by Dilly Court
Frederick stood with his back to the fire. His grim expression was not encouraging. ‘Where is Flora?’
Lydia rose slowly from her seat, fixing Alice with a hard stare. ‘I don’t know how you have the nerve to walk in here as if nothing had happened, Radcliffe.’
‘You must hear me out,’ Alice said hastily. ‘I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I acted with the best of intentions.’
‘We received a telegram from Millington to say that you had abducted Flora and another child. I see that one is with you, but where is our daughter?’ Frederick’s hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, and his voice shook with emotion. ‘What have you done with our little girl?’
Alice slipped her arm around Mary’s shoulders as the child began to sob uncontrollably. ‘You have no idea what a terrible place that is, Mr Dearborn. Flora begged to be brought home and this little one was being bullied by the teachers and the pupils alike. Flora refused to leave without her.’
Lydia rose slowly to her feet and to Alice’s surprise her face softened as she held her hand out to Mary. ‘Come here, dear. Come and sit with me.’
‘Lydia, you can’t make a fuss of the child,’ Frederick said crossly. ‘She has a family somewhere who will be anxious about her.’
Mary settled herself beside Lydia on the sofa. ‘The bad man took Flora away.’ She laid her head on Lydia’s shoulder and fresh tears spurted from her eyes.
‘What is she talking about?’ Frederick demanded angrily. ‘Where is Flora? You took her from the place of safety and you turn up here without her.’
‘Miss Millington obviously didn’t tell you that Molly Bishop and her man came to the school with the intention of abducting Flora. I knew they’d try something, which is why I went to Willoughby Hall in the first place. Flora was desperately unhappy there and with good reason, as I found out.’
‘You had no right to interfere,’ Frederick snapped. ‘You should have warned me about Bishop and I would have informed the local police.’
‘I would have done so, but we were snowed in and I had to wait until the roads were passable before I could do anything. We were waiting for the train to arrive when they took Flora by force.’
‘This is your fault,’ Lydia cried angrily. ‘I blame you entirely for what’s happened.’
‘You betrayed my trust, Miss Radcliffe. You were supposed to be working for me and yet you decided to travel to Yorkshire without so much as a by-your-leave.’ Frederick moved away from the fire and paced the floor. ‘I gave you a chance to prove yourself in the workplace, and all you’ve done is to show me that women are unreliable and untrustworthy.’
‘If what you say is true,’ Lydia said slowly, ‘why didn’t you go to the police and tell them that Flora had been taken against her will?’ She turned to her husband. ‘Stop that silly pacing, Frederick, and sit down. You’re making my head spin. You should be cross-examining this trollop, who is probably telling us a pack of lies.’
‘That’s unfair,’ Alice protested. ‘I’ve only ever done my best for Flora. I care for her as if she were my own flesh and blood, which is more than you’ve ever done, Mrs Dearborn. You made it quite clear that you didn’t really like her, let alone love her as a mother should.’
‘That’s enough.’ Frederick came to a halt in front of Alice. ‘You’re coming to the police station with me, Miss Radcliffe. You’ll give a full statement and we’ll let the authorities take it from there. Flora must be found and brought home.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Alice said with feeling. ‘I’m more than willing to do anything I can to save her from that dreadful creature.’ She glanced anxiously at Mary. ‘I’ll come and collect you as soon as I can, dear.’
Lydia placed her arms around Mary and hugged her. ‘This child stays here. She will be looked after until we can return her to her rightful family.’ She stroked Mary’s straight hair back from her flushed face. ‘I’ll take care of you, sweetheart. You can have Flora’s bed tonight and Nettie will tend to your needs just as she has done all these years for your friend.’
Alice stared at her in astonishment. Lydia Dearborn had never, to her knowledge, shown a maternal streak where Flora was concerned, but now she was fussing over Mary like a mother hen. She glanced up at Frederick and realised that he was having similar thoughts; their eyes met in a moment of mutual understanding and then he looked away.
‘Come,’ he said brusquely. ‘There’s no time to waste. Those people could have taken Flora anywhere. They might even try to leave the country.’
Alice rose to her feet. ‘I doubt that, sir. I think Molly has someone in mind for Flora, and that person is willing to pay a great deal of money for her trouble. There’s no other way to explain why she has gone to so much effort to kidnap her.’
‘You can tell all that to the police,’ Frederick said grimly. He turned to his wife. ‘I may be gone for quite a while, Lydia.’
‘Mary stays here.’ Lydia met Alice’s anxious gaze with a determined lift of her chin. ‘Don’t come here again, Radcliffe. The servants will have instructions to throw you out if you try to put a foot over the threshold.’
‘But I have the address of Mary’s aunt and also her solicitor,’ Alice protested as Frederick hurried her from the room. ‘I was going to contact the lady as soon as I was able.’
‘You must give it to me. I’ll see that it’s done.’ Frederick hesitated, giving her a steady look. ‘I believe you had my daughter’s best interests at heart, but you were misguided.’
‘I’d do anything for Flora. I am truly sorry that it all went wrong, but it wasn’t my fault.’
‘You do realise that your employment with my company is terminated, Miss Radcliffe? Under the circumstances I cannot have someone I can’t trust working for me. I see now that women are a prey to their emotions and unstable. You are a bad influence and as far as I’m concerned it was an experiment that failed. You will collect your things in the morning and Mr Wall will pay you what is due to you and not a penny more.’
Alice bowed her head. She would challenge his decision in the morning, but for now her mind was on Flora and nothing else seemed to matter.
It was late evening when Alice arrived in Five Foot Lane. Carrie let her in and enveloped her in an affectionate hug.
‘Where have you been? We’ve all be out of our minds with worry. Did you find Flora?’
‘It’s complicated and I’m exhausted,’ Alice said tiredly. ‘Do you think I might have something to eat?’
Rose came hurrying towards them, wiping her hands on her apron. ‘Good gracious, girl, you look as if you’re about to collapse. Come through to the kitchen and get warm. I’ve just made a pot of tea and there’s some stew left from supper. You’ll feel better when you’ve got something inside your belly.’
Their kindness was more affecting than the harsh treatment Alice had received that day. The police sergeant who took her statement had been brusque and treated her like a criminal, and her reception at the Dearborns’ house had been upsetting, although it was little more than she had expected. She wiped her streaming eyes on the back of her hand. ‘Th-thank you.’
‘Don’t cry, Alice,’ Carrie said softly. ‘You’re home now. George will be pleased to see you. He’s in the kitchen cleaning his shoes ready for work tomorrow.’
Alice gulped and sniffed. Even in the midst of such genuine kindness she could not help feeling like an outsider. She followed Carrie and her mother into the kitchen and found George, as his sister had said, polishing his black shoes until they shone. He looked up and grinned.
‘So you’ve come home. It’s good to see you, Alice. Where’ve you been all this time?’
‘Food first, questions later.’ Rose pulled up a chair. ‘Take off your bonnet and mantle, and sit down, dear.’ She turned to her son, frowning. ‘Leave her be until she’s got some vittles inside her, George.’
‘It’s all right, Mrs Young,’ Alice said tiredly. ‘George might as well know now that
Mr Dearborn has given me the sack. I’ve lost my job because I tried to help Flora and it all went wrong. Molly Bishop has kidnapped her and it’s all my fault.’
Carrie took Alice’s bonnet from her limp fingers and helped her off with her mantle. ‘I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. They must know you were doing what you thought was right.’
‘They can’t kick you out,’ George said angrily. ‘You’re a better designer than Collis and he knows it. I reckon he’s put a bad word in because you didn’t fall for his sweet talk. He’s a conceited ass if ever there was one, and I never trusted him.’
Rose placed a bowl of soup on the table in front of Alice. ‘Eat up and then you can tell us what happened. Carrie, love, pour the tea, will you? And George, take the boot black off the table and put the brushes away. You should do that in the scullery, not in my nice clean kitchen.’
‘You mustn’t worry about work,’ Carrie said earnestly. ‘I’m sure that Bertie could help in that direction. His pa is one of Dearborns’ biggest competitors. Isn’t that right, George?’
‘It is, but that would be like going over to the enemy. They’re business rivals, Carrie. But you’re just a girl so you wouldn’t understand.’ George ducked as his sister threw a crust of bread at him. It fell to the floor and was immediately gobbled up by Skipper, Harold’s bull terrier.
‘Stop that,’ Rose said severely. ‘You’re supposed to be grown-ups.’ She tempered her words with a smile. ‘Ignore them, Alice. At least you’re home in time for your ma’s wedding. It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?’
Alice choked on a mouthful of stew. ‘Oh my goodness – I’d forgotten it completely. I barely know what day it is.’
‘You will go, won’t you?’ Carrie asked anxiously. ‘I know how you feel about Horace, but your ma will be very hurt if you stay away.’
Alice nodded. ‘Of course I’ll go. After all, I haven’t got a job now, so there’s no excuse. Anyway, I hope she’s happy and that Horace treats her well.’ She glanced down at the dog as he nuzzled her hand, looking up at her with what seemed like sympathy in his big brown eyes. She patted his head. ‘Why can’t people be as nice as dogs?’ she said with an attempt at a smile.
Rose chuckled. ‘Skipper can be fierce when he needs to be. Harry relies on him when he’s on the night watch.’
‘Did I hear my name taken in vain?’ Harold Young breezed into the kitchen. He was muffled up in his outdoor clothes. ‘Come on, boy. It’s time for work.’
Skipper bounded over to him and Harold clipped a leash onto the dog’s collar. ‘I’ll see you in the morning. Let’s hope it’s a quiet night.’
‘Be careful, dear.’ Rose smiled tiredly. ‘Don’t take unnecessary risks. Your life is worth more than a few barrels of brandy or a bolt of silk.’
He grinned and tipped his hat as he left the room.
‘Tomorrow I’ll speak to Bertie,’ Carrie said firmly. She shot a sideways glance at her brother. ‘I might just happen to bump into him on my way to work.’
‘You’re getting a bit too friendly with that young man,’ Rose said, frowning. ‘I don’t want to see you hurt, love. His family are stuck-up toffs and they wouldn’t want anything to do with the likes of us.’
Carrie flinched visibly. ‘Bertie doesn’t think like that, Ma.’
‘Well, I don’t want you seeing him, Carrie. He’s already engaged, unless you’ve forgotten that fact. It will end in tears.’ Rose patted Alice on the shoulder. ‘I’ll say good night, but just remember that you’re home now, my dear. I’m sure things will work out for the best.’
‘Thank you,’ Alice murmured. ‘You’re very kind, Mrs Young.’
‘It’s Rose, as I said before. You’re one of us, dear.’
George waited until his mother had left the room. He leaned across the table. ‘That goes for all of us, Alice.’
‘Yes,’ Carrie said, nodding. ‘And I will tell Bertie about you.’
‘No you won’t,’ George said firmly. ‘I heard that Rory is back. He’ll have something to say about Alice being dismissed out of hand.’
Alice put her spoon down, her appetite suddenly deserting her. ‘You say that Rory has returned from Ireland? He was supposed to be gone for longer.’
‘That’s as maybe, but I overheard Rawlins telling Collis that he’ll be back in the office on Monday. Things will improve when he’s around. He’s a good chap.’
Alice was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of exhaustion and she yawned. ‘Would you mind if I go to bed now? I should get up early and go to Queen Square. I really must be there to help Ma get ready for her big day.’
‘My darling girl, I knew you wouldn’t let me down.’ Beth’s eyes were bright with tears as she hugged her daughter. ‘Why have you kept away for so long? I was afraid that you were angry with me.’
Alice returned the embrace, kissing her mother on the cheek. ‘Of course not, Mama. I’ll tell you all about it while I help you get ready.’ She glanced at the ivory silk wedding dress, which was laid out on the bed. ‘It’s lovely and you’ll look beautiful in it.’
‘I wish you’d allowed me to buy you a new gown, Alice. You should have been my bridesmaid.’
‘I’m quite all right as I am.’ Alice slipped the creation in silk and lace over her mother’s head, and spent the next few minutes fastening the tiny fabric-covered buttons down the back of the frock. She stood back, surveying the result with a critical eye. ‘You look wonderful, Mama, but what about your hair? Would you like me to put it up for you?’
‘I suppose it would look strange if I walked down the aisle with my hair still in rags. Yes, please, Alice. You were always very clever with your hands.’ Beth took a seat, peering at her reflection in the scrap of mirror on the chest of drawers. ‘I do miss having a dressing table.’
‘I know where there is one, and as this is a special day I don’t think Aunt Jane will disapprove.’ Alice rang the bell and filled in the time by untying the rags.
Clara bounded into the room without stopping to knock. ‘Yes, miss.’ She came to a halt, staring at Beth. ‘Oh, lawks, you look a picture, ma’am, if you don’t mind me saying so.’
Beth met Clara’s admiring gaze with a smile. ‘I don’t mind at all. Thank you.’
‘What can I do for you, miss?’ Clara turned to Alice with a broad grin. ‘It’s good to have you home, although I know I should keep me trap shut. Cook is always telling me off for talking too much.’
‘That’s quite all right, Clara. But there is something I’d like you to do.’
‘Anything, miss. Anything at all.’
‘Will you fetch the key to the locked room? The bride ought to have special treatment on her wedding day, and I cannot do her coiffure justice without a proper mirror and a dressing table.’
Clara leaped to the doorway. ‘I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, miss. I never thought to enjoy such excitement in this house, not never. Cook’s made a cake and we’re to have a roast capon for luncheon. It’s better than Christmas.’ She left the room and Alice could hear her chattering to herself as she headed towards the staircase. ‘Well, there’s someone who is very happy for you, Mama.’
‘But what about you, Alice? I know how you feel about Horace, but he is a good man in spite of his awkwardness and fussy little ways, and I think we will do tolerably well together.’
‘I do hope so,’ Alice said with feeling.
‘I will always love your father, nothing can change that, but I know I’m doing the right thing. I’ll have my own home again and a place in society. A penniless widow has little more standing in the world than a woman who is well and truly on the shelf. I want you to bear that in mind, Alice.’
Alice patted her mother on the cheek. ‘I hear what you’re saying, Mama. You mustn’t worry about me. I can make my own way, I promise you.’
‘That’s what worries me. You are too independent for your own good, and you’re stubborn just like your dear papa.’ Beth reached up to clutch her daught
er’s hand. ‘Now tell me what kept you away from us these past weeks, although I’m afraid I won’t like what I hear.’
Alice stifled a sigh of relief as Clara reappeared brandishing the key. ‘Her majesty says it’s all right to use Miss Viola’s room. She said it’s time her ghost was laid to rest, whatever that means. I’ll open it up for you.’ She raced off with the boundless energy of an eleven-year-old buoyed up with excitement.
Alice and her mother followed more slowly and by the time they reached the room Clara had flung back the curtains and opened the windows. A stream of cold air disturbed the thick layer of dust, sending up small eddies that settled once again on every surface. ‘It’ll take a month of Sundays to get this room clean,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Is there anything else, miss? I have to go downstairs and help Cook. She’s in a bit of a state.’
‘It’s quite all right, Clara. Off you go.’ Beth took a seat at the dressing table. ‘You said this was Viola’s room. I can’t believe that Jane has kept it as it was all those years ago.’
‘I don’t remember seeing Aunt Viola very often,’ Alice said thoughtfully. ‘I do recall that she was very pretty and always laughing.’
‘She wasn’t much older than you when she died,’ Beth said sadly. ‘Viola was spoiled and selfish and cared for no one but herself, but it was tragic to die so young.’
‘Aunt Jane said that it was consumption.’
‘That was the story put about to save face.’ Beth sighed, shaking her head. ‘You might as well know the truth, Alice. Your father had a visit from a woman called Smithson, the midwife who attended Viola’s confinement. She told him that his half-sister had died in childbirth and that the baby was stillborn.’
‘Smithson?’ Alice stared at her mother’s reflection in the mirror. ‘She was Flora’s nursemaid who was sacked for mistreating her and drinking on duty.’
‘I know nothing of that, dear. All I know is that a woman named Smithson came to us with the sad news. She said it was Viola’s last wish that the family knew of her fate.’