Emily by Valerie Wood

the day when Emilyconfronted her with the news of the lost packet. ‘I trusted you.’
    Emily paled. Mrs Purnell surely didn’t think she lost it on purpose, that she had been careless. ‘I asked Mr Linton if I could pay it back out of my wages, Mrs Purnell, but he said not.’
    Mrs Purnell gave a great shout of derision. ‘Pay it back! Do you know how much was in there?’
    Emily shook her head. ‘No, ma’am.’ How could she have known when Mrs Purnell hadn’t told her.
    ‘Fifty guineas! That’s how much! How long do you think it would take you?’ Mrs Purnell stared at her with a hostile expression, then seemed to relent. ‘Go along. I suppose it wasn’t your fault. I’ll see Mr Linton about it. And send Mrs Anderson to me,’ she called after her. ‘I’ve heard there’s cholera in the town so I’ve decided we shall go to Scarborough for the summer.’

Chapter Ten
    One of Mrs Purnell’s friends had another friend who knew an eminent doctor who had advised, in confidence, that there had been a case of cholera at the workhouse, which backed up against the houses in Parliament Street. Mrs Purnell had turned pale at the disclosure, she couldn’t abide the thought of disease, and the news that cholera was practically at her door was enough for her to make an instant decision. Her friend, Mrs Marshall, was taking a house in Scarborough and invited her to share it. ‘We can share a cook,’ she said. ‘Mine is excellent, and we’ll take our own maids.’
    Emily and Dolly were to go with her, and Cook and Mrs Anderson were to stay behind in Hull. ‘I wish I could go,’ Susan grumbled. ‘There’ll be nowt to do here.’
    ‘There’ll be plenty to do, my girl.’ Mrs Anderson overheard her. ‘We shall spring-clean the house from top to bottom whilst ’mistress is away. I’ll be sure that if cholera strikes here it won’t be because of any dirt in this house!’
    ‘I heard say it’s ’cos of dirty water.’ Cook roused herself from her chair by the cooking range. ‘But Idon’t believe that. ’Water looks clean enough to me.’
    ‘Mrs Purnell and Mrs Marshall are going to travel by train.’ Dolly butted in. ‘I heard them talking when I took ’tea in. But you and me, Emily, are going by coach with ’luggage.’
    ‘By train! I’ve never seen a train!’ Emily was impressed. ‘Oh, I wish it was us going on it, Dolly.’
    ‘Dirty, noisy things,’ Mrs Anderson snorted. ‘They’ll not last, mark my words. They’re a novelty, that’s all.’
    Though she might have wished for the adventure of a train journey, as Emily stepped into the hired coach which was taking them on the long journey to Scarborough, she felt a thrill of excitement to be travelling in a proper coach, like a proper lady, even though she and Dolly were hemmed in by boxes and cases full of items which Mrs Purnell had deemed were absolutely essential for her summer stay at the spa resort.
    ‘It can be very breezy at Scarborough,’ she’d advised, so Emily packed her own warm shawl and an extra winter shift. ‘It can also be very warm.’ So Emily also packed lightweight cotton blouses, and for Mrs Purnell she packed two dozen dresses, some grand for the formal parties she would attend, and some simple, of plain brocade or satin, with fewer frills and ribbons, which would be worn for card parties or afternoon tea. She packed two warm coats and one thinner one, as well as a cloak with a hood and numerous hats.
    The coach with Emily and Dolly in it set off two days before Mrs Purnell’s departure by train, inorder that they could unpack and iron and prepare for their mistress’s arrival. Mrs Marshall’s servants were to do the same, arriving at around the same time.
    ‘You’ll like Ginny, Mrs Marshall’s maid,’ Dolly chatted as they rattled and bumped out of the streets of Hull towards the coast road. Dolly had been to Scarborough before and was very excited to be going again. ‘She knows all that’s going on with