The Best of Sisters

by Dilly Court

  Brandon obviously did. He seized another set of keys from the drawer and put them in his pocket. ‘Of course. If you put it that way, Daisy. How can I refuse?’

  Arriving back in Dark House Street, Eliza helped Tommy down from the hackney cab. He headed for the gate in the area railings. ‘Where are you going, Tommy?’

  He paused at the top of the steps. ‘I’m going to play with Artie and Sam. And Ada gives me cake.’

  Eliza smiled. ‘What would we do without Ada? All right, dear. You go and play with the boys. I’m going inside to tell Uncle Freddie the good news.’

  Tommy shot her a puzzled glance. ‘About Mama’s new man?’

  ‘Well, er, not exactly. I meant about your good fortune in finding your new grandpa.’

  ‘Oh, him.’ Tommy shrugged his small shoulders and ran helter-skelter down the area steps.

  Eliza paid the cabby and went indoors to look for Freddie. Attracted by the sound of voices, she went into the drawing room. As usual, Dolly was dozing in her chair by the fire, and Millie and Mary were sitting at the table poring over a rather dog-eared copy of The Young Ladies’ Journal. Millie looked up and smiled. ‘Liza, come and look. It says here that crinolines are out of fashion and that a thing called a bustle is going to be the latest craze.’

  ‘We’ll all have huge bums,’ Mary giggled. ‘Miss Cynthia’s got old Ma Dunne to make her up a gown like this one. She looks just like one of them pouter pigeons in it, but she thinks that she looks just topping, and she’s thrown out all her old gowns, even the one what we went to so much trouble to get fixed. Ain’t that a laugh, Eliza?’

  The thought of Miss Cynthia discarding the gown that had cost her so much grief and expense made Eliza want to go round to the house in Islington and give the young lady a piece of her mind. She managed a weak smile. ‘Did she ever wear that pink gown again?’

  ‘Not her. She never even took it from the clothes press. Some people have got more money than sense.’ Mary bent her head over the magazine. ‘What do you think of this one, Millie? I should love to wear something like this when I finds a bloke to marry me.’

  Millie nodded her head, but she was looking at Eliza and not at the magazine. ‘Have you seen Davy yet?’

  ‘No. I was looking for Freddie.’

  ‘I dunno what you said to Davy, but he come indoors looking really grumpy and Freddie took him into the parlour. They’ve been there ever since.’ Millie’s smile faded. ‘Is everything all right, Liza? What happened with old man Miller?’

  ‘Daisy was amazing. She made the old man admit that Bart was his son and then she turned on the charm with Brandon.’

  ‘She’s a hussy,’ Mary said, pulling a face.

  ‘Oh, Mary, don’t be such a prude,’ Millie said, casting Eliza an anxious glance. ‘She don’t mean it, Liza. Daisy’s not so bad when you gets to know her.’

  Mary tossed her head. ‘She’s still a doxy.’

  ‘Girls! Don’t squabble.’ Torn between irritation and amusement, Eliza wagged her finger at Mary. ‘Didn’t Mr Booth warn you about the dangers of making judgements on others?’

  ‘I expect so. I do try to act like a Christian, but being good don’t come that easy, Liza,’ Mary said, blushing and hanging her head. ‘Me dad is always preaching at us, but I can still see him as he was when he was boozed up. Now he spends all his time going round pubs and spouting about the evils of drink, while Mum and the nippers lives on Freddie’s charity. I don’t think I knows what’s good and what isn’t.’

  Millie placed her arm around Mary’s shoulders, giving her a hug. ‘You are a good girl. Look how hard you work and yet you gives nearly all your wages to your ma. If that ain’t good, then I don’t know what is.’

  Leaving them to comfort each other, Eliza slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She made her way to the morning parlour at the back of the house. This part of the building was the most dilapidated of all and most of the rooms were unfurnished and swathed in cobwebs. Not for the first time, she wondered what had possessed Freddie to buy such a large and crumbling mansion, especially since he had given up his plans to become a medical man. It was bitterly cold in the passage and she was glad that she had not discarded her cloak in the relative warmth of the drawing room. The winter dusk had fallen early and it was almost too dark to see her way, but a glimmer of light beneath the parlour door guided her footsteps. She went in without knocking and found Freddie and Davy seated on either side of the fireplace, with only the feeble glow of the embers to light the room.

  Freddie got to his feet, smiling and holding out his hand. ‘Liza, my dear. You look perished. Come and sit by the fire.’

  Davy gave her a reproachful look and said nothing. Appearing not to notice, Freddie took a spill from the jar on the mantelshelf and held it against the glowing lump of coal. He went round the room lighting candles. ‘There, that’s better. Now we can see each other.’

  Eliza huddled in the warm spot where Freddie had just vacated his chair, casting an apprehensive glance at Davy. It hurt her deeply to think that their friendship was in jeopardy. ‘Davy?’

  Normally, he would have responded with a smile but his expression was carefully guarded and he stood up, ignoring her and addressing himself to Freddie. ‘I’ll give you my answer when I’ve had time to think about it.’ He left the room without a backward glance. Eliza watched him go with a lump in her throat and unshed tears stinging her eyes.

  Freddie drew up a chair beside her and sat down, taking her hand in his. ‘He’s a good chap, Liza. He loves you and he’s taking your rejection badly, as any man would who had lived off dreams.’

  A feeling of lassitude was claiming Eliza as the warmth of the fire soothed her chilled bones. She allowed her cloak to slip from her shoulders. Freddie was so close to her that she could have laid her head against his shoulder, but this was not the time to seek comfort for herself. She had to break the news that Daisy had already found another man. She curled her cold fingers around Freddie’s warm hand and she lifted it to her cheek. The old, familiar feeling of coming home to a safe haven enveloped her like a fur rug. ‘He’ll forget all about me when he goes back to sea.’

  ‘We had a long talk and he told me that he has no intention of going away again. He intends to stay at home and support his mother and brothers.’

  Eliza turned her head to look at him. ‘He only went to sea because he couldn’t find work ashore.’

  ‘And I think I’ve come up with the ideal solution.’ Freddie kissed her hand, smiling into her eyes. ‘Something that will suit us all.’

  Eliza drew away from him. Her senses, which were so attuned to Freddie’s every mood and whim, warned her that he was about to embark on one of his great and glorious schemes. ‘Freddie, what it is? What have you done?’

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Freddie clasped both her hands and his eyes were alive with enthusiasm. ‘My dear, I’ve been racking my brains to think of a way to look after you and to keep you safe. I know that young Davy is sound and reliable and I’ve offered him a business partnership. That’s what he went away to consider.’

  ‘What?’ Eliza stared at him, barely able to believe her ears. ‘What sort of partnership?’

  ‘I’ve got this huge house so close to the river that you could spit out of the window and hit a barge. What does that suggest to you, Liza?’

  ‘That you’ve gone mad?’

  ‘Close, but not quite right,’ Freddie said, chuckling. ‘I’ve decided to turn the top floor into a sail loft.’ He jumped to his feet, pacing the floor and gesticulating with his hands. ‘It’s an enormous space, or it will be if we knock down a few partition walls. I’ve got the capital to set up the venture and young Davy has the expertise. His family are already settled in the basement, quite happily it seems, and dear Ada is a much better cook than Sukey could ever hope to be.’

  ‘But would it pay? Aaron Miller seems to think that steam will take over and sailing ships will be a thing of the pas
t.’

  ‘That will happen in time, my pet, but there will be a demand for good sailmakers for a long while yet. And I don’t intend to let it stop there.’

  ‘No?’ Eliza said faintly, as she watched Freddie pacing the floor as he warmed to his theme.

  ‘No, indeed. You lost your business to that old scoundrel Miller. We’ll start up our own chandlery here, on the ground floor. It’s big enough, and we couldn’t be in a better position, overlooking the river and close to the wharves and docks.’

  ‘But, Freddie …’

  He came to a halt in front of her. ‘Think about it, Liza. I’m giving you back your independence, my love. You’ve had such a hard time and all I want is your happiness.’

  In the grip of a multitude of turbulent emotions, Eliza stared up at him. She didn’t know if she wanted to throw her arms around him or to slap him. He was grinning at her like an excited schoolboy, waiting for her approval. She knew very well that to condemn his scheme out of hand would cut him to the quick. ‘Oh, Freddie, what can I say?’

  He seized her hands, pulling her to her feet. ‘Don’t say anything yet. Think about it and you’ll see that it’s a wonderful plan.’

  They were so close that Eliza could feel the heat from his body and inhale the achingly familiar scent of him: she had only to stand on tiptoe to kiss his lips. If she slid her arms around his neck, she could hold him close and tell him how clever he had been. She raised her face, half closing her eyes. He must kiss her now. If he did, he would realise that she was no longer a child but a full-grown woman.

  ‘Well, sweetheart, don’t keep me in suspense,’ Freddie said, smiling cheerfully and seemingly quite unaware of the passion he had aroused in her breast. ‘It’s a good idea, you must see that. And it will give you and Davy time to get to know each other again. If you see him as a man and not just a childhood friend …’

  Eliza pushed him away with all her might. ‘You bloody fool, Freddie Prince. You stupid, bloody fool.’ Picking up her skirts, she ran from the room.

  ‘Liza, I don’t understand. Don’t run away from me.’

  Freddie’s voice behind her only made Eliza run faster. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as all the pent-up emotions of the day converged on her in a storm of weeping. How stupid could Freddie be? How could he try to bring her together with Davy, when the only man she had ever wanted was himself? She could hear his footsteps pounding on the flagstones behind her. He was not hampered by hoops and petticoats and he was gaining on her. Eliza ran past the downstairs room that she shared with Millie, heading instinctively for the staircase. Freddie was close behind her, begging her to stop but she carried on, desperate to get away from the pain of loving him. Daisy’s room was at the top of the stairs and the door was open. Eliza ran inside and shut the door. Leaning against it, sobbing and gasping for breath, she turned the key in the lock.

  ‘Liza, let me in.’

  The sound of his voice made her knees tremble. Unable to speak, Eliza shook her head.

  He hammered on the door. ‘Liza, dear girl, I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you so. Please let me in.’

  ‘G-go away.’

  ‘No, not until you tell me what’s wrong.’

  ‘P-please g-go away. I’m all right, really I am.’

  ‘Eliza.’ Freddie’s voice deepened as he rattled the handle. ‘Let me in. If you don’t, I’ll break the door down.’

  Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, she unlocked the door and moved away. The last thing she wanted was for Freddie’s shout to bring Davy running to her aid. ‘C-come in.’

  Freddie burst into the room. ‘What in hell’s name is wrong?’

  She shook her head, biting her lip. She must not cry again. She must not.

  ‘Darling girl.’ Freddie took her gently by the shoulders. ‘You can tell me anything; you know that. Haven’t I always been more like an elder brother to you, or maybe a rather young uncle?’

  The tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes seemed to dry up in an instant. White-hot fury consumed Eliza so that she was shaking all over. She brushed Freddie’s hand away with an angry cry. ‘Yes, and that’s the trouble.’

  ‘Liza?’

  ‘You’re not my brother or even a damned uncle, and I never thought of you as such.’ Eliza moved closer to him, glaring up into his face with her hands clenched. ‘I love you, you stupid dolt. I’ve always loved you.’ She beat her fists against his chest, pummelling him harder with each word. ‘I love you.’

  For a moment that seemed to expand into eternity, Freddie met her angry stare with a look of bafflement. ‘You love me?’

  She looked away, biting her lip. She had never meant it to happen this way. Wasn’t it always the man who declared his passion for the woman in penny novelettes? Now he would think she was cheap or silly, or both.

  ‘Liza, my own darling.’ Freddie lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look him in the face. ‘Are you sure? I mean, I’m not at all the sort of man that I would have picked for you, had I been your – er – older relation.’

  ‘I don’t care about all that. You’re not old and I don’t think you’ll ever be old, Freddie Prince. Not if you live to be a hundred.’

  ‘My darling girl, I was a convicted felon, transported to a penal colony on the other side of the world. I’ve done many things that I’m not proud of. How could a sweet and wonderful girl like you love someone like me?’

  The tender yet diffident look in his eyes meant more to Eliza than a million words. She slipped her arms around his neck, linking her hands and pulling his head down so that their lips were almost touching. ‘As easily and naturally as breathing in and out all day.’

  ‘I don’t deserve you, Eliza.’

  ‘But do you love me, Freddie?’

  ‘With all my heart, all my soul and all my life, my dearest, dearest Eliza.’

  She closed her eyes, giving herself up to the sweet sensation of their first kiss. She had waited for this moment for so long, imagining how it would feel to be held in Freddie’s arms: how it would feel to be kissed by the only man she had ever loved. And she was not disappointed. Their bodies seemed to melt into one being as he kissed her with slow caresses of his lips that grew more intense and demanding as she responded eagerly, hungrily and greedily, wanting more and more. Her ears were filled with music; her senses were soaring towards the skies and her heart was pumping wildly, sending fire to every part of her body. She had come alive, as if being awakened from a long sleep.

  When at last they drew away to gasp for air, Eliza sighed with ecstasy. ‘Do you believe me now?’

  Freddie smiled into her eyes, tracing the outline of her full lips with the tip of his index finger. ‘Oh, I believe you, my darling. And I love you more than you could ever imagine possible.’

  Eliza turned her head to look at Daisy’s unmade bed. ‘Then take me, Freddie. Make love to me as you made love to her.’

  His smile faded into a troubled frown. ‘Don’t say things like that, Liza. Don’t even think it. I was telling the truth when I said I had never been Daisy’s lover.’

  ‘I don’t care. I want you to make love to me more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I may be a wanton and no better than Daisy, but I can prove to you that I’m a grown woman.’

  Freddie’s furrowed brow smoothed and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He dropped a butterfly kiss on Eliza’s pursed lips. ‘You are a woman, my love. You don’t need to prove anything to me. And when I do make love to you it will be with the blessing of the church and in our own bed.’

  Eliza’s heart gave a hitch inside her chest. ‘Are you proposing to me, Freddie Prince?’

  He kissed her again. ‘Don’t be forward, Eliza Bragg. You wait until I’ve got a ring and can do the whole thing properly.’

  ‘I want the world to know that we love each other, Freddie.’

  ‘All in good time. But it would be wise to wait until everything in the house is resolved.’

  It must be ke
pt secret, this wonderful love that filled Eliza’s heart and soul with such joy that she wanted to dance and sing. She wanted to run out into the foggy street and proclaim it to the passers-by. She wanted to climb down the slimy stone steps to the foreshore, wade through the stinking, slimy mud and detritus and give her joyous news to the river. The dark waters would carry the message into the swirling depths that had swallowed up her father so many years ago. He would be able to rest more peacefully now, knowing that his only surviving child was happy in love. But Freddie was adamant that they must keep their happiness to themselves, just for a little while longer, until Daisy had moved into the house in Bird Street, and to give Davy time to reach a decision about the sail loft. Eliza had wanted to disagree, but wrapped in Freddie’s arms, in the twilight gloom of the bedroom, she listened to his voice and felt his heart beat to the same rhythm as her own. She was so happy that it hurt.

  ‘Now, darling,’ Freddie said gently. ‘Tell me what happened in Miller’s office. How did he take the news that he was Tommy’s grandfather?’

  When she had finished relating the events of the afternoon, Eliza glanced anxiously up into Freddie’s face for signs of distress at Daisy’s fickle behaviour. She could have cried with relief when he threw back his head and laughed. ‘The minx! Well, good for Daisy. She’s a survivor. And at least the boy will have a future. But there’s one thing, Liza.’ Freddie’s expression hardened. ‘I won’t have you working in the chandlery for Miller or even for Tommy. The business I intend to start here will be ours, although I certainly don’t expect you to slave away in the shop.’

  Eliza snuggled up to him, taking his hand and placing it on her belly. ‘I will be too busy having our babies, Freddie.’

  He chuckled. ‘You forward girl, have you no shame?’

  She smiled up into his eyes. ‘None at all. Kiss me again, Freddie.’

  In the days that followed, Eliza found it almost impossible to keep silent. She lived for the quiet moments that she snatched alone with Freddie when everyone else in the house was going about their daily business. Daisy had enrolled Tommy at a dame school not too far from Bird Street, but, as usual, Dolly and Tommy shared nursery teatime. They ate their meal of bread and jam, cakes and tea, playing the royal game and picnicking on the floor by the fire. Eliza was amazed that they never tired of the game, although she suspected that in Dolly’s dreamland she really was the queen and young Tommy the prince. Not that it mattered much, as long as Dolly was happy. Occasionally she surfaced into the real world, but these brief excursions into reality only upset her, particularly when she remembered that Ted was no longer with her. Freddie had gradually weaned her onto a minimal dose of laudanum and she passed her days halfway between sleeping and waking, pleasantly muzzy and quite content. Eliza had no idea how much her mental state would deteriorate in the future, but at least it was a slow and painless process.