One Pair of Hands
How can a young woman who enjoyed drama school step down to being a cook and maid and like it enough to write a book about it? Monica Dickens, thought to be the great granddaughter of Charles Dickens, did. And her revelations along with her humor about those autobiographical 18 months in an apron will please, and perhaps enlighten, many readers.
Monica got her first job through a London employment agency which sent her to the home of Miss Faulkener, a debutante who treated her well until her wealthy boyfriend also took an interest in her. From there she was sent to work for Martin Parrish, a talented dress designer, who spent most of his time in bed, ringing his bell for the maid. Here she met many backdoor grocers, as well as a man who sold her a vacuum cleaner which he came to repair as often as possible. But Parrish expected more from Monica than he was willing to pay for. He wanted breakfast in bed and tea later, dinners and drinks served at spur-of-the-moment parties, and the kitchen spotless, even if she had to spend her spare time posing in some of his new dress designs.
She quit there and found a country job with Major Hampden and his ailing wife where Monica rested up for several weeks before accepting a more permanent position with Mrs. Randall, a young newlywed. Their house was under construction, and she had many problems with Walrus, the head carpenter, who claimed "Maids is my speciality----when my wife's not around.." The husband didn't get along with his mother-in-law, nor Monica, who couldn't get a fire going in the mornings to heat his bath water.
But her next job at the Chilford House was more professional. It was a huge estate, and she rarely saw the owners. She got along well with most of the other maids, but at a servants' party the butler tried to blackmail her, so she moved out that night. Finally she worked for Mrs. Vaugham, a woman who began talking when she was awakened for breakfast in bed, and kept talking the rest of the day. She and her husband had an over-abundance of dependent family members and unexpected visitors who usually stayed for dinner. But here Monica learned, "A maid makes a good defenseless listener for people who want to talk about themselves and not be answered back."
Monica's dialogue about the people she worked for, and other servants she worked with, is what makes this such a compelling story. All her characters become real, with traits we all have seen in others, if not ourselves. The book was copyrighted in 1939 but not published until 1988.