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12M

P4

Damsels

By

Anita Hooper

Synopsis

Damsels is a romantic, heartwarming rags to comparative wealth story, laced with innocence and humor and set in the late 1880’s. The heroine Millie is a beautiful and endearing character who takes on the responsibility of providing for her three very lively younger siblings. She is an apprentice dressmaker and under the watchful eye of her employers the Harding sisters she becomes an extremely talented Tailoress, the spinster sisters also give her lessons in elocution and Millie is a very willing and apt pupil who absorbs all that she is taught. Her invaluable talents for tailoring and design are soon exploited to the full in order to provide for her family. On the romantic front, after several failed relationships fate eventually takes a hand...When she finds complete happiness in so many more ways than one.

 

Sample

Millie felt that excited she could almost burst with happiness; her mind was literally humming with fresh thoughts and ideas, for improving ‘the business, her business! Her very own shop! And that evening, as the family sat around the small table tucking into their celebration dinner of fish and chips, she told them all the wonderful news.

       “Are we rich now?” demanded Bella with her mouth crammed full of chips.

“No Bella, we’re not rich, but if we all work very hard we can be, and that includes you Sam”.

He ignored her remark and asked; “Can we ‘ave fish an chips every night our Millie?”

 “No Sam. but we may be able to have them once a week, if not it can certainly be at least once a fortnight”

“And can I ‘ave a ‘ole piece of fish to meself’

“Of course you can, but even you will have jobs to do.”

“Our Millie I’ll do anything, honest anythin’ yer wants me too, if I can ‘ave a ‘ole piece of fish to meself every week”

Everyone laughed as Edie ruffled Sam’s hair and said; “Well I think, I’ll make us all a nice cup o’ tea, to wash that bit of cake down with”

The youngest children went to bed happy that night, with wide smiles across their faces, and a feeling of well being, that comes with having a nice full tummy. The eldest girls sat at the kitchen table, and discussed possible plans for the shop. Millie was just a bit concerned, at Aunt Edie’s lack of interest and input, so she asked;

“Aunt Edie you’re a bit quiet tonight, aren’t you pleased for us?”

“Course I am me ducks, it’s just that I’ll miss you all when yer moves away”

Immediately Millie leaned across the table, and put a reassuring arm around the older lady as she said; “I wanted to talk to you about that, there’s three bedrooms at the flat, so I was rather hoping that you’d come with us. That’s of course, if you don’t mind sharing with our Bella.” The effect of this news on Edie was immediate; her face became wreathed in a smile that spanned from ear to ear, her eyes glistened, and her voice shook with emotion, as she struggled to say;

“Oh me ducks do yer really mean it? I never imagined, are yer sure yer really wants me?”

Gracie and Millie first looked at each other, and then simultaneously, their eyes turned towards this wonderful woman. For more than two years, she had held their family together and cared for them all. In return she had asked for nothing, she was priceless, and the girls knew that. They had certainly grown to love her, and could not imagine life without her. They hesitated mischievously before they laughingly cried “Yes Aunt Edie we’re sure.”

Millie was in a teasing mood and couldn’t resist adding “We think!” She then burst into a fit of giggles, as Edie playfully clipped her ear, and said; “Well I don’t ‘ave to come with you, I can always find meself a fancy man!” The thought of Edie with a fancy man was unthinkable, and so funny the girls simply could not control themselves. They laughed so much they ached and Edie herself laughed the loudest.

The following day Millie arrived at the shop, punctually at eight a.m. She rang the bell as usual, and then waited for Annie the maid to let her in. Once inside she donned her apron, and began her usual tasks of cleaning and tidying the shop. She polished the counter and cleaned the windows and today she kept thinking, ‘This is mine, and these are my windows’. She had to pinch herself, she hadn’t dreamt it all had she?

At nine o clock prompt the sisters entered the shop and welcomed her. Both were in a pleasant mood, and reassured her that she hadn’t dreamt it; the shop was to be hers and would be legally when they saw their solicitor.

Within two weeks Mille had the deeds to the shop bearing her name. She was also now beginning to feel, like the real and very proud owner. Charlotte and Louise informed all the regular customers of their proposed retirement. They explained that young Millie would be taking over, and would welcome their continued patronage.

The Harding sisters spent just one month showing their young employee how to run the financial side of the business. Millie proved to be a very apt pupil and took to it like a duck to water. Louise was in fact most impressed, although not too surprised. She did in fact remark to her sister; “Charlotte I think that young lady will go far, she’s so quick; I don’t think we shall ever need to worry about her.”

Millie tried several times to thank these very generous sisters, but she could never seem to find words that truly reflected the depth of her gratitude. On the last occasion she had tried to convey it, Louise had interrupted her saying;

‘Young lady, both Charlotte and I, have grown extremely fond of you over the last four and a half years. We have in fact come to think of you almost as a daughter. We have no children between us, so who better to take over our business. You are someone whom we trust, and we have also discovered that you are honest, hard-working and extremely loyal. Had I been lucky enough to be your mother Millie, I would be extremely proud of you”. Towards the end of this little speech, Louise’s voice trembled slightly with emotion. She abruptly turned away and busied herself, by tidying a pile of material that really did not need to be tidied! Millie tactfully pretended not to notice this very rare display of emotion. She was however very sensitive to the kindness, and the compliment paid to her. She was therefore quite unable to prevent her eyes brimming over with tears of happiness, maybe even a little sadness, and certainly gratitude. She wasn’t at all sure what the tears were for, or why they were falling, but somewhere deep down inside her, had been very deeply touched, perhaps it was her soul.

Later that day the Harding sisters gave Millie a tour of the flat above the shop. The young girl was rendered almost speechless; she could hardly believe that she and her family would soon be living in such luxury. The large square kitchen boasted one of the latest ‘Kitchener’ ranges which Aunt Edie would surely love. It was in fact just like one of those posh kitchens that she had often stood in when hand delivering special garment orders to rich ladies.