Ruby McBride

by Freda Lightfoot

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I’m looking for a job and I reckon you owe me one.’

  Bart stopped plaiting the rope fender he was repairing to find Kit Jarvis standing beside him, every bit as cocky and arrogant as he’d appeared in the dock manager’s office. ‘How do you work that out? Seems to me I saved you from the nick, not so long ago.’

  ‘But if you hadn’t recklessly given Ruby that valuable pendant, I’d never’ve been accused of trying to steal it, would I?’

  Bart deliberated over this upside-down logic for a moment. ‘You were intending to steal it, weren’t you?’

  ‘No, only to keep it safe for her.’ Kit slammed a fist into his other hand on a burst of exasperation. His distress sounded so genuine, he could almost believe in his own innocence. ‘That’s my point exactly. You think the worst of me, as does everyone else. And because of your interfering, yours and Ruby’s, that copper has never been off my tail since. No one’ll ever give me work while he’s hanging around.’

  Bart eased himself into a more comfortable position, eyes narrowing as he considered this unexpected request. ‘Since you were running off with my wife, why the hell should I offer you a job? I’m more inclined to take a horse whip to you for your presumption.’

  This threat was issued in the mildest of tones but Kit was not fooled. The sincerity behind the words was indisputable, and he’d no wish to put them to the test. Nor did he attempt to deny the charge, rather he acknowledged it with a sly smile.

  ‘You should happen wonder why she was prepared to leave you, and come with me.’

  ‘Perhaps you applied undue pressure, in the shape of a suddenly resurrected sister and the ludicrous promise to find her brother. Ruby is vulnerable where her family is concerned. If I find you taking advantage of that vulnerability, I’ll strip the skin from your backside and hammer it to the decks here.’

  Kit swallowed, taking extreme care not to allow his very real fear to show through the veneer of bravado. ‘At least if I’m here every day, on the tug, you can keep yer eye on what I’m up to.’

  The slightest of pauses, and then Bart slowly inclined his head. ‘An excellent- point. Now why didn’t I think of that?’

  Telling Ruby that he’d agreed to give her lover a job so that he could keep a better eve on him was the hardest thing Bart had ever done. He chose to announce his decision as they prepared for bed in the cabin one night. She’d deliberately kept her distance from him as she hurriedly undressed and slid into her night-gown, keeping up the pretence that she didn’t come to him willingly, but only under protest as her wifely duty. Bart couldn’t believe that he’d got himself into this situation, and wasn’t in the least surprised when she didn’t believe his tale. No wonder that she looked at him as if he’d completely lost his reason. Perhaps he had.

  ‘He’s not my lover.’

  ‘I shall make damn’ sure of that fact in future, my dear. That’s why I gave him the job. Always best to entertain the enemy in your own front parlour, then you can see what he’s up to.’

  Ruby tossed back her hair in that haughty way she had when she was displeased. She sat at the end of the bed and began to tug a brush angrily through nut-brown curls that tumbled down around her shoulders, the vigorous movements making the neck of her night-gown gape at the throat as she lifted her arm, revealing enticing curves of soft white flesh.

  The thought of some other man caressing her slender form made his stomach clench, and Bart wondered if he could go through with this apparently civilised deal. Having Kit Jarvis on board had, at the time, seemed like a sensible idea. But he was already having second thoughts. How could he bear it? Bart knew he would be constantly on the lookout for the exchange of loving glances between them, secret notes passing from hand to hand.

  He took the brush from her hand, and standing beside her began to brush her hair himself. It sprang to the brush as if with a life of its own and he felt a quiver run through her. Her nightgown slid down a fraction more and he placed a caressing hand on her bare shoulder.

  ‘What would I do if you left me, Ruby? When you planned to run off on this wild goose chase of yours, didn’t you wonder how I would manage without you?’

  The stroke of the brush massaging her scalp was setting off strange little pulses of longing deep inside her, making it harder for her to concentrate. ‘Why should I?’

  ‘Have you not forgiven me yet for spoiling your little adventure?’ He laid the brush aside, his breath soft against her cheek as he turned her into his arms and pushed her back upon the bed. Held close against him, Ruby could actually feel the beat of his heart. Instinctively, she tilted her chin so that her mouth was bare inches from him, feeling a surge of excitement as she saw how his gazed fixed instantly upon it.

  ‘If I did, it was to assume that you’d quickly replace me with another reformatory kid, some other innocent girl who’d be happy enough to fill your bed and do your bidding, probably more willingly than me. I know about men, you see. My own mother warned me how they chase every bit of skirt that crosses their path.’

  ‘Oh, Ruby, what a sad indictment upon our marriage. Have you seen me chasing other girls? Have you?’ He kissed the tip of her nose, nibbled the soft curve of her lower lip. Ruby did not allow herself to respond.

  In truth she’d never seen him so much as glance at another female. Not in her presence, anyway. But what did that prove? You couldn’t trust men. You only had to let down your guard once, and they’d be off with the next rain shower. Mam had said so a score of times. And what did he expect her to say? That she was sorry for trying to run off to find their Billy. Well, she wouldn’t say such a terrible thing, and a few kisses and cuddles certainly wouldn’t win her round. All this pretence of affection didn’t move her one bit.

  As her breathing quickened under the skill of his caresses, Ruby struggled to maintain her composure. Deliberately adopting a scathing tone, she continued, ‘No doubt you think you can bribe Kit into helping with your nasty schemes and con tricks because he’s a reformatory kid too. Isn’t that the real truth behind this apparent show of generosity?’

  He had the gall to chuckle, as if he found the suggestion amusing, his eyes moving over her face as he tucked a glossy curl tenderly behind her ear. The tips of his fingers lingered over her cheek, capturing her chin and smoothing them over the firm line of her throat. ‘Not a bad idea. I should think Kit Jarvis would make a much better associate in crime than your own sweet, self, Ruby. If there is one thing you couldn’t accuse your friend of, it is honesty.’

  She tried to push him away but his hold on her tightened, his body pressing hard against hers as his hands moved slowly up and down her back, along the length of her hips and legs, awakening in her that oh-so-familiar need. He drew off the cumbersome night-gown, slid easily out of his own dressing gown and there was nothing now to prevent the touch of flesh upon flesh.

  Ruby fought to keep her breathing even, to remain detached from whatever it was he was doing to her, but he was not to be denied. He kissed her: a long, slow plunder of her mouth, taking his time and sending her emotions haywire, revelling in his power over her. Try as she might, she could not resist him. She could feel her own body lifting instinctively to his, her hands slide up around his neck, gripping his hair, pulling him close against her, wanting him to physically devour her, to make her a part of him.

  Their loving was unusually sweet and fulfilling, a lingering exchange of sensation, each giving the other physical pleasure perhaps in recompense for the bitter words, the harsh reality of their fractured relationship.

  When it was over, Ruby found herself so overwhelmed by this unexpected display of tenderness that she couldn’t think straight. Her brain seemed to have turned to jelly, and she was shaking like a schoolgirl. Was that out of regret? Because, deep inside, they both felt certain that this might be the last time they made love? That they could no longer maintain this farce of a marriage and must either make their peace, or part.

  Or was
it simply because she was suffused with shame by her own response, at the raw need he awakened in her?

  They lay side by side in the bed, not touching, not speaking, perhaps each wondering what the other was thinking. Was he regretting this coupling as some sort of display of weakness on his part? Was he thinking that he should never have followed her, that he should have let the ship sail with her on board? Perhaps he regretted ever having met her in the first place, ever having come to the reformatory seeking an assistant for his nefarious purposes. He’d ended up getting more than he’d bargained for.

  So had she, by agreeing to stay with him that day. Yet Ruby remained utterly fascinated by Barthram Stobbs, her husband. Since their inauspicious start, Ruby had come to respect and admire him. Even, and this she found hard to admit, close to liking him. Far from doing her harm, he’d done his utmost to protect her, in point of fact. For a moment she toyed with the notion of abandoning her dreams, and of staying with him.

  Could she settle for being his wife for always? To become Ruby Stobbs instead of Ruby McBride? And then she thought of her lovely Kit, ever faithful, patiently waiting year on year. She couldn’t let him down. How could she, after all this time, after all they’d meant to each other? She was suffering from sentiment and guilt, nothing more.

  When Ruby could bear the silence no longer, she brought his attention seamlessly back to their earlier discussion, her voice consciously cool and detached. ‘You’re falling into the same trap: calling Kit a criminal just because of his background. Kit is a good man. He has stood by me all my life.’

  Bart turned on his side to study her pensively for some long moments before he answered. When he did, the crispness of his tone was pure steel, almost as cold as his eyes. ‘You only imagine he has stood by you, but you’d be wrong in thinking so. In point of fact, he is concerned simply with saving his own skin, and may well have been up to no good with another member of your family.’

  Ruby felt all the colour drain from her cheeks, then rush back in, flagging them to a bright fury. She sat up in bed and, snatching up her night-gown, dragged it back over her head. ‘That’s the cruellest remark I’ve ever heard you make. I’ll have you take it back this minute.’

  He said nothing, merely lifted his eyebrows in that sardonically mocking way of his.

  ‘There are times, Bart Stobbs, when I could swing for you, I could really.’ Whereupon she left him and returned to her own cabin. For once, he did nothing to stop her leaving.

  Bart found little to amuse him in the situation. He was incensed by the way in which events had turned out. Annoyed with himself for having been foolish enough to reveal something of his own vulnerability in his love making, and furious that he was in serious danger of appearing to have gone soft over Jarvis.

  He began to make plans. It decided it would be a good idea to find out more information about the fellow. He set Sparky on the job, issuing instructions for him to seek out this Jackdaw character who’d helped Ruby to locate Kit in the first place.

  ‘I reckon they were mates when they were boys, so he must know Jarvis’s background well. Find out where he hangs out when he’s not here. I want to know everything about him, most particularly when and how he found Pearl.’

  And since Sparky owed Bart a favour, he set about the task with relish. There was nothing he liked better than a bit of high drama, and this tale bore all the hallmarks of such.

  Within days Sparky returned to his boss with the information that Pearl McBride was working as a prozzy at a certain tavern in Rochdale well known for such goings on. She was apparently very popular with her clients.

  Bart felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest. He could almost feel the pain this would cause Ruby, and he didn’t relish being the one to break the news. In Ruby’s eyes her sister Pearl was one step removed from the blessed Virgin Mary herself. He must make sure the tale was correct before he embarked on a course of action, whatever that might be. ‘Thanks, Sparky. Keep this under your hat for now, will you? I have to work out how to handle it.’ And since it was made worth his while to hold his tongue, Sparky gladly agreed to do so.

  The next day, Bart followed Sparky’s careful directions which led him to the tavern tucked away in a back street behind the gasworks in Rochdale. It was packed to the doors, it being a Friday, stinking of sawdust and beer, either freshly poured in huge tankards or spilled on the floor, all overlaid with the sweet-sour odour of stale sweat and vomit. None of this troubled Bart. He strode in, ordered a pint of bitter and as he quietly sipped it leaning against the bar counter, glanced interestedly about him, as if he were a regular in the place and was just checking to see if any of his mates had turned up.

  The place was so busy he thought he’d be lucky to find Pearl, but almost at once, he spotted her. She was sitting on the knee of a plump, middle-aged bloke, playfully tugging his beard while he groped down the front of her dress. Bart watched this performance for some moments as he drank his beer. She didn’t see him, didn’t even glance his way, and after about ten minutes, Pearl and the man, evidently a client, went outside together. ‘Give me another, landlord, and one for yourself.’

  ‘Fancy a bit o’ company, mister?’ A girl lolled against him, her old-young face clown-like with its scarlet lipstick and garish cheeks.

  ‘No, thanks.’ He cast scarcely a glance in her direction, so deeply absorbed was he in his own thoughts, and she wandered off, disappointed at failing to pull this handsome gent.

  Bart knew it could be fatal to make the wrong move. Should he confront Pearl with what he’d just discovered, or go to Ruby, tell her straight and let her sort her sister out? Though why would she take his word against that of her precious Pearl? She’d be unlikely to believe him without proof. He could always go and bring Ruby here, let her see Pearl at work with her own eyes. Such a prospect made him cringe. Far too cruel even to contemplate. My God, loving that woman was turning him into a mindless milksop. He had to get his life back in order, and Ruby’s too, before it was too late.

  Perhaps the only way forward was to offer Pearl the golden path of redemption. Grease her palm with sufficient silver and she might well take it.

  ‘Thanks, chuck, I allus like the cash up front.’ Pearl gave her client a playful wink as she shoved the florin he’d paid her down between her full soft breasts where it would remain, firmly lodged with one or two companions. Then she lifted her skirts up about her waist and quietly smoked a cigarette while he got on with the business, the first of many such encounters this evening. And she didn’t expect to get home until the early hours when she would finally strip off, wash herself all over and go to bed. Alone.

  This was the one part of Kit’s Grand Plan of which she did not approve. The fact that she was on her own most nights of the week now that he slept on board the tug, if not exactly with Ruby, then certainly close by. Pearl found it infuriating how things always turned out right for her blessed sister, and wrong for herself.

  ‘Ooh, yer so strong, Jimmy. You really get me going,’ she whimpered, embellishing her words with a few groans and gasps of supposed pleasure.

  Although Pearl was strong on self-pity, she did not allow it to stand in the way of business. It was early and trade would be good tonight, it being pay day. She was about to tell her client that he’d had his money’s worth for one night when it dawned on her that someone else was in the back alley, watching them. Surely they weren’t queuing for her favours now?

  ‘What’s your game, mate? I won’t have no peeping Toms watching me.’

  The reply came out of the darkness, softly menacing.

  ‘I’m so sorry to interrupt, Pearl, when you’re working but I thought it time you and I had a little chat.’

  ‘Eh?’ As his face emerged from the shadows, Pearl’s heart seemed to stop beating and she gazed up at him in horror. Being discovered ‘on the job’ as it were by Barthram Stobbs had not at all been part of the plan. Kit would kill her for this. As for Ruby ... It didn’t bear thinking about,
really it didn’t. Flustered and thrown off balance she shoved her client away with very little consternation. ‘Buzz off, Jimmy. We’ll finish this another time, eh?’

  Pearl made a feeble, if ineffectual, protest when Bart grasped her by the arm and led her away down the back alley, though she soon abandoned the effort when she realised how fruitless it was. Barthram Stobbs was tall and strong, and his hold tenacious. For the first time, Pearl began to doubt the wisdom of embarking on her chosen profession.

  He, on the other hand, seemed blithely unconcerned, almost relishing his discovery. ‘This won’t take long, Pearl, and I don’t mind paying you for your time, if you feel it necessary. But it is essential that we have a little chat, don’t you think?’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘I take it Ruby knows nothing of this little sideline of yours?’ Bemused, Pearl shook her head, garish red hair blazing like a ball of fire in the light from the gas lamp.

  ‘I thought not. Then answer my questions and she won’t hear anything of it from me. How long have you known Kit?’

  Still she said nothing.

  ‘It would be in your best interests to co-operate. I’ve no more wish than you for Ruby to learn the truth about her innocent little sister, but I need something in return.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Information. I want to know all about Kit Jarvis. How it was that he found you so easily, when everyone else had been searching for years.’

  ‘That were just chance.’

  ‘I very much doubt it. I think that you and he are in this together. I believe you only became interested in Ruby’s rather naive dream to run off to Canada and look for Billy after she’d foolishly told you about that pendant. She did tell you, didn’t she?’

  ‘Not me she didn’t, no. She might’ve mentioned it to Kit.’

  ‘And which he fully intended to steal from her.’

  ‘That was nothing to do with me.’

  ‘If it was Kit’s idea, why not admit it? You know I don’t like him, and I certainly don’t want him hanging around my wife. I need him to sling his hook, to vanish out of Ruby’s life for good. You’re the only one I can think of who is capable of achieving this seemingly impossible task. Come on, Pearl, you must know of some way to persuade him to change his plans and leave her in peace. You want him for yourself, after all. Admit it.’