The Christmas Card

by Dilly Court

  ‘Might I make a suggestion, miss?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Miss Flora was looked after by a woman called Smithson, who was sacked for being drunk on duty.’

  ‘Yes, I heard something like that, Hoskins. What has Smithson to do with Alice’s disappearance?’

  ‘Probably nothing, miss. But there’s talk in the servants’ hall, and Mrs Upton remembered that Smithson was the person who brought little Flora to us when she was just a babe, only then the woman went by another name.’

  ‘Thank you, Hoskins, but I’m not sure how that might help us to find Flora.’

  He tapped the side of his nose. ‘Smithson knows the identity of Flora’s real mother. Find Smithson and you might find Miss Flora.’

  ‘Flora’s mother is the one who abducted her.’ Alice stared at him, frowning. ‘But I suppose this woman Smithson might be able to help find Molly. Anything is worth a try. Did Mrs Upton have an address for this person?’

  ‘I doubt it, miss. But she was known to frequent the Museum Tavern in Great Russell Street. You might start there.’

  Alice considered her options. She was loath to involve herself further with either of the Dearborn brothers, but Flora’s future was at stake. ‘Hoskins, would you be kind enough to ask Mr Rory to come downstairs and speak to me before I leave?’

  ‘Certainly, miss.’ Hoskins hobbled across the marble-tiled floor, moving as swiftly as a rheumaticky tortoise, ascending the stairs painfully and slowly.

  Alice waited, pacing the floor. Smithson might still frequent her old haunt or she might have moved on, but unaccompanied young ladies did not visit taverns. This time she intended to seek help, and Rory was the person to ask.

  Alice stood in the street while Rory made enquiries in the saloon bar. He emerged from the tavern shaking his head. ‘She’s not known there, but the potman suggested I try the public bar.’

  Alice glanced over her shoulder at a man loitering beneath a lamppost who had been ogling her and making suggestive remarks. ‘I’m not staying out here. I’ll come in with you.’

  They entered the taproom and were engulfed in a wave of sound and a gust of warm air laced with tobacco smoke and the smell of stale beer and damp sawdust. Rory edged his way towards the bar, and Alice kept as close to him as possible, although she found herself jostled by the male drinkers and slyly propositioned. She ignored them, keeping an eye on a group of women seated round a table in the corner. Their general appearance was slatternly and their raucous laughter was pitched higher than the deeper guffaws of the men, and they were extremely drunk.

  Alice moved closer to Rory and tugged at his sleeve. ‘Over there,’ she whispered. ‘Maybe one of them will know her.’

  He glanced over his shoulder and nodded. ‘Barman, four pints of porter, if you please.’ He placed some coins on the counter and was served without a second glance. He handed two tankards to Alice. ‘Take these and I’ll bring the other two. It might loosen their tongues.’

  Alice made her way between the tables and the women stopped talking, but it was Rory who had their full attention. They looked him up and down, nudging each other and whispering. Alice received no such recognition as she set the drinks on the table. The boldest and brassiest of the women ogled Rory shamelessly. ‘What have us done to deserve this, mister?’ She fluttered her sandy eyelashes, licking her lips as if to devour him in one greedy mouthful.

  ‘Are you looking for a good time, dearie?’ One of her companions clasped Rory’s hand, pressing it to her generous bosom. ‘I’m Mattie. I do special rates for handsome toffs.’

  Rory smiled, withdrawing his hand and patting her on her rouged cheek. ‘No, thank you, Mattie, but I’m hoping that you might be able to help us in another way.’

  ‘Do any of you know a woman who goes by the name of Smithson?’ Alice moved closer.

  Their smiles froze. ‘Who’s asking?’ Mattie demanded suspiciously.

  ‘It’s a business matter,’ Alice said uneasily.

  ‘We need a bit more information, dearie.’ The brassy woman slapped her tankard down on the table. ‘Is it laying out or lying in you want?’ She stared at Alice’s belly with a suggestive smirk. ‘Or is it a young lady’s problem that needs my expert attention? I’m more skilful than Jessie Smithson when it comes to intimate matters.’ She nudged Alice in the ribs and winked. Her companions nodded and rocked with laughter.

  Rory opened his mouth to speak but Alice silence him with a glance. ‘It’s none of those things,’ she said firmly. ‘If you know where I can find her it will be to her advantage.’

  ‘For the love of God tell her what she wants to know, Mattie,’ the brassy woman urged, apparently bored with the subject. ‘But it should be worth a few more drinks.’

  Mattie gave Rory a sly look. ‘What’s it worth, mister?’

  He threw a handful of small change on the table. ‘That’s all you’re getting. Do you know where we can find this woman or not?’

  There was a scramble for the coins, Mattie grabbing the most. She gave him a toothless grin. ‘Try the pop-shop down the road. Jessie does business with old Quint.’ She rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘I’m getting them in. Who’s for a refill?’

  Rory grabbed Alice by the arm. ‘Come on. We’re not going to get any sense out of them now.’

  ‘Going so soon, dearie?’ The brassy woman attempted to stand up, but collapsed onto her chair with a throaty chuckle. ‘Come again, love, but next time leave the dollymop at home.’

  Outside in the street Alice drew deep breaths of the cold night air. The daytime stench of the city was diluted by the frosty chill, but it was preferable to the stink of unwashed humanity in the pub.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Rory asked anxiously. ‘You’re not going to faint, are you?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, I’m perfectly all right. It’s just that a woman called Smithson was involved in a tragedy that occurred in my own family some years ago.’

  ‘Smithson is a fairly common name,’ Rory said dismissively. ‘I wouldn’t put too much importance on it if I were you.’

  ‘You’re right, of course. Let’s find the pawnbroker’s shop and see if he knows Smithson. That woman could have been lying.’

  Rory proffered his arm. ‘There’s only one way to find out. Are you sure you’re up to it, Alice?’

  ‘I’m quite all right.’

  Quint appeared from the depths of the gloomy shop in answer to the jangling of the bell. He unlocked the door and blocked the entrance but Rory pushed past him and Alice followed him into the dingy premises. In the light of Quint’s oil lamp she could see possessions that had been pawned spilling from shelves onto the floor. There was a mad jumble of objects of every shape and size, from walking canes to top hats, and fob watches to spades and hoes. Coats, capes and ladies’ frocks hung from rails, and boxes were filled to the brim with gloves, scarves and underwear. A musty smell pervaded the darkness.

  Quint faced them, pale as a ghost. ‘What d’you want?’ he demanded querulously. ‘You can’t barge in here at this time of night and expect to be served. Ain’t an honest shopkeeper allowed to have his supper in peace?’

  ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr Quint,’ Rory said calmly. ‘We just require some information.’

  ‘Information?’ Quint’s voice rose to a squeak. ‘You took me away from a tasty pig’s trotter to ask for information. Is it the price of something in the shop, or do you want to know how much you can get for that handsome fob watch, mister?’

  ‘We’re looking for Jessie Smithson,’ Alice said with a persuasive smile. ‘We’ve been told that she comes here quite often.’

  Quint backed away. ‘If you ain’t here to pawn your valuables or to make a purchase you can push off. I dunno what you want this person for, but it’s none of my business.’ He picked up a battered police truncheon, brandishing it in his hand. ‘Now get out of me shop. I don’t want nothing to do with you.’ He took a menacing step forward. ‘Don’t think I won’t
use this. I ain’t a patient man, so get out of me shop now afore I does something I ain’t proud of.’

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘All right,’ Rory said hastily. ‘We’re leaving.’ He hurried Alice outside onto the street. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said apologetically. ‘I shouldn’t have brought you to a rough place like this.’

  ‘I don’t know where you think I’ve been living since my employment in Russell Square was terminated, but I can assure you I’ve had to cope with worse than this.’

  He bowed his head. ‘I’m sorry you became involved in our affairs. You weren’t to blame for introducing Flora to her real mother. I was the one who started all this and yet you’ve paid the price for my interference.’

  ‘That’s not strictly true,’ Alice said hastily. ‘Flora already knew that she had been adopted because Smithson blurted it out in a fit of pique. You were just trying to help a disturbed child.’

  ‘They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that certainly seems to be the case here,’ he said with a wry smile. ‘I’ll see you home, Alice. It’s the least I can do.’

  ‘I can hail a cab. I’ll be fine.’

  ‘You are too independent for your own good, Alice Radcliffe. You must allow a mere male to feel that he’s of some use.’

  ‘I’m sure it’s out of your way. The Youngs live in a modest house in an unfashionable area.’

  ‘I know where they live.’ He raised his hand to hail a passing hansom cab. ‘Don’t look so surprised. I know quite a lot about our employees, and I’m not such a snoot that I look down on those who are less well off or those who have fallen on hard times. As a matter of fact I rent rooms not far from there.’ He handed her into the cab. ‘Five Foot Lane, please, cabby.’

  ‘What can we do now?’ Alice asked as he took his seat beside her. ‘I think that Quint knows something. Perhaps I could do better if I visited him alone.’

  Rory laid his hand on hers. ‘Don’t do anything rash. You mustn’t place yourself in danger on our account. This is Dearborn business and you shouldn’t get involved.’

  ‘But I am already,’ she protested. ‘Flora means a lot to me and I need to find her as much as you do. If I hadn’t taken her from Willoughby Hall none of this would have happened.’

  ‘Molly would have found her anyway and the result would have been the same. It’s Molly we have to trace and then we’ll find Flora, but you must keep out of it, for her sake and yours.’

  Alice was acutely conscious of the warmth of his touch. She knew she ought to snatch her hand away, but in the dark streets it was easy to ignore the rules of propriety that had been drummed into her since childhood. ‘I have little else to do,’ she said softly. ‘Although I must find work. I can’t expect the Youngs to support me.’

  ‘I’ll speak to Frederick first thing in the morning. I’ll make him see sense.’

  ‘I might be better off working for the Challoners,’ Alice said thoughtfully.

  ‘What do you know of them? They’re our biggest rival.’

  The sharp edge in Rory’s voice made her turn to look him in the eye. ‘Carrie said she would introduce me to her friend Bertie Challoner. She was sure he would take me on or at least give me work that I could do at home.’

  ‘Don’t even think about it,’ Rory said urgently. ‘You mustn’t waste your talents in a firm like theirs. They produce greetings cards by the thousand and they’re not too fussy about the quality. They’re sickly and sentimental, and they’d make sure your designs for Christmas cards were the same. I can’t allow you to be exploited in that way, Alice.’

  She sat back against the squabs. ‘I don’t think it’s up to you, Rory. Your brother has dismissed me twice from his employ, and I am not going to beg for my job. I know I’m good and I want to work for someone who appreciates me.’ She looked away. ‘As for Flora, nothing will prevent me from looking for her. I’m not scared of Molly Bishop, nor am I frightened of your brother. I’ll do as I think fit and no one will stop me.’ She tapped on the roof of the cab and the small window flipped open. ‘Drop me off on the corner of Five Foot Lane, please. I’ll walk from there.’

  Rory tightened his grip on her hand. ‘Don’t do anything rash. If you leave it to me I’ll sort matters out with my brother. I don’t want to lose you, Alice.’

  As she lay in bed that night Rory’s words echoed in her brain. He had sounded sincere but she had avoided meeting his gaze. He had a way with him that could make the depths of winter seem like summer, and a smile that could soften the hardest heart. But he was well aware of his charms and she had seen him use them to his advantage. She did not want to fall a victim to a man who was interested in using her artistic talents only to further his business.

  ‘Are you still awake, Alice?’ Carrie whispered.

  ‘I’m sorry. Did I disturb you?’

  ‘No. I’ve been lying here trying to think of a solution to your problems.’

  ‘So have I, but I don’t know what to do for the best. Rory wants me to leave it to him, but I have a nagging feeling that the pawnbroker knows more than he was telling us.’

  Carrie raised herself on her elbow, her face a pale translucent oval in the semi-darkness. ‘I think you ought to follow your instincts. You won’t rest until you know that young Flora is safe, so you must do as you think best and never mind what Rory or his brother say. Men think they’re always in the right, but we know better.’

  Alice snuggled down beneath the coverlet. ‘I’ll go and see Quint in the morning. Maybe I’ll find him in a better mood, and perhaps he’ll be more forthcoming without Rory breathing down his neck.’

  ‘I’d come with you but I have to go to work,’ Carrie said, sighing. ‘We’d best not mention any of this to George. He’s worried about you as it is, and he’s angry because you’ve lost your job when you were only trying to help.’

  ‘He’s a good friend.’

  ‘I think he’d like to be more than that.’

  Alice was suddenly wide awake. ‘What are you saying, Carrie?’

  ‘Just that I know my brother, and I think he’s fallen in love with you.’

  ‘I didn’t realise,’ Alice said softly. ‘If it’s true then I’m very sorry. I’m very fond of George, but I’ve never thought about him in that way.’

  ‘I was afraid of that.’ Carrie subsided onto her pillow. ‘He’s a good man, Alice. I know what I said before, but I think you could do worse.’

  Alice had no answer to this. She knew what Carrie said was true, but it was a shock to learn that George’s feeling for her went deeper than friendship. Why, she thought, is life so complicated? She fell asleep with Carrie’s words repeating over and over again in her brain, but the face she saw in her mind’s eye was Rory’s.

  ‘I’m going to speak up for you at work this morning, Alice.’ George rose from the breakfast table, taking his empty bowl and spoon through to the scullery. He returned moments later. ‘I’m going to tell Mr Frederick that we can’t manage without you. Rawlins is good at geometrical patterns for playing cards, and Martin is a capable draughtsman, but neither of them can put heart and sentiment into their work. I’ve seen your designs and they’re lovely.’

  ‘Please don’t say anything.’ Alice stared down at the rapidly cooling porridge in front of her. ‘I’d rather do this my way, George. But I am very grateful to you for wanting to help me.’

  ‘I’d do anything for you,’ he said in a low voice, ignoring his younger sisters, who were giggling and nudging each other. ‘You know I would.’

  ‘You’ll be late for work, George,’ his mother said quietly. ‘Best go now, dear. You don’t want to give that Rawlins fellow a reason to pick on you.’

  ‘He don’t need a reason, Ma.’ George snatched his jacket from its peg on the wall. ‘I’ll wait and see if they reconsider, Alice, but if nothing happens I am going to say something.’

  She rose to her feet, her food untouched. ‘Please don’t, George. You’re a wonderful friend and
I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but this is my battle. If I can’t stand up for myself in the workplace it doesn’t bode well for my future employment, or for any other young woman who wishes to work alongside male colleagues.’

  ‘Off you go, George,’ Rose said, rocking baby Jackie in her arms as he had begun to whimper. ‘You can chat to Alice this evening, but if you don’t go now you might find yourself looking for another job. Carrie and your brothers left a good half-hour since.’

  George crammed his bowler hat on his head. ‘I’m going, but we’ll discuss this later, Alice.’

  His mother waited until he had left the room. ‘Winnie, Nellie, Lizzie – off to school or you’ll be late too. Coats on, please. It may be sunny outside but it’s still winter and I don’t want anyone going down with a chill.’ She shooed them out of the room. ‘My son is very fond of you, Alice,’ she said, taking a seat with the baby cradled in one arm and two-year-old Annie making an attempt to climb onto her lap. ‘George is a tender-hearted boy.’

  ‘I really had no idea how he felt about me,’ Alice said, choosing her words with care. ‘Carrie told me last night and I was shocked to think that I’d been so wrapped up in my own affairs that I hadn’t noticed. I’m flattered, of course, but I don’t feel the same and it hurts me to know that I’m going to cause him pain. I am very sorry, Rose.’

  ‘My dear, you can’t help how you feel. You can’t make yourself love someone if the feeling isn’t there, so you mustn’t blame yourself. I know I can trust you to do the right thing by my boy.’

  ‘I’ll speak to him this evening.’

  Rose gazed at her soulfully. ‘You’ll let him down gently?’

  ‘Of course I will. I care a lot for George and you’ve been like a mother to me. I can’t bear to think that I’ve caused you distress.’

  ‘My dear girl, I’ve lived a lot longer than you and I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. Having you here has been a pleasure and we’re all very fond of you, but you must make your own way in the world. George will have his heart broken a few times before he finds the right person for him. He’ll be upset, but he’ll recover.’