Daisy in the Mansion Read online

  ‘Ohhh,’ Annie nodded, ‘you don’t like the dresses they chose for you, I suppose.’ She looked very tired and flopped back on her pillow and closed her eyes.

  Oh my goodness, I must sound like the most selfish girl in the world, Daisy thought. ‘No, I loved the dresses, Annie,’ she said, and took the little girl’s hand. ‘They were just a bit small, so your mum is getting me some new ones.’

  Annie’s eyes flew open and she gave Daisy a small grin. ‘Oooh, dress shopping! That is one of my favourite adventures ever. Well, it used to be. Do you love dress shopping, too?’

  ‘Umm, well I’ve never actually been dress shopping before,’ Daisy admitted.

  ‘Well, my goodness, how odd indeed,’ Annie said, and this time patted Daisy’s hand comfortingly. ‘I shall make sure Mummy takes you directly. Then you can come home and tell me every little detail.’ She smiled happily to herself.

  ‘Yes, all right,’ Daisy said reluctantly.

  There was a sharp rap at the door.

  ‘Nurse,’ said a shrill voice. A small crooked woman threw open the door and came into the room with a large tray of bowls and towels. ‘Time for your bath, Miss,’ she said. She threw a dark look at Daisy.

  ‘Oh, so you’re the orphan, are you? Humph.’ She pushed past Daisy to get closer to the bed. ‘I told them over and over this girl is too sick for some germ-riddled urchin to come in and disturb her.’ She scowled at Daisy and pushed some wiry hairs back into her messy bun. ‘But nobody listens to me, I’m just the poor old soul who keeps the girl alive, day in and day out.’ She rolled her eyes and Daisy could see how yellowed and bloodshot they were.

  Annie waved a tired hand at the nurse. ‘Daisy, I’m sad to say that Mrs Bird does not believe in dragons.’

  ‘Don’t carry on with that dragon nonsense today. My nerves cannot take it,’ Mrs Bird snapped, arranging her bowls and towels on the end of the bed.

  What a funny little woman, Daisy thought, with her strange crooked back. It looks like a giant pushed down on her head with his thumb and she never managed to straighten up again.

  ‘Now,’ Mrs Bird turned her discoloured eyes on Daisy, ‘you’ll have to go. We have ablutions to complete.’

  ‘That’s what Mrs Bird calls washing,’ Annie said with a cheeky grin. ‘Now don’t forget to remember every delicious snippet of your shopping trip. I’ll be waiting to hear.’

  ‘I’ll do my best,’ Daisy said, and gave Annie a wave as she left.

  As she made her way down the corridor Daisy felt a pang of sadness for Annie and the lonely life she lived cooped up in her room. It’s not much better than the orphanage, she thought with surprise. She stopped to count on her fingers. It’s almost December, so there must be about four weeks till Flora has to go to boarding school, she thought. I don’t have much time.

  ‘It seems you’ve made rather an impression on our Annie,’ Mr Bailey said at dinner that night.

  Daisy looked up from her plate and gave him a curt nod.

  ‘You were all she could talk about when I saw her. I took up some roses,’ he said and smiled at his wife.

  ‘Oh, that reminds me, dear,’ Mrs Bailey said, and put down her fork. ‘You must speak to the gardener, he’s done a terrible job with the lavender, and I’m sure he’s killed some of the trees in the orchard.’

  ‘You have an orchard?’ Daisy asked in surprise. Darn it! Did it again, she thought. Being silent is hard.

  ‘Yes, dear.’ Mrs Bailey looked pleased at her interest. ‘We have lots of fruit trees, and a large vegetable garden as well, though this new gardener doesn’t seem to have any idea what he’s doing.’

  ‘I’ll talk to him tomorrow,’ Mr Bailey said, and patted his wife’s hand across the table.

  ‘Annie loved the garden,’ Mrs Bailey said. ‘She had her own little flower patch. I know she misses it terribly.’

  ‘What exactly is wrong with her?’ Daisy asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  Mr and Mrs Bailey swapped concerned looks.

  ‘We really don’t know, dear,’ Mrs Bailey said, and took a mouthful of water. ‘As I explained yesterday, we have consulted many doctors but we still have no answers.’

  ‘Will she ever get better?’ Daisy asked, looking from one to the other.

  ‘We don’t know,’ Mrs Bailey said, her voice dropping to a whisper. ‘Some days she seems brighter, but lately it seems she’s been getting much worse, and I, well I don’t . . .’ Her voice choked, and tears filled her eyes.

  ‘Excuse me, will you?’ she said. She pushed her chair back and fled.

  Daisy felt a rush of guilt. ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ she said and looked at Mr Bailey in dismay.

  ‘It’s not your fault, Daisy,’ he answered. He folded his napkin and dropped it on the table. ‘But if you will excuse me too, I must see to my wife.’

  Daisy was left alone at the long dining table, which was elaborately set with elegant china plates, silver cutlery and a large candelabra. Two large crystal glasses offered a choice of milk or water. She took a gulp of water and tried to think clearly.

  I have to be as bad as possible so they send me away, she thought, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings. I don’t know what I’d do if Flora got sick.

  ‘Good lord, I forgot the Brussels sprouts!’ Lizzie rushed into the room with a bowl of vegetables. She stopped in surprise, ‘Oh, where’s everyone got to?’ She looked stricken. ‘They haven’t gone in search of sprouts, have they?’

  ‘No, it’s fine,’ Daisy said. ‘Mrs Bailey got upset about Annie.’ She bit her thumb in concern.

  ‘Oh, poor woman, of course she gets down sometimes,’ Lizzie said. ‘That’s why she wants you to join the family, to cheer the poor little mite up.’

  Anger flashed through Daisy. ‘But I already have a family! It’s sad that Annie’s sick, but they can’t just force me to join theirs.’

  ‘Geez, don’t go getting all hot and bothered now,’ Lizzie said.

  ‘I just need them to send me back to the orphanage,’ Daisy said, and pushed her plate away from her. ‘Then my friend Edith and I will escape again and find our families. I’ve only got a few weeks to find my sister, or I might never see her again.’

  ‘That’s rough.’ Lizzie started clearing the table. ‘How will you make them send you back, though?’ she asked.

  Daisy paused. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Lizzie.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Lizzie said, as if she had read Daisy’s mind. ‘I come from the same world as you, remember? I’ll take your secret to the grave with me.’ She snickered at her joke.

  ‘Well, I’m going to be as naughty as I can so they’ll want me out,’ Daisy said. She took another gulp of water to still the nerves that suddenly flooded her. ‘Though I do feel awful about it, especially as they’re so kind. But I just don’t know what else to do.’

  Lizzie’s eyes shone. ‘Goodness, what a mischievous idea,’ she said. ‘I don’t like the thought of you causing problems for the Baileys.’ She scraped the plates noisily.

  ‘It’s not very nice, I know,’ Daisy said, ‘but I feel so desperate.’ She stared at Lizzie and twisted her hair around her finger as a thought flashed into her mind. ‘Actually, Lizzie, you might be able to help me with something.’

  Lizzie gave her a sharp look. ‘I won’t help you cause any mischief.’

  ‘No, of course not,’ Daisy said. ‘But could you post a letter for me? I’d love to hear from my friends Mabel and Elsie and find out if my dad’s shown up yet. And my friend Edith at the orphanage will wonder where I’ve got to.’ She felt her eyes fill with tears. She couldn’t bear to picture Edith all alone in the orphanage, thinking Daisy had abandoned their escape plans. How would Edith ever find her little brother, Freddy, without Daisy’s help?

  Lizzie chewed on her lip. ‘Well, I suppose so,’ she said. ‘You give me the letters and I’ll see they get sent out with tomorrow’s post. Goodness, between you and Miss Annie, we’ve certainly got ou
r fair share of woes.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Daisy said, wiping her eyes, and gave her a grateful smile.

  Lizzie reached for a crystal goblet and accidentally knocked it off the table. It smashed loudly on the floor. ‘Look what I’ve gone and done now!’ she cried. ‘I’ll have to get a cloth.’ She ran from the room.

  Daisy sat by herself at the table, wringing her napkin in her hands. As hard as it would be, she needed to get out of there. Perhaps she’d have to go straight back to Gertrude Street after all, and try to whisk Flora away.

  Right, as of tomorrow, I need to start being utterly, completely dreadful, she thought. No more forgetting myself. I just hope my plan works.

  AS she walked downstairs the next  morning, two letters tucked into her pocket, Daisy ran her hand along the bottom of the framed pictures beside the staircase, tipping them unevenly on their hooks.

  At the bottom of the stairs she snatched a large bunch of roses out of their vase and threw them on the carpet. It was surprisingly satisfying, because Daisy was feeling scratchy and out of sorts. She had stayed up late writing to her friends, and her eyes felt gritty with tiredness. She went into the dining room for breakfast and saw that Mrs Bailey was there alone.

  ‘Good morning, dear,’ the woman said, and put down her cup. ‘There are eggs and bacon for breakfast.’

  Daisy ignored her and went to the buffet where the breakfast trays sat. She stood pursing her lips anxiously. Can I really do this? she thought. Can I be this bad? She took a deep breath and picked up a tray filled with greasy fried bacon. She turned to face Mrs Bailey, who looked up with a warm smile.

  Daisy tipped the tray onto the carpet and ground the bacon and fat into the rug with her boot.

  ‘What a terrible thing to do!’ Mrs Bailey exclaimed and rushed to pull Daisy away from the mess. ‘Please go to your room. What a dreadful way to behave.’

  Daisy felt sick. Her stomach churned, but she was determined to be strong. ‘No,’ she shouted, and pulled free, ‘I will not go to my room. You’re not my mother and you can’t make me do anything.’ She stomped into the lounge, where she threw herself onto one of the overstuffed couches.

  She felt giddy and out-of-breath and sat for a few minutes to calm down.

  Mrs Bailey soon followed her. ‘I really don’t understand what’s got into you, Daisy,’ she said, her voice thick with disappointment. ‘The orphanage said you were from a good family so we thought you would fit in well here. But maybe we were wrong.’

  ‘My family is wonderful!’ Daisy cried. ‘They didn’t teach me to behave this way!’

  ‘Well, I find that hard to believe, dear,’ Mrs Bailey said and twisted the pearl necklace at her throat.

  Daisy hung her head as hot tears of frustration spilled onto her cheeks. She wanted to stick up for Dad, but she needed to misbehave so she could get back to him. Maybe she could try explaining everything to Mrs Bailey? But would she understand? And now Annie seemed to like Daisy, would Mrs Bailey ever let Daisy go? It was all such a mess. Daisy took a deep, jagged breath.

  ‘Now,’ Mrs Bailey said softly. ‘I’m not sure why you’ve decided to behave this way, but for now I choose to think that you’re just unsettled and confused.’

  Daisy shook her head miserably. She looked out the window to the dappled leaves of the elm trees. How I’d love to go out and climb one of those and just hide away, she thought.

  ‘I think we will put these incidents behind us and go shopping as planned,’ Mrs Bailey said as she stood to ring the bell.

  Shopping? Daisy thought. That’s the last thing I want to do. But then she remembered Annie’s excited little face and the promise she’d made. She looked at Mrs Bailey and felt defeated. ‘Okay,’ she said quietly. I’ll do this for Annie, she thought to herself, but then I’m going right back to being dreadful.

  ‘Was that the bell?’ Lizzie asked, coming into the room.

  ‘Yes, Lizzie. Would you tell Arthur to bring the car around, please.’

  ‘Okey-dokey,’ Lizzie answered.

  Mrs Bailey turned to pick up her handbag and Daisy quickly pulled the letters from her pocket and handed them to Lizzie. The maid gave her a broad wink as she hid them in her apron.

  Daisy sat silently in the back of the car. She couldn’t shake off the miserable feeling that hung over her like a heavy layer of dust. I was so awful, and now Mrs Bailey is taking me shopping. It doesn’t seem right.

  Daisy finally glanced up and snuck a look at Mrs Bailey. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, unable to keep up the rotten behaviour any longer. ‘I shouldn’t have done those things this morning.’

  Mrs Bailey gave her a quick smile. ‘Let’s not speak of it again, shall we?’ she said.

  I’ve never met anyone quite as kind as her, Daisy thought to herself. She sat back against the car seat feeling less troubled.

  ‘Here we are, ma’am,’ the driver announced as the car slid up in front of a large three–storey building in the centre of the city.

  ‘Thank you, Arthur,’ Mrs Bailey said. ‘We will be about two hours.’

  ‘Right you are,’ he said and leapt out to open the door for them.

  ‘I think I recognise this street,’ Daisy said, looking around in excitement. It’s such a thrill to be out in the world again! she thought to herself. I feel like a prisoner released from jail. ‘Yes,’ she pointed down the busy street crowded with shoppers and businessmen, ‘that’s Flinders Street Station, isn’t it? That’s where Flora and I came in on the train.’ She hopped up and down in excitement.

  I could just jump a tram and get back to Gertrude Street in no time, Daisy thought. Imagine how happy Flora would be to see me! Then an image of Aunty May’s angry face flitted into her mind and the excitement drained out of her. I’d just end up at Dudley Flats again, and then I’d be no use to anyone, she decided. Unless Dad had showed up in the meantime. He’d make everything all right. But what about Edith? I can’t just leave her all alone at the orphanage.

  Mrs Bailey steered Daisy to the grand glass entrance of the store, where a man in a smart jacket and tie opened the door with a flourish.

  ‘Good morning, Mrs Bailey,’ he said. ‘What a delight it is to see you again.’

  ‘Hello, George,’ Mrs Bailey said as she walked into the store.

  Goodness, she must come here a lot if even the doorman knows her, Daisy thought in surprise. She was about to ask Mrs Bailey about it but was distracted by her surroundings. ‘Good heavens,’ she muttered under her breath. A huge crystal chandelier hung above their heads, alight with what looked like hundreds of golden candles. A wall of mirrors reflected back Daisy’s amazed face.

  Glass cabinets held a colourful array of lace, fabrics, scarves, gloves and hats. Behind them more cabinets held pretty bottles of scent, powder and jewelled trinket boxes. Soft music played over the loudspeaker and Daisy found herself humming along.

  A sales lady in a stylish black dress walked toward them, her heels clicking importantly on the marble floor. ‘Mrs Bailey, such a pleasure to see you,’ the woman said. ‘How can we be of assistance?’

  ‘Hello, Mrs Dawson. Has it been very busy?’ Mrs Bailey asked. She scanned her eye over the store several times and then pointed to the cosmetics counter. ‘Miss Cooper’s counter looks a little disorganised. Would you please speak to her about it?’

  ‘Certainly, madam, I will do so directly,’ Mrs Dawson said.

  Gosh, thought Daisy, she’s acting like she owns the place. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. Surely they don’t actually own the place, do they? No! They couldn’t, could they?

  ‘Are you coming, Daisy?’ Mrs Bailey asked for the second time. ‘I said we have to go to the second floor.’

  Daisy nodded, once again lost for words. She trailed behind Mrs Bailey, still staring about the shop in wonder. ‘Ummm . . .’ she began.

  ‘Yes, dear?’ Mrs Bailey turned to face her.

  ‘Well, I was just wondering about this shop, and who . . .’ She bit her lip
. ‘Well, who owns it?’

  Mrs Bailey smiled. ‘My husband owns it, dear. He’s in the office on the top floor right now.’ She turned on her heel and kept walking.

  Wow! Imagine owning a whole huge shop! The Baileys could have anything in the store they wanted. She stared at some pretty hair slides in a glass case. I’d have one of those for Flora, and one of those lovely hats for Edith, ooh, and a smart silk tie for Dad, and I bet Amelia would love that divine red scarf. Daisy wondered what her best friend back home was doing now.

  ‘Daisy, in here,’ Mrs Bailey called. She was standing in front of a steel door in the corner of the store.

  ‘Oh my,’ Daisy exclaimed. It’s a lift, she thought as she stepped into the small wooden box and the operator closed the door behind her. ‘I’ve never been in a lift before,’ she said.

  The lift creaked upwards and Daisy held her breath. What if it drops down? she thought in horror. We could plummet to our deaths!

  But seconds later a small bell chimed. ‘Second floor, children’s apparel, linens and china,’ the lift operator said, and stepped forward to open the heavy iron grille.

  Daisy felt dizzy with excitement. What a thrill, she thought to herself. I’m going to bring Flora here one day.

  ‘Good morning, Mrs Bailey. What can I help you with?’ A pretty sales girl greeted them.

  ‘I need clothing for young Daisy here, please, Joan,’ Mrs Bailey said. ‘Some everyday dresses, frocks, a jacket, shoes and under things.’

  ‘Certainly, Mrs Bailey,’ Joan said. ‘We have the new range in today, so there will be lots to choose from.’

  Daisy twisted her hair around her finger. ‘I don’t need all those things, Mrs Bailey,’ she said, as she felt her cheeks redden. ‘One dress will be plenty.’

  How can I let her give me all these clothes? Daisy thought.

  ‘Nonsense,’ Mrs Bailey said, and waved her hand in the air. ‘You will need a full wardrobe – Annie is quite determined about that – and after Christmas we will see to your school uniform.’

  Daisy felt a pang of disappointment. How she’d love to go to a proper school again. The thought of giving that up was almost too much to bear.