‘Oh, no. There was, it seems, the rector of the church in charge of her, though she was brought up by two old ladies. No, she joined the Fortescue Comedy Company, which is a fit-up where I worked, by accident like. As there was no more money for her keep this rector sent her to an orphanage. Of course we all know there’s bad orphanages about, but from what Margaret says the one the rector chose was just about as bad as it could be. So Margaret ups and runs away taking two little boys along of her. They joins one of those canal boats as leggers, which it seems is what they call those that lead the horses.’

Bill felt Sarah was being too gullible. ‘Do you believe all what she says?’

‘Oh, yes. You see, the boys was not suited to the legging and the barge people asked Mrs Fortescue – sister she is to the barge owner – to take the boys to be actors. Well, we wanted a clever boy to play Little Lord Fauntleroy but Peter, the elder of the two boys, just could not act at all.’

‘There are some like that,’ Bill agreed.

‘Yes,’ said Sarah, ‘so Mr Fortescue lost patience and threatened to beat him, and that’s when Margaret rushes in and in a flash they sees where the talent is. So Margaret’s in and Peter’s out. Not that it mattered to the boys for their grandfather comes for them, by all accounts …’

Bill put up a hand to stop Sarah. ‘Don’t tell me. He’s a Lord and the boy was the missing heir.’

Sarah laughed. ‘Truth is often stranger than fiction.’

‘I’ll say,’ Bill agreed, ‘but this Margaret’s story is enough to be goin’ on with. Found in a basket, sent to an orphanage, escapes on a canal boat and finishes in a theatre. Stone the crows but I believe you, though thousands wouldn’t.’

‘It’s all true,’ said Sarah, ‘but, mind you, I think that’s just the beginning of her story. You wait until this play comes on. I’ve a feeling in my bones somebody is going to recognize her.’

Chapter Ten

LESSONS

Rehearsals began ten days later, and before they started Sarah brought Margaret daily to The Dolphin for her lessons. The Teasers lived in a style which Lady Teaser considered befitted their position. She had her personal maid, and Sir John his valet who was also his theatre dresser. There was a butler and a footman called Henry with a parlour maid to work with him. In the kitchen there was Mrs Melly, the cook, who was famous in theatrical London for her cooking. She was waited upon by two kitchen maids.

The place was spacious, there was a vast drawing room and almost as large a dining room, a sitting room for Sir John and a morning room for Lady Teaser. Katie had a sitting room which every morning was converted by Henry into a schoolroom. To do this he carried in a sturdy schoolroom table and put on it a large globe of the world and an armful of school books.