Mermaids Singing

by Dilly Court

  ‘My Herbert would be so proud of you both,’ Betty said, rummaging in her pinafore pocket for her hankie. ‘So proud.’

  ‘Herbert was a fine man.’ Jasper made a harrumphing noise deep in his throat. ‘I’ll see you on board ship tomorrow, Jem.’

  ‘I’ll be there, Sir.’

  Jasper turned to Kitty, holding out his hand, a smile crinkling the corner of his eyes. ‘Goodbye, Kitty. I’ll bring him back safe and sound, don’t you worry.’

  ‘We’ll walk you to the cabstand, Cap’n,’ Jem said. ‘Coming, Kitty?’

  Jem and Kitty walked back slowly, arm in arm, along the wharf. A cool, easterly breeze brought a bit of relief from the sizzling July heat, but the city smells hung in a miasma over the slinking, brown water.

  ‘I don’t want to go,’ Jem said. ‘I’ll miss you every moment of every day, Kitty.’

  ‘I’ll miss you too, Jem.’ Kitty squeezed his arm. ‘It’s not for long. You’ll be back before you know it.’

  Jem stopped, slipping his arms around her waist. ‘Everything I do is for you – you know that, don’t you?’

  Kitty angled her head, avoiding the intensity of his gaze. ‘Of course I do, silly.’

  ‘I love you, Kitty. More than you’ll ever know.’

  ‘I know that too.’ Kitty smiled up at him and wriggled free. ‘Come on, we’d best get home to Betty. She’s going to miss you too.’

  ‘You just can’t say it, can you?’ Jem stuck his hands in his pockets, falling in step beside Kitty as she turned towards Tanner’s Passage. ‘Why won’t you say it, Kitty?’

  ‘It’s just words. You know I care for you.’

  ‘Then prove it.’ Catching hold of Kitty’s hand, Jem stopped, pulling her round to face him.

  ‘Prove it?’

  ‘Say you’ll marry me, Kitty. Give me your promise and I’ll live on it until you’re good and ready.’

  Looking into his eyes, Kitty longed to say yes, but a mist blurred her vision and a feeling of panic constricted her throat. ‘I – I can’t, not yet. It’s too soon.’

  ‘Too soon?’ Jem’s voice deepened with anger. ‘We’ve known each other all our lives. I want to spend the rest of mine with you.’

  Shaking her head, Kitty couldn’t meet his fierce gaze. ‘I’m not saying no. I just need time to get used to the idea. Getting wed changes people for the worst and I don’t want to spoil things.’

  ‘It won’t be like that with us, I swear it.’

  ‘Give me time, Jem.’

  ‘I can wait, as long as you promise not to get tied up with anyone else.’

  Raising her eyes to his, Kitty managed a wobbly smile. ‘That’s a promise I can give you, no trouble at all, Jem. Cross my heart and hope to die.’

  Standing side by side, Kitty and Betty waved a tearful farewell to Jem as he boarded his ship. They stood on the quay wall; silently watching until the ship was out of sight, before turning away and walking slowly back to Tanner’s Passage. Betty was snuffling into her hankie and Kitty had to steel herself not to join in; she had felt sad when Jem had gone away in the past, but this time was subtly different, as if part of her soul was being wrenched from her body, leaving her feeling desperately alone. They walked home slowly and in silence. As they turned into Tanner’s Passage, Kitty saw a carriage waiting outside the house. A pair of perfectly matched bays moved restlessly, flicking their ears and tails as clouds of flies buzzed around their heads. Kitty recognised the coachman before she realised that the lady seated in the open carriage was the new Lady Mableton.

  ‘My goodness,’ Betty whispered. ‘That’s the Mableton crest on the carriage door. Who’s that, Kitty?’

  ‘Go and open the front door, Betty,’ Kitty said, giving her a gentle push. ‘I’m almost certain that it’s Captain Edward’s wife, though what she wants with us I can’t think.’

  Allowing the footman to help her from the carriage, Lady Mableton turned to the coachman. ‘Walk the horses, Tompkins. Come back in half an hour.’ Picking up her skirts, she strolled into the house as though she visited the East End every day.

  ‘This is an unexpected honour, Ma’am,’ Betty said, dropping a curtsey.

  ‘I’ve come to see Kitty. Could we speak somewhere in private?’

  ‘Take her ladyship up to my sitting room,’ Betty said, nodding her head to Kitty. ‘Can I offer you a cup of tea, Ma’am?’

  ‘No, thank you.’ Lady Mableton followed Kitty up to Betty’s sitting room. She sat down on the sofa, arranging her skirts as she glanced around the room; if she was surprised to see a large bed taking up half the space in the sitting room, she did not show it. ‘I expect you’re wondering why I’ve come, Kitty? Please sit down, don’t hover.’

  Fascinated by Lady Mableton’s unfamiliar accent and her eye-catching crimson gown, Kitty perched on the edge of the window seat. ‘What can I do for you, my lady?’

  ‘I’ll come straight to the point. I’ve heard that you are not only an excellent dressmaker but that you design gowns for fashionable ladies. Am I right?’

  ‘I did – I mean I do – but how did you know, Ma’am?’

  Lady Mableton peeled off her silk gloves. ‘You knew my husband’s stepmother, I believe?’

  ‘Yes, Ma’am.’ Kitty clasped her hands in her lap, an uneasy feeling making the skin on her neck crawl. Where was this all leading?

  ‘Kitty, I’m a plain woman. My family made their fortune farming in the Cape Colony and I’ve no patience with people who put on airs and graces. Since I arrived in London I’ve had to listen daily to gossip and innuendo involving that woman and my husband. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

  Kitty had a vision of Miss Iris and her pinched, acidic face. It did not take much imagination to picture the forthright, handsome Lady Mableton crossing verbal swords with her new sister-in-law. Kitty nodded her head.

  ‘I’ve been subjected to scandalous tales about my husband’s stepmother until I could scream with frustration. I know you were close to her and I want to know the truth. But that can wait. More importantly, my husband and I have invitations to the Abbey to attend the King’s Coronation and I need a very special gown. Iris has told me that it’s impossible to have such a gown designed and made in just over a week. Could you do that for me?’

  ‘I – I think I could, Ma’am.’ Kitty took a deep breath. ‘No, I’m certain I could, Lady Mableton.’

  ‘I thought so. I summed you up perfectly the first moment I laid eyes on you. I’m never wrong about people.’

  ‘I would need to take your measurements right away, my lady.’

  ‘Exactly so. Do this thing for me, Kitty, and I will pay you well. If I am satisfied with your work, then I will order more gowns.’ Lady Mableton patted her swelling stomach. ‘As you can see, I am in an interesting condition and will need a whole new wardrobe, especially as I understand an English winter can be very unpleasant. Well, what are you waiting for? Fetch your tape measure and let us begin.’

  Kitty took detailed measurements, noting them down in her workbook. They discussed shape and style and she did a few rough sketches that met with instant approval from Lady Mableton.

  ‘You have talent, Kitty.’

  ‘Thank you, my lady.’ Kitty chewed the end of her pencil, wondering how to broach the subject of the money she would need to purchase the costly material for such an important gown.

  ‘And no doubt you are in need of funds.’ Adeline reached for an embroidered purse, handing it to Kitty. ‘As I told you, I’m a practical woman, not one of your effete English aristocracy. I know the value and the power of money and I’m not afraid to use it.’

  The purse felt reassuringly heavy in Kitty’s hand. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps it was a little too heavy for the task in hand, but she wasn’t about to refuse such a generous gesture. ‘Thank you, my lady, but we still need to discuss material and colour.’

  ‘That won’t be necessary; I have a bolt of Chinese silk that my brother, an inveterate tra
veller, brought back from China just before those wretched Boxers rebelled, causing all that trouble in Peking. I’ll send my coachman round with it this afternoon and you can begin at once.’

  ‘I could come to Dover Street, my lady,’ Kitty suggested. ‘Perhaps, in view of your delicate condition …’

  ‘Nonsense. I’m as strong as an ox and I hate fuss. Also, I don’t want Iris to know what I’m doing. This is strictly between ourselves, Kitty. Is that clear?’

  ‘Yes, my lady. Perfectly clear.’

  ‘And now,’ Adeline said, her dark eyes blackbird bright, ‘now you are going to tell me everything you know about the scandalous Bella Lane.’

  Kitty worked night and day on the gown for Lady Mableton. She got by on two or three hours’ sleep every night, working until her fingers bled and her eyes blurred into double vision. Betty did what she could to help, having recovered from the initial shock of seeing the bolt of emerald green silk, interwoven with gold thread making patterns of exotic, oriental flowers and mythical beasts. Kitty had tried, tactfully, to suggest that perhaps ivory satin or plain cream silk would be more suitable for the occasion, but Adeline had proved to be as stubborn as she was handsome.

  ‘White or cream is for pale, insipid Englishwomen,’ she had said, with a disdainful toss of her head. ‘I know what suits me and I don’t give a damn for convention. I want the stuffy English nobility to notice me and I intend to become the most fashionable hostess in London. With my fortune behind him and with my social skills, Edward will go far in politics. Our son will inherit a dukedom, if I have anything to do with it.’

  Adeline came in person to collect her gown late in the afternoon of Friday, the day before the actual Coronation. Trying on the gown for the final time, Adeline gasped with despair as Kitty struggled ineffectually to fasten the last of the tiny back buttons.

  ‘I simply can’t have grown bigger since yesterday,’ Adeline said, sucking in her breath. ‘Try again, Kitty.’

  Kitty exchanged worried glances with Betty. ‘It’s no use, my lady. Whatever the cause, I can’t do it up. I’ll have to let out some seams.’

  ‘It’s probably a touch of wind,’ Betty said. ‘Begging your pardon, Ma’am, for mentioning such a thing, but I had wind something terrible when I was carrying our Polly.’

  ‘Nonsense.’ Adeline jerked the material from Kitty’s hands. ‘Stop fiddling with the buttons, girl. There isn’t time to let out seams. Lace me up a bit tighter, Kitty.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s wise, my lady?’

  ‘Just do it.’

  Betty folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head. ‘Think about your delicate condition, my lady.’

  Adeline whipped around to face Betty. ‘When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it. Go away.’

  Betty’s cheeks flamed scarlet and, bobbing a curtsey, she hurried from the room.

  Without further comment, Kitty loosened the laces of the whalebone stays.

  Adeline let out a gasp of what might have been relief. ‘Now pull them tight as you can,’ she said, taking a deep breath.

  Eventually, after much tugging and pulling, Kitty was able to do up the last of the tiny gold buttons. Adeline’s satisfied smile was wiped off her face by a spasm of pain that made her gasp, holding her hand to her side.

  ‘My lady, are you all right?’ Kitty asked anxiously.

  ‘Of course, I am, don’t fuss.’ Adeline grasped the back of a chair, leaning forward and panting. Beads of perspiration stood out on her forehead and her face was deathly pale, but she pulled her lips back in an effort to smile. ‘I’m perfectly fine. It’s just a touch of dyspepsia. I’ll be at Westminster Abbey in time for the Coronation tomorrow, if it kills me.’

  Chapter Nineteen

  Next day, on the morning of the Coronation, Betty and Kitty walked all the way to Westminster, leaving at the crack of dawn in order to secure a position close to the Abbey. The day was bright and sunny and the streets heaved with flag-waving, cheering Londoners, lining the route of the procession. With a bit of pushing and jostling and the judicious use of elbows, Kitty and Betty managed to edge their way to the front of the crowd, watching eagerly as the dignitaries arrived, walking along the red carpet to take up their seats in the Abbey.

  ‘There she is,’ Betty cried, nudging Kitty, and pointing.

  It was impossible to miss Lady Adeline Mableton, who was half a head taller than most of the other ladies, and her emerald green and gold gown stood out amongst them, exotic as an orchid in a field of white daisies. Kitty craned her neck to get a better view and couldn’t help feeling just a bit proud of her own handiwork, and it seemed that Lady Mableton had got her wish, all eyes were upon her. She paused in the entrance to the Abbey, raising her white-gloved hand in a wave of acknowledgement to the crowd and receiving a cheer of appreciation in return. Sir Edward looked slightly uncomfortable as he led his wife out of the sunshine into the cool, dark interior of the Abbey.

  ‘Oh, well,’ Betty said. ‘She’s got what she wanted, but I don’t think it’ll do her much good with the rest of the toffs.’

  ‘Who is that?’ Kitty asked, as loud cheers rippled through the tightly packed crowds.

  ‘Why, don’t you recognise him?’ Betty said, chuckling. ‘It’s Lord Kitchener and there’s Mr Balfour, the Prime Minister. Listen to the crowd cheering; it must be the King and Queen Alexandra arriving. Oh, Kitty, if only Jem and Polly were here to see this day …’

  At the end of the ceremony, after the newly crowned King and his Queen had left the Abbey, followed by the illustrious guests, Kitty and Betty waited until the last.

  ‘They haven’t come out yet,’ Kitty said, standing on tiptoe. ‘We can’t have missed them.’

  The crowds had already begun to disperse and Betty was tugging at Kitty’s arm, urging her to begin the long walk home.

  ‘No,’ Kitty said. ‘I’ve waited this long. I want to see them leave the Abbey.’

  At that moment, Sir Edward appeared in the doorway, supporting Adeline on his arm.

  ‘She’s been taken poorly,’ Kitty said, pushing through the crowd only to be stopped by a burly policeman, just as Adeline crumpled to the ground.

  ‘I’m a nurse,’ Kitty told the policeman. ‘Let me by.’

  ‘And I’m Lady Mableton’s maid,’ Betty said, assuming Maria’s arrogant stance. ‘Let us pass, Constable, if you please.’

  The policeman hesitated for a moment, but a small crowd of curious onlookers had gathered round, diverting his attention and giving Kitty and Betty the opportunity to slip past him.

  By the time they reached him, Edward had managed to get Adeline back on her feet. He stared blankly at Kitty for a moment. ‘Kitty?’

  ‘Can we help, Sir Edward?’ Kitty bobbed a curtsey.

  Adeline raised her head from his shoulder. ‘It’s just a fainting spell. I’ll be all right in a minute.’

  The Mableton carriage drew up in the road outside the Abbey and the footman leapt off to open the door and pull the steps down.

  ‘You’re unwell, my dear,’ Edward said, lifting Adeline up in his arms with a considerable effort. ‘I’m taking you home.’

  ‘Put me down!’ Adeline’s dark eyebrows shot together over the bridge of her patrician nose. ‘Put me down, at once! You’re making a spectacle of us.’

  Edward set her back on her feet. ‘Really, Adeline. You’re unwell, my dear. You must allow me to take you home.’

  ‘I will go home, but Kitty and Mrs Scully will accompany me and you will go to the reception. You shan’t miss this opportunity because of me.’

  Edward’s brow puckered into furrows. ‘I don’t understand, Adeline. How do you know these women?’

  ‘Don’t ask foolish questions, Edward. Kitty was recommended to me as a dressmaker. How else do you think I had this lovely gown made in less than a week?’

  ‘Er, yes. Well done, Kitty. But, Adeline –’

  ‘No, my dear, you mustn’t worry about me and I’d rather have se
nsible women with me at the moment than your fussing.’

  Holding her breath, Kitty saw that Sir Edward was still puzzled and she wondered how Lady Mableton was going to explain her reasons for choosing her out of all the dressmakers and modistes in London. Would she admit that it was Iris’s spiteful tittle-tattle that had sown the seeds of jealousy in her mind, leading her to believe that her handsome husband was still in love with his stepmother? But Adeline brushed aside Edward’s questions, insisting that she merely needed to rest and, as most of the servants had been given the day off to watch the Coronation procession, she wanted to be sure of having female company. Edward dithered but in the end Adeline won by sheer force of will, sending him off to the reception. Holding herself very straight, Adeline stood by the carriage, watching until he was out of sight and then she seemed to crumple at the knees. Kitty and Betty rushed to support her.

  ‘Get me home,’ Adeline said, grimacing with pain. ‘I’m afraid I am not very well.’

  Warner let them into the house and, if he felt hostile towards Kitty, he kept his feelings well under control. Having sent the new hall boy for the doctor, Warner went in person to the kitchen to ask Mrs Dixon to make tea for her ladyship. Slowly, and with many stops along the way, Kitty and Betty managed to help Adeline up the stairs to her bedroom. It took both their efforts to get her undressed and into her white lawn nightgown and, by the time they helped her into bed, it was obvious that she was very poorly indeed. Her cries and moans echoed round the room as she clutched Kitty’s hands, squeezing them until Kitty felt that her bones would snap.

  By the time the doctor arrived, it was all over. With tears running down her cheeks, Betty wrapped the tiny body in a clean towel and took it from the room. Kitty sat at the head of the bed, bathing Adeline’s face with cool water, while the doctor did what was necessary to make her comfortable. When Adeline was asleep, sedated by a generous dose of laudanum, Kitty went to look for Betty and found her in the kitchen, drinking tea with Mrs Dixon and Mrs Brewster. George had just returned from watching the Coronation procession and he stood listening to the sad news, with a Union Jack still clutched in his hand.