Star polishing 7/11

She went back to the inn and waited outside until she caught the landlord’s eye. She didn’t want to make any more fuss in case the officer of the Watch was still there. Apparently he’d gone, as the landlord came out to her at once.

“Still looking for a job?” Jennifer Jane nodded. “Right then, you can do the sweeping up with that funny looking broom of yours and help serve the customers if we get busy. Bed, breakfast and an evening meal, with sixpence a day pocket money. Agreed?”

She nodded once more and followed the landlord into the inn. He took her behind the bar and shouted for quiet amongst his customers.

“This young lady is, er what’s your name love?”

“Jane,” said Jennifer Jane, she wasn’t sure if the stories spread by Esme and Dulce had reached this far but she wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Jane,” continued the landlord, “she’s coming to work here and I want you lot to treat her with respect.”

The customers cheered and banged their mugs on the tables, while others stamped their feet and shouted “Hello Jane.”

“My name’s Richard, please keep it that way, I don’t take kindly to ‘Dick.’ Now take this tray of drinks to the table by the window and collect as many empty glasses as you can on the way back.”

Jennifer Jane did as she was asked. The work was tiring but not very difficult. Most of the customers were seamen, or dock workers, which was really no surprise.

She soon found herself chatting as she gave them their drinks. She told any one who asked, that she was lost and trying to find her way home, which was true enough in a way. However, work didn’t stop even when the last customer had left and the inn closed for the night.

“Wash up all the dirty glasses first, I’ll dry them. You can sweep the floor in the morning before we open up.”

By the time Richard showed her where to sleep, she was worn out. It seemed that her head had hardly touched the pillow before there was a loud knocking on her door.

“Six o’clock, time to wake up. Breakfast at half past, then you can do the washing up and sweep the floor. We open for the morning trade at seven!”

Fortunately she found that she wasn’t expected to make the breakfast. Richard’s wife Isabel, did the cooking and made the food sold at the Three Tuns. It was a bit of a rush to get through all the jobs expected of her and she was just taking out the last bucketful of dirty water, when the doors were opened to the first rush of men on their way to work. Once they’d all gone, it was back to washing up the glasses again.

“Well done Jane,” said Richard, “to be honest I’m surprised you’ve managed to keep up. We get a slack period now, until work at the port is over for the day. We might get a few sailors in but I can look after them without any trouble. You can have a rest or a wander round if you like. By the way here’s your sixpence for yesterday, you’ve earned it!”

Jane took her money, then went outside and sat on one of the benches in the early morning sunshine. Richard followed her a few minutes later with a glass of beer in one hand and a ginger beer in the other.

“I expect you’ll like this,” he said, giving her the ginger beer, “most kids do! Now tell me about this funny looking broom of yours. Why has it got a seat and that little box fixed to it?”

“It’s a long story. Please don’t tell any one else, but if you promise not to laugh, I’ll tell who I really am and how I got here. I’m afraid I didn’t quite tell you the whole truth yesterday.”