Castle of Secrets Read Online Free PDF

stood there. She wore a shapeless dress, over which was a
large, grubby apron. In one hand she carried a jug of water from which steam
was rising, and in the other she carried a bucket of coal.
    ‘Good
morning,’ said Helena .
    The girl made
a nervous noise that could have been: ‘Morning,’ and then hurried across the
room lumpishly, without grace. As Helena watched her, she thought of her aunt’s letters, and as she
recalled that Aunt Hester had taken a motherly interest in the girl, she hoped
she might learn something from her.
    Effie went
over to the washstand and deposited the jug of water there clumsily, spilling
the water.
    ‘Oh, missis,
I’m sorry, missis, I’m sorry,’ said Effie, mopping up the water nervously with
her apron.
    ‘That’s all
right. You did not mean to do it,’ said Helena .
    ‘No, missi.’
    The girl left
the water half mopped and crossed to the grate, putting the bucket of coal down
with a clatter that made Helena start, and then knelt down in front of the fire. Her skirt
rode up to reveal a few inches of leg, and Helena saw that she had holes in her
woollen stockings, which had been badly darned.
    Effie picked
up the poker, setting the other fire irons jangling, and began to rake the
coals, which had turned to ash as the fire had burnt down overnight. The poker
made a scraping noise across the iron grate, and there was a soft, shifting
sound as the ash fell through into the box beneath.
    ‘It’s an early
start for you,’ said Helena , trying to put the girl at ease.
    Effie dropped
the poker with a clatter.
    ‘Sorry,
missis, I didn’t mean to do it, I didn’t mean to,’ she said, grabbing at the
poker.
    ‘It’s all
right,’ said Helena , wondering how many more
times she was going to have to soothe the girl. You knew my aunt , she
longed to say, but instead she went on: ‘It must be confusing for you to have a
new housekeeper in the castle. Perhaps you did not expect to find me still in
bed. I am usually awake early, but I had a tiring day yesterday. Mrs Carlisle,
my predecessor,  was an early riser, I suppose?’ she enquired casually.
    ‘Yes, missis.
Always up early she was. “There’s no use lying abed when there’s work to be
done,” she used to say.’
    ‘Quite right,
too. There is plenty to do in the castle. You must be busy all day long.’
    ‘Yes, missis.
There’s fires to be lit and there’s that many steps, it’s ’ard work.’
    ‘Mrs Carlisle
must have been sorry to leave the castle. She took a pride in her job, I
believe.’
    ‘Very
particular, Mrs Carlisle was. The flowers ’ad to be fresh in summer. Very
particular about ’er flowers, was Mrs Carlisle. I mustn’t move anything on ’er
desk, and I mustn’t go through the drawers.’
    ‘Did you used
to go through the drawers?’ Helena asked in surprise.
    Effie dropped
the poker.
    ‘I were only
looking for some string,’ she said, but she seemed nervous, and Helena wondered if she was
speaking the truth. ‘My stockings were falling down. Mrs Carlisle said I needed
garters, she showed me ’ow to make ’em.’
    ‘Of course,’
said Helena . ‘Did you find anything
interesting when you were looking for the string?’ she asked nonchalantly.
    ‘Very
particular about her pens, she was. Mended ’em ’erself. Didn’t want no one
touching her pens,’ said Effie obliquely, picking up the poker and hanging it
back on its stand, then she took a piece of newspaper from the top of the
bucket of coals and crumpled it vigorously before laying it in the grate.
    Helena ’s eyes were drawn to the
girl’s hands. They were large and strong, and as they picked up another piece
of newspaper and crushed it, Helena found herself wondering what else the girl’s hands could
crush.
    Changing the
subject, she said: ‘It must have been a shock to you when Mrs Carlisle left so
suddenly.’
    ‘I didn’t know
she was going,’ said Effie. ‘She said nothing to me, just went. One day she was
here and the next