Page 163 of The Pearl Sister
‘Sarah is a great little seamstress. She’s darned all the boys’ socks and made a whole wardrobe of clothes out of scraps for Mabel’s doll.’
‘Excellent. Then we must set her to work.’
‘She doesn’t have a sewing machine, Mrs Mercer.’
‘Then we shall procure one forthwith. Tell the purser that the eccentric Mrs Mercer has a fancy for sewing to while away the hours on board. I’m sure they have a number in the laundry department.’
‘Righto, I’ll see what I can do, but what about material?’
‘Leave that one with me.’ Kitty tapped her nose. ‘And send Sarah to see me this afternoon. We shall take tea together and discuss our project.’
* * *
‘There now,’ Kitty said, leading Sarah into her bedroom. She indicated the pile of nightgowns and skirts on the bed. ‘Can you do something with those?’
Sarah stared at the heap of Kitty’s clothes, then turned to her, horrified.
‘Missus M, this is real expensive stuff, like. I can’t start cutting it apart, it would be sacrilege.’
‘Of course it wouldn’t be, Sarah. I have more clothes than I could ever wear, and we can always steal a sheet or two from the bed if needs be.’
‘If you say so, Missus M,’ Sarah said as her fingers traced the delicate lace at the neck of a nightgown.
‘I do. The sewing machine will arrive later this afternoon and you can get to work tomorrow.’
Sarah’s blue eyes were huge in her thin, pale face. ‘But what will they say with me bein’ up ’ere?’
‘The purser will say absolutely nothing because I will tell him that I have employed you as my lady’s maid and that you are mending my clothes. Now, I shall see you at nine o’clock sharp.’
‘Right you are, Missus M.’
Sarah stood up, the dress she was wearing hanging loose on her slight frame. As James ushered her out, Kitty’s heart bled at the thought of these orphans, sent across the world into the unknown with no one to care for them.
Kitty only hoped that life would be kinder to them once they reached Australia’s shores.
* * *
By the end of the week, all the orphans had a new set of clothes fashioned by Sarah’s nimble fingers. Kitty had also enjoyed the girl’s company, as she sat at her sewing machine chattering away about the bombs that had fallen in the East End during the war as if she was recalling a walk in the park.
‘The last one did fer ten of us in our street, including me mam. We was in the cellar, see, ’cos the sirens had gone off, then she realised she’d left ’er knitting upstairs and went to fetch it just as the bomb fell on our roof. I were dug outta the rubble without a scratch. I were only six years old at the time. Chap that heard me caterwauling said it was a blimmin’ miracle.’
‘Goodness,’ Kitty breathed. ‘Where did you go after that?’
‘Me auntie took me into ’er ’ouse down the road, till me Dad came back from soldiering in France. Except ’e never did come back, and me auntie couldn’t afford to keep me, so I was put into an orphanage, see. It were all right there, ’cos we all stuck together. It’s what you ’ave to do, isn’t it, Missus M?’
‘Yes.’ Kitty struggled to swallow the lump in her throat, marvelling at Sarah’s bravery and positivity.
‘Everyone says that you can make a new life for yerself in Australia. What’s it like, Missus M?’
Vast . . . Heartbreaking . . . Extraordinary . . . Cruel . . .
‘It’s truly the land of possibility. I’m sure you’ll do very well there, Sarah. How old are you, by the way?’
‘Fifteen, Missus M, and being as I’m useful with me ’ands, I’m ’oping I’ll get a job and make some money of me own. And find a fella,’ she giggled, the palest of blushes rising to her cheeks. ‘Right, those are the last o’ the lot.’ Sarah removed a pair of shorts from under the needle of the machine and gave them a shake to straighten them out. ‘They should fit Jimmy good, as long as he don’t go losing more weight.’
‘Well done. These are beautifully sewn.’ Kitty took them from Sarah’s hands and folded them neatly onto the pile with the rest of the clothes. ‘You can take them all down with you and hand them out.’
‘Yeah, though I’ll ’ave to be careful they don’t get stolen. There’s a lot down there would rob yer as much as look at yer. I was also wonderin’ whether I could take that bit of sheet that’s left over an’ sew some ’ankies outa it to cheer up a friend of mine. ’E cries a lot, see,’ she added in explanation. ‘A lotta them do down below.’
