Mermaids Singing

by Dilly Court

  Before George could speak Florrie came flying out of the scullery and tugged at his coat-tails. ‘The master’s bell is jangling like fury, George. Best get up there quick or you’ll be for it.’

  Kitty took a piece of paper from her skirt pocket, and a pencil; she scribbled down the address in Sackville Street, handing it to George.

  ‘I’ll be in touch then, Kitty.’

  Kitty stayed up late, long after Betty and Maggie had gone to bed, sitting in the window upstairs, waiting for Bella to come home so that she could give her the good news. She was half asleep when, sometime after midnight, a cab drew up outside the house. Dragging herself out of the chair, Kitty raced down the stairs, arriving in the hall just as Maria came through the front door. She was alone.

  Maria took off her bonnet, glaring at Kitty. ‘What are you doing up this late?’

  ‘Where’s Bella?’

  ‘Gone to supper with Mr Chester. Not that it’s any business of yours, Miss,’ Maria snapped, tossing her bonnet onto the hallstand. ‘Shouldn’t you be in bed?’

  Kitty hesitated, eyeing Maria and backing away. She was best avoided when she was in a mood, and she was obviously in a mood now. ‘Yes, I’m going.’

  ‘Not so fast. You’d better tell me what’s so important that it kept you from your bed.’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with you. I’ve got some news for Bella.’

  ‘Anything that affects Bella has something to do with me. I’m her mother and just you remember that.’

  ‘I’ve got news about Leonie.’

  ‘What? She’s not ill or anything?’

  Seeing Maria’s sallow skin turn the colour of lemon icing, Kitty shook her head. ‘No, nothing like that. I went to Dover Street and I spoke to George. I thought maybe we could arrange for Bella to see Leonie.’

  Maria grabbed Kitty by the shoulders, shaking her until her teeth rattled. ‘Don’t be a fool, girl. Bella is just getting back on her feet – do you want to ruin things?’

  ‘But that’s not fair.’

  Maria struck Kitty across the cheek with the flat of her hand. ‘That’s what you get for nothing; see what you get for something.’

  Kitty broke free, holding her hand to her cheek. ‘Why are you being so cruel to Bella? She loves Leonie.’

  ‘And Mr Chester is besotted with my Bella. I don’t want anything to spoil her chances there.’

  ‘But he’s married. He told me so last Christmas when he brought us those presents. He said he had been out buying gifts for his family.’

  ‘Yes, he’s married but he’ll set Bella up with a nice little house of her own and treat her right. You’d better do some growing up, my girl, and then you’ll realise that no respectable man is going to offer my Bella anything other than being his mistress. That’s the way life goes for people like us. Get that into your pretty little head and maybe you’ll do all right for yourself, but don’t you dare go encouraging Bella with a lot of romantic nonsense or you’ll have me to answer to.’

  Maria hung her coat on the hallstand and stomped up the stairs, leaving Kitty standing in the hall staring after her. She wasn’t going to have a fight with Maria, but neither was she going to pay any attention to such bitter words. Just because Maria had had an unhappy time with Bella’s father, and seemed to hate all men, it didn’t mean that Bella had to suffer.

  Kitty crept into the salon and pulled up a chair by the window, determined to wait until Bella came home, no matter if she had to stay up all night.

  Waking up with a start, Kitty uncurled her cold, cramped limbs and peeped out of the window. In the guttering light of the gas lamps she saw Mr Chester handing Bella out of the back seat of his shiny, black motor car. Kitty dodged back behind the curtain as they mounted the steps together and, waiting until she heard Bella’s key turn in the lock, she ran to the door and slipped out into the hall.

  ‘Thank you for supper and for seeing me home,’ Bella said, stepping inside.

  Kitty couldn’t quite make out his reply but Humphrey’s voice sounded soft and persuasive.

  ‘I shall probably sleep all day tomorrow, my dear,’ Bella said. ‘And then I have fittings for my new stage costume. I’ll see you at the theatre on Monday.’

  Kitty edged forward as Bella shut the door. ‘Bella, it’s me, Kitty.’

  Bella spun round, clasping her hand to her chest. ‘Kitty! You frightened the life out of me. What’s wrong?’

  Kitty grabbed Bella’s hand and led her into the salon. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you but I had to wait up and give you the good news.’

  ‘Good news?’

  ‘George is going to let me know when Leonie is being taken for a walk in the park.’

  Bella sank down on one of the gilt chairs. ‘Kitty dear, I appreciate your efforts but I’ve been going to the park for months to catch a glimpse of Leonie. She doesn’t know I’m there, bless her, but at least I’ve seen her.’

  ‘But you never said!’

  ‘No, I thought it was best to keep it to myself. Maria doesn’t approve. She thinks I should let Leonie go, but I can’t. I simply can’t.’ Bella’s voice thickened with tears and broke on a sob.

  Kitty threw her arms around Bella and hugged her. ‘Don’t cry, Bella.’

  ‘I’m all right, dear, just exhausted. It’s been a long day and I need my bed.’ Raising herself from the chair, Bella moved towards the door. She paused, turning to Kitty with a tremulous smile. ‘But I appreciate what you did for me. Thank you, Kitty.’

  Next morning, it being Sunday, Kitty was using the quiet time while the salon was closed to work on some designs for a costume for one of Bella’s theatrical ladies.

  Bella and Maria were still in their rooms, presumably sleeping. Betty had gone to morning service and Maggie had taken the children for a walk in Hyde Park. The silence was shattered as the front door opened and the children burst into the hall, chattering and giggling, with Maggie telling them to hush. She popped her head round the door, smiling.

  ‘We’re back, Kitty.’

  ‘I’d never have guessed.’

  ‘Go to the kitchen and you can have a glass of milk and a rock cake,’ Maggie called to the children. ‘One each, mind, and no more or you’ll spoil your dinner.’ She came in, taking off her bonnet and shawl. ‘It’s lovely in the park, just like being in the country.’

  Looking up, Kitty raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘You’ve never been to the country.’

  ‘I did go once, a long time ago before you was born. Mum and Dad took me and Lennie to Southend on the train. We saw green fields, trees and flowers; cows and sheep, pigs and chickens; farm houses with weatherboard fronts and thatched roofs. It were like a dream. Lennie died of the typhoid just weeks later but at least he’d seen the country.’

  Kitty leaned back in her chair, chewing the tip of her pencil. ‘Why Maggie Cable, I never knew you were so taken with country things.’

  ‘Like I said, it’s just a dream, Kitty. Living where the air is fresh and clean in a house all of me own.’

  ‘And I never knew you were so ambitious.’

  ‘Not for myself, I’m not, but I want things for my kids. One day I want a nice little house out Romford way with a proper garden where the kids can play. Somewhere safe where Sid won’t find us – if he ever decides to start looking, that is.’

  Kitty stared in surprise at Maggie’s animated face. She had changed so much since they’d left Tanner’s Passage. Now that her fear of Sid turning up again had diminished, and freed from the grinding poverty of Sugar Yard, Maggie looked more like the pretty young girl she had been before her marriage. An involuntary shudder shook Kitty as the memories of that terrible night came flooding back. She could hear the scrape of Sid’s boots on the quay wall followed by the muffled splash of his body hitting the water. She couldn’t tell Maggie that, if she hadn’t actually killed Sid, she had done nothing to save his miserable life. She hadn’t screamed for help or run to find a constable, she had just lain there panting, gaspi
ng for breath and her only feeling at the time had been relief that Sid couldn’t get to her. Her hands were shaking and she dropped the pencil. ‘Whoops-a-daisy,’ she said, bending down to pick it up.

  ‘Look at you, Kitty. You’re all fingers and thumbs,’ Maggie said, chuckling. A commotion from the hallway distracted her and Maggie ran to the door. ‘Less noise out there, boys! Bella and Maria are trying to sleep. If you’ve had your milk you can go out in the back yard and play until I call you for dinner.’

  Five-year-old Violet ran into the room dragging Harry behind her; his short legs only just keeping up with her long strides. Running to Maggie, he clutched her hand, reverting to his baby habit of sucking his thumb.

  ‘There now, Harry love,’ Maggie said in a softer tone, patting his head. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘They’ve been teasing us, Mum,’ Violet said, pouting. ‘They said Harry was a baby and made him cry.’

  ‘You tell those bad boys that they’ll feel the wooden spoon across their knuckles if they tease Harry.’ Ruffling Violet’s curls, Maggie gave Harry a quick cuddle. ‘Go along with Violet, poppet. And, Vi, you tell the boys that if anyone so much as nibbles the crust of that apple pie they’ll be in for it.’

  Shooing the children from the room, Maggie returned, shaking her head. ‘They’ll be the death of me, them boys.’

  ‘Don’t be hard on them, Maggie,’ Kitty said. ‘They’re good lads.’

  Maggie slipped off her cape and laid it neatly across one of the chairs. ‘I know it, but I want them to grow up proper, and have some respect for other people, not like their dad.’ Maggie’s face darkened for a moment and then she smiled. ‘Anyway, it’s not likely that he’ll dare show his face again and I’m saving every penny I gets in wages. You never know when all this is going to come to an end.’

  ‘But, Maggie, we’re doing well at the moment. We’ve got everything we could possibly want.’

  ‘In my experience, things don’t last forever and I got to think of the future. It’s a rum setup between Mr Chester and Bella. I never seen a man prepared to wait for so long for what he wants.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘If you can’t see it, then I ain’t going to be the one to tell you, ducks. Anyway, it’s time I went downstairs and sorted them kids out.’ Patting Kitty on the cheek, Maggie hurried from the room, leaving Kitty staring after her.

  Heaving a sigh, Kitty picked up her pencil, chewing it thoughtfully. She knew that Mr Chester was sweet on Bella, but that was hardly surprising; what was shocking was Maggie’s inference that he might expect more than just ten percent as a return on his investment. And he seemed to be such a gentleman.

  Then there was Maggie herself, whose words had made Kitty think of her sister in a new light. Tongues of guilt licked at her conscience. She had dragged Maggie away from the squalor and deprivation of Sugar Yard, settled her in Tanner’s Passage and then transplanted the family to Sackville Street, without ever considering that Maggie might have ambitions and aspirations of her own. Everything that she had done had been with the best of intentions, but still Maggie was not completely happy. Kitty rubbed her hand wearily across her eyes. Why was life never simple?

  The sound of the brass door knocker being energetically used brought her back to the present with a jolt. Kitty jumped up and ran to open the door.

  George stood on the top step, dressed in his Sunday best and grinning broadly. ‘Hello there, Kitty. You haven’t forgotten have you?’

  Kitty stared at him, trying to reassemble her scrambled thoughts. ‘Forgotten?’

  ‘You promised to walk out with me this fine Sunday.’

  ‘Oh, George, I had completely forgotten. I’m so sorry but I’ve got a lot of work to do.’

  Taking off his straw boater, George stepped across the threshold. ‘You promised, Kitty. I’m not moving from this spot without you.’

  Kitty opened her mouth to argue but George laid his finger across her lips. ‘It’s just a stroll in the park. You needn’t worry about me, Kitty. I’m a perfect gent.’

  ‘Don’t be daft, George. I never thought anything else.’

  ‘Good,’ George said, grinning. ‘Then get your coat and hat, Miss Cox. We’re stepping out.’

  She hadn’t wanted to go with him but, to Kitty’s surprise, she found herself having fun for the first time in years. They walked to Hyde Park, took a boat out on the Serpentine and ate ice cream sitting near the bandstand and listening to a band playing military marches. At Speaker’s Corner there was a man ranting against the continuing war in South Africa and the infamous concentration camps, where Boer women and children were dying in horrifying numbers; an Irishman demanding self-rule for Ireland; a woman calling for her sisters to unite in women’s suffrage and a preacher to whom no one was paying any attention but who was shouting the loudest of all, promising hellfire and damnation for more or less everyone.

  Late in the afternoon, they were strolling back along Piccadilly and Kitty was laughing at a silly joke that George had just made, when she saw Giles Rackham standing on the corner of Half Moon Street.

  ‘What’s up?’ demanded George as Kitty stopped suddenly, tugging on his arm.

  ‘Over there on the other side of the road. It’s Mr Rackham.’

  ‘What if it is? We’ve done nothing wrong.’

  ‘Oh, bother! He’s seen us.’ Kitty glanced around for some means of escape but Rackham was already halfway across the road.

  ‘Well, then,’ Rackham said, tipping his hat to Kitty. ‘This is a pleasant surprise. I didn’t realise that you two were so friendly.’

  ‘It’s my afternoon off, Sir,’ George said, jumping to attention.

  ‘We just went for a walk,’ Kitty said, eyeing him warily. ‘We’re old friends.’

  Rackham put his head on one side with an alert expression in his eyes. ‘So, are you now? That might be very useful.’

  ‘I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Sir. Please let us pass, George has to be back on duty by five o’clock.’

  ‘I’ve just come from Dover Street. Sir Desmond has taken to his bed with a touch of gout and Miss Iris is too busy telephoning her friends to tell them her news to notice that the second footman’s late for duty.’

  ‘I’d best get back quickly.’ George ran a finger around the inside of his collar, sending Kitty an anxious look. ‘I bet Mrs Dixon is on the warpath.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant, young man.’

  ‘What did you mean, Mr Rackham?’ Kitty demanded, wondering if Mr Rackham had gone completely mad. ‘What news?’

  ‘Miss Iris is engaged to be married, Kitty.’

  ‘Not to you, Sir!’ exclaimed Kitty, outraged. ‘You’re not going to marry Miss Iris?’

  Rackham tapped the side of his nose and laughed. ‘Perhaps. Who knows?’

  ‘And you pretended to be Bella’s friend,’ Kitty cried, brushing off George’s restraining hand. ‘How could you?’

  Rackham’s smile faded. ‘I am Bella’s friend and I want you both to remember that. I’m doing this for Bella and for Leonie, but I’ll need your help. Can I count on you?’

  ‘What are you saying?’ demanded Kitty.

  ‘I’m asking you to trust me,’ Rackham said, his expression serious for once. ‘I can’t reveal my plans at this moment in time, but can I count on you both to help me?’

  Chapter Fifteen

  It had been the night of all nights in the theatre. The audience had been even more appreciative than usual and Bella had taken curtain call after curtain call. She could still hear the cheering and applause echoing in her head as she slapped cold cream on her face, scrubbing at the thick coating of greasepaint with a flannel.

  ‘You look like a circus clown,’ Maria said, staring critically at Bella’s reflection in the mirror. ‘I hope you’re not going to get all temperamental now that you’re top of the bill, my girl.’

  Bella snorted with laughter. ‘Not much chance of that with you around, Mother dear.’


  ‘When you call me Mother, I know you’ve really got the hump.’ Maria pursed her lips. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘You haven’t heard the news then?’

  ‘Mafeking and Ladysmith have been relieved. No, that was last year. Um, let me guess … I know, the King has sent you a personal invitation to his Coronation next year along with Lillie Langtry and the rest.’

  ‘Very funny, Mother. I might die laughing.’

  ‘Then what is it? Stop playing games, for God’s sake, Bella, and tell me.’

  ‘Rackham is engaged to Iris.’

  ‘So what? Why does that nark you? They should suit each other down to the ground.’

  ‘Because,’ Bella said, wiping off the last of her make-up, ‘Giles was supposed to be on my side. I never believed him when he said he was seeing Iris in order to help me get Leonie back. He’s a cheat and a liar and he makes me sick.’

  ‘You’re well rid of him and the Mableton family. You should concentrate on Humphrey. He’s mad about you and he’s rich. If you play your cards right he might get his lawyers to take your case.’

  ‘He wouldn’t do that; he’s not interested in my child. Humphrey just wants me to be his mistress but I don’t want him.’

  ‘Bah!’ Maria snorted. ‘You’re not still pining for Edward, are you?’

  Shaking her head, Bella opened her mouth to deny it, but the sound of someone knocking on the door drowned her reply.

  Maria went to answer it. ‘Mr Chester, I thought it was you, Sir.’

  ‘Is Bella ready?’

  ‘Humphrey, I’m really tired,’ Bella said, rising slowly to her feet. ‘Would you mind if I went straight home tonight?’

  Humphrey stepped into the tiny room, his face creased with concern. ‘Are you unwell, my darling?’

  ‘No, but it’s been a long day.’

  Slipping his arm around Bella’s waist, Humphrey smiled into her eyes. ‘A glass or two of champagne will work wonders. Get dressed, my love, and I’ll wait for you in my office.’

  ‘I’d really like to go home,’ Bella said firmly. ‘Maybe tomorrow night?’