the best moment of my whole week, and I wanted it to go on and on. In Lissadell, I had to act like a grown-up, but when I came home, I was still Mam’s little girl, and I knew that would never, ever change.

  Winnie was pulling at my dress, and Anne was jumping up and down beside her.

  ‘What’s in the basket?’ said Anne.

  ‘Basket for Winnie?’ said Winnie.

  I let go of Mam and stooped down to hug the little girls. They clung on, wriggling and fighting to get the best grip on me.

  ‘Were you good for Mam this week?’ I asked when they finally let me go. Winnie was a little pet from the first day she was born, but Anne had a wild streak – she tried very hard to be good, but sometimes the effort was too much for her.

  ‘They were as good as gold,’ said Mam, smiling at me. She already knew what the surprise was. Months ago, when the girls were napping, she had helped me with the first dress, showing me how to do the hard parts like putting in the sleeves and gathering up the waist.

  ‘Well, then, girls,’ I said. ‘In that case I have a big surprise for each of you.’

  Now Winnie and Anne were jumping up and down with excitement, and Anne was making little squeaky noises, and I wanted the special moment to last forever.

  I took the parcel from the basket and slowly unwrapped the tissue paper. I shook out the dresses and handed one to each girl. They held the dresses in their tiny hands and didn’t say a single word. I was so disappointed. What was wrong? These were the best things I had ever made. The fabric Lady Mary gave me was soft and fine and perfect for a little girl. I had sewn and sewn, all through dark and cold winter nights. Why didn’t they like them?

  In the end, when Anne spoke, her voice was a whis­per so quiet I had to lean closer to catch the words.

  ‘For me?’

  ‘For me?’ echoed her little sister.

  At last I understood. They would have been happy with a ginger biscuit each, and the idea of a new dress was too much for them to take in.

  I laughed. ‘Yes, of course they are for you, you sil­lies. Now let’s try them on and see how you look.’

  The girls were already wriggling out of their old, faded dresses, and seconds later they were parading around in the new ones.

  I felt tears coming to my eyes. The dresses fitted perfectly, and the girls looked like two sweet little angels. I wished they could each have a hundred dresses, in every colour of the rainbow.

  Mam hugged me. ‘You’re the best big sister in the world.’

  ‘That’s a coincidence,’ I said. ‘Because I’ve got the best mam in the world too.’

  * * *

  The boys came in as Mam was emptying the basket and exclaiming over all the food that Cook had sent. When they saw the ginger biscuits, they both did a little dance of joy. I laughed. Every time I came home they seemed more grown up, and I was happy to see that they were still little boys at heart.

  When the food was put away safely in the pantry, the girls wanted to go outside to play in the front yard. Mam warned them a hundred times about keeping their new dresses clean, and Denis and Jimmy went outside to keep an eye on them as they played.

  Mam and I sat by the fire. I loved those quiet moments when it was just the two of us together, chatting about this and that.

  ‘How is your friend?’ she asked.

  I don’t keep many secrets from Mam, but didn’t dare to tell her that I was friends with Maeve. In her eyes, I had no business being friends with anyone rich. She thought that kind of thing would lead to trouble for me.

  ‘Who?’ I asked, trying not to look guilty.

  ‘Nellie – your friend Nellie who you told me about. How is she these days?’

  ‘Oh, my friend Nellie,’ I said, relieved. ‘She’s well. She’s getting very good at reading and she still wears the mittens you made her at Christmas – even when it’s not cold at all.’

  Mam smiled. ‘She sounds like a sweet girl and she’s lucky to have a friend like you.’


  ‘I’m lucky to have a friend like her,’ I said.

  We chatted some more, and then I noticed that Mam had a huge smile on her face.

  ‘I have a big surprise for you too, pet,’ she said. ‘I was trying to save it until you were ready to go back to Lissadell, but I can’t wait any more.’

  ‘What is it?’ I asked. Mam didn’t have money to buy anything extra for me, so I was a bit confused.

  ‘It’s a letter,’ she said. ‘All the way from America!’

  Now I felt like jumping up and down even though I’m supposed to be much too grown up for that. Hanora had gone to America just after Christmas, and since then I’d had no news of her.

  Mam took the letter from the safe ledge where she put all important things.

  I turned it over and over in my hands, looking at the familiar handwriting, remembering how Hanora and I had sat together on our first day of school, struggling to form letters with our babyish hands.

  Even the return address on the back of the enve­lope was exciting – 307B East 154th St, New York City.

  I carefully opened the envelope. The paper inside was fine and light, and the writing covered both sides. I read slowly, savouring each word my friend had sent me from the other side of the world. As I read, I could hear her voice in my head, and the lone­-liness of it all brought tears to my eyes.

  Dearest Lily,

  I have so much to tell you, one letter won’t be enough, but I’ll do my best.

  New York is so big, you wouldn’t believe it if you could see it. The buildings are bigger than you could imagine, and the streets are full of motor cars and bicycles and people rushing everywhere. It’s always loud here even in the middle of the night.

  Sometimes it seems as if the whole world wants to live in America. Every day new families come from Italy and Greece. Everyone is so dark and so handsome, and I love listening to them talking so fast in their funny languages. There was a nice family from Russia here for a while, but they all moved to Detroit when they heard that Ford Motors had doubled the rates of pay. Now workers there get 5 whole dollars a day! (You mightn’t know what dol­lars are, but trust me, Lily, that’s a lot of money.)