A Mother's Secret

by Dilly Court

  ‘Mama,’ Cassy whispered. The word tasted like honey on her lips. It was wonderful and yet terrifying. Supposing there had been a mistake and she was not the infant that Mahdu had left in Biddy’s care. Many babies had died in Three Herring Court. Perhaps the real Cassandra Lawson had been one of them and she was someone else’s fatal mistake.

  Belinda stirred and opened her eyes. ‘Cassy, darling,’ she murmured, holding out her arms. ‘Come and give me a kiss.’

  Forgetting everything, Cassy moved swiftly to hug her mother and covered her face with kisses. Their tears of joy mingled as Belinda sat up in bed, hugging her daughter to her breast. ‘You don’t know how I’ve longed for this moment,’ she whispered. ‘I thought it might never come, but we must be practical, darling. We have to find somewhere else to live, especially now that Leonardo has shown himself in his true colours.’

  Cassy drew away from her mother, brushing her hair back from her face with an impatient movement of her hand. ‘I’ll find work, Mama. I’ll look after you.’

  ‘You are a dear child, and you’ll never know how much I love you.’ Belinda pushed her gently away. ‘But I must get up and dress. We have a new life to begin and it starts today, Cassy. From now on it will be you and me, as it should have been all those years ago if I had not been such a young fool.’

  ‘You and me,’ Cassy repeated, smiling. ‘It makes me want to shout for joy, Mama.’

  ‘We will be ourselves,’ Belinda said happily. ‘We will find a small house in a cheaper part of town, and perhaps I can earn money by sewing or painting pictures. I used to be quite good with watercolour when I was a girl.’

  Cassy leapt off the bed and began sorting through the clothes press for a suitable morning outfit, quite forgetting that she was no longer a servant, but the daughter of a titled lady. ‘What will you wear today, ma’am, I mean, Mama?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Belinda said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and rising gracefully to her feet. ‘You choose, and pick a gown for yourself. We are about the same size now, and you must dress according to your station in life. We will go down to breakfast together and you will sit at the table next to me.’

  ‘But what about the master? Have you forgotten what he did to you last night?’

  ‘Leonardo must be faced sometime and I intend to stand up to him. My life has been dominated by men for too long; first there was my father and then my husband, but now things are going to change. Pass me the grey silk gown, Cassy. I won’t wear widow’s weeds, and I refuse to bow to convention. You would look lovely in that emerald-green tussore: it would bring out the colour of your eyes. We are going to face the world; mother and daughter together.’

  ‘And you’ll tell me all about yourself and my real family, Mama?’

  ‘Nothing could give me more pleasure, my darling.’

  Cassy found it hard to swallow any of the food she put in her mouth at breakfast. Belinda toyed with a forkful of buttered eggs but it was obvious that she had little appetite. Summoned by the bell, Nancy brought the coffee and almost dropped the silver pot on the floor when she saw Cassy dressed like a lady and taking breakfast with the mistress. A small nerve throbbing in Poulton’s temple, and an even more rigidly controlled expression than usual was the only indication that he had noticed anything untoward. He moved swiftly to pull out a chair as Flora entered the room. She took a seat without looking at him. ‘That will be all, Poulton.’

  His mouth worked soundlessly, as if in silent protest at being sent from the room before he had discovered the reason for Cassy’s sudden elevation in status. Flora dismissed Nancy with a wave of her hand. ‘Put the pot down, girl. I’m not incapable. I’ll help myself to coffee. Now go away.’ She waited until both servants had left the room, making a show of pouring coffee into her cup. ‘I am not helpless,’ she repeated. ‘But I need to see my solicitor without delay.’

  ‘Why, Flora?’ Belinda demanded anxiously. ‘What has Leonardo done now?’

  ‘He’s sold the house,’ Flora said, slamming the coffee pot down on the polished surface of the dining table. ‘I went to his room to demand an explanation for his outrageous behaviour and an apology for turning my home into a den of iniquity.’ She took a mouthful of coffee, swallowing convulsively. ‘He sat in bed grinning at me and announced that he has sold my home and its entire contents in order to pay off his gambling debts. It was all I could do to prevent myself from slapping his smug face. I can’t believe that I ever imagined myself to be in love with that creature.’

  Belinda’s eyes widened in horror. ‘But he can’t do that. Can he? Surely the law will not allow him to sell the property without your consent.’

  ‘A woman loses all control of her fortune when she marries. It becomes her husband’s property as she does herself, but my former husbands all died and left their money to me. This was a turn of events that I had not anticipated.’ Flora took another sip of coffee and pulled a face. She reached for the sugar bowl and cream jug. ‘I can’t drink this without cream and sugar. How will I live without the luxuries to which I am accustomed?’

  Cassy shot a nervous glance at her mother. What had started as the happiest day of her life seemed to be turning into a disaster. She knew by the expressions on their faces and the tone of their voices that matters were serious, and, worst of all, she could do nothing to help.

  ‘Your solicitor will sort things out,’ Belinda said hopefully. ‘You must go and see him straight away.’

  ‘I trusted him,’ Flora said slowly. ‘They say that there’s no fool like an old fool, and I have been the biggest idiot of them all. I thought he had married me for myself alone, and my conceit has led me to this pretty pass. I will see my solicitor in the hope that he might be able to salvage something from my ruined finances, but I hold out little hope.’

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Belinda said softly. ‘I’ve been selfish, thinking only of myself and my joy in having my daughter restored to me.’

  Flora shrugged her shoulders. ‘You weren’t to know that I’d married a rake and a libertine, and it was my duty to protect you after Geoffrey’s unfortunate demise.’ She turned her head as the door opened and her expression darkened as Leonardo sauntered into the room.

  He stopped with a dramatic wave of his hands. ‘Ah, such beauty all assembled at my table, and my wife is here also. Still, nothing is perfect.’

  ‘What do you want, Leonardo?’ Flora snapped. ‘Have you come to gloat?’

  ‘Cara mia, would I be so insensitive?’

  ‘Say what you have to say and be done with it,’ Flora said icily. ‘I’m going out and I’ve sent for the carriage.’

  ‘I am afraid you will have to walk. The carriage is gone and also the horses. It was a damnable hand of cards.’

  ‘You used my carriage and pair to cover a bet?’ Flora’s voice rose to a screech.

  ‘You are forgetting that they belong to me. At least, they did, but no more.’ He threw up his hands with a wolfish smile that did not reach his eyes. ‘You have until tomorrow to vacate the house as the new owners will be moving in at the end of the week. I am leaving today for Italy. I feel the call of my native land.’

  Flora rose majestically to her feet. ‘How dare you treat me like this, Leonardo? I have done nothing to deserve such cavalier treatment. I’m still your wife and you have a responsibility towards me.’

  ‘You are free to petition for divorce, cara mia. I will not be here to contest the proceedings.’ He was about to leave the room, but he paused, addressing himself to Belinda. ‘Should you wish to accompany me, I would be happy to take you with me.’

  ‘Never,’ Belinda said emphatically. ‘I’m insulted by your remarks, Signor Montessori. You would not be so bold if my husband were alive.’

  ‘He left you with nothing. I can offer you my protection, after all, Lady Davenport, you have nothing to sell other than your body or that of the child who is masquerading as a lady. I could get a high price for a beautiful young virgin.’<
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  Cassy had heard enough. She leapt to her feet and looking round for a missile, her eyes lighted on the silver epergne which normally graced the centre of the dining table but had been set on a chiffonier whilst breakfast was being served. Seizing a handful of fruit, she pelted Leonardo with plums and grapes, catching him squarely in the face with a ripe peach. His shocked expression might ordinarily have made her laugh, but it quickly changed to one of rage and he advanced on her, fists clenched and teeth bared in a snarl. She was saved from a certain beating by Poulton, who entered the room to announce that a hansom cab was waiting to take the master to Victoria station.

  ‘I should wash your face before you leave, Leonardo,’ Flora said, stifling a giggle behind her hand. ‘An unfortunate accident with flying fruit, Poulton. Perhaps you would be good enough to assist the master?’

  Poulton stood his ground. ‘I am no longer in his employ, ma’am. I wouldn’t wipe his face any more than I’d wipe his blooming arse.’ Having rendered them all temporarily speechless, he stalked out of the dining room. Leonardo followed him, shouting something in Italian, the tenor of which made Cassy suspect it was a stream of expletives which would undoubtedly have impressed Biddy and the rest of the inhabitants of Three Herring Court.

  Belinda had risen from her seat, but she sank down again. ‘He’s gone, and good riddance I say.’

  ‘And we must be gone soon too,’ Flora said decisively. ‘Pack a few necessities and what valuables you still possess, and I’ll do the same. I’ve seen this sort of thing happen to people of my acquaintance and the bailiffs will descend on us like wolves on the fold. Bring only what you need. We must not be too obvious.’ She moved swiftly to the door, almost bumping into Poulton.

  ‘They’re here, ma’am,’ he said in a low voice. ‘I sent them to the master’s study on the pretext that he was there, but he left the house by the back door some minutes ago.’

  ‘Cassy, run up to my room and bring my jewel case,’ Flora said sharply. ‘Belle, you do the same. Even your paste baubles will fetch something. Pack a few necessities but be quick; those men don’t waste time on niceties.’

  ‘I’ll find you a cab, ma’am,’ Poulton said, holding the door open for Cassy. ‘Best hurry, miss. The bailiffs are up to all the dodges.’

  Flora laid a hand on his arm. ‘We’ll be gone soon. I hope the new owners will take you and the others on, Poulton. You’ve served me well all these years.’

  Cassy hesitated in the doorway, hardly able to believe her eyes as she witnessed tears running down Poulton’s cheeks. It seemed as though the stiff-necked butler had suddenly melted into a shivering mass.

  ‘Hurry, girl,’ Flora commanded in a voice that had to be obeyed. ‘Belle, go with her and make certain you bring my best bonnet with the ostrich feathers and my velvet mantle. I’m not leaving them to be sold at auction to tradesmen’s wives and daughters.’

  Lugging two large portmanteaux packed with what both women termed were absolute necessities, they escaped down the back stairs and out through the servants’ quarters. Sounds of hysterical female voices coming from the kitchen were drowned out by the shouts of the bailiffs, who had apparently become suspicious and realised that the master and mistress of the house had absconded. Poulton had found a cab and they bundled into it with the aid of one of the grooms, but two of the bailiffs erupted from the house just as they were about to leave.

  ‘Hold on a minute, mate.’ The more senior of the men raised an imperious hand to the cabby. ‘I need to speak to the owner of the establishment.’

  Flora leaned across Cassy, smiling sweetly. ‘Then you must find my husband, officer. Everything I had belongs to him. I’m just a poor deserted woman, left to fend for herself by a faithless rogue. Drive on, cabby.’

  ‘Where to, missis?’

  For once, Flora appeared nonplussed. She turned to Belinda with a puzzled frown. ‘I hadn’t thought that far.’

  Belinda bit her lip. ‘I don’t know anywhere else. What will we do?’

  Cassy leaned out of the cab window. ‘Spectacle Alley, Whitechapel, please cabby.’

  ‘Good grief, girl,’ Flora exclaimed. ‘Whitechapel? What are you thinking of?’

  ‘It’s somewhere we can be sure of a welcome,’ Cassy said firmly. ‘My best friend, Lottie, lives there with her father. They took me in during the holidays when I had nowhere to go. I’m certain they’ll help us now.’

  Flora cast a despairing glance at Belinda, who nodded her head. ‘Mr Solomon is a tailor: a very respectable man, and a kind one too. I met him at Cassy’s school and he was most polite and courteous, a real gentleman. Perhaps he can help us find a house to rent while we sort ourselves out. I mean, your solicitor might be able to salvage something of your fortune, Flora, and then we can move back to the West End where we belong. I have to think of Oliver too. He will need somewhere he can call home when he returns on leave.’

  And Bailey, Cassy thought, although she dared not voice his name. If Oliver had home leave then perhaps Bailey would also be allowed time away from the Afghan conflict. Her pulses quickened at the thought of seeing him again. If Bailey were here now he would know what to do. He had promised to find them a home and she knew in her heart that he would keep his word.

  ‘Very well then,’ Flora said slowly, ‘but tomorrow I will see my lawyer. I don’t intend to spend more than a night or two in that part of town. It’s rife with crime and filth, which may be acceptable to the lower classes, but it isn’t for us, Belle. We won’t stay for a day longer than necessary.’

  ‘Have you enough money to pay the cab fare?’ Belinda whispered.

  Cassy saw Flora flinch, as though this was a question of huge impertinence, and one which had never entered her head. For a moment it looked as though she was about to dismiss the matter as a mere triviality, but she seemed to reconsider and she opened her reticule, taking out a small purse. She opened it and counted the contents. ‘I was going to buy a new pair of gloves with this,’ she muttered, ‘but I suppose someone has to pay the cabby, although I haven’t the faintest idea how much it will cost. One leaves that sort of thing to those in one’s employ.’ She turned her head to stare out of the window as if daring the world to encroach any further upon her.

  Cassy squeezed her mother’s hand. ‘We’ll be fine, Mama. I’ll look after you.’

  ‘My dear girl, I know you will, but it should be the other way round. I should be taking care of you, Cassy.’

  ‘It don’t matter, Mama. I was used to caring for the nippers, though most of the poor little things died and I could do nothing to save them.’

  ‘Oh do be quiet,’ Flora said wearily. ‘Isn’t it bad enough we have to come crawling to a little tailor without you reminiscing about your atrocious experiences in the slums of Cripplegate? Don’t say another word or I’ll scream.’

  The carriage came to a halt and as Cassy looked down the narrow street she could see her friend’s dark head bent over a seam she was sewing. She leapt out, waving frantically, and when Lottie looked up her face creased into a delighted grin. Abandoning her work, she ran from the shop with her arms outstretched, but she stopped short when she saw Belinda alight from the cab. She bobbed a curtsey. ‘This is an unexpected pleasure, ma’am.’

  ‘I see they taught you something of manners at that school.’ Flora stepped down onto the pavement, accepting the proffered arm of the cabby who tipped his hat respectfully as she thrust a silver coin in his outstretched hand. Cassy could tell that she had overpaid him quite ridiculously, and she was tempted to demand some change, but thought better of it as Flora dismissed the man with an imperious wave of her hand. It was obvious to Cassy that the toffs never bothered to ask the cost of anything, but that would have to change. Every penny would count in their impoverished circumstances.

  ‘Won’t you come inside?’ The bell jangled as Lottie thrust the shop door open. ‘Pa, look who’s come to see us.’

  Eli Solomon appeared from the dark depths of the shop, his eyes
red-rimmed and his posture bent from long hours hunched over his work. His lined cheeks cracked into a wide smile as he recognised Cassy. ‘You are always welcome in my home, Cassy.’

  ‘It’s lovely to be here again, Mr Solomon.’ She rushed forward to give him a hug, but she drew away, realising that his gaze had wandered to her mother. He stared at Belinda as though transfixed. Cassy had seen this happen a dozen times in the past. Her mother’s radiant beauty was enough to render any man speechless. ‘May I introduce you to my mother, Lady Davenport,’ Cassy said, struggling to remember the lessons in etiquette that the North wind had drilled into her pupils.

  Belinda’s smile seemed to light up the dingy little shop as she held her hand out to Eli. ‘We met once before at Miss North’s academy, Mr Solomon.’

  His jaw dropped and he stared at her open-mouthed before recovering himself enough to murmur, ‘I remember it well, my lady, but . . .’ He turned his head to send an appealing glance to Cassy.

  ‘Yes, Mr Solomon,’ she said happily. ‘You heard right. This is my mama. I am her daughter.’

  Flora pushed past Cassy with an impatient sigh. ‘Come to the point, Cassy. I’m not standing all day in this dreary little shop while you discuss your parentage.’ She fixed Eli with a stony stare. ‘I am Lady Davenport’s sister-in-law, and as you might surmise when given a chance to catch your breath, we find ourselves in dire straits, which is why we have been forced to come to you for help.’

  Eli took a step backwards as Flora towered over him. ‘I – I don’t understand, ma’am.’

  Lottie had been holding Cassy’s hand, but she let it slip from her grasp, eyeing her friend in awe. ‘Are you really her daughter?’

  ‘Yes, isn’t it wonderful? I have a mother at last,’ Cassy whispered. She would have liked to shout the news from the housetops, but this was neither the time nor the place. ‘It’s a miracle,’ she added softly.