‘That’s wonderful. And she is still taking the powdered milk well?’ Helena had been disappointed to cease breastfeeding after only a month, having intended to continue for longer than the six weeks Oliver had stipulated. But unfortunately, nature had decreed otherwise.
‘There are no problems at all, Mrs Faraday.’
Helena went over to the crib. ‘Hello, sweetheart,’ she said softly, looking down into the blue eyes that met her own. ‘Are you going to come to Mummy, then?’ Lifting her little daughter into her arms, she turned. ‘Perhaps you both might care to give me a little time alone with her?’
Nanny, who was forthright in her views about spoiling children, gave a heavy sigh and rose, while Betsy, who was both excited and over-awed at being in the great city of London, scuttled after her.
Alone, Helena was able to indulge both herself and her child; to enjoy the warmth of the small body in her arms as she strolled to the window to show her baby the blue sky and the world outside, loving the scent of her, whispering how much she was loved. She paused after a few moments to gaze down at the tiny extra fingers, wondering yet again whether they would be limiting. Even if Rosalind had some talent for music, Helena was uncertain whether she would be able to master the piano. Certainly, she would have difficulty with the ‘five-finger’ exercises Helena had needed to practise. Would a stringed instrument be possible? ‘We have so much to learn, little one,’ Helena murmured as the small head nestled against her shoulder. The dusting of hair was still dark, but Nanny seemed to think it would soon change, forecasting that Rosalind would grow up to be a true English rose.
And it was then, as she kissed her child, that Helena finally faced the truth. She had to accept what she had long suspected, that her marriage had been a mistake. Swept along by girlish infatuation and a desire to please her father, Oliver had appeared so charming, had been so eligible. But Helena knew now that she didn’t love him, had never really loved him; despite being the father of her child, there was something in Oliver’s nature that chilled her. Yet as she looked down at her now sleeping baby, she knew that whatever happened in the future, she would never regret having Rosalind.
That evening Jacob frowned when he realised that Oliver once again planned to dine at his club. That probably meant that he would be out until all hours again, gaming. Didn’t the man realise that he was now married and with a family? Raffish company and the sowing of wild oats – not that he suspected his son-in-law of the latter – was a pastime for bachelors. He himself had never had any interest in risking hard-earned money in the pursuit of such shallow pleasures. ‘Rather hard luck on the ladies,’ he said, ‘having to put up with just my company again.’
‘What’s this?’ Beatrice swept into the room wearing the dark green dress that did little for her sallow complexion. ‘Deserting us again, Oliver?’
‘I’m afraid so.’ Oliver turned as Helena came in to join them and waited until the butler had poured her a glass of sherry before he said, ‘Your father is right, my dear. We all need a little more stimulation. What do you think of having a dinner party?’
She smiled. ‘But of course.’
Jacob rubbed his hands together. ‘Now that is an excellent idea. With your approval, Oliver, there are a couple of parliamentary members I would rather like to invite, naturally in the company of their wives.’
‘I did hear that Mrs Shirley is in town, staying with her sister,’ Beatrice said. ‘Do you remember her, Jacob? We met her at Graylings.’
‘I do indeed, a delightful woman.’
‘And could I suggest that nice young doctor who came?’
They all stared at Beatrice in astonishment.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she said. ‘If I remember correctly, Oliver, Dr Haverstock dined with you at Graylings.’
‘That is true, but it was unavoidable.’
‘And did he eat peas from his knife?’
Jacob exploded into laughter. ‘Beatrice, I do believe you’re becoming a Socialist.’
She glared at him. ‘Heaven forbid. I just thought that Dr Carstairs was an excellent young man.’
‘That may be so,’ Oliver’s voice was firm. ‘But I think not, Beatrice.’
Helena, who had listened to the conversation with growing horror, felt almost giddy with relief. No matter how she longed to see Nicholas again, the prospect of being in the same room, dining at the same table, all the time conscious of Oliver’s scrutiny and her father and aunt’s perceptiveness – she could never have kept up such a pretence.
‘And you, my sweet, do you have anyone in mind?’
‘I’m wondering if Peregrine is in London. Why don’t I invite Dorothy to spend a few days with us?’
‘There,’ Oliver said, ‘we are already compiling a list of guests. So shall we agree on a date?’
Cora had decided to go. Hadn’t she struggled to save every penny these past years, concealing her hoard of coins behind that loose brick in her bedroom at Belle’s? Only the week before she had discovered in the library a book called Starting Your Own Business. Cora had not only learned about such terms as cash flow and overheads; there had been a whole chapter devoted to the dangers of venturing into business with too little capital. And she knew that the sum she had – she knew the amount to the last farthing – fell far short of what would be needed. Cora had no illusions about men like Johnnie. He was a decent sort and she was fond of him, but she knew that he would tire of her after a while and then it would be back to Belle’s. She was well aware what her future held. The ‘mirror dread’ would begin. All the girls suffered from it. Every year laid its stamp on the complexion, and soon a body would begin to thicken, its breasts sag. Belle was strict about standards. What would follow could be the streets and Cora was determined that would never happen. So, she had decided. St John’s Church gardens it would be. But she was wary enough to secrete a sharp pair of scissors in the pocket of one of her ‘sensible’ skirts. A girl could do a lot of damage with a pair of scissors.
She could see him in the distance, standing before the railings. There was no one else around and as she walked towards him, a match flared in his fingers as he lit a cigarette. ‘I thought you would come.’
‘You’ve been proved right, then.’
‘You haven’t talked to anyone?’
She shook her head.
‘Good. So I take it that you’re interested in my proposition?’
Cora squared her shoulders. ‘I don’t know what it is yet. But before you tell me, I want to know why you came looking for me. And don’t deny it either.’
‘I have no intention of doing so. I knew you were ambitious. However, it would betray a confidence to explain further.’
Cora decided that it could easily have been one of her punters. A couple of glasses of bubbly did sometimes make her careless. She held out her hand. ‘Show me, then.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Show me the guineas. Prove to me you’re telling the truth.’
‘Really, Cora, you have very little trust in people.’
Her voice was quiet, determined. ‘Show me.’
She stepped back as he put a hand into his inside pocket, her own closing around the scissors. Cora stared down at the golden coins in his hand.
‘Satisfied?’
She nodded.
‘So now I want you to listen. And don’t either interrupt or argue.’
They stood a few feet from each other beneath the branches of an overhanging tree. His words were steady, his explanation clear. Cora was under no illusion about what he planned to do. ‘A hundred guineas,’ he said. ‘Think of it, Cora. Think how it would change your life.’
She took a shaky breath. ‘But …’
He held up a hand. ‘I have done my research, the plan is foolproof. But you can see now why I need your hel
p. A few hours of your time, Cora, that is all I ask.’ He moved closer to her. ‘Now you wouldn’t ever think of going to the police, would you?’
‘I’d cut me wrists before I’d get involved with them.’
‘Good. Now I want you to think about it very carefully, especially your part in the plan. When you describe to me what you’ve concocted, I will give you the first half of the money.’ He began to turn away, saying over his shoulder, ‘I’ll be here for your answer at the same time two days from now.’
Cora, shaken by what she had just heard, closed her eyes as she leaned back against the railings. In a silence broken only by the hoot of an owl, she knew to her shame that she was tempted. Into her mind came the phrase ‘thirty pieces of silver’, thundered from the pulpit on the one and only time, when out of curiosity, she had gone to a church service. Cora was often devious and many times in her life she had used cunning, but she had never done anything remotely like this. Yet even as she began to make her way back to the apartment, her feelings of shock was lessening. Cora’s conscience might be troubled, she might even be afraid, but this daring scheme held the key not only to realising her dream, but to securing her future.
And almost to her horror, by the time that the light of dawn came filtering through the curtains, she had made her decision.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
‘Why have we come to this dump?’ Sybil wrinkled her nose in distaste as she saw the cracked oilcloth on the tables and the peeling green paint on the walls.
‘Because it’s half empty.’ Cora led the way to a corner and sat with her back to the few other customers. She couldn’t afford to take any chances; it wouldn’t be the first time a nosy type had tried to eavesdrop by lip-reading.
‘I’m not surprised, a bit of soap and water wouldn’t go amiss.’ Sybil took the chair opposite and after a disdainful glance at the floor kept her handbag on her lap. ‘I suppose you must have a reason for coming in here, but I can’t think what.’
‘I need to talk to you – in private.’ She turned as a slovenly waitress shuffled up, ‘Two teas, love.’ Cora waited until she’d left and then said, ‘But we’ll keep our voices down.’
‘I do like a mystery. Go on, girl.’
Cora gazed across at her – the shadows beneath Sybil’s eyes were more marked every time they met. ‘First of all, do you still want to get out of Belle’s?’
‘I’d give me eye teeth for it.’
‘Maybe, but would you be willing to take a risk, do something against the law?’
Sybil frowned. ‘How do yer mean?’
Cora leaned forward. ‘I’ve had a proposition.’
‘I thought you were well set-up with Johnnie.’
‘Not that sort you daft cow.’
‘What then?’
Cora bit her lip. She didn’t know how she was going to put this. ‘The other night I met this bloke in the pub …’ lowering her voice even further she began to talk, all the time aware of the growing shock in her friend’s eyes. And she had to admit that when she was forced to put it into words …
Sybil’s reaction was instant. ‘Come off it, he offered to give you that much money? It’s a bleedin’ fortune! You must ’ave been three sheets to the wind.’
‘I’m telling you. It’s God’s honest truth. Ssh …’
They drew back as the waitress slopped in front of them two earthenware beakers. Cora began to spoon sugar into hers and looked at her friend. ‘Sybil, he’s on the level. He showed me some of the guineas.’
‘What, in the pub?’
‘He’s not that daft.’ She told her about meeting Ned again at St John’s Church gardens.
‘You stupid bugger, you weren’t ’alf taking a risk.’ Sybil sipped at her tea and pulled a face. ‘Stewed, didn’t I warn you this was a dump?’ She put the beaker down. ‘So, did he give you any more details? About what he wanted you to do? Not that I don’t find it all a bit much to take in. But you’re nobody’s fool, Cora, so he’s either a damn good actor or as you said, he’s on the level.’
‘Oh yes, he told me. And it knocked me for six, I can tell you. In fact I nearly told him where to go, but he gave me time to think about it – clever devil. Can you just imagine, Syb, what it would be like, not having to be beholden to anyone, knowing your future’s secure?’
Sybil looked wistful. ‘I can certainly understand you being tempted.’
‘Well, anyway, I went to meet him again and said I’d do it.’
‘You haven’t told me what it is yet.’
‘I will in a minute. The thing is I need someone to help me, someone I can trust. And that’s where you come in. I’d make it worth your while, Syb. I’d pay you half – forty guineas.’ Cora had told Sybil that Ned had offered eighty guineas. Not that she had any qualms about that. After all, she’d been the one Ned had come looking for, and she was going to be the brains behind the venture.
Sybil was staring at her in disbelief. ‘Forty guineas, you’d give me forty guineas?’
Cora took a sip of her tea. ‘It’d be more than enough for you to leave Belle’s. Besides, I’ve been saving up for years. I’ve got a bit put away, and with what Ned gives me I’m goin’ to get a flower shop and live on the premises. You could share if you like, we could even work together.’
‘But I don’t know nuthin’ about flowers.’
‘I do, I used to work on a flower stall.’
‘I can’t believe it.’ Sybil brushed away tears. ‘I never thought I’d ever get the chance ter … I’m sick of men and their mucky ways.’
Cora leaned over and touched her hand. ‘Honestly, Syb, I really do think we could do this.’
‘But you still ’aven’t told me what it is. It ain’t anything violent, is it? I’ve known folk murdered for less. If so, I’m having no part of it.’
‘What do you take me for?’
‘What is it, then?’
‘First of all, are you interested?’
Sybil straightened her shoulders. ‘I’m interested all right. But I’m still waiting to hear what I’d ’ave to do.’
Cora looked at the other girl’s crimson dress with its plunging neckline, at her hat with gaudy feathers. ‘Wear something different for a start, and now – promise on yer mother’s deathbed not to breathe a word to anyone …’
The following morning, the two young women walked with some trepidation along The Mall, and eventually paused outside the large ornate gates to St James’s Park.
Sybil glanced nervously over her shoulder. ‘Are you sure this is the right place?’
‘St James’s Park, that’s what he said.’
‘It’s a flaming posh area.’
Cora took her arm. ‘Come on, we can’t stand outside all day.’ Even she felt some trepidation as they went through the entrance and saw the stretches of closely-cut grass, glorious flowerbeds and the glint of water from the lake in the distance. ‘Now this is what I call a park.’
‘Not for the likes of us, though.’
Cora glanced first at Sybil’s lilac skirt and blouse bought yesterday from the market, and then down at her own navy skirt and high-necked white blouse. ‘Dress subdued, Ned said, but these other women look like fashion plates. At least we look respectable, and that’s what he wanted. I suppose his boss must live close by.’
‘He won’t be short of a bob or two, then,’ Sybil said. ‘Which way do you think we should go?’
Cora considered and then decided to head towards the lake. ‘Poor sod, Ned’s boss I mean. Fancy finding out your kid is somebody else’s. Ever likely he wants rid.’
Sybil shuddered. ‘It sounds awful when you put it like that. Are you sure we should be doing this, Cora?’
‘Don’t start that again,’ Cora said. ‘I’ve told you, I’ll ask Ned the question tonight, I promi
se. I want to know the answer as much as you do. But what we need to do now is to spy out the land. So we’ll just stroll along like two respectable married women.’
Sybil held out her left hand. ‘At first glance you can’t tell this is just a curtain ring.’
‘You’d soon find out if you wore it a lot and your finger went green. Now remember, we’re looking for a middle-aged nanny in a grey uniform, pushing a navy Silver Cross pram. He said there’s likely to be other nannies out walking, but the one we want is plump and she always comes just after eleven o’clock. Oh and she wears a flower in her lapel, apparently the mother likes the baby to look up at nice things.’
Sybil came to a stop. ‘Aw Cora, I don’t like the sound of it.’
‘Look, you were brought up in a place not too different from where we’re supposed to take the kid to. I was brought up in the workhouse. We survived, didn’t we?’ Cora was looking around her as they walked further into the park. ‘What we’re looking for is somewhere I can’t be seen from the path, somewhere near an entrance.’
‘And all I’ll have to do after is slip away?’
‘That’s the plan. I reckon the nanny will be too busy squawkin’ ter notice.’
Sybil’s face was mutinous. ‘I still feel sorry for the mother.’
Cora’s reply was short. ‘Maybe, but I bet she’s never done a day’s work in her life, and she can ’ave other kids. We’ll never get another chance like this.’ She glanced sharply at her friend. ‘You’re not getting cold feet?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I won’t let you down, not now I’ve given me word. But you’re to ask him, you know, what we talked about.’
‘Don’t worry, I will.’ Cora nudged her. ‘Hey look over there on that island. They’re pelicans aren’t they? I’ve only ever seen pictures of them in a book.’
Sybil shielded her eyes against the sun. ‘Fancy that. It’s really beautiful ’ere, Cora.’
‘Yes, well we haven’t come to admire the scenery. Hang on, I think that’s her, coming straight towards us.’ She glanced at the fob watch Johnnie had bought her. ‘And she’s dead on time.’
Dangerous Decisions Page 23