Betty heard whispers and muttering among the adults. She edged closer.
‘Just boys, you see…’
Betty moved even closer to get a better look. There were two men who looked like they had their white collars on backwards, like the priests back home did. Maybe they were priests too. The man in the grey suit who’d given the little speech was still there, with a woman in a smart pink dress clutching his hand. The woman stepped towards Betty.
‘This little thing?’ she asked incredulously. ‘This little one’s causing all the trouble?’
One of the priests nodded. ‘We only take boys. There weren’t any younger girls on the docket. She should have gone on the bus to the nuns.’
The other man shook his head. ‘That’s over eights.’
The woman squatted down and looked at Betty more closely. ‘How old are you, doll?’
‘Five.’
The woman nodded and turned her head away, suddenly blinking hard. She looked up at the smartly dressed man. ‘Charles?’
The man shook his head.
The woman stood. Betty listened carefully to their whispers. ‘Charles, you know I’ve always wanted a little girl.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘She’s pretty.’
‘She’s a…’ He stared at Betty. ‘I mean, look at that hair.’
One of the women from the boat interrupted. ‘The children don’t normally go to private homes.’
The other woman glanced at the watch on her wrist. ‘But Mr and Mrs Mason are very respectable people. I mean, he’s a councillor. That’s why they send him down for the welcome.’
The first woman stared at Betty and then back to the couple. ‘But one like her? I mean, she’s a…’
‘She’s a child who needs to go somewhere.’ The priest’s voice was cold. ‘And the Masons are very generous benefactors to our mission. It would be as if the girl was in our care…’
‘Like it says on the docket?’
‘Like it says on your docket, but living somewhere more appropriate for her…’ The priest glanced at Betty. ‘For someone like her.’
The smartly dressed man, Mr Mason, folded his arms. ‘I don’t know.’
His wife wasn’t listening anymore. She was leaning towards Betty, reaching out her hand as if to pet a charming puppy dog.
One of the women shrugged. ‘They’re excellent workers, though. With a bit of discipline.’
The man nodded. ‘And there are payments for her support?’
The grown-ups huddled around in deeper discussion. Betty turned her attention to Mrs Mason, who was looking at her with absolute delight. Betty smiled slightly. ‘What’s your name, darling?’
‘Betty.’
Mrs Mason frowned. ‘What’s that short for?’
Betty shrugged. Daddy had called her his little firefly because she burned brighter than anything else in the world. Mummy had said she was just Betty, and Elizabeth on Sundays. ‘Elizabeth on Sundays?’ she guessed.
‘Elizabeth. That’s better.’ She stared at Betty a bit longer. ‘But it’s a bit much for such a little thing. Eliza. Would you like to be Eliza?’
Betty shook her head, but the woman turned away and shouted over her shoulder. ‘Charles! We shall call her Eliza.’
Mr Mason broke away from the rest of the group. ‘She’ll have to earn her keep. Cooking and cleaning.’
Mrs Mason pursed her lips at her husband. ‘We’ll see about that.’ She turned back to Betty. ‘Come along, then, Eliza. I’m Mrs Mason. I’m going to be your new mummy.’
Jane
I only saw Jennifer once more.
Two weeks after the visit from the child-welfare woman, Mrs Reed told me to pack all my things into an old suitcase because I was leaving to go to my new school. I was so happy to be escaping the Reeds, but I could not go without saying goodbye to Jennifer.
I sneaked out of the front door and darted down the stairs. I’d never normally dare, but I had to see her and what could Mrs Reed do now? She’d already decided to get rid of me.
I banged on Jennifer’s door, my heart pounding in my chest just as loudly as my knuckles on the wood. She was home.
‘Jane, is everything all right?’
‘I wanted to say goodbye.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘To boarding school.’
She smiled. ‘Well, I wish you all the best. Do come and see me when you are home for the holidays.’
I half-opened my mouth. There was so much more I wanted to say. Jennifer was my angel. I was desperate to leave the Reeds, but the idea of leaving her behind was so incredibly sad.
‘Jane. Jane Eyre. Come back here at once,’ Mrs Reed shouted from the landing above.
‘Goodbye.’ I threw myself at Jennifer, wrapping my arms around her. She patted me gently on the back and then stepped away.
‘Take care of yourself, Jane.’ And then the door swung closed.
‘Don’t keep me waiting, girl.’ Mrs Reed pouted. ‘Get your bag. It’s time you left. And I don’t want you to talk to that interfering woman again. Ever. Do you understand?’
‘Yes, Mrs Reed.’ For the first time in my life I realised that I’d told a lie. If I got a chance to see Jennifer, I knew that I would.
A taxi took Mrs Reed and I into the centre of the city, and pulled up in front of a large building. There were several big buses parked there, and people everywhere. A lot of them were carrying suitcases too. Mrs Reed told the taxi driver to wait for her.
She was leaving me here. I looked around at the crowds and the bustle and the strange faces. I didn’t want to be with Mrs Reed, but I was suddenly a little bit afraid of being alone in such a busy place.
‘Now, where is that teacher who’s supposed to meet you?’
When we found her, the teacher looked very old to me, with short grey hair and a narrow, pinched face. She looked at me through her glasses when we were introduced.
‘Bien.
