The Dollmaker's Daughters by Dilly Court

Author:Dilly Court
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Historical Saga
ISBN: 9781446472637
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2011-03-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Rosetta woke up with pains shooting through her head as if little men with picks were hammering inside her skull. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt twice its normal size. The light hurt her eyes and, as she raised her head, she felt sick. The room was spinning in dizzying circles as if she had just climbed off a merry-go-round. She fell back on the pillow, closing her eyes and groaning.

‘Rose, are you all right?’

Opening one eye, Rosetta thought that it was Ruby who was standing over her, pale-faced and with her hair flowing loose around her shoulders. But what was Ruby doing in her attic room? ‘Ruby?’

Ruby laid a cool hand on her forehead. ‘How do you feel?’

‘I think I’m dying. Me head is splitting and I’m parched.’

‘No pain anywhere else?’

Ruby’s face swam in and out of focus. ‘No. I don’t know. Oh, God!’ Rosetta sat up, holding her head in her hands. ‘Tell me it was a dream. Tell me that Billy weren’t there last night.’

‘He was there all right and lucky for you. You was nearly boiled alive. Who told you to do such a daft thing?’

‘Lottie said it would work. Maybe it has … or maybe it’ll just go away.’

‘Don’t be bloody stupid!’ Ruby said angrily. ‘You got to face up to it, Rose. You got to tell the father and he should look after you.’

‘I can’t. I mean, he won’t.’

‘Who was it, Rose?’ Ruby demanded, shaking Rosetta until her teeth rattled. ‘Was it Jonas Crowe?’

‘No, it weren’t him. I wish it was.’ Shutting her eyes tight, Rosetta could still see Alf’s face leering at her. She could smell him, feel his hands on her body, taste the stale tobacco and whisky on his breath. But Alf already had a wife and six children; he would deny everything and sack her into the bargain. If only it had been Jonas who had wanted her so badly, he would have stood by her, she was certain. Now her life was in ruins, her career on the stage finished almost before it had begun. She wanted to die. ‘Ugh! I’m going to be sick.’

Opening her eyes, Rosetta moved her head cautiously from side to side. Miraculously, the pain had stopped. Ruby had held the washbowl for her while she vomited, had washed her face and hands afterwards and had dosed her with some of Aunt Lottie’s seltzer. She was so very sorry now that she had ever had bad thoughts about Ruby and that she had teased her about her ambition to become a nurse. Rosetta sank back against the pillows, wondering where Ruby had gone and hoping that she would return soon. The door opened and Elsie came in, carrying a tray. The aroma of chicken broth wafted up Rosetta’s nostrils and she realised that she was starving. Giving her a lopsided grin, Elsie waited until Rosetta had raised herself to a sitting position and then laid the tray across her knees.

‘There’s more, if you wants it.

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