Ragged Rose

by Dilly Court

  Rose knocked on the door and waited. The moment she had been dreading had come. Scully had bought a copy of the Daily Telegraph from a stand at the station, and, although it was not headlines, the story of the gaol break featured largely on the second page. The fact that a clergyman’s son was involved in a murder, and had escaped from prison, was in bold print and would have been hard to miss.

  The door opened and Cora’s wary expression dissolved into a wide smile as she threw her arms around her sister. ‘Rose, you’ve come home at last.’

  Rose held her at arm’s length. Cora’s pallor and the dark smudges beneath her blue eyes bore witness to the fact that the news had reached home. ‘You’ve seen the newspapers then?’

  ‘Come inside quickly.’ Cora glanced nervously up and down the street. ‘We’ve had reporters on the doorstep all day. I thought you were yet another of them.’

  Rose hefted her valise over the threshold and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. ‘So you know the whole story?’

  ‘Only what we’ve read. Papa has taken it very badly.’

  ‘I was hoping to tell him before it became common knowledge,’ Rose said wearily. ‘We left Portmorna House early this morning, but there were delays along the way. I saw Billy, but the news isn’t good.’

  ‘Leave your case,’ Cora said firmly. ‘Maisie will take it up to your room. Come into the parlour and tell me everything.’

  ‘Let me take off my things.’ Rose laid her bonnet on a chair and unbuttoned her mantle. ‘Tell me what’s been happening here. Have you heard from Mama? Is she recovering well?’ She hung her garments on the oak hallstand and followed Cora to the parlour.

  ‘I’ve rung for Maisie.’ Cora took a seat at the small table where their mother used to preside over afternoon tea. ‘Mama is doing very well in Lyme, but Papa has only just received her letter saying that you left there several days ago, and now Billy’s disgrace is public knowledge. All this has been a terrible blow to Papa, Rose. I’ve never seen him so distraught.’

  ‘We must keep it from Mama at all costs,’ Rose said firmly.

  ‘Let’s hope she hasn’t seen the newspapers—’ Cora broke off mid-sentence as the door opened.

  Seymour stood motionless, staring from one to the other. ‘So you’ve come home, Rose.’

  ‘Papa, I’m so sorry you found out like this.’ She made a move towards him, but his stern expression made her hesitate. ‘We were going to tell you.’

  ‘You were going to tell me,’ he repeated dully. ‘My own daughters decided to keep me in ignorance of the fact that my son had been accused of murder and imprisoned. Were you going to mention the fact that he consorted with common criminals and had escaped from prison without going to trial? Am I a child to be treated thus?’

  ‘No, Papa. It wasn’t like that.’ Cora’s voice broke on a sob. ‘We wanted to tell you, truly we did.’

  He fixed his stern gaze on Rose. ‘You left your mother in Lyme Regis. She thought you had returned home, and the first I heard of your desertion was in a letter I received this morning. So where were you, miss? What part did you play in all this?’

  She had expected him to be upset, but this cold, angry man seemed like a stranger. ‘I couldn’t tell Mama that I was going to Cornwall. I had to see Billy and tell him that we were doing everything we could to prove his innocence. I hired the lawyer Billy had chosen to represent him.’

  ‘A lawyer?’ Seymour stared at her in amazement. ‘You, a girl without a penny to her name, employed a barrister to defend my son in court?’

  ‘I know it sounds preposterous when you put it like that, Papa, but that’s what I did. It was all perfectly proper. I stayed at Portmorna House and when I visited Billy in Bodmin Gaol I was accompanied by his lawyer, Mr Sharpe.’

  ‘You behaved in the most reckless, improper manner and you seem to think I should accept it without question. How do you intend to pay for this man’s services?’

  ‘Mr Sharpe is an eminent lawyer, Papa. He has refused to accept payment because the case has not gone to court. He is a true gentleman.’

  ‘And you, my girl, are a fool. You’ve not only deceived your mother and myself, but you’ve com-promised your good name. I can’t believe that a daughter of mine would behave in such a manner.’

  ‘I was only doing what I considered to be my duty. I went to Cornwall to help my brother, and I kept it from you and Mama because I wanted to spare your feelings.’

  ‘I don’t know how I’m going to break this to the bishop.’ Seymour clasped his hands together as if in prayer. ‘My only recourse will be to tender my resignation. I will lose the living here and be forced to retire, disgraced by my own flesh and blood.’

  ‘You aren’t being fair, Papa,’ Cora protested. ‘You mustn’t blame Rose. She was trying to make things right.’

  Seymour eyed her with a cold stare. ‘And you are equally to blame. You kept the truth from me and you have behaved as no young lady should, let alone someone of your standing in the community.’

  ‘What does he mean?’ Rose demanded. ‘What is all this, Cora?’

  ‘Tell her,’ Seymour’s voice boomed out as if he were addressing his congregation. ‘Confess.’

  Cora blushed rosily and hung her head. ‘It was just a walk, Papa. Nothing untoward happened.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’ Rose looked from one to the other, confused by the sudden turn of events.

  ‘Your sister crept out one evening to meet a man,’ Seymour said through gritted teeth. ‘The foolish girl allowed her head to be turned by a person of higher social standing, whose motives for dallying with a girl of Cora’s class were highly suspect.’

  ‘Gerard was not dallying with me,’ Cora whispered. ‘He is a gentleman in every sense of the word.’

  ‘If he were such he would not have arranged a clandestine meeting. He was amusing himself at your expense, you silly girl.’ Seymour held up both hands as a sign that the conversation was ended. ‘You two are a great disappointment to me, and as to your brother, I never want to hear his name mentioned again.’

  ‘That’s so unfair, Papa,’ Rose said angrily. ‘Billy is innocent and he needs our help and support.’

  ‘An innocent man would not have run away. I had high hopes of my son, but he has destroyed them with his drunken, loutish behaviour. I don’t want to speak of this again.’ He turned his back on them and was about to leave the room, but Rose was too angry to allow him to simply walk away.

  ‘What are you going to do, Papa?’

  ‘I’m going to see the bishop, and then I plan to leave for Lyme Regis. Your mother needs me, and I’m done with this life and with the children who have brought disgrace upon me. I won’t be able to hold my head up in front of my congregation, and I blame you most of all Rose.’

  ‘That is so unfair, Papa.’ Rose forced herself to sound calm, although inwardly she was seething. ‘Are you going to abandon us because Billy is in trouble?’

  Seymour paused in the doorway. ‘You girls seem to have all the answers. I have none.’

  The door swung on its hinges and slammed shut.

  ‘Oh, Rose.’ Cora choked on a sob. ‘What will we do now?’

  Chapter Ten

  Events moved so fast that Rose was beginning to think she was in the middle of a bad dream from which she might one day awaken, but for now she had to contend with a heart-broken sister, disgruntled servants and an uncertain future. What passed between the bishop and her father remained a mystery, but Seymour left for Lyme Regis next day and Joshua Hart took over the parish until such time as a permanent replacement could be found. Rose and Cora were given a month to find alternative accommodation, although Joshua assured them that he was quite content to remain in his lodgings until they were ready to leave.

  Mrs Blunt threatened to retire to the country to live with her bachelor brother, although she had to admit that his cottage was tiny and he shared it with three large dogs, which according to her were nasty, hairy brutes. She
assumed the air of a martyr about to be burned at the stake, and it took Joshua a whole afternoon to persuade her to stay on and look after him until they knew the identity of the next incumbent.

  Cora was deeply distressed and when Gerard called one afternoon, inviting her to take a carriage ride and tea at Gunter’s with him, Rose put her misgivings aside and encouraged her sister to accept.

  She waited until Cora had gone to fetch her cape and bonnet. ‘You will bring her home immediately after tea, Mr Barclay?’

  Gerard inclined his head, smiling. ‘Of course, Miss Perkins. I wouldn’t dream of compromising your sister’s good name.’

  Rose eyed him suspiciously. Gerard Barclay was undoubtedly handsome and extremely charming, but he had been brought up in a world of wealth and privilege, and she suspected that he lived by a different set of rules from those he considered to be of the lower orders. He seemed sincere, but there was a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes, and a twist to his full lips that made him seem to be permanently on the brink of laughter. She was Cora’s sister and not her keeper, but regardless of what was considered proper, Rose’s main concern was for Cora’s feelings. She did not want to see her breaking her heart over a romance that was doomed to failure from the start. Gentlemen like Gerard Barclay did not marry girls from more humble backgrounds.

  ‘We are in a difficult position, sir,’ Rose said, choosing her words carefully. ‘I don’t know how much Cora has told you.’

  Gerard’s smile faded. ‘She has been perfectly frank, Miss Perkins. I pay little heed to what the newspapers say. Dashed inconvenient, but forgotten in days. My ancestors lived through no end of scandals and yet here I am today, unbeaten and unbowed. You have nothing to fear from me.’

  ‘I hope not,’ Rose said with feeling. ‘I do hope not.’

  ‘Why are you both looking so serious?’ Cora rushed into the room with the ribbons on her bonnet flying and her cape over her arm. ‘I’m ready, Gerard.’

  He stepped forward and before Rose could offer her assistance he had tied a bow, securing Cora’s bonnet with the expertise of a lady’s maid. He draped the cape around her shoulders. ‘Now you’re ready. It’s lovely outside, but the breeze is chilly.’

  Cora’s smile was radiant and she blushed rosily. ‘You take such good care of me, Gerard. I’m not made of glass.’

  He raised her mittened hand to his lips. ‘You are to me, my love.’ He placed his top hat at a jaunty angle on his head before tucking her hand in the crook of his arm. ‘Goodbye, Miss Perkins.’

  ‘Goodbye, Rose.’ Cora paused as they reached the door, turning her head to give her sister a worried glance. ‘Are you sure you’re all right? I mean, I could stay with you and help if you need me.’

  Rose shook her head. ‘Go and enjoy yourself. I think I’ll pay a call on Aunt Polly, and I’ll see you at supper.’

  When Rose told Polly all that had happened over the past few days she exploded like a firecracker. ‘I always knew that man was a sanctimonious hypocrite. I warned Eleanor. I told her not to marry Seymour and I’ve been proved right. He bullied the life out of her and now he’s turned his back on his children.’ She threw up her hands in despair. ‘And he had the gall to criticise me for taking up a career on stage. I could wring the wretched man’s neck.’

  ‘He had cause to be upset, Aunt Polly, but I can’t condone his reaction.’ Rose took a seat at a safe distance from her aunt’s flailing fists, and out of reach of Spartacus and his unsheathed claws. He had been sleeping on the chaise longue, and was awakened from his nap by the pitch of his mistress’s raised voice. He arched his back and hissed.

  Polly flopped down beside him and stroked his ruffled fur. ‘There, there, old chap, it isn’t your fault. I blame it all on Seymour.’ She looked up, frowning. ‘So you will soon be homeless, and Billy has fled to foreign parts. A pretty kettle of fish, I must say.’

  ‘What’s done is done,’ Rose said calmly. ‘I was very angry with the way Pa behaved, but now there’s little point in being so. I have to work out how Cora and I will support ourselves and where we will live.’

  ‘Well, that’s one problem I can help you with. You’ll come here, of course. You can stay with me for as long as you like. It’s my duty to look after you, but it would also be my pleasure. I’ve missed your evening visits when you were working for that Italian fellow. Your accounts of performing on the stage brought back happy memories.’

  ‘Are you sure, Aunt Polly?’ Rose asked anxiously. ‘Have you room for us? I feel obligated to bring Maisie, too. Mrs Blunt has made it plain that she disapproves of the poor girl, and I doubt if Joshua could afford to pay her a wage.’

  ‘I’m sure we could make up a bed for her in one of the attics. I don’t go up there these days, but I’ll ask Ethel to make arrangements. Maisie got on well with her when she was here, and for all her foibles I wouldn’t want to lose Ethel. She’s a good cook, even if I do have to keep money and valuables out of reach of her sticky fingers. She can’t help pilfering; it seems to be part of her nature, no matter how hard she tries to reform.’

  ‘If you knew she was a thief, why did you give her employment?’

  ‘I came across her one wintry night. She was scantily clad and barefoot, and had been badly beaten. Despite the fact that she was stick-thin I could see that she was with child and close to her time and so I brought her here. The babe died but Ethel survived, although she was close to death for a number of days. When she recovered she was too afraid to go out onto the streets in case her man found her and finished off what he had started, so I gave her a job in the kitchen. It was as simple as that.’

  ‘And now you’re offering to take us in.’ Rose studied her aunt’s flushed face. ‘You’re a good woman, Aunt Polly. But for you we wouldn’t have earned the money to pay Mr Sharpe. As it is, he wouldn’t accept any money, but I still consider that it’s a debt I have to repay.’

  Polly nodded. ‘I understand, and I would feel the same. Never be beholden to anyone, that’s my motto.’ She continued stroking Spartacus and he repaid her by purring and kneading the velvet upholstery of the chaise longue, digging up minute tufts of thread with his claws.

  ‘We will find work,’ Rose said firmly. ‘You won’t have to support us, Aunt Polly. We’re young and healthy and we’ll do virtually anything to earn our living.’

  Polly’s thin lips twisted into a smile. ‘I hope Cora agrees with you. That young lady has ideas above her station, if you ask me. She always wanted to marry a rich man, and from what you say she seems to have one in tow at this moment.’

  ‘I don’t know …’ Rose said cautiously. ‘I’m not sure about Gerard. In spite of his fine words I have a horrible feeling that he will grow tired of Cora and that will be the end of her dream. I don’t want him to break her heart.’

  ‘She’ll have to get used to that if she’s to find the right fellow for her. My poor heart was broken so many times that I doubted if it would ever mend. The last time was the worst, but Sandro was married, and divorce was out of the question.’

  ‘But you survived.’

  ‘After a fashion, I suppose. Anyway, I’m still here and when I see what my poor sister has been through I’m glad I remained single. Your mother was once a bright and beautiful young girl. Cora is exactly like her, and I wouldn’t want to see her light dimmed by a bullying husband.’

  ‘Are you trying to say I’m like my father?’ Rose could not resist the temptation to tease her aunt.

  ‘No, dear, you are exactly like me. You won’t take second best, and you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in. You have backbone, Rose. Never allow anyone to change you.’

  ‘Thank you for everything,’ Rose said, rising to her feet. ‘We will take advantage of your kind offer, at least for the time being, but we won’t impose on you any longer than necessary.’

  Polly dismissed this statement with a wave of her hand. ‘Don’t mention it, dear. You’ll be doing me a favour. I love having you girls around
. You’re the daughters I never had.’

  ‘I must go now. I have to pack up everything in the house. Joshua has agreed to store the furniture until such time as the new vicar is appointed, but I’m hoping that he’ll get the living. He’s a decent man and he deserves it.’

  ‘Is he now?’ Polly raised an eyebrow.

  Rose leaned over to kiss her on the brow. ‘Don’t get any ideas, Aunt Polly. I’m fond of Joshua, but not in that way, and I believe he has a soft spot for Cora, although she barely notices him. However, I refuse to be a matchmaker. I’ve other things to do.’

  ‘And what about Billy? Are the police looking for him?’

  ‘I don’t know, although if he has left the country I assume they will leave it at that. He won’t be able to return unless we can prove his innocence. That’s partly why I don’t want to touch the money we’ve saved so far. When Cora and I are settled I intend to contact Mr Sharpe and maybe he’ll put Scully to investigating the case again.’

  ‘Indeed.’ Polly nodded wisely. ‘And keeping in touch with Sharpe appeals to you, does it?’

  Rose hurried to the door. ‘It does, but it’s purely business. Sorry to disappoint you again, Aunt Polly.’

  Two weeks later Rose was packing the last of their mother’s best china in a wooden tea chest when Joshua entered the kitchen. ‘I’m sorry to intrude,’ he said awkwardly. ‘I just wondered if there was anything I could do to help.’

  Rose smiled. ‘Thank you, no. I’ve packed the last cup and saucer. It’s very good of you to store them for us, Joshua.’

  ‘Not at all. It’s the least I can do and I hope perhaps when all this dies down that Mr Perkins might return. I’m sure the bishop would welcome him should he change his mind.’

  ‘Papa won’t do that,’ Rose said with conviction. ‘I hope the bishopric see sense and give you the living, Joshua. You’ve earned it.’

  ‘Of course that would be wonderful, but I wouldn’t want to profit at the expense of others.’