‘Jonnie used to be head driver, before Winston time. Was Old Massa William favourite. Work the field slave dem too hard. Some say dat horse-trampling business, it was no accident. Now him can’t work, just do nuttin’. What Massa going do? Nobody going buy old cripple Jonnie. Can’t just kill him. Massa use him when him can,’ Melon say, shaking her head. ‘Is one sorry business. You seen him. Most times all him do is sit outside him hut. Smoke him pipe. Night-time, drink bitter cassava. Sing sad songs. Have no friends. Most everybody close to him dead. Soon him going be dead too.’

‘Too bad him one bad singer,’ I say, putting me fingers in me ears. Melon laugh, then shoo me out the kitchen.

Another story is bout Massa mother, Mistress Margaret. Her room is at the back of the Great House, the coolest part that look out over where red and pink rose bush grow. Nobody round there much. Make it easy to hide, peep through the window. Have to be careful, don’t do it too often. Because it going be big, big trouble, if anybody catch me.

Is a funny thing to look at, when she sitting in front of her mirror putting powder on her face, trying hard to cover up the red veins on her nose. Is how I know she going visiting, sitting in her carriage all dressed up. And when she bored, she spend a long time poking and prodding herself with a pair of bone handle tweezers. Sometimes she draw blood and it look like she like it.

‘A gift from my French grandmother,’ holding them up like them is something special.

She tell Melon this French place where her people come from. But Melon tell me, ‘From the time me come work in’a dis kitchen as a pickney, Mistress Margaret, she never hear nuttin’ from any’a dem French people. Is a good ting too. The Mother Country at war wid dem Frenchies.’

Day to day I never have much to do with Mistress Margaret, but Stella have nothing good to say bout her or Sydney her slave. Maybe she jealous. I don’t know why, cause from what I see, Stella wouldn’t like to look after Mistress Margaret the way Sydney do.

When the day so hot you feel the heat before the sun rise himself up, Sydney half close the shutters, help Mistress Margaret into the big copper bathtub. Wash her hair, pour cool water down her bony back, rub her arm them with lemons to try bleach the sun brownness from her skin.