The Cockney Sparrow

by Dilly Court

  Isobel leapt to her feet, and seized Clemency by the hand. ‘We must return to our seats. Goodbye, Mr Fairbrother.’

  ‘May I call on you tomorrow, Miss Stone?’ Darcy’s smile faded into a frown.

  ‘No!’ Isobel backed away. ‘I mean, I’m otherwise engaged tomorrow, Mr Fairbrother.’ She headed for the dress circle, dragging Clemency along behind her. ‘Is he following us? Has he taken the hint?’

  Clemency glanced over her shoulder. Jared and Lady Skelton appeared to be attempting to placate Darcy, who looked as though he was about to throw a tantrum. ‘No. You’re safe, but I think your granny might have a few words to say to you.’

  Isobel collapsed into her seat, giggling. ‘Don’t let Grandmama hear you calling her granny. She’ll never forgive you.’

  Clemency sat down, carefully arranging her satin skirts. ‘Let’s enjoy the rest of the play. That leading lady is rubbish, if you ask me. She sings like a cat with bellyache and she’s got flat feet. I could do heaps better.’

  Isobel was still laughing when Jared returned to his seat. He shot her an angry look. ‘You were extremely rude to young Fairbrother. His father is the head of a merchant bank in the City, and his mother is an earl’s daughter.’

  Clemency felt Isobel subside into her seat. ‘Leave her alone,’ she hissed in Jared’s ear. ‘You’re nothing but a big bully.’ The orchestra struck up, and the house lights dimmed before he could retaliate. Clemency shifted her position so that she was almost leaning on Isobel, and as far away from Jared as she could manage in the confines of the theatre seat. He was just another domineering male; always trying to assert his power over women. He had been allowed to get away with it for too long, in her opinion. Maybe there was something in this women’s rights business, she thought, staring straight ahead of her as the curtain was raised.

  When Darcy Fairbrother called at the house next day, Isobel declined to see him, pleading a headache. That afternoon a bouquet of hothouse flowers was delivered to the door, with a card addressed to Miss Isobel Stone. Clemency took them up to the bedroom where Isobel was sitting in a chair by the window, reading a penny novelette. She tore up the card without bothering to read it, and would have tossed the flowers out of the open window, if Clemency had not rescued them and taken them downstairs to decorate the kitchen. After that, flowers arrived every day, and the bouquets were received with the same lack of enthusiasm. The kitchen was beginning to resemble a florist’s shop. Clemency had to use all her powers of persuasion to prevent Nancy from complaining to Jared that the heavy scent of roses, carnations and lilies was affecting her sinuses and making her sneeze.

  On the fourth day, Darcy arrived on the doorstep bringing his offering in person, but fortunately, or unfortunately, Clemency could not quite work out which, when she opened the door she found Dr Wilson had chosen this moment to call, and the two young men were standing on the step, eyeing each other like a pair of fighting cocks. Clemency showed Dr Wilson into the morning room and she took Darcy upstairs to the drawing room, where Lady Skelton had been giving Isobel a piece of her mind, which was obvious from the mutinous look on Isobel’s face, and the two spots of high colour on her grandmother’s cheeks. Isobel leapt to her feet when she saw Darcy, but Lady Skelton caught her by the hand, and pulled her back onto the sofa.

  Clemency hesitated in the doorway as Lady Skelton made Darcy welcome. ‘If you please, ma’am,’ she said, bobbing a curtsey, ‘Miss Isobel is needed in the morning room, urgently.’

  ‘What nonsense is this? Of course she isn’t needed urgently. Who could possibly want to see Isobel urgently?’ Lady Skelton’s fingers whitened as they pinned Isobel’s hand to the sofa.

  Clemency thought quickly. She could hardly say that Dr Wilson had called. Anyway, he had come to see Jared with a message from Mr Chance, but she knew that Isobel would never forgive her if she let him go without seeing her. ‘It’s the milliner, ma’am. She’s brought Miss Isobel’s new hat, but she would like her to try it on to make sure it fits.’

  ‘Of course it will fit, you silly girl.’ Lady Skelton dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

  Clemency stared hard at Isobel, willing her to understand, but there was nothing more she could do. She left the room hoping that Isobel had somehow grasped the unspoken message. She went to the small room at the back of the house that Jared used as a study and she knocked on the door.

  ‘Come.’

  She entered, feeling suddenly quite shy. They had barely exchanged more than a few words for days. Her resentment at the way he treated Isobel had faded, but the memory of his kiss could not be so easily forgotten. There was still the fizz of excitement that made her pulses race whenever he was near, and the mere sound of his voice had the power to make her go weak at the knees. The only way to keep herself sane was to avoid him, but that was virtually impossible when they occupied the same dwelling. If Jack’s treatment had not depended on Jared’s charity, she would have walked out of the house, and out of his life.

  ‘Yes? What is it, Clemency?’

  She came back to earth with a jolt. Jared was sitting in a button-back leather chair at his desk, which was littered with papers. He was staring at her with a guarded expression on his face.

  ‘Dr Wilson is here to see you. He’s waiting in the morning room.’ She turned on her heel, and was about to leave when Jared called her back.

  ‘Clemency, wait.’

  She paused in the doorway, but she could not look at him. ‘Yes?’

  ‘I can see that you are still cross with me, even though I’ve apologised for my behaviour.’ He twisted the chair round so that he was facing her. ‘I treated you like a common serving girl and I’m sorry for it.’

  She stared down at her feet. So that was it. There really had been nothing behind that passionate embrace – he had just given in to a moment of lust. He had just said as much. ‘It’s forgotten,’ she lied.

  ‘Good. Now perhaps we can get on with the business in hand. I’ll go down and see the young doctor. And tonight, I want you to dress in your best gown. You and I are going to the pleasure gardens at Olympia. Tomorrow we will go to the Crystal Palace. I need hardly tell you that we need extra money to fund Jack’s treatment.’

  So it was all forgotten was it? Clemency searched his face for a clue as to his true feelings, but it was like staring at a mask. He had put it all behind him, thinking that another apology would clear the air, and now it was business as usual. She took a deep breath. ‘I’m truly grateful for what you’re doing for Jack. But I’d almost rather he didn’t have the treatment than to have to get the money by stealing.’

  ‘It seems a bit late to develop a conscience. I seem to remember that you were trying to pick my pocket when we first met.’

  ‘I stole because we was hungry. I didn’t pinch things just for the fun of it.’

  Jared sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers. ‘The people I target are not so lilywhite, Clemency. I have an instinct for selecting men who have made their money by inflicting misery on others. And I do give some of the fundraising money to the charities in question. I’m not greedy.’

  She saw the corners of his eyes crinkle with the beginnings of a smile, and this annoyed her even further. ‘It ain’t a laughing matter. You talk like you’re some blooming Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.’

  ‘Nothing so splendid, I’m afraid.’ His amused expression darkened into something much more sombre. ‘But I have a debt to collect from the man who encouraged my father’s obsession with gambling. Both he and my mother might be alive today if it had not been for the wealthy man who preyed upon his weakness, and ultimately forced him to flee the country.’

  There was a passionate note in his voice that Clemency had not heard before. She felt her resolve weakening, and the desire to throw her arms around him was almost unbearable. She had managed to find a chink in his armour, but it was a pyrrhic victory, and she resorted to the only safe emotion – anger. ‘Don’t expect m
e to feel sorry for you, Mr Stone. If you ask me, I think you’re just making excuses for your criminal activities. You’re too idle to go out and get a proper job, and you enjoy pretending to be one of the nobs.’

  His eyes were the cold blue of the sky in winter. ‘I wouldn’t expect a girl like you to understand.’

  ‘A girl like me? You think that I’m worth less than you just because I’m poor.’

  ‘Poor, but honest?’

  There was a glint in his eyes that seemed to mock her, or perhaps it was self-mockery. She could not tell which, but she chose to think that it was aimed at her. ‘I don’t claim to be honest. I done lots of things that I’m not proud of, but at least I don’t pretend to be above me station in life.’

  ‘And I do?’

  ‘You live in a big house that you can’t afford and you have to steal to pay for it. You’re trying to force your sister into an arranged marriage with a man she don’t love, just so that she’ll be rich. I tell you, Jared, I don’t understand any of it. You’re not a bad man. In fact, deep down you’re a good ’un. You’ve been wonderful to Jack, and you’ve given us all a roof over our heads. So why can’t you forget the past and be a bit more ordinary? There are thousands of people who live quite happily in smaller houses earning an honest living, so why can’t you?’

  For a moment she thought she had gone too far, and then he threw back his head and laughed. ‘But think how dull it would be. Don’t you find it just a little bit exciting when you’re on the dip? Isn’t there a thrill to pit your wits against the whole of the London constabulary?’

  ‘There might have been once. But now I’m sick of it. I was doing so well, singing in the Strand Theatre. Until Hardiman put a stop to it, and you came along with your fancy offers. I wish I’d turned you down then, but now there’s no way out.’ She saw that he was about to speak and she held up her hand. ‘Oh, don’t worry. I won’t let you down. You’re helping Jack, and I’ll keep my part of the bargain. But that doesn’t mean to say that I like it.’ She was about to leave the room when she remembered why she had come in the first place. ‘And Dr Wilson is still waiting for you in the morning room.’ She turned on her heel and walked away, without giving him the chance to reply.

  She was passing the drawing room when Lady Skelton emerged, closing the door behind her with a satisfied smile on her lips. ‘Clemency, just the person I wanted to see. Will you send Nancy up with some refreshments for Mr Fairbrother? Some sherry or Madeira wine, whichever comes to hand. That is if the wretched woman hasn’t drunk it all.’

  ‘Yes, Lady Skelton.’ Clemency bobbed a curtsey and was about to continue towards the staircase when there was a loud scream from the drawing room, followed by a resounding slap. The door opened and Darcy Fairbrother strode out clutching his cheek.

  ‘That girl is a wildcat, Lady Skelton. She attacked me.’

  ‘Isobel would never do such a thing.’ Lady Skelton eyed him suspiciously. ‘What did you do to upset her?’

  ‘Nothing! On my honour.’ Darcy lifted his hand from his cheek, revealing red weals. ‘I tell you, ma’am. She attacked me for nothing.’

  Isobel appeared in the doorway, flushed and furious. ‘You’re a liar Darcy Fairbrother. He tried to kiss me, Grandmama. You’d only just left the room and he – he put his hand on my – my bosom – and he tried to kiss me.’

  ‘You pig,’ Clemency hissed in his ear. ‘You men are all the same.’

  ‘Is this true?’ Lady Skelton bristled.

  Darcy backed away towards the stairs. ‘I may have been a little over-enthusiastic, but I meant no harm. After all, we were about to become engaged. But that is definitely off now. I wouldn’t think of allying myself with this family.’

  Isobel flew at him, but Clemency caught her around the waist and held her back. ‘Don’t, Izzie. He’s not worth it.’

  Jared came striding along the corridor that led to his study. ‘What the hell is going on?’

  ‘He mauled me,’ Isobel sobbed. ‘He touched me where he shouldn’t have, and he tried to kiss me.’

  ‘Get out of my house,’ Jared stormed. ‘No one insults my sister. Now get out before I throw you down the stairs.’

  Lady Skelton pushed past him brandishing her parasol. She whacked Darcy round the head with it, and he backed away in alarm. ‘I’d only just left the room, you little squit. And to think I trusted you with my granddaughter’s honour.’

  ‘Honour?’ Darcy’s eyes bulged from their sockets as he stumbled in his attempts to flee the hail of blows. ‘This is a madhouse. My mother said you were no lady and that Stone’s father was a gambler and a cheat… Aarrgh!’ he screeched, as Lady Skelton gave him a hefty shove that sent him toppling backwards down the stairs.

  The sound of his body bumping from step to step echoed off the high ceilings, his bellowing sounded like a cow in need of milking – then there was silence.

  ‘My God, Grandmama,’ Jared said. ‘I think you’ve killed the blighter.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jared was first to hurry after Darcy with Clemency close behind him. As she rounded the curve in the staircase, she saw Darcy lying in a heap on the floor. For a moment she thought that he really was dead, but, as Jared reached him, he groaned and moved. Augustus had appeared from the direction of the kitchen, carrying a tray of coffee. He came to a halt and a flicker of surprise crossed his well-schooled features as he stared at the writhing body. At that moment, Dr Wilson came hurrying from the morning room. He shot a questioning look at Jared.

  ‘He fell,’ Jared said, prodding Darcy with the toe of his shoe. ‘Tumbled down the stairs before anyone could save him.’

  Dr Wilson knelt beside Darcy. ‘Don’t move, sir. I’m a doctor. You’d better let me make sure that nothing is broken.’

  Darcy groaned even more loudly. ‘I was pushed.’ He turned his head to glare at Lady Skelton, who was standing behind Clemency on the stairs. ‘She pushed me.’

  ‘And I’d do it again, you disgusting little man.’ Lady Skelton shook her fist at him, but almost lost her balance as Isobel hurried past her.

  ‘Nick. Oh, Nick. I’m so glad to see you.’ She hurled herself off the last step and he leapt up to catch her.

  ‘Darling, what happened?’ He held Isobel in his arms, stroking her hair as she sobbed against his shoulder.

  ‘He m-molested me, Nick.’

  ‘What?’ Nick glared at Darcy who by this time had scrambled to his feet, clutching his head.

  ‘I’ll sue you all for grievous bodily harm. You’ll be hearing from my solicitor, Stone. And as for you, doctor – I’ll have you struck off.’ He staggered across the entrance hall, and Augustus, having deposited the tray on a side table, opened the front door. Darcy stopped on the threshold, turning to Jared with a snarl. ‘I’ll see that you are barred from every gentlemen’s club in London. And no decent man will come anywhere near that lying little trollop.’ He pointed a shaking finger at Isobel. ‘You led me on, whore.’

  ‘That’s it.’ Jared exchanged glances with Nick, who handed Isobel into Clemency’s care. They advanced on Darcy together, shrugging off their jackets. Darcy took one look at their faces, and attempted to run, but in his haste he tripped over the doorsill and tumbled headlong down the steps, landing on the pavement with a thud. Everyone crowded in the doorway to view his discomfort. Clemency stifled a giggle at the sight of Darcy sprawled on the pavement, with the passers-by looking on in amusement.

  ‘You haven’t heard the last of this, Stone.’ Darcy struggled to his feet, brushing the dust off his expensive suit.

  ‘Oh, I think we have, Fairbrother,’ Jared said in a voice that dripped acid. ‘I don’t think you’d want it put about that you mauled and insulted an innocent young girl in her own home.’

  ‘It’s her word against mine.’

  ‘There are plenty of witnesses here who will swear in court that you are a cad, sir.’

  ‘Bah!’ Darcy turned away to hail a passing cab.

  Augustus
closed the door as Jared and Nick stepped back into the hall. They faced each other for a moment, and Clemency held her breath. She could feel Isobel’s heart pounding as she supported her.

  ‘Jared, please.’ Isobel’s voice broke as she held her hand out to him. ‘Don’t be angry with Nick. It’s all my fault.’

  ‘No, sir.’ Nick squared his shoulders, meeting Jared’s stern gaze. ‘I take full responsibility. I should have asked your permission to pay court to Isobel.’

  ‘So, you’ve been seeing each other behind my back?’

  Jared’s cold tone made Clemency shudder. She longed to speak up for Isobel, but she knew that she would only make matters worse. Surprisingly, it was Lady Skelton who stepped in between them. ‘Now, Jared. Be reasonable. Thankfully there is no real harm done. Isobel has had an unpleasant experience, and we were mistaken in thinking that young Fairbrother was a worthy suitor. However, it seems that we’ve discovered this romance before things got out of hand. I suggest that you and Dr Wilson have a civilised and frank discussion over coffee in the morning room.’