The Christmas Card

by Dilly Court

  ‘Mama, are you out of your mind? If you wish to remarry why choose Horace? Do you really want to have Aunt Jane ordering you about for the rest of your life?’

  Horace raised Beth’s hand to his lips. ‘I’ll protect you from Jane. When we’re married and have a house of our own she won’t be able to interfere.’

  ‘You are both deluding yourselves.’ Alice pinched the soft flesh of her forearm to make sure she was not in the middle of a crazy dream. ‘Ouch.’ She rubbed the spot where it hurt. ‘You can’t do this, Mama.’

  Beth turned her attention to Horace. She leaned forward and kissed him on the brow. ‘Yes,’ she said simply.

  He blinked owlishly. ‘You mean you’ll marry me?’

  ‘I will, Horace, and the sooner the better. Perhaps we could go and see that house in the morning.’

  ‘And what about me?’ Alice demanded. ‘Am I included in your plans, or would I be in the way of your two lovebirds?’

  ‘There’s no need to take that tone with me, young lady.’ Beth helped Horace to his feet. ‘I’m your mother and when we’re married Horace will be your new papa. You will give him the respect due to him.’

  ‘Of course you will come and live with us,’ Horace said hastily. ‘You will always be welcome in our home, Alice.’

  ‘I’d rather live in Mrs Leech’s attic for the rest of my life than play gooseberry to you two.’ Alice tugged at the ring on her left hand and it slipped off her finger. She tossed it onto the floor at her mother’s feet. ‘There, Mama, it’s yours now. I wish you well, but I think you’re making a terrible mistake.’

  She left the room, ignoring her mother’s pleas for her to stop and talk things over. Her thoughts were chaotic as she ran downstairs to retrieve her outer garments from the kitchen, and she left the house by the tradesmen’s entrance. Above all she wanted her mother to be happy and well cared for, but Horace was the last person she would have chosen to be her stepfather. She stopped to pull on her gloves and she paused, staring at the indentation on her ring finger. The realisation that she was a free woman washed over her in a feeling of relief. As she walked briskly towards home she had a sudden vision of Horace on bended knee in front of her mother, and she started to giggle as the ridiculousness of the situation occurred to her. But her laughter was cut short when she heard an all-too-familiar voice close to her ear.

  ‘You won’t find it so amusing if I has to cut you, dearie. Button your lip and keep walking.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘Leave me alone, Molly,’ Alice said angrily. ‘I know it’s you.’

  ‘Clever, ain’t you? Keep moving.’

  ‘Where are we going?’

  Molly’s answer was a sharp dig in the back with the tip of her knife. Alice muffled a yelp of pain as the blade pierced her skin. She stumbled and only just managed to save herself from falling, but Molly grabbed her by the arm. ‘Don’t try anything. Walk normal and keep your trap shut.’

  There was nothing Alice could do other than obey her captor’s command. The back streets were all but deserted, and those who were abroad after nightfall were not the sort of people who would be likely to come to her aid. It was almost pitch-dark in the alleyways and courts that Molly seemed to know so well, and after a while Alice had completely lost her bearings. Eventually they stopped outside a pub and Molly opened the door with her booted foot. She shoved Alice inside and marched her through the crowded, smoke-filled taproom to a private parlour at the back of the building. Seated on settles arranged around a desultory fire were two bearded brutes with scarred faces and ham-like fists curved around pint pots. They looked up as the door opened but their features remained stony, as if carved from granite.

  ‘So you found her, then?’ The elder of the two spoke in a gruff voice as if his throat was sore. He sported an eye-patch and his crooked nose must have been broken at some time in the past, which made him look even more villainous. His comrade looked quite meek and mild by comparison.

  ‘She’s going to help us find the brat.’ Molly thrust Alice onto a chair. ‘Sit there and don’t move, unless you wants your throat slit, which I’d be more than happy to do.’

  Alice sat bolt upright, not daring to speak.

  Molly stood at her side, fingering the blade of her knife. ‘It’s sharp, Miss High and Mighty. It’ll cut through your flesh like butter, so you’d better tell us where to find Flora.’

  ‘I don’t know exactly where she is,’ Alice said truthfully. ‘But it’s a long way from London.’

  Molly caught her a stinging blow across the cheek. ‘That’s not good enough. That kid is worth a fortune to me and I want her back.’ She leaned closer so that Alice could smell her putrid breath and feel the heat of her body. ‘Billhook enjoys pretty girls like you, don’t you, Bill?’

  The younger of the two men grinned and licked his lips. He was staring at Alice, although it was difficult to tell which eye was actually focusing on her, as they seemed to move independently and met occasionally over the bridge of his nose. A dribble of spittle ran down his chin and he licked it off. ‘I could fancy her, Moll.’

  ‘And you shall have her if she don’t tell me what I want to know.’ Molly held the knife close to Alice’s cheek. ‘I’ll give you another chance, miss. Where is Flora?’

  ‘I told you I don’t know.’ Alice was quaking inwardly, but she was determined not to let them see that she was terrified. She had no doubt that Molly would use the knife, and the man called Billhook made her skin crawl. The other fellow was no better.

  With a quick swipe of her hand Molly snatched Alice’s bonnet off her head and grabbed her by the hair. ‘You’re lying.’ She pointed the knife at the big man. ‘See him, Alice? Eric the Axe is a gentle chap until he’s roused. He could wrench your arm from its socket with a flick of his fingers, and he’s been known to crush a man’s head between his hands like it was a walnut. He could trim your curls with one blow of his axe or sever your head from your body if you upset him. Couldn’t you, Eric, love?’

  ‘Just say the word, Molly,’ Eric grinned, exposing a row of broken and blackened teeth. ‘It’d be my pleasure.’

  Alice was convinced and not about to argue. ‘Flora has gone to Scotland.’

  ‘Scotland?’ Molly stepped back a pace, staring at her with narrowed eyes. ‘You’re lying.’

  ‘They took her to Gretna Green,’ Alice said firmly, it being the only Scottish place name she knew.

  Billhook and Eric muttered together as if mulling it over, but Molly still looked suspicious. ‘How do I know you’re telling the truth?’

  ‘If it’s a choice between that or being viciously attacked by a madman with an axe what would you do?’

  ‘You’d better not be lying.’

  Alice shrugged, using her last scrap of courage. ‘There’s only one way to find out, but is she worth travelling all that way? Can’t you find someone else to use for your vile trade?’

  Another blow on the cheek almost unseated Alice and she clutched her hand to her face, but she fixed Molly with a hard stare. ‘She’s at a school for young ladies. I don’t know its name but there can’t be too many of those in a small place like Gretna Green.’

  ‘Get out of here.’ Molly tucked the knife in her belt. ‘But if you’re sending my men on a wild-goose chase you’ll pay for it in blood, Alice Radcliffe. I know where you live and I also know where to find your ma. You wouldn’t want Eric to carve his initials on her pretty face now, would you?’

  Alice rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘You’re letting me go?’

  ‘Why would I want to keep you here? Get out of my sight, but be warned. If I find out that you’ve tried to trick us you’ll suffer for it. Now go.’ She jerked her head in the direction of the doorway.

  How she managed to make it as far as the street remained a blur in Alice’s memory, but suddenly she found herself standing outside on the pavement with her bonnet clutched in her hand. A man lurched towards her. ‘How much, my duck?’

  Sh
e turned and ran, only stopping when she was certain that she was not being followed. Breathing heavily, she leaned against a wall and could have cried with relief when she heard the familiar sound of a steam engine. Unless she was very much mistaken she was close to the Metropolitan Rail terminus, and once there she was almost home. With a renewed spurt of energy she raced towards the rumbling, grinding sound of iron wheels on iron tracks. She could smell the smoke and hot oil and soon she was in familiar and well-lit streets. It was only a short distance to Half Moon Passage and the dingy attic room in Mrs Leech’s boarding house.

  Safely indoors, she collapsed on the bed still fully clothed. The feeling that she had just awakened from a nightmare persisted, but then the awful reality of what had occurred that evening began to dawn upon her.

  It seemed unthinkable that her mother would actually want to marry Horace, although she had accepted his proposal with evident pleasure. Alice studied the ring finger on her left hand. A few hours ago she had been engaged to a man she actively disliked in order to provide a home for her ailing parent. Now, in a strange twist of fate, it seemed that her mother was going to marry Horace. One day she thought, she might find it funny, but she had never felt so alone or so completely abandoned. Her mother had allied herself to Horace and Jane, and would be lost to her. Flora had been sent miles away for her own safety, and Rory would be gone for weeks, which would seem like an eternity.

  She reached under the bed and pulled out the valise in which she kept her possessions. Taking out the Christmas card, she held it close to the guttering candle, but instead of bringing her comfort the sight of the joyful family group brought tears to her eyes. ‘We were like that once, Pa,’ she whispered. ‘The three of us were happy. Now it’s all gone for ever.’ She pulled the coverlet up to her chin and tucked the card under her pillow. She sighed heavily. ‘I am all alone.’

  There had been no word from either her mother or Horace, and after a week Alice decided to pay them a visit. It was not a success. Beth was bright-eyed and full of plans for the house that had been promised to them. Jane herself blamed Alice entirely for the change in her cousin’s plans.

  ‘You should have encouraged Horace,’ she said when they were alone in the parlour. ‘Now he’s going to marry that silly milksop of a mother of yours, who is extremely unlikely to produce a son and heir. You’ve ruined everything, Alice Radcliffe. Your father will be turning in his grave.’

  ‘I don’t think Papa would have forced me into a marriage of convenience,’ Alice said, making an effort to remain calm and in control of her emotions. ‘If Mama thinks she will be happy with Horace then I’m glad he’s asked her to marry him.’

  ‘You had the ring, you silly girl.’ Jane wagged her finger at Alice, frowning ominously. ‘You should have kept the stupid fellow to his word. You could have sued for breach of promise, or at least threatened him with the law. That usually works.’

  Alice bit back a sharp retort. ‘Well, it’s done, and Mama will have a home again. I can’t argue with that.’

  ‘And what about you?’ Jane curled her lip in a sarcastic smile. ‘Will you live with them like the dutiful spinster daughter? You’ll be on the shelf in a couple of years.’

  ‘I have my position at Dearborns’, Aunt Jane. I can support myself.’

  ‘I can imagine the cheap lodgings in which you find yourself. What a come-down for you.’

  Alice glanced over Jane’s shoulder as her mother burst into the room, pink-cheeked and beaming. ‘Horace has just returned from the City and he’s eager to see you, Alice. We don’t want you to feel left out of things.’

  Horace followed her into the room, smiling obsequiously. ‘My dear Alice, I’m glad to see that you’ve come round to the idea of having me as your stepfather.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that,’ Alice said slowly. ‘But I hope you two will be very happy.’

  ‘Darling, you will be living with us.’ Beth’s eyes filled with tears. ‘You will, won’t you? The house isn’t very large, but Horace says you can have the boxroom, and I’m sure it will be far more comfortable than the dreadful attic in Half Moon Passage.’

  ‘I thought there were four bedchambers,’ Jane said pointedly. ‘Why consign your daughter to the smallest of them?’

  Horace laid his finger on his lips as Beth was about to speak, and she hung her head. ‘I’ll deal with this, my dear.’ He fixed Jane with a straight look. ‘My wife and I will have the master bedroom, of course, but I need a dressing room, and we will have a cook/housekeeper who will have her own quarters. We can’t expect a servant of any calibre to exist in a boxroom.’

  ‘But that is good enough for your spinster daughter, is it, Beth?’ Jane’s tone dripped acid, and it was obvious that she was enjoying herself.

  Alice held up her hands. ‘Enough of this. It’s immaterial because I won’t be living with you, Mama. I am an independent working woman now, and I intend to remain so. I’m happy for you, but I won’t be part of your ménage. It wouldn’t do at all.’

  ‘But, dearest, you can’t wish to remain in that dreadful garret?’ Beth clutched her fiancé’s arm and her lips trembled ominously.

  ‘Don’t upset yourself, Mama,’ Alice said hastily. ‘I’ll shortly be moving to a much nicer lodging house where I will be quite comfortable. You mustn’t worry about me.’

  ‘There, there, my dear. I’m sure Alice knows best.’ Horace patted Beth’s pale hand as it rested on his sleeve. ‘She will be a welcome guest in our home whenever she chooses to pay us a visit.’

  ‘The sooner you’re all out of my house the better,’ Jane said with a grim smile. ‘The final reading of the banns is due to take place in a just over a fortnight, therefore I intend to book the church for your nuptials the following week. Have you any objection to that. Horace?’

  His moustache quivered and his bushy eyebrows moved closer together, but then his frown was replaced by a confident smile. ‘Anything you say, Cousin. Might we expect to move into the house immediately after the wedding?’

  ‘Of course. That is my plan.’

  Alice turned to her mother with a questioning look. ‘Are you happy with that, Mama?’

  ‘Yes, I think so. Everything is happening so quickly.’ Beth glanced at Horace and he nodded emphatically.

  ‘It can’t come too soon, my love. I will be a proud man on the day we’re wed.’

  ‘You’re a fool, Horace Hubble,’ Jane said crossly. ‘I suppose you realise that once you’re married you’ll be responsible for supporting your wife, and the running of the house? It’s bought and paid for, but don’t expect a penny more out of me.’

  ‘I – I hadn’t thought that far, Jane.’ Horace paled beneath his whiskers, which bristled like the fur of an angry cat.

  ‘But things might change if you should sire a boy child,’ Jane cast a disparaging glance at Beth, who hung her head, blushing furiously, ‘unlikely though it seems. But if you do produce a son and heir I will settle a considerable sum for his upkeep and education …’

  ‘That’s most generous of you,’ Horace said hastily. ‘Most generous.’

  ‘Let me finish.’ Jane rose slowly from her chair. ‘There is a condition, however, which must be met.’

  ‘Anything, Cousin.’ Horace’s eyes sparkled with expectation. ‘Whatever you wish, providing it’s within my power.’

  ‘You will consign the boy to my care, and I will see that he is brought up to fear the Lord. When he is old enough he will be sent to Oxford to study theology. I have it all planned.’

  Alice stared at her in horror. ‘You can’t take a child from his parents. That would be cruel.’

  ‘Who asked you?’ Jane turned on her in a fury. ‘What has it to do with you? Haven’t you just said that you wanted nothing more to do with your mother?’

  ‘No, that’s not what I meant at all. Just because I choose not to live with them doesn’t mean that I’ve cut myself off from my mother and her husband.’

  ‘It does sound a bit harsh,
’ Horace ventured nervously. ‘I mean, taking a child from its mother is not a very Christian act, Jane.’

  Beth slid silently to the floor in a dead faint.

  Alice pushed past Jane and went down on her knees beside her mother. ‘Smelling salts,’ she said tersely. ‘Have you any sal volatile, Aunt Jane?’

  Jane threw up her hands. ‘You expect that feeble creature to bear a child, Horace?’ She moved to the bell pull and tugged at it. ‘But I meant what I said. You won’t get a penny piece more out of me unless I can be sure that there is a male heir to continue the family name.’ She swept out of the room, passing Clara in the doorway. ‘Help Mrs Radcliffe to her room. She’s having a fit of the vapours again.’

  Horace made a move towards Beth but Alice held up her hand. ‘She’s all right, leave me to deal with it. I’m used to looking after Mama when she is unwell.’ She beckoned to Clara. ‘Where does my aunt keep the smelling salts?’

  Clara delved into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle. ‘I keep them to hand, miss. Your ma quite often feels a bit faint and a whiff of this works a treat.’

  ‘What shall I do?’ Horace said faintly. ‘Should I lift her onto the sofa?’

  Alice uncorked the bottle and wafted it under her mother’s nose. Beth shuddered and opened her eyes. ‘What happened?’

  ‘You’re all right now, Mama. You just need to rest.’ With Clara’s help she managed to get her mother onto a chair.

  ‘Should I send for the doctor?’ Horace asked anxiously.

  Alice straightened up. ‘That won’t be necessary, but what you need to do is to stand up to Aunt Jane. You have to tell her that what she demands is out of the question.’

  Horace paled visibly. ‘I depend on Jane for everything.’

  ‘What sort of man are you?’ Alice laid a comforting hand on her weeping mother’s shoulder. ‘More importantly, are you sure you want to marry him, Mama? I’m earning more now and I could find somewhere better for us to live. You don’t have to give your life to this man and his hateful cousin.’

  Beth mopped her eyes on her hanky. ‘Horace is a good man, and when we are in our own home we will be free of Jane.’