Ruby lifted the dresses as her stomach churned. This Miranda sounded like hard work, but then she was used to that and she needed the job. Miss Wood showed her to a room in the servants’ quarters up in the attics. It was spotlessly clean and looked comfortable enough. There were two metal-framed beds with a chest of drawers at the side of each of them and some nails knocked into the back of the door where she could hang some clothes. Against another wall was a marble-topped washstand with a large jug and bowl standing on it and above that was a slightly cracked mirror where she could do her hair. It was nowhere near as pretty as the room she’d had at Maddie’s, but she thought it would do nicely. After all, if this Miranda was half as bad as she was expecting it wasn’t as if she’d be in there for long anyway.

‘You’ll be sharing with Betty, the parlour maid,’ Miss Wood told her. ‘I believe you’ve already met her, and I’m sure you’ll get along. But now I’ll leave you to put your things away and try those dresses on and when you’re ready, go back down to the kitchen and I’ll take you through to meet Miss Miranda, if she’s finished her lessons with her tutor that is.’

‘Thank you missu— Miss Wood.’

Once the woman had gone, Ruby quickly folded her few clothes into the drawers and began to sort through the dresses. They were all a soft-grey colour made of a fine wool fabric and although they were somewhat plain, they were much more grown-up than the ones Maddie had bought for her. Eventually she tried on two that fitted quite well and she turned to study her reflection in the mirror. The one she was wearing had tiny pearl buttons up the front of it from the waist to the high neck and a nice full skirt that reached to the floor, which made Ruby feel very grown-up indeed. It was fractionally long but she knew that she could alter that herself when she had some time off. She scowled as she stared at the ringlets floating around her shoulders. Maddie had insisted she should wear her hair that way but it was a very babyish style so she yanked out the ribbon and brushed it thoroughly before tying it back neatly into the nape of her neck.

That’s better, she thought as she stared back at her reflection, and after lifting the rest of the dresses she set off for the kitchen, hoping that she would remember the way. She had barely reached the end of the long landing when the door at the end opened and Betty barged through it, almost knocking Ruby flying.