A Place Called Home

by Dilly Court

‘Fell off a horse?’ Hester stared at her in dismay. ‘What was you doing on a horse?’ She went to the foot of the stairs. ‘Bedwin? Where are you?’ She waited for a moment and when there was no reply she turned to Lucy, shaking her head. ‘You need to take off those wet things before you catch your death of cold.’

  Lucy did as she was told, trying not to giggle. With Hester clucking round her like a mother hen it was like old times and she knew she had come home. She handed her the sodden bonnet and shawl. ‘Is everything all right? How are the children? Are you coping with everything, Hester?’

  ‘We’re all fine. Never mind the questions, come downstairs to the kitchen and I’ll make you a nice cup of tea. When did you last eat? You look a bit peaky, girl.’ She bustled off in the direction of the basement stairs. ‘Bedwin, Pearl, where are you? Put the kettle on. Lucy’s come home.’

  Lucy hesitated for a moment, looking round the wainscoted entrance hall with a sudden rush of affection. The panelling shone from the application of beeswax and elbow grease, as did the floorboards. In her mind’s eye she could see the girls on their hands and knees with Hester cracking a metaphorical whip, although she knew that they needed little encouragement as both Vicky and Maggie took pride in their new home. The scent of lavender polish filled the air and the delicious aroma of baking bread wafted up from the kitchen. She followed Hester down the stairs but had barely reached the last step when Vicky rushed to embrace her, closely followed by Maggie. ‘You’re back,’ Vicky cried ecstatically. ‘We thought you’d deserted us.’

  ‘No, we didn’t,’ Maggie said firmly. ‘I always knowed she’d come home.’

  ‘What’ve you done to your arm?’ Vicky demanded. ‘Mind you don’t hurt her, Maggie. You’re such a clumsy kid.’

  Her sister’s big blue eyes brimmed with tears. ‘I didn’t hurt you, did I, Lucy?’

  ‘No. I’d soon tell you if you did,’ Lucy said, smiling. She ruffled Maggie’s golden curls. ‘It’s good to see you both. I’ve missed you.’ She glanced round the room. ‘Where are Essie and Sid?’

  Vicky dragged her towards the table. ‘Sit down, and I’ll tell you.’

  Bedwin stepped forward and pulled up a chair. ‘Stop pestering her, girls. You make my head spin with all your chatter.’

  ‘Thank you, Bedwin.’ Lucy sank down on the seat, overcome with exhaustion. ‘It’s lovely to be home, but where are the others? I suppose Bertie must be at work.’

  ‘Of course he is.’ Hester filled the teapot and set it down on the table. ‘Vicky, fetch the cake from the larder, and Maggie, leave Lucy alone. Can’t you see she’s tired and in pain?’ She turned to Bedwin. ‘Best go to the pharmacy and get some laudanum. She looks as though she might need a drop or two.’

  ‘No, I’m all right, really I am. I want to keep a clear head,’ Lucy said hastily. ‘A cup of tea and a slice of cake will set me up nicely.’ She sat back in the chair. ‘You still haven’t told me where Sid and Essie are. It’s not like them to be so quiet. And where is Pearl? She hasn’t gone back to her old ways, has she?’

  ‘Pearl has got herself a little job at the vicarage of all places,’ Hester said, spooning tea into the pot. ‘The vicar is a widower and he needed someone to cook his dinner. Although I think he’ll get fed up with fried fish before too long, because that’s all she can do.’

  Vicky put the cake on the table, leaving Hester to cut a slice. She edged her sister out of the way and sat next to Lucy. ‘Your friend, Miss Theodora, found a home for Essie and Sid.’

  ‘She did what?’ Lucy looked to Hester for an explanation. ‘Is this true?’

  ‘Miss Theodora came here to see you, and when she found out where you’d gone she was most concerned.’ Hester filled a cup with tea and passed it to Lucy before attacking the seed cake. ‘She was still here when the police brought Sid home. He’d been wagging school and was caught pinching fruit from a barrow.’

  ‘Oh dear,’ Lucy said faintly. ‘I thought he’d learned his lesson.’

  Hester sliced the cake. ‘I suppose you want some too?’ she said, pointing the knife at Vicky and Maggie, who were watching her and licking their lips in anticipation.

  They nodded enthusiastically and she gave them each a piece, saving the largest slice for Lucy. ‘That boy is a limb of Satan. He’d have been up before the beak if Miss Theodora hadn’t taken his part. She spoke so prettily to the copper that he let Sid off with a caution, providing Miss Theodora vouched for him.’

  ‘Good heavens,’ Lucy said, swallowing a mouthful of hot tea. ‘I didn’t know Dora was so public-spirited.’

  ‘Not only that, but she came back the next day having found a place for both nippers with a childless couple who wanted a bright boy to work as a stable lad. They were prepared to take Essie in as well and send her to school.’ Hester sat down, stirring sugar into her tea. ‘There are some good people about, if you know where to find them.’

  ‘I’m amazed. I didn’t think Dora was interested in anything other than clothes and parties. When did all this happen?’

  ‘Last week.’ Hester sipped her tea with a satisfied sigh. ‘Sit down, Mr Bedwin. Take the weight off your feet.’

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve got the brass door furniture to polish, Hester. Those commercial travellers have greasy fingers and it soon tarnishes.’ He turned to Lucy with an apologetic smile. ‘You’ll excuse me, Miss Lucy. But may I say it’s good to have you home. You’ve been missed.’

  She gave him a tired smile. ‘Thank you, Bedwin. I’ve missed all of you.’

  He moved slowly and she could almost hear his bones creaking as he mounted the stairs.

  Vicky licked her fingers, having already demolished the cake. ‘I think Miss Theodora likes Bram. That’s why she put herself out for the young ’uns.’

  ‘Bram was here?’ Lucy looked from one to the other.

  ‘The 7th Hussars are stationed at Hounslow,’ Hester said proudly. ‘He had leave of absence to visit us and Miss Dora happened to be here. I think she was impressed, poor dear.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Lucy asked curiously. ‘Did Bram say something to upset her?’

  ‘No, of course not: he was his usual charming self. But he’s a fine figure of a man and he looks dashing in uniform. It was obvious that she was smitten from the moment she set eyes on him, although I don’t think he felt the same.’

  ‘I see.’ Lucy tried not to look too pleased. Not that she would blame Bram if he had fallen for Dora’s brand of helpless femininity and pretty face, but he deserved a wife who could equal him in every way. He would tire easily of someone like her scatterbrained friend.

  ‘Why are you smiling like that?’ Vicky eyed her suspiciously. ‘What’s funny?’

  ‘Absolutely nothing. I’m just happy to be home, and I’ll thank Dora when I see her, but I want to be sure that the home she found for Sid and Essie is a good one.’

  ‘She took them to see the people first,’ Maggie volunteered. ‘Essie said she liked the lady and the gentleman, and Sid wanted to work in the stables.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have let them go if I hadn’t thought it right,’ Hester said hastily. ‘And Bram went to see the people too. He said they were a decent couple and they’d promised that both nippers would finish their education.’

  ‘Well, if he thinks they’re all right it must be so.’ Lucy frowned. ‘I’ll pay a call on Dora as soon as I’ve seen Mr Goldspink, which is part of the reason why I left the circus.’

  ‘Tell us about it,’ Maggie pleaded. ‘I never see’d a circus.’

  ‘Then I must take you to see a show,’ Lucy said, smiling. ‘I never thought I’d be an equestrienne riding in the sawdust ring, but I’ve done it and done it quite well, so Monty said.’

  ‘Who’s Monty?’ Vicky’s eyes shone with interest. ‘Have you got a gentleman friend, Lucy? Bram will be so jealous.’

  ‘Don’t talk nonsense, child,’ Hester said sharply. ‘You two can talk to Lucy later, but she’s tired after her long journey and
her arm must be painful. She needs to rest, so you can finish up your chores and chat after dinner.’

  ‘Oh, no.’ Vicky rose from the table, pouting. ‘Do we have to dust the commercial gents’ rooms? We did them yesterday.’

  ‘And you’ll do them tomorrow and the next day. Nice clean bedrooms is what we offer and they must be spotless, or I’ll want to know the reason why. Off you go.’ Hester waited until the girls were out of earshot. She leaned across the table. ‘So why are you here, Lucy? And why do you need to see a solicitor? What’s going on?’

  Chapter Eighteen

  YORICK GOLDSPINK’S CHAMBERS were at the top of a seedy building in Pickett Street, off the Strand, which, although it was close to the Inns of Court, was even closer to the rookeries surrounding Clare market. Cheap lodging houses packed together in the dismal courts and narrow alleyways were home to the poor and dispossessed as well as criminals who could melt into their surroundings and evade capture. Lucy had put on her oldest clothes and her ruined straw hat in an attempt to merge with the shabbily dressed people who thronged the streets. She walked purposefully, head held high to show she was not afraid of the gangs of feral children who loitered on street corners, or the beggars importuning passers-by from the dank doorways.

  Even so, she heaved a sigh of relief when she entered the premises, closing the door on the outside world, although the interior of the building was not particularly welcoming. A strong smell of carbolic acid, stale tobacco and soot hung in a damp miasma, and the sound of raised voices assaulted her ears. Directly in front of her was a flight of uncarpeted stairs, and to the left a long corridor wandered off into darkness. She was wondering where she might find Mr Goldspink when she spotted a wooden sign nailed to the wall with the names of the occupants scrawled on it in chalk. Top Floor, Y. Goldspink. She mounted the stairs, taking care not to touch the handrail, which was covered in a thick film of grime and grease. It was a steep climb, and even through closed doors she could hear the chatter of disembodied voices with the occasional burst of laughter.

  When she reached the top floor she paused for a moment to catch her breath. It was hot and stuffy beneath the eaves and the only light came from a roof window, covered in a haze of soot and a lacy mesh of bird droppings. She knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer.

  Yorick Goldspink was seated behind a desk littered with papers, dirty crockery and empty wine glasses. A small dormer window allowed in only a modicum of daylight, and a paraffin lamp close to his right elbow emitted a yellowish glow and a strong smell of burning oil. He looked up, and for a moment his expression was blank, and then his bird-like features froze in an expression of astonishment. ‘Miss Marriott?’

  ‘Due to the change in my circumstances I’m using the name Pocket now, Mr Goldspink.’ Lucy made her way carefully across the bare boards, which were littered with papers, some of them rolled into scrolls and tied with red tape, and others lying in seemingly random piles. ‘I’m sorry to turn up without an appointment, but I had to see you.’

  ‘Please take a seat.’ He rose from his chair, gazing around the room with a puzzled frown. ‘There is a spare chair, only I can’t seem to place it at the moment.’ He hurried round the desk, leaping over the scattered documents like a child playing hopscotch. ‘I wasn’t expecting any clients today, Miss Pocket. You’ll have to excuse the untidy state of my office.’ He peered into a particularly dark corner. ‘There it is.’ Delving beneath a pile of coats and hats, he picked up a chair and taking care where he trod placed it in front of his desk. Producing a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket, he dusted the seat. ‘Please sit down.’ He fluttered back to his seat and perched on it, gazing at her with his head on one side. ‘Would you like to tell me what I can do for you?’

  ‘I need your services, Mr Goldspink, but I have to find the money to pay for them.’

  He blinked several times and cleared his throat. ‘May I enquire as to the exact nature of your request? Are you in some kind of trouble, Miss Pocket?’

  ‘I’ve only recently discovered that my grandmother is in Chelmsford prison. I believe she’s innocent of the charges brought against her, or at the very least she was an unwilling party to the crime.’

  He leaned his elbows on the desk, peering at her through his steel-rimmed spectacles. ‘What was the nature of the offence?’

  ‘She was involved with a man who was notorious amongst the street gangs and dealt with stolen goods. He escaped capture, but she was caught on the premises where some of the items were found.’

  ‘You talk about this villainous person in the past tense. Do I take it that he is deceased?’

  ‘Murdered, Mr Goldspink. But that was long after my grandmother was incarcerated in the jail. There’s no question that she was involved.’

  He frowned, drumming his fingers on the desk. ‘I see.’

  ‘Can you help me? I’ll pay you anything you ask, but first I need to raise the money, either from my annuity or perhaps I could take out a mortgage on the property in Leman Street.’

  ‘Have you thought about asking Mr Daubenay for help? He’s a comparatively wealthy man, and I doubt if he has managed to gamble away his assets in such a short space of time.’

  ‘Linus wouldn’t give me a penny. Anyway, I believe he is going to be married, so he will be even less likely to help.’

  ‘The young lady broke off the engagement,’ Mr Goldspink said with a glimmer of a smile. ‘I have it on good authority that a little bird told her things about her fiancé which brought about a change in her feelings towards him.’

  ‘You told her, Mr Goldspink?’

  He shook his head. ‘Never admit to anything, Miss Pocket. That’s my motto.’ He tapped the side of his nose. ‘The young lady in question will bestow her hand on someone more worthy.’

  ‘I’m glad for her sake, but it won’t help me. Linus would see me in hell before he’d help me financially.’

  ‘Then we must find another way.’

  ‘You’ll take the case?’

  ‘I will,’ he said firmly. ‘The first thing I must do is travel to Chelmsford and introduce myself to the lady in question, but I have a few ends to tie up first. It will take me a couple of days and then I’m at your disposal.’

  Lucy rose from her seat and was about to leave, but she hesitated. ‘There’s just one more thing, Mr Goldspink. You have connections and you know a lot of people. If you ever get any news of my mother, Christelle Marriott, I’d be very grateful if you would tell me. She left when I was a baby and I believe she went abroad to seek her fortune on the stage.’

  He nodded slowly. ‘I’ll give the matter some thought.’

  Light-headed with relief that Mr Goldspink had chosen to accept the case, Lucy left the building and made her way to the Strand. She took a cab to Jermyn Street, alighting outside the Northams’ town house. Her down-at-heel appearance had caused the cabby to give her an old-fashioned look, and the Northams’ butler regarded her with equal suspicion. She wished now that she had taken the time to return to Leman Street to change into something more appropriate, but she was eager to see Dora. ‘Miss Lucy Pocket,’ she announced firmly. ‘Is Miss Theodora at home?’

  ‘Wait here, if you please, miss.’ The butler allowed her into the vestibule, walking away with a measured tread and returning moments later with a look of disapproval etched on his stern features. ‘Miss Theodora is in the morning room. Come this way, miss.’

  She knew the way well enough but she followed in his wake, acknowledging him with a brief nod of her head as he ushered her into the room.

  Dora hurried to greet her with a beaming smile, but it faded as she took in Lucy’s bedraggled appearance. ‘Oh, my goodness. What’s happened to you, Lucy?’

  ‘That’s a fine welcome,’ Lucy said, laughing. ‘Aren’t you pleased to see me?’

  Theodora made a move to hug her but held back, staring at Lucy’s splinted arm. ‘What have you done to yourself?’

  ‘I was thrown
from a horse. It’s a hazard that we circus riders face every day.’

  ‘Circus riders?’ Dora sank down on the nearest chair, fanning herself with her hand. ‘You’re joking, of course.’

  ‘I can explain.’ Lucy made herself comfortable on the sofa. ‘It’s good to be back in London. I’ve missed you, Dora.’

  ‘You’ve been away for nearly a month without so much as a word. Hester said you’d gone to find Froniga and that she’d joined a circus, but I’d no idea that you had too. We were all so worried, and now you return looking as though you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. You must tell me everything.’

  Making her account as brief as possible, Lucy related the events of the past few weeks. Eventually her voice began to crack and she broke off with an apologetic smile. ‘Dora, I love you, but I’m dying for a cup of tea and something to eat. I was in too much of a hurry to bother with breakfast, and I’ve just risked life and limb to visit my solicitor in Pickett Street.’

  ‘Of course, how silly of me.’ Theodora stood up and went to tug at the embroidered bell pull. ‘You look half starved, and that outfit does nothing for you.’ She stared at Lucy, shaking her head. ‘I don’t know Pickett Street, but if you have to dress like that to go there it must be even rougher than where you live now.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter; none of this matters. The good news is that I’ve found Granny, but there’s a problem.’

  Eyes wide with anticipation, Dora clutched her hands to her bosom. ‘You’ve found her? This is like a story in a penny dreadful.’

  ‘She’s in prison.’

  ‘Oh, dear! It gets worse and worse.’ Dora sat down beside her, taking Lucy’s hand in hers. ‘I am so sorry. What was her crime?’

  ‘She fell in love with a bad man. It happens to the nicest women, Dora.’ Lucy had a sudden vision of Monty dressed in the black tailcoat he wore in the ring. Quite why he came to mind was a puzzle. She liked him well enough, but that was all. Stella might think otherwise, but she was wrong.

  ‘Don’t stop there.’ Dora gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Go on.’ She looked up at the sound of someone knocking on the door. ‘Enter.’