Jazz Baby Read Online Free PDF Page B

against the wall she made her way to the kitchen. A bright light shone under the door and the smell of freshly baked bread wafted out into the passageway, making her mouth water. Straightening her skirt she walked in and the blast of heat from the oven hit her like a wall.
    Mrs Mack sat at the scrubbed kitchen table, a pile of ledgers open in front of her and a pencil tucked behind her right ear. Her black cloche hat hung on the chair next to her and she’d removed her coat. As Dolly made her way to the table Mrs Mack lifted her head and smiled. The warmth of the room had brought a rosy flush to her cheeks and her brown eyes sparkled with good humour. Dolly realised she was nowhere near as old as she imagined last night.
    â€˜Ah! Dolly-girl.’
    Mrs Mack’s use of Jack’s pet name made Dolly start and her stomach flipped. Surely Jack hadn’t tried to talk Mrs Mack out of employing her.
    â€˜Good morning, Mrs Mack,’ Dolly said, trying for a tentative smile. If Jack had said something to wreck her job she’d kill him.
    â€˜Come and sit down next to me and tell me a bit about yourself while you have some breakfast.’
    As if by magic a large cup of steaming tea appeared in front of Dolly, and a thick doorstep of crusty bread on matching green and cream crockery.
    â€˜There’s jam and butter on the table. Help yourself,’ Mrs Mack said.
    Dolly turned and nodded her thanks to the heavy-set woman in a big white apron.
    â€˜Go on. Tuck in. I’ll talk while you eat.’ Mrs Mack pushed her chair back from the table and pulled the pencil from behind her ear. She sat twirling it around and around in her fingers as if she had bad news to impart. ‘Now. Let’s get this straight right from the start. I’ve employed you as a cleaner. I don’t want you getting any highfalutin ideas about having anything to do with the customers.’
    Dolly almost spat her tea back into the cup. She swallowed and lowered the cup to the table. ‘Oh no, Mrs Mack. Definitely not.’ Relief cascaded through her. Jack hadn’t let her down. She must still have the job.
    â€˜Your job’s to see to the upstairs rooms. Sheets changed every day. Laundry brought downstairs. Rooms clean and dusted then the washing, and iron the sheets for the next day. And if you’re at a loss for what to do next, speak to Annie.’ Mrs Mack nodded to the woman prodding the wood-burning stove. ‘If I’m not here, Annie’s in charge.’
    Dolly’s head bobbed up and down as she buttered her bread and spread the thick strawberry jam. Mrs Mack’s shrewd eyes studied her closely and she didn’t dare look up.
    â€˜It’s a bit of a waste. We’ll see what the next few weeks bring.’
    â€˜Bit of a waste?’ Dolly covered her full mouth with her hand.
    â€˜You’re a pretty girl. Good bones. However, a promise is a promise. We’ll see what Jack has to say later on.’
    The bread and jam lost its appeal and she pushed the mouthful around and around in her mouth, incapable of swallowing it. So Jack had spoken to Mrs Mack.
    â€˜Finish your breakfast and I’ll see you at tea time. You can ask any questions you have then.’ Mrs Mack reached for her hat and pulled it down low over her eyes then stood and slipped her arms into the sleeves of her coat. She cast another quizzical look at Dolly then asked, ‘How old are you?’
    â€˜Twenty next month.’ Dolly fingered the remains of the crust on her plate while
    Mrs Mack buttoned her coat.
    â€˜Hmm. We’ll see,’ Mrs Mack said, then nodded to Annie and left the kitchen.
    Leaning back in the chair, Dolly let out a long and rather loud sigh, her heart thundering as though she’d just done five laps of the paddock on Alf’s half-broken gelding. Obviously Jack had stuck his nose in and spoken to Mrs Mack yet she still had her job. As to the comments about her bones and