Author: Kate Pullinger (1961– )
First published: 2009
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical fiction
Time of plot: 1862–1869
The Mistress of Nothing is the story of the maid of the Victorian writer and traveller, Lady Duff Gordon. Thirty-year-old Sally Naldrett has been with Lady Duff Gordon for more than a decade, living in her residence in Esher, England. Lady Duff Gordon has been plagued by tuberculosis, and in 1862, she takes Sally to Egypt with her hoping the hot dry climate will be of some benefit to her health. After a bit of traveling, the two women, along with an Egyptian servant, Omar Abu Halaweh, settle in Luxor along the Nile River. There the lines between employer and employee begin to blur, as the two women embrace Egyptian life. Sally falls in love with Omar and becomes pregnant. Once the baby is born, Lady Duff Gordon refuses to see or speak to Sally, and eventually dismisses her and orders her to return to England. Instead, Sally stays in Cairo and works at a hotel while growing close to Omar's family.
*Esher. Before Lady Duff Gordon contracts tuberculosis, she constantly entertains at her house in Esher, England, so the place is filled with laughter and debates among the British elite. But after her illness takes over, the house is quiet and empty. In the house there is a portrait of a much younger lady Gordon, reclining on a sofa, painted by Mr. Henry Phillips, before she was sick, thin and gray. Sally says it is the lady's real self, before the tuberculosis. After being on display at the Royal Academy, the painting is hung in the house drawing room.
As the maid, Sally also lives in the Esher house where she is a victim of gossip and malice from the rest of the servants. She cares for her lady, but there is a clear boundary between the family and the help. In England, Sally wears simple yet stiff hand-me-downs from the Lady Duff Gordon.
*Egyptian Sculpture Gallery at the Museum in Blooms-bury. On her day off, Sally takes the train to London to see the exhibition rooms at the museum. Fascinated with Egypt, Sally is entranced by the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery with its sculptures of the Pharaohs and their gods, the engravings of hieroglyphs and the mummies in cases. Sally claims her favorite Pharaoh, with almond-shaped, kohl-rimmed eyes, is the man of her dreams.
*Egypt. Egypt is in political turmoil. In the early 1800s, there had been a three-way civil war between the Ottoman Turks, Egyptian Mamluks, and the Albanian mercenaries. The Albanian mercenaries won with Muhammad Ali Pasha taking command of Egypt. Egypt prospered under his rule until his death in 1849. By 1863, Ismail wielded power, bringing Egypt into the modern world with development and reform, however, this led to bankruptcy and, finally, to British occupation later in the 1800s.
At the time of Lady Duff Gordon's stay in Egypt, Ismail has been extorting the working class to provide labor and fund his projects. Lady Duff Gordon speaks out against this abuse, publishing her letters during her stay. She is blackmailed and threatened by the government.
*Alexandria. Lady Duff Gordon first stays at her daughter's apartment in Alexandria, before she travels further into Egypt. Sally describes the city has smoggy with smoke and heat, and filled with the filth of begging children on a crowded street. The language sounds slippery to her, with growls and wheezes, which she finds intimidating. Since the city is near the sea, the buildings, a blend of European and Egyptian architecture, are glazed with salt water. The Lady feels that Alexandria isn’t really Egypt at all, but a crossroads between the Mediterranean, Africa and Europe. Since the monuments have been destroyed, the two women agree there is nothing to see here.
*Luxor. The lady decides to lease the French House in Luxor from a French consul. Built on a buried temple, the house towers over the other houses in the village. The French House is the grandest building in the village with glazed windows, inside doors and stony steps leading to the front door. With two terraces, the occupants can view the Nile on one side, and a large garden on the other. Unlike British kitchens, the kitchen in the French House is Spartan, with just an open fire topped with a mud chimney, copper pans and kettle, a workbench, and a window that overlooks the village and mosque.
The lady's bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen. After a few weeks, the Lady and Sally lie on cushions on the floor as Sally reads aloud to her. During Ramadan, Omar joins the two women. Omar and Sally's rooms are adjacent to each other. While Lady Duff Gordon and Sally sleep on European beds made of wood and topped with blankets from England, Omar sleeps on an Egyptian-style roll out bed.
The lines between employer and employee become somewhat blurred. With very few duties, Sally mostly entertains Lady Duff Gordon, becoming more of a companion. Both women start learning Arabic and dressing in traditional Egyptian clothing—Lady Duff Gordon in men's clothing, with loose brown cotton trousers and a long white cotton tunic, and Sally in women's clothing. At night, the three, Lady Duff Gordon, Sally, and Omar, work silently in the kitchen together.
*Cairo (KI-roh). After leaving the French House, Sally hides in Cairo, living in an elderly woman's hotel with the baby. Cairo is in the process of transforming from a medieval-looking, Egyptian city to one of greater European influence. Hoping to turn Cairo into the Paris of Africa, Ismail is building palaces, roads, and gardens.
Omar's father's home. After failing to get steady employment, Sally goes to Omar's father to give her baby, Abdullah, to the family. The house is cool and organized, with large cushions insulating the orange and yellow walls, and carpets lining the floors. The house is full of mirrors, and candles make the house smell of incense and flowers. The shutters on the windows are closed to block the sun from heating the inside air. Outside, there is a courtyard with a blue-tiled well.
*The Nile. The first ride on the Nile is a long trip from Alexandria, where the two women first entered Egypt, to Luxor, where they eventually settle. They rent a man-powered boat that takes them farther from the familiar European environment, deeper into Egypt. When they leave the dock, Lady Duff Gordon has an English flag and American pennant raised, along with the white sail. From the boat, they see hills of desert sand, but when looking down, they see the Nile, green and brown, turning like milk with crocodiles meandering along. The heat cooks the vegetation, leaving an unbearable scent that eventually passes.
On the boat, Sally sleeps in a small cabin with low ceilings. She awakens to the crew's singing. She eventually grows used to the rocking of the boat; the hot, dry air; and the dampness of the Nile. With her domestic duties eased, she grows used to being a constant tourist. The relationship between the two women begins to change as the lady becomes healthier.
—Lucie Couillard