The Mistress of Nothing: A Novel
3.5/5
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About this ebook
When Lady Duff Gordon, paragon of London society, departs for the hot, dry climate of Egypt to seek relief from her debilitating tuberculosis, her lady’s maid, Sally, doesn’t hesitate to leave the only world she has known in order to remain at her mistress’s side. As Sally gets farther and farther from home, she experiences freedoms she has never known—forgoing corsets and wearing native dress, learning Arabic, and having her first taste of romance.
But freedom is a luxury that a lady’s maid can ill afford, and when Sally’s newfound passion for life causes her to forget what she is entitled to, she is brutally reminded she is mistress of nothing. Ultimately she must choose her master and a way back home—or a way to an unknown future.
Based on the real lives of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid, The Mistress of Nothing is a lush, erotic, and compelling story about the power of race, class, and love
Kate Pullinger
Kate Pullinger was born in Canada, and moved to London in 1982 where she still lives. She is the author of Tiny Lies, a collection of short stories, and the novels When the Monster Dies and Weird Sister. She collaborated with Jane Campion on the novel of the film The Piano, and has written for film, television and radio. She is currently lecturer in Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University.
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Reviews for The Mistress of Nothing
29 ratings29 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady's Maid Sally and Lady Duff Gordon journey from Victorian England to the dry climate of EgyptThis is the story of her awakening and the joys and repercussions that follow.Her freedoms include such things as abandoning English costume in favor of native dress, learning Arabic and a first taste of love.Freedom is an expression that a lady's maid cannot afford...Hence the brutal reminder that she is in fact mistress of nothing.This is a heartwrenching story ...historical fiction based on a true story, set in the 1860s."Based on the real lives of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid,The Mistress of Nothing is a lush, erotic, and compelling story about the power of race, class, and love"
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5If I could give this book a rating of no stars I would. The Mistress of Nothing is about nothing! There is one event for the entire book. The author didn't even seem to know how to end it as it just sort of trails of into .... nothing....
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I thoroughly enjoyed this novel but I don't think I would have selected it as an award winner.
It is difficult for me to imagine being a lady's maid - devoting oneself to another woman's life and so selflessly putting her life, her health, her desires, her happiness, her every 'thing' before my own. Even for money, I cannot imagine.
This novel with setting in the Victorian era is another type of depiction of a servant learning too late the consequences for believing that she meant something more to the woman she served as a lady's maid. The story portrays the socioeconomic differences and adds layers to the story with introduction of politics of the time, cultural differences between England and Egypt, and gender inequalities. The descriptive writing pulls the reader into the story and transports the reader to perhaps more openly seeing a different time for women and the challenges they faced. Choices by the characters might not have been our choices but I believe the novel can open our minds and our hearts to understanding and if not understanding at least to thoughtful consideration and respectful dialogue if discussed. Perhaps that very reason is why it was selected as an award winner. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book as told from the viewpoint of Sally Naldrett, Lady Duff Gordon's maid. Lady Duff Gordon has TB and therefore has to move to a dryer climate and that dryer climate turns to be Egypt, Luxor to be exact. Sally has a relationship her Lady Duff Gordon's dragoman, becomes pregnant, and has his child which Lady Duff Gordon delivers. As Sally states on page 16, "But a lady's maid's loyalty must be to her Lady; ladies' maids do not marry. At least they do not marry an carry on being ladies' maids". Something I noticed about Lady Gordon Duff, her close friends in both England and Egypt were men and she wasn't close to her adult daughter Janet Ross nor did she employ another ladies' maid once Sally had been turfed out of French House. Her family did and by the time of her death it sounded like there had been another change of maids. The vivid portrayals of Egypt with many of its sights half-buried in sand ruled the Ismail Pasha who was taking men for work on the Suez Canal and animals, grain and land from their defenseless families left at home. Something I hadn't read about.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lady Duff Gordon, dying of TB in Egypt, loves her devoted maid -- until her maid falls in love with someone else.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I haven't read this book in a two years and I still think about the story and plot--I need to read more of this author or genre.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed the first Part of this book (Life) but cared less about Parts 2 and 3 (Death and Afterlife).
I liked that the story jumps right into the heart of the story -- travelling to Egypt -- and summarizes the back stories of the characters quickly. The book could have started with Sally's childhood, the loss of her parents and living with an aunt only to be put into service at the Duff Gordon household, and followed her career there, including the year on a ship to South Africa and back. That in itself could have been a book, and I like that this book seems like the sequel to a story so that you don't have to read all that background. Life travelling through Egypt, learning its customs, is interesting.
Then Sally has a baby and everything changes. Lady Duff Gordon's reaction, in my opinion, does not fit at all with the character built in the first half. I know the author frames it as the reaction to being dupped for so long, but her complete rejection of the situation is too extreme.
I also felt, in Parts 2 and 3, that I did not know Omar at all. In Part 1 I started to get to know him, but then a curtain is pulled up and he's a stock character in some respects. None of his actions seemed to fit any particular sketch I could come up with. How could he be so loyal and loving to two different women (Lady DG and Sally) at the same time? The presence of his Egyptian wife and his treatment of her seemed logical, given the culture, but not the rest.
Part 3 was very short and did not craft the scenes and characters as Part 1 did and I was happy for it to end.
Yes, I liked reading the historical and cultural information. I recognize that the writing was well crafted in some parts. But as a whole, I was not impressed with the book. Not as an award winning (Governor General) book.
A vacation read, perhaps, or for a high school ISU, but not as great literature. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book. I especially liked the author's writing style... I felt like I was reading something from a close friend. Pullinger's descriptions of Egypt were quite captivating as well.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A good read. quite entertaining an i enjoyed learning about the customs and culture of egypt.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Well, I was rather disappointed with this book. It begins with two interesting real-life characters, Lady Lucie Duff-Gordon and her maid, Sally Naldrett, but it soon resorts to conventional romance and a commentary on the hypocrisy of the British class system.The ailing Lady Lucie Duff-Gordon has been sent to Egypt for her health, accompanied only by her long-time lady's maid, Sally Naldrett. The unconventional mistress (known for her travel writing and independent spirit) encourages Sally to follow her lead in removing her stays and adopting a semi-masculine Egyptian dress as they revel in what they consider the "free" life of the anceint country. Lady Duff-Gordon relies on male friends and letters of reference to secure help--most notably that of a very capable dragoman who not only guides and interprets but also cooks and shops for the two women. Soon my lady, Sally, and Omar form a triumverate as jolly as the three musketeers. That is, until Sally and Omar fall in love, and Sally gives birth to an illegitimate child. Omar is willing to take Sally as his second wife--but not to go against the wishes of Lady Duff-Gordon and lose his lucrative employment.Perhaps the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of life in mid-nineteenth century Egypt, a seething political hotbed despite its placid surface. The current dictator, bent on building the Suez Canal, confiscates and taxes the property of the poor and conscripts young men into his work force. Lady Duff-Gordon happened to be one of the few Europeans to speak out against this regime. I suppose it should come as no surprise when a liberal "free spirit" reverts to the snobbish conventions of her privileged class. But Sally's naivete was equally annoying. There was enough of interest here to merit a mediocre rating, but, sadly, most of that interest came from outside of the two main characters.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This novel is based on the true story of Sally Naldrett, lady's maid to Lady Lucie Duff-Gordon. When Lady Duff-Gordon was sent to Egypt for its warm, dry climate, in order to try to slow the progress of the disease that was slowly wracking her body, she is accompanied by her faithful maid, Sally, In Egypt, Sally finds a freedom that she'd never dreamed possible back in England in the 19th Century. However, when she falls in love with an Egyptian dragoman, she finds that the freedom she'd found may only be an illusion.I whipped through this book in two days. Yes, it's short, but I could hardly put it down. Had I not been busy, I'm sure I'd have finished it the same day.It's a page-turner, and even though the tone is strongly romantic, it also deals with some solid themes - addressing differences in class and religion, for instance.This was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I found this to be a rather enjoyable read. The story is told by Sally, the maid of Lady Lucy Duff Gordon. Lady Duff Gordon has TB and has been ordered by her doctor to leave England for the more arid climate of Egypt. Sally is the only servant to travel to Egypt with Lady Duff Gordon and recounts the two women's adventures while traveling up and down the Nile between Cairo and Luxor with their Egyptian guide, Omar.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady Lucy Duff Gordon has TB and living in damp England is killing her. She has decided to go to Egypt leaving her husband and children behind with only her faithful maid, Sally, as company. Sally does her best to look after "My Lady", as she calls Lady Duff Gordon, but she is unable to even buy food in the Egyptian markets. Fortunately friends of the Duff Gordons recommend that a dragoman be hired. Omar takes care of everything for Sally and My Lady. He hires a boat and crew to take them up the Nile, he cooks, he teaches them Arabic. In short he is indispensable. Omar has a wife and child who have stayed behind in Cairo. The close proximity between Sally and Omar leads to an intimate relationship. Soon Sally discovers she is pregnant. She knows she should tell "My Lady" but she puts it off. Lady Duff Gordon discovers the pregnancy when she is called upon to help deliver the baby. After that Lady Duff Gordon refuses to see Sally or her baby and she decides that the child should be sent to Omar's wife and Sally should go back to England. Sally has other ideas and she tries to raise her son alone in Cairo. Omar has to stay with "My Lady" since that is the only way he can support his family. Eventually Sally realizes that she cannot look after the baby and work so she delivers the baby to Omar's first wife. She gets along well with the first wife and is able to see the baby almost every day. But "My Lady" forbids her moving in with Omar's family.It's hard to understand why Lady Duff Gordon is so vindictive. It may be because Sally and Omar hid the pregnancy from her. It may be because she is close to death and she can't stand the proof of others having a life. It may be because, even though she is not your typical Victorian matron, she is appalled that an English woman has allowed a dark man to touch her.Kate Pullinger has not completely made up this tale. Lady Duff Gordon, Sally and Omar were real people and Sally did become pregnant with Omar's child. Lady Duff Gordon's letters from Egypt have been published and refer to this incident. Nothing is known about what happened to Sally and the baby and that is where Pullinger has allowed her imagination to run free.The descriptions of life in Egypt are vivid -- at times I had to remind myself that I was in Canada in the 21st century, not Egypt in the 19th.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I thought I would when I first started reading it. Things really picked up around chapter six and then I couldn't stop reading until I finished the book. It had a happy-sad sort of ending, but it was satisfying to me. There were definite pros and cons to Sally's life and the decisions she made as Lady Duff Gordon's ladies maid. The same went for Lady Duff Gordon and Omar, her loyal servant. The story was thoroughly engrossing and I found myself living in Egypt back in the mid 1800s. It was quite an adventure. I found the cultural aspects of the story fascinating and the romance quite intriguing. The Mistress of Nothing was a love story for certain, but it had a bittersweet feel to it that I found quite addicting. Sometimes those stories are the best kind because in real life everything isn't peaches and cream, plus every decision made has ramifications that are far-reaching. I loved the part where Sally discovered that part of the problem was that she didn't "think" about what she was doing. She just gave herself over to it, reveled in it even. That type of impulsive behavior is often most destructive because usually it's not until the consequences are right in front of us that we realize things didn't have to go that route in the first place. But by then it was too late. It sounds like I'm talking in code, I know. But it's the only way to share my thoughts without giving a spoiler. All in all I really enjoyed this book. It started out a bit tedious, but once I became engrossed in the story I had to keep reading until I finished it. It had a unique feel to it sort of like "The English Patient," but not as tragic. Very compelling story and well worth the read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was an excellent read and I have now ordered 3 more of Ms. Pullinger's books.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Generally speaking, I take a pretty dim view of historical novels that play fast and loose with the real history that inspired them. Kate Pullinger freely admits to having done so in "The Mistress of Nothing", and has been publicly called out for it (not least by one of the real-life descendants of the book's chief villain, Lady Lucie Duff-Gordon). Certainly, this story of a nineteenth-century English maid's illicit love affair and her struggle to survive as a single mother owes a great deal to 21st century mores. But I enjoyed the book, all the same. I'm a sucker for good travelogues, especially ones penned by Victorian lady travellers (I really need to read Duff-Gordon's "Letters from Egypt" now). Also, the descriptions of Egypt were wonderfully langorous, and brought back memories of my own trip there over a decade ago.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5 stars.I enjoyed this short book, perhaps more than I think I should have when thinking back on it.On the plus side, it's a fascinating story, following an English lady's maid on a journey into Egypt, where she lets her old life go and begins a new life, one not entirely of her own choosing. The book drew a vivid picture of life in Egypt at that time.Unfortunately, the characters were all flat, and that includes Sally, the narrator. So much happens to her during the book, and she just goes along, calmly making decisions, but never showing her feelings. This is proper public behaviour for a woman of her station, but in a first person novel, I want to see behind the facade.At least I understood her motivations. The two other main characters remained a mystery to me, particularly Lady Duff Gordon. That's the downside of having one character narrate-- if she doesn't understand the actions of other characters, it's hard for the reader to do so.If you are looking for a glimpse of an unusual life, and a view of Egypt in a time of change, read this book. If you are looking for a nuanced character study, you may be disappointed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love historical fiction and the longer the better which is why I was surprised by this little book and how much I did like it even if I did feel as though there could have been more in terms of the historical. In the end, it was about the characters more than the place and I came to terms with that over the course of 250+ pages. When Lady Duff Gordon makes the decision to move to Egypt permanently for the sake of her health, her maid, Sally Naldrett, is excited, joyous even at the prospect of a new life. Always a woman of low means, Sally is happy with the idea of being her Lady’s mistress but when they finally arrive at their destination in Luxor, the formalness of England begins to dissipate and she finds herself more a friend and confident than a servant. Her relationship with Lady Duff Gordon is not the only thing in her life to dramatically change --- she falls in love with Omar Abu Halaweh, the dragoman brought on to assist Lady Duff Gordon. Unfortunately, he is already married with children. Their relationship becomes too much for Lady Duff Gordon and Sally finds herself alone and abandoned in a country not her own but one she loves as if it were. As I said, this is a very short book and oddly, when I finished, I found myself furious. Lady Duff Gordon ruins Sally for what she considers a betrayal. But the irony in that is she has helped servants in the past who have been in the same position as Sally so after being fascinated by this person and the way she defined her role as woman, mother, and wife, I found her intolerance towards Sally hateful. I want to say she ruined the story for me but she didn’t (although I would have liked to have seen more about Egypt itself and what was happening at the time --- it’s hinted at but not discussed). These two women, how their lives changed and how they were in many ways forced to not only accept but manufacture their own endings is really what this story is. My annoyance with Lady Duff Gordon quickly turned to a sort of understanding. I say sort because her treatment of Sally was truly hateful and a way to transfer her pain to another without having to deal with it. Lady Duff Gordon was a real person and while I know nothing of her, she was an interesting person to revolve this story around. What it also gave me was an interest in more historical fiction about Egypt which I will be looking for in the near future.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This novel is written in the first person perspective. The voice of the narrator was strong and beautiful. I enjoyed every sentence because of that narrative voice. I loved Sally and could not wait to hear her story. She rivals many of the best-loved narrators in literature. Her voice has a comforting familiarity as she discusses the exotic locations in Egypt. This was the strongest part of the novel.However, because the voice was so strong, the dialogue and main actions of the plot were muted. I like being pulled away from the narrator at times to focus on actions taking place. The dialogue did not live up to the standards of the narrator. I cared less about what happened than how Sally told me about it.This last paragraph make it sound as if I didn't enjoyt the novel, and I did very much. However is did fall short of excellent. (Spoiler below)I did have one quibble with the plot as well. When Sally decides to sleep with Omar, she knows that he is married. This fact does not give her a moment's pause. I realize that he can have more wives than one, but it still seems to constitute an affair to me. It surprised me that Sally, who has been so protective of her virtue up to this point, would throw it away on a married man without a thought. I am still trying to figure that one out.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mistress of Nothing came into my reading life at an advantageous time. Just prior to me picking it up, Egypt had overthrown its government. I had also recently watched the first installment of Downton Abbey, a PBS series about British aristocracy and their hired help. These things put me in the perfect mindset to read this novel, which is written from the point of view of Sally Naldrett, the lady maid for Lady Duff Gordon.Lady Duff Gordon has a terrible case of consumption and, as different climates on the continent were of little help to her, she is forced to leave her family for at least two years to live in the hotter, dryer climate of Egypt. As Lady Duff Gordon’s lady maid, Sally had little choice but to travel with her. Luckily, she was excited for the adventure and longed to see her Lady feeling better. While Egypt was literally a world away to the two women, they acclimated as well as could be expected. It was the women’s great good luck to encounter, Omar, the man who would become their dragoman, a translator, guide, and all around helper. Soon, they dropped their stays and confining dresses and adopted the dress of the Egyptians. Lady Duff Gordon was soon well enough to entertain both other British nationals as well as local men of a similar station to her own. When she is not ill, Lady Duff Gordon needs very little from Sally and Omar and their relationships, much to Sally’s shock, becomes more casual. Sally realizes that traveling to Egypt has given her the opportunity to be treated almost as an important friend, something that never would have occurred were she in England. This time of happiness did not last. With the arrival of Lady Duff Gordon’s husband for a visit does not go as the Lady had hoped and Sally makes it impossible for her not to tell Lady Duff Gordon the one secret she’d been keeping from her, Sally’s life comes crashing down.While The Mistress of Nothing dealt with the lives of actual human beings, what struck me the most about the story is the relationship between those with power, in this case Lady Duff Gordon, and those with none, Sally and Omar. Even in times of illness, while Lady Duff Gordon believes that she is in control of her life and her environment, she is kind-hearted to those needing her help and assistance. Before they left England for Egypt Sally relates the a fellow servant who had fallen from grace. The father of her unborn child left her and without her work, this unfortunate woman has nothing and no where to go. Sally is certain that her Lady will be kind to the girl and she was. Benevolence is easy when one feels in control. Benevolence also has a nasty flip side.When you’re in the situation of relying on the good will of another human being, be that for your livelihood or your life, you ought never take it for granted. This is what happened to Sally. She is taken aback by the way Lady Duff Gordon relaxed their relationship in Egypt. Both Sally and Omar mistook the growing intimacy of their evenings for her Lady Duff Gordon’s growing fondness of them. In actuality, it was all about Lady Duff Gordon and the freedom she herself had discovered. Taking that change as a sign of friendship and relaxing themselves set the stage for what was to come.I truly enjoyed The Mistress of Nothing. Not only did the Egyptian landscape and lifestyles come to life, I cared very much about the characters and how they made their lives there. It’s interesting how one can adapt so easily and thoroughly to physical, mental and religious changes in the landscape. Kate Pullman is an excellent writer and she had me hooked from the very first sentence. She adds depth to the characters and the situation in which they found themselves in a concise and beautiful manner. This is a novel for historical fiction fans and all readers interested in the dynamics between classes and how women interact with and treat one another. I highly recommend reading this novel.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The preface of the book (as well as the title and summary) informs you of the impending disaster so you are anticipating it the entire time. I think this expectation marred the otherwise pleasant journey through Egypt. Granted, without the expectation, I might have found the journey to be boring so obviously I'm just hard to please. Mistress of Nothing reads very much like a diary. The story takes place in a time of political turmoil in Egypt, and I found the greater surrounding Sally's journey to be a very interesting setting despite the fact that the politics really didn't intrude very often. I could sort of connected with the characters, but I can't say that I really liked any of them. If you like slice of life stories, you may enjoy reading this one The disaster, when it happens, is one that I'm not sure fits into the picture very well. It should be noted that this is based on a true story so it must be somewhat accurate, and real life in general is messy unlike nice neat books.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mistress of Nothing tells the story of Sally, Lady Duff Gorgan's nurse and maid. When Lady Duff Gordon becomes ill the two women travel to Egypt in hopes that the dry climate will improve her health. Sally faithfully follows her mistress, spending every waking minute caring for her, utterly devoted and loyal. But Egypt awakens something new in Sally and when the bond between Lady and maid is tested, Lady Duff Gordon proves a formidible and cunning enemy.The setting and backdrop of the story, a rich and fantastical Egypt of long ago, is like a charater in itself. The historical details, engaging minor characters, and lush landscape flesh the story out nicely and make for an engrossing read. Sally herself is an easy person to love - tough and sentimental, determined, smart, and yet naive. In the end it is her fierce will to stay in Egypt that makes her so understandable. Omar was the person who troubled me the most, seeming to have clear values yet unable or unwilling to stand up to Lady Duff Gordon. I had a hard time reconciling the early descriptions of him with his later actions. Ultimately the end wasn't very satisfying and I was left wishing for something more.I listened to Mistress of Nothing on audio and it was a real treat! It is read by Rosalyn Landor. I was especially impressed by her consitent ability to switch from the uppercrust accent of Lady Duff Gordon to the humble maid's speech of Sally.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The best thing about this book was the wonderful setting in Egypt and the author's ability to paint pictures of the country and its people. Ms. Pullinger is a very good writer and I can see why this book won the G.G. Award.The plot is based on the true story of Lucie Duff Gordon, who left her family in England to live in Egypt in an attempt to cure her TB. She travelled with only her maid, Sally. Based on letters Lady Duff Gordon published, the author has created this story from Sally's perspective.Sally has been a servant all her life. In Egypt, she begins to enjoy freedom; first, from the oppression of Victorian clothing, and ultimately from spinsterhood and servitude to a life of love as a wife and mother. However, it seems Sally will have to pay dearly for these freedoms as she begins to lose what she most treasures, starting with Lady Duff Gordon's affection and approval.The plot was a disappointment as the motivations of the characters, especially Lady Duff Gordon, were never clear. She went from being a kind person, willing to help friends and strangers alike, to being cold and cruel to Sally with no explanation. Sally's husband, Omar's, motivations were perhaps easier to understand but any conflicts he felt were not mentioned or dealt with. All in all, I'd rate this as "ok" -- lovely writing and some very powerful images and moments. But, weak character development.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In 1865, Lady Lucie Duff Gordon’s Letters From Egypt were published, telling of her experiences as well-respected English woman forced to relocate to a warmer climate in order to survive tuberculosis. In her letters, she mentions Sally, her lady’s maid, but gives very little information about her. With this novel, Kate Pullinger attempts to fill that gap and tell Sally’s story. The story is well written; I really liked Pullinger’s sparse style. The premise was interesting and I loved the way Sally’s first view of Egypt from their boat was described. Her sense of awe and her joy were conveyed perfectly. I also really enjoyed all of the details of Egyptian life. A couple of elements made the book unsatisfying, despite the good writing. First, the love story between Sally and Omar seemed unrealistic. There wasn’t any build-up leading to it, it just happened and even though Sally is aware that Omar is already married, that fact never really comes into play until very late in the story. That left me wondering the entire time, “But what about...?” In addition, Lady Duff Gordon’s reaction to Sally and Omar’s relationship seems very inconsistent with the way her character was developed throughout the novel and is never explained. In the end, I was left with more questions than any resolutions to the story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Totally mesmerizing story of a woman who tries to break free of her society's mores only to find that the limitations placed on her as a servant and woman are completely binding. Based on a true story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I loved the premise of this book, which is to explore a time from someone's life from the view of those who shared the experience. Sally, maid to Lady Duff Gordon (of Victorian London; there are others!) is excited at the prospect of visiting Egypt in a bid to cure her Lady's TB. Along the way she becomes involved with Omar, who is hired to help acquaint the ladies with their new Egyptian home and becomes a fellow servant in Lady Duff Gordon's household. Complications ensue. I came at this novel knowing nothing about the (true-ish) story it tells which made it all the more delicious. Just know that it is a fascinating story, well told.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really liked this book. The descriptions and the feeling of place were very well documented. I would have liked to know why lady Duff reacted the way she did, it was hard to understand since she was portrayed as such a kind and understanding individual. Very enjoyable read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A backstory behind Letters from Egypt, Lady Duff Gordon's account of her time in 1860's Egypt, this is a rivetting account of her loyal servant's life - both one with her mistress and then daring to have her own. Powerful yet subtle writing and utterly believable characters.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger is a sweeping tale focused on the lives of two English women, their relationship and their experiences. The story is drawn from the known historical accounts of the last years of Lady Lucie Duff Gordon, who traveled to Egypt in the 1860's with only her lady's maid, Sally Naldrett, and settled in the Upper Nile region in the hopes that the dry Egyptian climate would be a cure for her tuberculosis. While much is written about Lady Duff Gordon, including her own published letters, Letters From Egypt, little is known about her lady's maid Sally. Pullinger has crafted a story of their time in Egypt told from the point of view of Sally. Lady Duff Gordon, a woman of some standing in Victorian society, is portrayed as a strong woman capable of easily adapting to her surroundings and an individual that is not afraid to fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Within months of settling in the Upper Nile region of Luxor, Lady Duff Gordon has shed her stifling English wardrobe for flowing Egyptian clothing, shorn her hair, started to learn conversational Arabic and hosting salons for intellectual discussions with the local Egyptian society. Sally, timidly at first, starts to follow the example of her employer and slowly sheds the stiff wardrobe and customs of an English household. We watch as Sally evolves from what has been almost a cloistered existence to one of freedom and expression. Sally's innocence slowly drops away as she transforms into a woman, whom in her thirties, is experiencing life for the first time.The story is a interesting examination of society of the time period, both European and Egyptian, and the evolution of the relationship between Sally and Lady Duff Gordon, from employee-employer, care giver-patient, to near equals, to abandonment and betrayal. The prose is rich and flows slow, steady and even, almost like the Nile itself. Overall, a great story to lose oneself in.
Book preview
The Mistress of Nothing - Kate Pullinger
PART
1
LIFE
1
THE TRUTH IS THAT, TO HER, I WAS NOT FULLY HUMAN. I was not a complete person and it was this thought, or rather, this lack of thought, that compelled her, allowed her, to act as she did. She loved me, there’s no question of that, and I knew it and had felt secure in it, but it transpired that she loved me like a favored household pet. I was part of the background, the scenery; when she entertained, I was a useful stage prop. She treated her staff well and I was the closest to her; I did everything for her in those last years. I was chosen to accompany her on her final, long journey. But I was not a real person to her, not a true soul with all the potential for grace and failure that implies. My error was to not recognize this, to not understand this from the very beginning. When I did wrong, I was dismissed, I was no longer of use to her. No, worse than that—I was excised, cut out, as though I’d become part of her dreadful disease, a rotting, malignant supernumerary limb that needed to be got rid of. So I was amputated. I was sent out into the world, a useless lump of flesh and bone cast off from the corporeal body.
But that’s too much, that’s too dramatic. I’m not given to drama, though my situation called for it. The truth is that she hated me for being happy. She hated me for finding love when love had deserted her. She hated me for creating a family when she had lost hers. She hated me for living when she herself faced death. And she could not admit to these feelings; how could anyone admit to feeling this way? So it suited her to treat me as though I was not worthy of the empathy, the considered compassion and generosity, the spirit and humor she bestowed upon her fellow man. I was not worthy.
But that is not where my story starts. And, more importantly, that is not where my story ends either; she was not my ending. Once she cast me out, she could no longer control me. No.
My story starts in England, in Esher, in 1862, a long time ago, and very far away from where I dwell today.
2
SO. I AM A PLAIN-SPEAKING WOMAN, AND I’LL TELL MY STORY plainly. My Lady collapsed at dinner.
All her favorite gentlemen were there—Mr. George Meredith, Mr. Alfred Tennyson, Mr. Arthur Taylor. She looked beautiful, her hair black and glossy, the threads of gray shimmering like silver in the candlelight, one of her Persian shawls draped around her shoulders. But so pale, too pale, I should have known. When I entered her room earlier in the day, she was in the middle of a coughing fit; she turned away from me and made me leave, insisting she was fine. Sir Duff Gordon will be angry that I played along with her deceit, but I knew she was looking forward to the evening; she hasn’t been well enough for supper parties of late. She’s been spitting blood almost continuously; when I enter her bedroom I can smell the tang of it.
But wait: this is not what she is like, my Lady, not really, not truly. She is not an invalid, translucent and tilting as though she might keel over and die at any moment. My Lady is robust, she is hale, she is learned and argumentative and adventurous and charming and entertaining and large-souled. People notice Lady Duff Gordon. People remember her. When she enters a room, that room is altered, the lamps shine more brightly, the fire snaps and pops and blows out sparks, ladies sit up straighter, men stand more crisply, and someone in the company always says, as though it has to be said, Here she is! Lucie!
My Lady is much loved, even by those she infuriates, even by those—her mother-in-law, for example—who feel that her hungry mind is too manly, that she can’t possibly be a good wife.
And I knew that she wasn’t well enough to host a supper party that day. But I kept quiet and stayed close by. When she began to cough halfway through the meal, I stepped into the room, right behind Cathy and her serving tray. My Lady, her eyes watering from the strain of containing the fit, gave me a small wave, a gesture I understood immediately. I helped her away from the table, not that any one of those great gentlemen would have understood she needed helping; my Lady stood, smiled, and said, Gentlemen, please excuse me for a few minutes,
as though she’d been called away to attend to some domestic duty. It was clear she couldn’t manage the stairs, so I took her through to the kitchen; it wasn’t the first time. I helped my Lady into a chair, Cook handed me a cloth, and I placed a steaming bowl in her lap.
It was terrible. It was one of those times when the coughing was so violent, it was as though her lungs were tearing themselves apart in their attempt to escape her breast. Phlegm and vomit—and thin streaks of bloody tissue with it. She coughed and coughed and then her breath became so ratty and weak I thought she must faint, surely, if only for a moment’s relief. She wouldn’t let me treat her; instead, my Lady gasped her way through. After a time the fit ended and, with it, the wretched coughing. She sat for a while, shivering cold, her body’s heat dissipated through fever. A few minutes and a sip of broth later, she was on her feet, adjusting her shawl. I accompanied her back into the dining room, where the guests had moved on to the sweet. She waved me away as though I’d been pestering her (I didn’t mind) and said to Mr. Meredith, Now, George, what have I been missing?
When he expressed his concern over her health—Mr. Meredith was always observant of my Lady—she said, It was Rainey. She woke from a bad dream and the girl could not calm her.
I could see Mr. Meredith did not believe her, but he kept this to himself, wisely.
Later, when I looked in once again, she was smoking a cigar and arguing her point with such animation that no guest new to the house would have believed my Lady was unwell. Her husband, Sir Alick, gave me a smile and winked, as though to say, Look at her. She is a marvel, isn’t she?
OUR TRAVELS FIRST STARTED TWO YEARS BEFORE. WE SPENT THAT WINTER, 1860, in the Isle of Wight at the behest of Doctor Izod, who was adamant that the Esher climate was too harsh for my Lady to bear. It was a low time. I often wondered if Doctor Izod had ever been to the Isle of Wight as it was never dry, nor light, nor warm, nor in any way resembled a place that might effect a cure for my Lady. We crept about the corridors of that tawdry hotel—it was not completely sordid, but near enough—while my Lady lay in bed, all of us, my Lady included, feeling as though she was about to die.
The next winter we embarked on our very own odyssey, all the way to the southernmost tip of Africa and back again. Just the two of us this time, a Lady and her lady’s maid. There was no money for any kind of entourage. The Duff Gordons are always hard-pressed financially, though since Sir Alick moved from the Treasury to the Inland Revenue in Somerset House, my Lady says things have become a little easier, and I can attest to that. My wages are almost always paid on time these days. And so, an adventure—a brilliant escapade in fact. I loved it on that ship, I loved the port cities and the sights, ever more exotic as we traveled south. I loved it best when we were far out to sea: no sign of land, no trees, no buildings, no people; just water, the ship, my mistress, and me. Don’t you miss the household?
she asked one day. The other servants. The companionship?
I smiled. I could tell she was missing her family. Not one bit,
I said. I don’t miss anything about England.
My Lady laughed. Well then,
she said, you are a peculiar creature, Sally Naldrett, but you’re perfect for me.
I laughed too, but the truth was I was relieved to get away from Esher, to get away from the gossip and malice, the too-close proximity of other servants. I liked being on my own; I liked being in sole charge of my Lady; I liked being away from the younger female staff and their demands, the male staff and their unhelpful expectations. I’d happily stay at sea forever,
I said.
But that trip, though immensely satisfying for me, had not suited Lady Duff Gordon’s needs. All that sea-travel, all those thousands of miles of water, when what she wants is clear, dry air and hot, dry sunshine. She needs to parch her lungs, to set them out in the sun and warm their very roots, that’s what I think, so she can cough out what ails her once and forever.
And so we returned to England, yet again, after a full year aboard ship. For my Lady, the reunion was sweet. There they were on Victoria Dock, the whole of her family: Sir Alick, waving a white handkerchief; her elder daughter, Miss Janet, Mrs. Henry Ross now, heavily pregnant with her own first child; Master Maurice, grown tall, almost thirteen; and Miss Urania—Rainey—now all of three years of age. My Lady rushed off the ship as though she was one of the lions the captain was transporting below deck, freed from its cage. And I thought, oh, look how my Lady has missed her family! Why didn’t I see how much she missed her family while we were away? At first it was as though Miss Rainey did not know her mother, this pale woman with the smell of sea-salt in her hair, but in the carriage the little girl stared and stared at her mother, who could not stop talking of Africa, of crocodiles and elephants and lions and all the wonders we had seen, and after a while she climbed down from where she was sitting on her father’s knee and climbed up into her mother’s lap. And my Lady stopped talking, and smiled very broadly.
That was this June past. My Lady kept smiling at Miss Rainey through all that transpired during the next few, short weeks. But I knew the doctor’s verdict before it came: our year abroad had not effected a cure. Our year abroad had not changed anything. The illness has Lady Duff Gordon in its grip; it is shrinking her, it is draining her, and it is robbing us all of her in the process.
I am desperate for a solution. Everyone is desperate for a solution because, in our hearts, we know there is no cure. They are all saying it, saying it more loudly this time: Lady Duff Gordon will not survive another winter in England. Mr. Meredith and Doctor Izod have both told her, and Doctor Quail traveled down from London to instruct my Lady himself: if she is to live, she must leave. She must leave her beloved home yet again, her expansive household with its warm and embracing fug of books, pamphlets, papers, and endless loud and good-humored debate; she must leave her steadfast husband, and her precious children, and travel to a place where it actually is warm and light and dry in the dread, dark months of November, December, January, February, March; even April can be bitterly cold and wet in England. I would never have thought that one could die from the weather, no matter how miserable and gray it might be, but another winter will murder my Lady.
And so she must go. Her course is set. And I am to accompany her on her travels once again. My Lady and I are going to Egypt.
I’ll whisper it again, that wonderful word: Egypt.
I AM LADY DUFF GORDON’S MAID; I AM THIRTY YEARS OLD, A VERY great age for a single woman. I reckon I became a spinster some years ago although the precise moment it happened passed me by. I have been in the Duff Gordon household for more than a decade, and those dozen years have been good years for me. Before then, penury. My sister Ellen and I were orphaned when we were very young; our parents, Battersea shopkeepers, were killed in a train derailment at Clapham. We were staying with our Aunt Clara in Esher at the time—our parents were on their way to fetch us home—and that is where we remained. But Aunt Clara could not afford, or was not inclined—I never knew which was more true, though I have my suspicions—to keep two extra children, and so we went into service, me that same year, and then Ellen one year later. My first post was scullery maid in a lowly Esher household; I made my bed on the floor of the pantry while Mrs. Hartnell, the housekeeper (she was also the cook), slept on the kitchen table, Just like the Queen!
she used to proclaim, laughing. Mrs. Hartnell was jolly and kind and knew how to do good work at speed, and I did well in that house; I was quick to learn. And so I moved to another house, up another rung on the sturdy service ladder, and then, when the Duff Gordons came to Esher and took up residence in the house Lady Duff Gordon called the Gordon Arms,
I was able to apply for a position in that much more illustrious household. Applied and was accepted, and here I remain.
I work hard but my Lady is a most rewarding employer; everything I do for her is exactly right, or so she would have me believe. On my day off—one per month, when we’re at home, unless my Lady is too unwell for me to leave her—I put on my bonnet and take the train up to London: my Lady always says that a woman my age has a right to travel up to London by herself and I couldn’t agree more. The train up to London, a walk through the city—just saying those words makes me smile with pleasure—the noise, the smells, the people. Up the steps of the Museum in Bloomsbury, through the exhibition rooms, the corridors lined with glass cases, past the giraffe whose neck is so long you injure your own neck looking up at it, past the knives and coins and cups and urns in their crowded display cases, until I reach the room that is my destination: the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. I take a seat and close my eyes before I’ve seen too much; I don’t want to spoil my anticipation by seeing it all too quickly. I’ve come all this way to look and yet, once I’m there, I can hardly bear to see. I open my eyes and there they are: the Pharaohs, their gods, and the hieroglyphs—the secrets of that ancient land encrypted in stone.
I have my favorite. The first time I saw his shapely long face I thought he was a woman. But no, he’s a man, a colossal Pharaoh. Almond eyes, kohl-rimmed like a cat’s; I would run my hand along his cheek if I could reach that high, over his lips, down to his great chin, feeling the stone bones beneath the smooth, cool stone skin. I stare at him, and he stares back at me. I laugh at myself: he’s the man of my dreams.
I’ve been coming here for a long time. I don’t know why. The other maids ask me—they think it’s very odd—why go all the way up to town to sit in the Museum? Most of them have never been, will end their days having never been. I can’t think how to reply. I tried once, with Cook; I said, Because I like the mystery.
She looked at me as though I’d forgotten how to speak English. And it’s a coincidence, my visits to this room over the years, and the fact that we are now going to Egypt. A wonderful coincidence that has, for once, gone in my favor.
After the Sculpture Gallery, I go to view the mummies in their cases. This room is disturbing, though I am drawn to it. Part of me feels it can’t be decent to remove the dead from their tombs and put them on display, but I can’t stop myself from looking. I’m as excited and curious as the nearest schoolboy, and there’s almost always a crowd of jostling schoolboys. I stand still, like a palm tree in the flooding Nile, while they eddy around me. I peer at the display case labels and try to decipher the information: Thebes, female, aged about twenty-eight. Oh, I think, only a little bit younger than me.
A man once spoke to me in the Mummy Room; he had a face like a cadaver himself and I was so startled by his appearance that I neither heard his words nor was able to make a reply. He must have thought me an imbecile, a foreigner, or both. I’m not accustomed to having men speak to me directly, at least not men I do not know already. Perhaps he himself was foreign—a homesick Egyptian come to gaze upon his fellow countrymen. Perhaps he was after something. I don’t know: I walked away.
When I’ve finished looking in the Egyptian rooms in the Museum—oh, I’ll never be done looking—I walk back through Covent Garden to Charing Cross Station and I return to Esher once again. Back to the Gordon Arms. Back to my Lady.
LADY DUFF GORDON. LUCIE. ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, I DON’T CALL her by her Christian name. But it’s a sweet name, Lucie, sweet and grand, the very opposite of my own name: Sally. Bald. Plain. Like a dog’s name, I used to say to my sister Ellen when we were little, and she would giggle. A maid’s name.
There’s a portrait of my Lady. It’s a true likeness. Not of her today, now that she is thin and gray, but of how she used to be—the real Lady Duff Gordon. When Mr. Henry Phillips painted it, he was staying with us in the Gordon Arms. He had broken his knee falling downstairs at Waterloo Station and was housebound while he recovered. Henry’s bored,
I heard my Lady declare to Sir Alick; he had written her a note to complain (my Lady’s friends always wrote to her with their complaints; You have the confidence of half of London,
Sir Alick used to say). Let’s invite him down to stay.
Mr. Phillips rigged up his canvas on pulleys and ropes so he could paint my Lady while he reclined on the sofa, his bound leg elevated; he rang a little bell whenever they needed their tea and cakes replenished, which was frequently. The house resounded with their gossip and laughter and the other maids and I argued over whose turn it was to take in the tray. When the picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy, my Lady and Sir Alick traveled up from Esher to see it and they laughed, my Lady told me later, they both laughed to see her thus immortalized. But I was shocked as well, Sally,
my Lady said at breakfast the next day. It was as though Mr. Phillips had seen right inside me.
She paused.
You are a masterpiece,
Sir Alick said.
I’m jolly and fat. It was embarrassing to be seen gawping at myself, like staring in a mirror in a public gallery. The vanity of it.
But everyone could see she was pleased.
And now it hangs in the drawing room, and we look up at it when we pass by, and from time to time I see my Lady looking at it, and it is as though she is thinking, yes, that’s me. The real me. Healthy and young and greedy for life and living.
THIS TIME NO ONE IS PRETENDING THAT THE DEPARTURE FROM HOME will be temporary. My Lady’s only son, Maurice, is off to Eton, the baby, Miss Rainey, to my Lady’s aunt Charlotte, and Sir Alick to board with Mr. Taylor in London where he will be nearer to his office. With everyone dispersed, the Gordon Arms will no longer be necessary, and they have let the lease go. Departure is an altogether different undertaking when your home will no longer be there to return to. There is much to do with closing the house and packing for the children. My Lady and I are both grateful for the work; it keeps our thoughts away from the goodbyes which draw closer every day.
Mrs. Henry Ross—Miss Janet—I’m not quite used to her new name yet, though Mrs.
suits her very well indeed—my Lady’s eldest child, is here, helping. This is an accident of timing; Cook is always grumbling that Miss Janet doesn’t approve of my Lady, Never has and never will,
she says. Ever since she was tiny, daughter has been disappointed by mother—as if my Lady has failed to live up to her expectations. I never saw such a thing!
Cook says, shaking her head and tutting. And it’s true, Mrs. Ross would prefer my Lady to be more conventional. For mother and daughter to have as little as possible to do with each other seems sensible to me; they have little enough in common anyway.
My Lady directs traffic from the settee, but she is weakened again, and I try to prevent her from working. Mrs. Ross is very good at throwing things away, and now that we are packing, it has become clear to us that the house is jammed to the rafters with things no one wants. Why are you harboring such rubbish, Mummy?
Miss Janet asks. Cupboards full of cracked and broken crockery, linen worn so thin it is beyond repairing. And my mistress nods and waves her hand, as though to say, throw it all away. It is a shock to see such a solid household reduced like this; it turns out we spend our days surrounded by junk and detritus, all of which we were somehow convinced we needed. Even the books no longer seem worth keeping, though we parceled up my Lady’s own work, the fourteen French and German novels and histories she has made her career translating, and placed the boxes among the possessions to go with Sir Alick; it was typical of my Lady to decide against taking these volumes to Egypt. New broom,
she said to me, clean sweep.
Mrs. Ross is married to Mr. Henry Ross, a banker, a man of commerce,
as Mrs. Ross herself says, and they live in Egypt, in Alexandria, a great city at the mouth of the Nile, and this has helped my Lady with the decision to go to Egypt herself. However, Alexandria, with its Mediterranean sea air, is not dry enough for my Lady’s purposes, so we will not be settling there. Alexandria is too damp for you,
says Mrs. Ross, too moldering,
and I feel sure she is relieved. My sister, Ellen, is Mrs. Ross’s maid,