by Dilly Court
‘I’d love to help you, but I’ve spent all my dress allowance.’ Dora stared into her teacup, frowning. ‘If only you’d married Piers, you would at least have had a roof over your head.’
Lucy smiled ruefully. ‘I can’t imagine Piers adopting my cousins, let alone Sid and Essie. Then there’s Hester, not to mention Bedwin, who’s too old and frail to find another position. How would they manage without me?’
‘And you’ve taken on Pearl.’ Dora shook her head. ‘You’ve created a home for waifs and strays, and now you have to find a way to support them all. I don’t envy you your task, Lucy.’
‘Pearl is recovering slowly, and Carlos visits her at least once a week. They cheer each other up, according to Hester. I’m only allowed to see Pearl briefly, but I’m told that she’s showing signs of recovery.’
‘But Pearl doesn’t know where you might find Eva.’
Lucy bowed her head. ‘She hasn’t seen her for years. It seems that my grandmother has vanished into thin air.’
‘Like a conjuror’s trick.’ Dora sipped her tea. ‘I’m sorry, Lucy. I know it’s no joke, but perhaps you ought to stop thinking about her and concentrate on looking after yourself.’ She placed her cup and saucer on the table. ‘I know you don’t want to hear this, but Piers still loves you. You only have to say the word and he’ll come running. He’s never got over you.’
‘But I don’t love him,’ Lucy said softly. ‘I’m sorry, Dora. I know he’s your brother and you’re fond of him, but I can’t forget how he let me down when I needed him most.’
‘He knows he made a mistake, and he’s genuinely sorry.’
‘Maybe, but I like being independent, even though I’ve very little money. I’ll find a way to make things better for all of us, you’ll see.’
‘What about Bramwell? Does he support his nephew and nieces?’
‘He gave me what he could, and promised more when he received his pay. I trust Bram and I know he’ll do his best for us.’
Dora glanced out of the window. ‘My carriage has arrived. I have to go, but I’ll come again next week. Or perhaps you’d like to come shopping with me? It would be fun to go out together again.’
‘I can’t afford to spend money on fripperies. It’s not like the old days; you and I live in different worlds now.’ Lucy stood up to embrace her friend as she prepared to leave. ‘Don’t worry about me, and please don’t repeat any of this to Piers. I don’t want him to get the wrong impression. There really is no hope for us.’
‘I won’t say a word, but I wish you’d reconsider.’
‘There’s no chance of that.’ Lucy saw her to the door and watched her climb into the carriage, assisted by the footman. The coachman drove off, taking Dora back to the world of wealth and privilege, leaving Lucy to wonder how she was going to feed her family after paying for the urgent repairs to the roof. She returned to the parlour and set about writing an advertisement for a respectable lodger, but although it seemed like a logical step she was wary. With young and vulnerable children to care for and only a boy and a frail old man to protect them, the thought of having complete strangers living in the place she called home was daunting.
She was still sitting there, chewing the end of her pencil, when the door opened and Pearl walked into the room. Lucy leapt to her feet. ‘What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting.’
Pearl sank down in the nearest chair. ‘I’m a bit weak on me pins, but I’m not an invalid.’
‘Hester was supposed to be looking after you.’
Pearl grinned. ‘She forgot to lock the door, if that’s what you mean. She remembered she had bread in the oven and she was off like a shot.’
‘How are you feeling?’ Lucy asked nervously.
‘I’m not going to rush out to the nearest opium den, if that’s what you’re thinking. I promise you I’m done with that stuff forever.’
‘I’m so glad, if only for your sake, Pearl.’
‘I dunno why you went to all the trouble of saving me, but I am grateful. I was a poor wretch and now I’ve got to prove you were right. I won’t let you down, Lucy.’
‘It was Froniga who found you, and it was only by chance that I met her. I was looking for you because I thought you might know what happened to my grandmother.’
Pearl shook her head. ‘I wish I did. The last I saw of Eva she was with Abe.’
‘He was murdered. I heard that he was stabbed to death.’
‘Was he now? That doesn’t surprise me. He was a bad lot.’
‘You don’t think that she could have done it, do you?’
‘Not Eva. You ought to know her better than that. If she’d fallen out with him she would have up and left. She might have bashed him over the head with a frying pan, but she wouldn’t have stuck a knife in his heart.’ Pearl took a pack of Passing Cloud cigarettes from her pocket and struck a match, inhaling deeply. ‘A present from Carlos,’ she said, exhaling with a satisfied sigh. ‘A girl’s got to have some vices.’
Lucy smiled indulgently. It was good to see Pearl almost back to her old self. ‘Tell me about Granny and Abe. I never knew him.’
‘She kept you away from him and his crooked deals, but I think she really cared for the old sod in her own way, although Eva wasn’t the faithful type. I’m sorry, Lucy, but it’s the truth.’
‘Froniga said she could see Granny, but then she faded away. Do you think she really has got second sight?’
‘She found me, didn’t she?’
‘Yes, that’s true, but she’s gone away and now I’ll never know if she was telling the truth or not. I’m beginning to think I’ll never find Granny or Ma.’
‘Maybe they don’t want to be found. Have you thought of that? As far as Eva is concerned you’re a grand lady. She wouldn’t want to spoil your life by turning up on your doorstep.’
Lucy eyed her thoughtfully. ‘But if she knew the truth she would come home, wouldn’t she?’
‘She might. It all depends on how she’s situated now.’ Pearl took another drag on her cigarette, exhaling through her nostrils. ‘If you get my meaning. She might have found another fancy man.’
Picking up her pencil, Lucy chose to ignore this last remark. ‘I’m going to finish off this advertisement and put it in the tobacconist’s window. We’ll take in lodgers and you’re going to help me.’
‘Glad to be of service,’ Pearl said, chuckling. ‘What are my duties?’ She wriggled suggestively in her chair.
‘I’ve got a plan. I can’t tell you yet, but you’ll find out soon enough.’
Chapter Fourteen
HOPEFUL APPLICANTS QUEUED outside the door. Bedwin was given the task of letting them in one at a time, dismissing those who looked too disreputable or were drunk. Hester ushered the prospective lodgers into the parlour, where they were interviewed by Lucy and Pearl. In the end they selected the three who were the least likely to cause trouble, all of whom were in employment. One of them, a balding middle-aged man wearing a shabby suit with leather elbow patches and down-at-heel shoes, worked as a clerk in one of the nearby shipping offices. He introduced himself as Gilbert Harker, admitting reluctantly when questioned about his reasons for needing a room that his wife had run off with the tally man. He could not afford to pay the rent on the home they had shared for twenty years, and his grown-up children had shown no inclination to take him in.
The second successful applicant was a shiny-faced boy whose crop of curly fair hair made him look even younger than his sixteen years. Cyril Aitken told them he was an orphan raised in the Foundling Hospital, and was apprenticed to a locksmith with a premises in Dock Street. Lucy would have given him a room for nothing, but Pearl intervened and they agreed to let him have one of the smallest attic rooms at a greatly reduced rent. Cyril’s brown eyes shone with gratitude and he promised to do odd jobs around the house in order to make up the difference. Lucy could have hugged him, but she managed to control the urge and merely smiled and welcomed him into her home.
; The last person they saw was Leonard Rossman, a Jewish immigrant who worked for a master tailor in Leman Street. His sad story of love and loss in his homeland made Lucy want to cry and even Pearl, who had heard many such hard-luck stories, had to wipe away a tear. Ever practical, Lucy went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea. She cut a thick slice from Hester’s seed cake and put it on a plate. ‘The poor man needs building up,’ she said when Hester protested.
Hester regarded her with overt disapproval. ‘We’re supposed to be making money out of the lodgers. You won’t pay the bills by treating them to afternoon tea.’
‘They’re all guests as far as I’m concerned. You’ll love them all when you get to know them,’ Lucy said, smiling. ‘Leonard has promised to make curtains for us, and young Cyril is going to do odd jobs. We’ll soon have an army of workers helping us to make this old house habitable. You’ll see.’
‘All I see is bankruptcy looming.’ Hester snatched up the remains of the cake and placed it in the larder.
The lodgers moved in and the children took instantly to Cyril, who was not much older than Bertie, and soon the pair of them were firm friends. Leonard and Gilbert worked long hours, spending much of their free time in their respective rooms. They ate dinner with the family and earned Hester’s approval by complimenting her on her cooking. Leonard made curtains for the dining room and brought home off-cuts of gentlemen’s suiting, fashioning them into waistcoats for Bertie and Cyril. Not to be outdone, Cyril took out the night soil each morning, swept the back yard and hefted buckets of water into the house. Indoor plumbing was a luxury that Lucy could not afford, and bath night involved the lengthy and back-breaking task of fetching water from the pump, heating it in pans on the range, and tipping it into the zinc tub which was placed in front of the fire. The youngest children were first, followed by the women. Bertie decided that he was now a man and opted to accompany Cyril to Nevill’s public baths in Aldgate, where Leonard and Gilbert also did their ablutions.
The rent money from the lodgers was a great help, but the roof still leaked when it rained, and although the main rooms were made habitable there was still much that needed doing. Lucy was torn between the desire to find work, which would boost their meagre income, and the desperate need to find her grandmother or at least to discover her fate. It was almost impossible to know where to start her search, and Pearl had nothing to add. It seemed that Eva Pocket had vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace.
One May morning, Lucy rose early and went to market to purchase the best of the day’s produce at the cheapest price possible. She arrived back at the house at the same time as the postman, and he handed her an envelope. ‘Fine morning, miss.’ He tipped his cap, mounted his bicycle and pedalled off at considerable speed.
She unlocked the door and let herself into the house, almost bumping into Leonard, who had a slice of toast in one hand and his battered bowler hat in the other. He smiled and nodded, swallowing a mouthful of breakfast and mumbling a greeting. Lucy stood aside to let him pass, but before she could close the door the pounding of footsteps on the stairs alerted her to the fact that, as usual, Cyril was late for work. He shot past her, grinning and tipping his cap, and was followed by Leonard moving at a much more sedate pace.
‘Good morning, Miss Pocket. It’s a lovely day.’ He doffed his hat.
‘Yes, indeed it is, Mr Rossman.’ She closed the door after him, and went downstairs to the kitchen.
Bertie had just finished his breakfast and was scraping the last of the porridge from his bowl, receiving a frown from Hester, who was toasting a slice of bread in front of the fire. ‘You’ll take the pattern from the plate if you keep that up, young man.’
‘It’s too good to leave any,’ Bertie said, unabashed.
Hester glanced at Lucy. ‘You’re up and about early.’
‘It’s such a lovely morning I thought I’d go to market first thing.’ She put the basket on the table. ‘Hurry up, Bertie. You’ll be late for work.’
He licked his spoon and replaced it with a clatter. ‘I’m off.’ He leapt to his feet and snatched up his cap from its peg, ramming it on his head. ‘Old man Mould is a stickler for punctuality and a blooming slave driver. I’d be better off in the army, like Bram.’
‘You’re too young to even think about it,’ Lucy said severely, but noting his crestfallen expression she moderated her tone. ‘And we rely on you, Bertie, dear. What would we do without the man of the house?’
He gave her a suspicious look. ‘You’ve got Cyril and the old men. You don’t need me.’
She wrapped her arms around him. ‘Of course we do. You’re family, Bertie. The others are commercial gentlemen who pay for their lodgings. They help us to settle the bills, but you’re still my best boy.’ She kissed him on the cheek before giving him a gentle push towards the door. ‘Now go, before you get into trouble with your boss.’
He backed out of the kitchen, blowing her a kiss.
‘You spoil him,’ Hester said, fanning the toast to extinguish the flames as it caught light. ‘A spell in the army would do him good. We don’t want him growing up like his father.’
Lucy was horrified. ‘He’s nothing like Linus. He’s a good, kind boy and he takes after his mother.’
‘You’re right, of course.’ Hester scraped the burnt bits off the bread. ‘But he’s easily influenced. Who knows what trouble he’ll get into with that young Cyril?’
‘Don’t say things like that.’ Lucy picked up the envelope and studied it. ‘My goodness. It’s for me. I quite thought it must be for Leonard or Gilbert.’ She shot a sideways glance at Hester, smiling. ‘Don’t look so worried. I try to keep it formal when I address them personally, but we all live under the same roof.’
Hester scraped butter onto her toast and took a bite. ‘In my opinion men have to be kept in their place or they get out of hand. Linus is a good example. If Meg hadn’t been such a sweet-natured creature she would never have allowed him to take advantage of her.’
‘Most men aren’t like that. Linus is the meanest, most despicable person I’ve ever met.’ Lucy opened the envelope and took out a single sheet of paper. ‘It’s a poster.’ She held it up. ‘Charter’s circus. That’s where Froniga was headed.’
‘Why would she send you such a thing?’ Hester squinted short-sightedly at the large print. ‘I think I need spectacles.’
‘It says that they’re performing in a village near Chelmsford.’ The print danced before Lucy’s eyes and she could almost feel the Romany woman’s presence. ‘It’s a message from her, that’s what it is. She knows something, Hester. She wants me to go to her.’
‘Stuff and nonsense. She’s playing games with you.’
‘No. She wouldn’t do that. I trust her.’ Lucy looked round as the door opened and Pearl breezed into the room. ‘I’ve had a message from Froniga. Look.’ She thrust the poster under her nose.
‘It’s just a flier for a circus, love. Nothing more.’
‘That’s what I think.’ Hester nodded vigorously. ‘I’m going to get those nippers out of bed and set them to work. Talk some sense into her, Pearl.’ She stalked out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.
‘I have to go,’ Lucy said eagerly. ‘Can’t you see that she’s trying to tell me something?’
Pearl went to the table and picked up the teapot. She hesitated, gazing at Lucy and shaking her head. ‘Not really. I know she led you to me, but that doesn’t mean she can find someone who’s been missing for a long time. Eva could be in Timbuktu for all we know.’
Lucy giggled. ‘I don’t think so, but I have to do this. I don’t care what Hester says, I’m going to see Froniga and hear what she has to say. It might be my only chance to find Granny. I can’t ignore this, Pearl. You must see that.’
Pearl filled a cup and added a dash of milk. ‘I understand, but I think you might be heading for a serious disappointment.’
‘Even so, it’s something I must do. I know I can trust you and Hester to look
after the children, and the lodgers.’
‘Of course you can.’ Pearl fumbled in her pocket for her cigarettes. ‘We’ll be fine, but don’t stay away too long.’
Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I promise to come home as soon as possible, and hopefully I’ll bring Granny with me.’
It was still light when the train pulled into Chelmsford station. Lucy was too excited to feel tired after the journey. She made enquiries at the ticket office and was told that she might catch the carter who had just collected supplies for the circus people, and was about to leave. She raced outside and managed to attract the driver’s attention just as he was about to urge his old nag into action. He was unwilling at first, but when she offered him a silver florin he changed his mind and allowed her to climb up beside him. ‘I ain’t a stage coach,’ he grumbled. ‘But I suppose it won’t hurt to oblige a young lady.’
She settled down at his side, holding onto her bonnet as the breeze tugged at the ribbons. The sun was plummeting towards the horizon, leaving bruise-like streaks of purple and crimson to mar the perfection of a duck-egg blue sky. The air was fresh and sweet-smelling, quite different to the fug and smoke of London. The stench of the factories, putrid river mud and overflowing sewers had been swapped for the scent of blossom on the May trees and the heady aroma of freshly tilled soil. From the vantage point of the driver’s seat she could see over the top of the hedgerows. Neatly ploughed fields pierced by green spears of sprouting crops spread like a patchwork quilt, with stands of trees hazy with new growth.
As dusk fell it was the relative quiet of the countryside that struck her most forcibly. The only sounds were the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, the rumble of cartwheels and a chorus of birdsong. Used as she was to the hectic hustle and bustle of the crowded city streets, and the constant babel of voices, the deserted country lane was a world apart and it seemed to stretch into infinity. Her companion said nothing. He chewed tobacco, spitting a stream of brown juice onto the road at regular intervals.