The Reluctant Heiress

by Dilly Court

  ‘He told me that he’s disbanded his gang.’

  ‘And you believed him, Kate? I think he told you that so that you would feel sympathetic and help him by persuading me to represent him in court.’

  ‘If it’s such an onerous task why did you agree to take him on?’

  ‘Because he obviously means something to you, or you wouldn’t be here now pleading his case.’

  ‘You’re wrong. My involvement with Harry Trader came about by chance, but I do believe that he has a right to the best possible representation in court. Surely innocent until proven guilty is the premise on which our judicial system is based?’

  A reluctant smile curved Perry’s lips. ‘Kate, if women were allowed to study law, you would make a superb barrister.’

  ‘I don’t think my father would agree with you, Perry. But I really mustn’t take up any more of your time.’ Kate stood up. She was satisfied that Perry would do his best and that Harry would have a fair chance of acquittal, or at least a less heavy sentence. She could go to Lady Lyndon with reasonably good news.

  ‘As I said before, you must seriously consider vacating the premises in Cable Street.’ Perry rose from his seat. ‘The sooner the better, in my opinion.’

  ‘I’ll give it some thought,’ Kate said tactfully. ‘You don’t need to show me out. I should know the way after all these years.’

  ‘Your father is much missed. It’s not easy to live up to the standard he set.’ Perry followed her to the door and held it open. ‘How is he doing now? I’d like to visit him if he’s well enough.’

  ‘He’s about the same,’ Kate said, sighing. ‘He’s no worse, thank goodness, and the doctors think he might improve as time goes by.’

  ‘Then I’ll definitely pay a call at your house in the next couple of days.’

  ‘I’m sure Papa will appreciate a visit. Goodbye, Perry, and thank you for agreeing to take Harry’s case.’

  ‘I’m only doing it for you,’ Perry said drily.

  She acknowledged this remark with a brief smile. ‘If anyone can get him off, it will be you, and now I must go and tell Lady Lyndon that her son will be well represented in court tomorrow.’

  ‘You’ve met his mother?’ Perry barred her way. ‘Are you sure you’re doing the right thing, Kate? I would advise against getting too deeply involved with that family.’

  ‘It’s common courtesy to put the poor lady’s mind at ease. I know what I’m doing, Perry.’

  Kate left him standing in the doorway, but she did not look back.

  Kate was in the court room next morning, waiting for Harry’s case to come before the magistrate. She had not wanted to be there, but Lady Lyndon had been so distraught that in the end Kate had agreed to attend and to report to her the moment she knew Harry’s fate. She waited patiently, sitting through several cases, until he was called to the dock, and she held her breath. Despite his confident bearing, he looked pale, tired and unkempt. He glanced up, scanning the public gallery until he saw her, and a genuine smile lit his face. Kate found herself smiling back, but then she caught Perry’s eye and she composed herself, staring down at her folded hands. She sat quietly, listening to the charges against Harry Trader being read out and his subsequent plea of “not guilty”.

  Perry spoke on his behalf, but the magistrate seemed to have made up his mind from the outset and without any further ado, he referred the case to the Crown Court.

  ‘I’m sorry, Kate,’ Perry said when they met outside the court room. ‘I did my best, but Trader’s reputation seems to have gone before him.’

  ‘What do you think it means?’ Kate asked anxiously. ‘Will he go to prison for a long time, if he’s found guilty, that is?’

  ‘It seems likely. I don’t want to give you false hope.’

  ‘His mother will be devastated. She really had no idea that he was involved in criminal activities.’

  ‘Keep your voice down, Kate.’ Perry glanced around anxiously. ‘Anyone might be listening, and I have to prepare the case if I’m to represent him at the Old Bailey.’

  ‘Have you changed your mind about him?’

  ‘No, not entirely, but it will be a challenge.’

  ‘Thank you, Perry. I’m sure that Harry will be very grateful to have you as his counsel.’

  ‘I don’t think that grateful is in his vocabulary, Kate, but I will do my best to get him acquitted, if only for your sake.’

  Kate eyed him curiously. ‘For my sake?’

  ‘If he is acquitted it means that your connection with him through the soup kitchen is quite legitimate, and you are exonerated. I am doing this for you, not for Trader. Now, I have another client to see, so I must go.’

  Kate was left speechless as she watched him walk away.

  ‘Ain’t that romantic?’ Jenny said dreamily. ‘He done it for you, miss.’

  ‘I can look after myself, and I’m not closing down the soup kitchen. I won’t let all those people down who have come to depend upon us. In fact, we’d better hurry now or poor Ivy will be coping on her own again.’

  They arrived in Cable Street to find the queue of hungry people stretching almost as far as the railway bridge. Annie was standing outside the closed doors of the soup kitchen, playing a lively tune on her concertina, but it was hard to tell if the music had any effect on those whose bellies growled with hunger. Their grey, pinched faces and stick-like limbs revealed how close some of them were to starvation. Kate was painfully aware that the meal the soup kitchen provided was the only thing keeping the poorest of them from the dreaded workhouse or, even worse, dying on the street.

  ‘Where’ve you been?’ Ivy demanded as Kate and Jenny entered the kitchen.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Kate said humbly. ‘Harry Trader was up in court today. I wanted to be there to see the case first-hand.’

  ‘He’s a criminal.’ Ivy heaved a large pan from the range. ‘Help me to get this into the dining room, Jenny. You might slice the bread, Kate. I can’t allow the twins to wield a knife.’

  ‘Of course.’ Kate laid her shawl on a chair. ‘We’re here to help, and I apologise again for leaving you to do all the work.’

  ‘Oh, well, I suppose you are paying me, and it’s made such a difference. At least I can feed my nippers now, and I don’t have to send the older kids out to work if they’re poorly.’ Ivy hefted the pan into the dining room.

  Kate set to work slicing three loaves, and she took the bread into the room where people were queuing up with their cups, bowls or anything that would hold a portion of soup. It was then that she realised there was a disturbance amongst those crowding round the entrance. With the bread basket still clasped in her hands she went to investigate and was almost bowled over when a man hurtled through the doorway, cannoning into her. Jenny caught the basket, but Kate ended up on the floor beneath a body with a nauseatingly familiar smell. She extricated herself and scrambled to her feet.

  ‘Spears! What happened to you?’ she cried as he lifted his head. He was barely recognisable beneath a mass of cuts and livid bruises.

  ‘Miss, you got to get away from here,’ he said hoarsely. ‘They ain’t going to leave you alone, no matter what you say. You got to shut up shop and leave. I’m telling you that for nothing. Just look at the state of me if you don’t believe what I’m saying.’

  Chapter Ten

  ‘Who did this to you, Spears?’ Kate asked anxiously.

  He raised himself to a sitting position, holding his head in his hands. ‘Who d’you think? It was the Monks gang. They were responsible for Harry being arrested, and they want you out of this building.’

  ‘I don’t see what they can do,’ Kate said slowly. ‘Harry owns the premises. They can’t argue with that.’

  Jenny placed the bread on the table. ‘Let’s get him into the kitchen, miss. The mob will break down the doors if we don’t start serving them.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Kate helped Spears to his feet, and between them they managed to guide him to a chair in the kitchen.r />
  ‘I’ll clean him up,’ Kate said firmly. ‘You’d better give Ivy a hand, Jenny. She’ll be run off her feet in the dining room.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Jenny cast an anxious glance at Spears. ‘I wouldn’t believe everything that one says.’

  ‘I heard that,’ Spears muttered crossly. ‘I’m in agony here, miss.’

  Jenny tossed her head and marched into the dining room, slamming the door behind her.

  Kate filled a bowl with warm water from the kettle. ‘This will hurt, Spears, but it has to be done.’ She proceeded to bathe his bruised and bloodied face, ignoring his complaints.

  ‘I think they broke me arm,’ Spears said, groaning. ‘Don’t you listen to that Jenny woman. I’m telling you to get away from here, all of you. Harry would say the same if he was here. If Harry does time that will leave Monks free to run riot.’

  ‘Are you telling me that Harry has been keeping this other gang under control?’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that exactly, miss. Monks has more men than any of the other gangs, and he’s vicious, but Harry is a match for him.’

  Kate eyed him curiously. ‘But why would Harry take on the other criminals in this area? It doesn’t make sense.’

  ‘Why do you think Harry has managed to keep his clubs going for such a long time?’ Spears tapped the side of his nose. ‘There’s many a high-up government official and even a few judges who enjoy a night at the gaming tables.’

  ‘Are you saying that the police turn a blind eye to Harry’s illegal gaming clubs in return for his help in keeping the other gangs under some sort of control?’

  ‘That’s about it, miss.’

  ‘But Harry might go to prison. What will happen then?’ Kate rinsed the bloodied rag in cold water before handing it back to Spears. ‘Hold this over your swollen cheek. I’ll make you a cup of tea and then you’d better go to your room.’

  ‘I wouldn’t stay here if I was you. I can’t wait to get away to somewhere safe.’

  Kate busied herself making a pot of tea. ‘If anyone can get Harry acquitted, it’s the barrister who’s taken on his case, and he happens to be a good friend of mine.’ She filled a cup with tea, adding a lump of sugar before handing it to Spears. ‘Take my advice and lie down for a while. You’re going to be sore for days and you don’t want to risk getting into any more fights.’

  ‘It weren’t what I’d call a fight,’ Spears said gloomily. ‘I was set upon and beaten up. That’s how they do things.’

  ‘Then let’s hope that all goes well when Harry goes to court.’

  A date was set for Harry’s trial in the Crown Court. Kate wanted to attend but Ivy’s children had all contracted chicken pox, and she had to remain at home to care for them, leaving Kate and Jenny to run the soup kitchen on their own. Spears had taken to his bed and rarely left the building. Although he would not admit it, Kate realised that he was terrified of going out for fear of encountering the thugs who had thrashed him. In spite of everything she felt responsible for him, and she took him a bowl of soup and a hunk of bread every day at noon. If there was anything left after the midday meal, Kate would leave it in the larder together with a large chunk of cheese and a couple of apples. It had always vanished when she went to look next morning, and she could only assume that Spears had plucked up the courage to come downstairs at some time during the night. His continuing fear of the Monks gang was infectious, and although Kate tried to put on a brave face, she too was nervous. Every time the street door opened and a rough-looking man entered the premises she reached for a rolling pin and was prepared to use it to defend herself or her patrons. They had been left alone so far, and for that she was grateful, although what might happen after the trial was another matter.

  A week had gone by and the trial was imminent. Ivy was still at home caring for her children, and her help was greatly missed, but Annie proved to be a willing substitute. She arrived early that morning ready for work and there was no task that she would not attempt. She picked up a large knife and began chopping vegetables for the soup.

  ‘That looks dangerous,’ Kate said nervously. ‘I don’t mean to criticise, Annie, but I’m afraid you might cut yourself.’

  Annie smiled and shrugged. ‘I can see just a little. It’s just a vague outline of objects, but enough to get by.’

  ‘You’re very brave.’ Kate reached out to lay her hand on Annie’s shoulder. ‘I don’t think I could cope in your situation.’

  ‘Yes, you would. I could stay in my room all day, but that would be awful, and I have my music. I know it makes people smile – I can hear it in their voices.’

  ‘It’s a wonderful gift,’ Kate said earnestly.

  ‘Harry loved to hear me play.’ Annie’s blue eyes filled with tears. ‘His case comes up in court today, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Yes. I’d like to be there, but I can’t leave you and Jenny to manage on your own.’

  ‘I wish I could help serve the food, but I would be very slow, and I’d probably spill more soup than I managed to get into their bowls,’ Annie said with an infectious chuckle.

  ‘I wouldn’t want to leave you two on your own, just in case Spears is right. If any of the Monks gang come here they would be out to cause trouble.’

  ‘It’s been over a week since Spears was attacked. Perhaps they’ll leave us alone while Harry is away.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Kate said doubtfully. ‘Anyway, I’ll go to the court when we finish here today. At least I can have a word with Perry. He should be able to tell me how he thinks the case is going.’

  ‘I don’t want Harry to go to prison,’ Annie said, sniffing. ‘He’s been so good to me.’

  ‘If anyone can get him off it’s Perry.’ Kate spoke with more confidence than she was feeling. Perry had not been enthusiastic about the case, and he had never attempted to conceal his dislike for Harry, but he was a professional and he would not allow such considerations to affect his work.

  Kate could barely wait until the last drop of soup had been served and she went outside to hail a cab, leaving Jenny and Annie to finish clearing up.

  The cab ride to the Central Criminal Court seemed to take twice as long as it should, but eventually Kate arrived, paid the cabby, and she entered the building with a sudden feeling of foreboding. Her fears were confirmed when she mounted the stairs and came face to face with Perry.

  ‘Has the trial begun?’ Kate asked anxiously.

  ‘It’s over.’ Perry’s handsome features were marred by a scowl. ‘Trader changed his plea to guilty, and he didn’t advise me of his decision. I was made to look a fool in front of one of the most senior judges in the country.’

  Kate clutched his arm. ‘Why would he do that? I don’t understand.’

  ‘You don’t understand?’ Perry’s voice shook with suppressed anger. ‘Neither do I. Anyway, Trader’s got what he deserves. I wasn’t too happy about taking on the case, and I’ve been proved right. The man is a charlatan and he deserves the twelve-year sentence he was given.’

  ‘Twelve years?’

  ‘That’s right.’ Perry’s expression softened a little. ‘I’m sorry, Kate. I know you consider him to be a much better person than he really is.’

  She shook her head. ‘I don’t think that’s so, but I do feel for his poor mother and for Annie, who depends on his help to get by.’

  ‘The fellow obviously thinks a lot of you.’ Perry produced a folded sheet of paper from beneath his robe. ‘He asked me to give you this.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘You won’t know until you read it, but if he asks you to look after his mother, you must refuse. She is not your responsibility, nor is Annie. Harry Trader, or however he chooses to style himself, is a man who takes advantage of people. He’s fortunate that the case ended swiftly and his true identity was not revealed. Not that it will do him any good in Newgate Prison.’

  Kate’s hand shook as she took the note from him. She tucked it into her reticule with a casual shrug. ‘I’ll read it late
r. Is there anything we can do for him, Perry? Can we appeal the sentence?’

  ‘He’s admitted his guilt. You can say goodbye to Harry for a decade or more. Perhaps he will emerge a better person for his incarceration.’

  ‘You are so smug,’ Kate said angrily. ‘This is a man’s life that has been ruined.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but the only person to blame is Trader himself. He knew what he was doing, and the fact that he’s had a good education and comes from a titled family makes him even more culpable.’

  ‘But you said that didn’t come out in court.’

  ‘That’s right. Maybe Trader chose to plead guilty to keep his identity a secret. Either way, I can’t feel any sympathy for the man.’

  Kate could see that arguing in Harry’s defence would be useless. ‘I have to go home, Perry.’

  ‘I’d like to visit your father soon.’

  ‘I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see you.’ Kate walked away, torn between loyalty to her old friend and annoyance at his attitude. Harry Trader was not a wicked man, of that she was certain. He had fallen into bad ways, but there was a reason for his behaviour. She clutched the letter tightly in her hand, only opening it when she was seated in the hansom cab on the way home.

  Newgate Prison

  July 1858

  My dear Kate,

  By the time you read this I will be back in my cell, and likely to remain here for quite some time as I have changed my plea to ‘guilty’.

  I am sorry for involving you in my affairs, but I know that you have respect for my mother and I would be most grateful if you could bring yourself to break the news of my imprisonment to her personally. I know it is a lot to ask, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that you have a good heart and a generous spirit.

  However, London is not going to be safe with the Monks gang at large. I have been doing my best to bring them to justice, but it seems I have failed. I want you to persuade Mama to leave Finsbury Circus and move to the house in Walthamstow together with Annie. For your own safety you must abandon the premises in Cable Street. The Monks gang are vicious and they don’t care who they hurt. Now I am out of the way they will attack anyone with close connections to me.