by Dilly Court
‘You’re alive, son. That’s all that matters to me.’ Winnie wrapped her arms around the group and they stood there in the middle of the tiny room, hugging and crying.
‘Perhaps we ought to leave now?’ Rose suggested tentatively.
‘Yes, we can return tomorrow.’ Eugene was about to open the front door when Winnie broke away from her children.
‘Where are me manners? I ain’t thanked you for bringing my boy home, sir.’
Eugene took her hand in his. ‘Don’t thank me, Mrs Norman. It was this young lady who found Harry in the hospital, and she looked after him on the journey home.’
Rose shook her head. ‘No, really. It was a joint effort, ma’am. It was a pleasure to be of assistance.’
‘I can’t thank you enough,’ Harry said earnestly. ‘But for you, Miss Munday, and the guvnor, I’d still be in Alexandria waiting for a troop ship to bring me home.’
‘Think nothing of it, old chap. Miss Munday and I will leave you and your family in peace, but I’ll be back soon to discuss the articles I’m going to write about you, and your return to full health.’
Winnie clutched her hands to her bosom. ‘Are you going to be in the newspapers, Harry?’
‘Yes, Ma. That’s what the guvnor said.’
‘Who’d have thought that my boy would be famous one day?’ She wrapped her arms around the younger children.
‘There will be some money in it for me, won’t there?’ Harry asked anxiously.
Eugene patted him on the shoulder. ‘There most certainly will be a substantial amount, although I can’t say how much until I’ve spoken to the editor.’
Harry’s eyes filled with tears. ‘There aren’t enough words to tell you how grateful I am for everything you and Miss Rose have done, Guvnor.’
Rose managed a watery smile. ‘Don’t mention it, Harry. We’re just happy to help.’
Eugene opened the door. ‘The cab is waiting so we have to go now, Rose.’
‘Thank you for bringing my boy home, sir.’ Winnie shook Harry’s hand. ‘God bless you both.’
‘Take care of yourself, Harry.’ Rose raised her hand to touch his cheek. ‘We’ll be back soon.’ She glanced at the wide-eyed children. ‘I’ll see you again very soon.’ She stepped outside into what was now a blizzard.
The cabby leaned over, brushing ice particles from his caped greatcoat. ‘Hanging about here is losing me trade, Guv. This’ll cost you double.’
‘You’ll be reimbursed. Great Hermitage Street first, please.’ Eugene handed Rose into the cab and climbed in to sit beside her. ‘If Maria isn’t there we’ll go on to Pier House, and if she’s not there, you’ll be my guest in Tavistock Square tonight. Whichever it is, I expect you to be at the office on time tomorrow.’
At first Rose thought that the house was deserted, but a second knock was answered by the sound of footsteps on the bare boards and the door opened to reveal Edna, holding an oil lamp.
‘Miss Rose, I didn’t expect to see you. Come inside quick. It’s perishing cold out there and not much warmer in here.’ She glanced over Rose’s shoulder. ‘Who’s the toff?’
‘Never mind that,’ Rose said hastily. ‘Is Mrs Barnaby at home?’
‘I dunno where else she would be at this time of day. Are you coming in or not?’
‘I see you’re in good hands.’ Eugene hefted the carpet bag into the hall. ‘I’ll see you at the office, Rose.’
She hesitated, meeting his smile with a frown. ‘I think we’d better keep things formal at work. Good night, Guvnor.’ She stepped inside and Edna slammed the door.
‘You’re just in time for supper, but don’t expect too much because Jessie has had an argument with the harlot Flossie, and she says she ain’t sweating over the range for ungrateful whores.’
Rose bit her lip in an attempt to stifle a chuckle. ‘Oh, well. I’m sure they’ll sort things out. Is Mrs Barnaby in the parlour?’
‘She might be or maybe she’s tucking the little ’uns in bed. If you wait in the parlour I’ll go and look for her.’
‘Thank you.’ Rose headed for the parlour and opened the door to find Sparrow seated on the hearth rug, studying a book, but the moment she saw Rose she leaped to her feet. ‘Rose, you’ve come home.’ She threw herself at Rose, almost knocking her over.
Rose returned the hug. ‘I try very hard to keep a promise.’
‘I’m so happy to see you. We read your words in the newspaper, but it didn’t sound like the way you speak.’ Sparrow plumped down on the sofa, dragging Rose with her. ‘Tell me all about it.’
‘Let’s wait until Maria joins us,’ Rose said, smiling. ‘Then I can talk to you both at the same time, so why don’t you tell me what’s been happening while I’ve been away?’
‘Have you brought me a present?’
‘You’ll have to wait for Christmas Day. It’s not long now.’
‘I got you something.’
‘That’s really kind of you, Sparrow.’ Rose turned her head at the sound of the door opening and Maria hurried into the room.
‘Rose. How wonderful. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t manage to get home for Christmas.’ She rushed over to the sofa and gave Rose a quick hug. ‘Move up, Sparrow. Then I can sit next to Rose and hear about her adventures.’
‘More to the point, what’s been happening here?’ Rose looked from one to the other.
Maria sat down but before she had a chance to speak the door flew open, and Flossie burst into the room, red-faced and furious.
‘I ain’t going to stay here a moment longer. I’d rather go back to Black Raven Court than put up with that Jessie Spriggs. We may be related but that don’t mean I have to put up with her airs and graces and sermonising. You’d think she’d been brought up a vicar’s daughter the way she carries on. I’m sick of her calling me names.’
Maria held up her hand. ‘That’s enough, thank you, Flossie. I know it’s difficult for you, but Cora seems to cope. Maybe if you—’
‘Don’t give me that, missis. I’ve been patient and all I gets is insults.’
Rose picked up her reticule and took out her purse. ‘I’m sorry to find you so unhappy, Flossie.’ She took out a few coppers and handed them to Flossie. ‘Why don’t you and Cora go to the pub and enjoy yourselves? Maybe we can sort things out in the morning.’
Flossie pocketed the money with a reluctant grin. ‘Anything to get away from her downstairs. I know she used to be on the turf, just the same as me and Cora, but now she’s got religion and she’s forever singing hymns and trying to convert us, like she was a bloody missionary and we was savages.’
Rose stood up to give Flossie a hug. ‘You’re a good woman, and so is Cora. We all have to survive the best way we can, so don’t let Jessie upset you. I promise to find a better solution, but I can’t do anything until morning.’
Tears rolled down Flossie’s plump face, leaving slimy trails on her rouged cheeks. ‘You understand, Miss Rose. Ta for that.’
‘It’s just Rose. You helped me once when I was in desperate need and now I’m going to help you, so go and enjoy yourselves.’
Flossie nodded and sniffed. ‘Good night, Rose. Good night, missis.’ She shot a sideways look at Sparrow. ‘Just be warned, nipper. You don’t want to end up like me and Cora.’ She waddled from the room, closing the door softly.
‘I seen enough of that sort of thing to put me off for ever,’ Sparrow said, shrugging. ‘I seen things what would make you ladies faint with horror.’
Rose sat down again, slipping her arm around Sparrow’s thin shoulders. ‘We know you’ve had a terrible time, but it’s over now.’ She met Maria’s gaze. ‘So what’s been happening in my absence? Did the police catch Regan?’
Chapter Twenty-One
Maria shook her head. ‘Regan seems to have vanished. But the good news is that some of his gang have been arrested.’
‘And what about Gilroy?’ Rose asked eagerly. ‘I hope she was caught, too.’
‘She
’s disappeared. The officer in charge of the case thinks she must have gone with Regan, and they could be anywhere by now.’
Rose laid her hand on Maria’s arm. ‘I’m sorry, it must have been a difficult time for you.’
‘Grandmama’s funeral was the worst. I felt guilty because I hadn’t done enough to protect a sick old woman, and even worse because I couldn’t mourn her passing, but I had Mama and Freddie to help me.’
‘You did all you could for her, and from what you told me about your childhood it’s hardly surprising that you had very little feeling for your grandmother. I wish I’d been here to support you.’
Maria sighed and looked away. ‘The funeral was a small affair because quite frankly none of the relations had much time for her, or else they were too old and infirm to travel to London. But she’s gone now and the house is shuttered and empty, and it will remain so until Caroline and Phineas return from Australia.’
‘But there’s no one living in your house now, Rose.’ Sparrow bounced up and down on the sofa. ‘The bad men were put in prison.’
‘Really?’ Rose looked from one to the other.
Maria nodded. ‘Yes, they were among the ones who were arrested. The police gave me the keys so the Captain’s House is yours, to all intents and purposes, but I don’t know what sort of state it’s in. I let the company know; they should take some of the blame for allowing the house to fall into the wrong hands in the first place.’
‘I’m sure Max will have something to say about that when he comes home, although I don’t know when that will be.’
Maria put her head on one side. ‘You saw him in Egypt?’
‘Yes, we met briefly.’
‘You don’t seem as thrilled as I would have expected, Rose. Didn’t it go well?’
‘Yes, of course. Max was the hero of the hour. He rescued Eugene and he still wants to marry me.’
Sparrow seized Rose’s hand and held it to her cheek. ‘You look sad. Don’t you love Max?’
‘Of course I do,’ Rose said with more conviction than she was feeling. ‘It was all so different in Egypt, but it will be better when he returns home.’
‘You know you can tell me anything.’ Maria reached out to grasp Rose’s free hand. ‘I’m your friend.’
‘And so am I,’ Sparrow added eagerly. ‘I’m your best friend, Rose.’
‘I know you are, both of you, and I couldn’t wait to return to London.’ Rose squeezed their fingers: Maria’s were soft and plump and Sparrow’s little hand felt small with bones as delicate as the bird after which she had been named.
‘Didn’t you want to stay in Egypt so that you could be near him?’ Maria eyed her curiously.
‘I’m confused,’ Rose said slowly. ‘The Max I met in Cairo wasn’t the boy I knew as a child, or even the young man who made my heart sing. I don’t know if he has changed, or if it’s me. So much has happened since I left Australia.’
‘You’ve been through a difficult time, but I know I’m not the only one who has benefited from your misfortune.’
‘I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary.’
Maria leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. ‘You rescued Flossie and Cora from Regan’s clutches. You saved Sparrow from a terrible existence, and you helped me to face up to my grandmother. I don’t know what I would have done had you not been there when Gilroy murdered the poor soul.’
‘You did save me,’ Sparrow added eagerly. ‘Look at me now, Rose. I’m turning into a lady like you and Maria. I ain’t a street urchin no more.’
Rose gave her a cuddle, resting her cheek on the top of Sparrow’s head. ‘You’ll be a proper lady when you’re older, but don’t grow up too quickly.’ She released her with a quick hug. ‘As to Flossie and Cora, that doesn’t appear to have worked very well. They seem lost now they’re away from Black Raven Court. Maybe they don’t want to change the way they earned their living.’
‘It’s Jessie’s fault. She goads them about their profession,’ Maria said, sighing. ‘And they retaliate because they know that she was in the trade before she took to religion.’
‘Surely that’s a good thing?’
‘Of course it is, but she keeps trying to reform the other girls and they won’t have it. I think they would go back to Regan rather than put up with Jessie’s preaching.’
Rose frowned thoughtfully. ‘I got you into this mess, Maria, and I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to make things right.’
‘I took the Spriggs sisters in, so I’m just as culpable. I might have saved them from a life of poverty and degradation, but Jessie doesn’t seem to have much time for those less fortunate, despite her religious convictions.’
‘Perhaps it’s simply a clash of personalities,’ Rose said thoughtfully. ‘Flossie and Cora might appear to be brash and overbearing, but their hearts are in the right place. They were kind to me when I was in need.’
‘I’ll have to ask them to leave, Rose. I’m so sorry, but it’s becoming unbearable.’
‘If I move into the Captain’s House I could take Flossie and Cora with me. I’ll go there tomorrow to see what sort of mess those men have left.’
‘I’ll help you,’ Sparrow said eagerly. ‘I can scrub and clean. Jessie’s been teaching me, and I’ve been helping Izzie with the nippers. I’m a useful person now.’
‘You were always that.’ Rose brushed a strand of pale blonde hair back from Sparrow’s brow. ‘And I’d be grateful for your help. I have to go to the newspaper office first thing in the morning, but if we get up early we can go to the Captain’s House and see the damage for ourselves.’
To Rose’s surprise she found Cora, Flossie and Sparrow waiting for her in the breakfast room next morning. Armed with mops and buckets, dusters and cleaning rags, they left Maria’s house and headed for Black Lion Wharf. The first thing that hit Rose when she opened the front door was the stench of stale alcohol and rotting food. The air was thick with dust, which lay on the surfaces like a grey fur coat.
Cora rolled up her sleeves. ‘Let me find the kitchen and I’ll make a start. This is the sort of challenge that makes my blood boil. Them filthy beggars should be strung up by their toes and horsewhipped.’
‘I agree. Let’s get to work.’ Flossie waddled off, her pail clanking at her side.
‘I’d love to stay and help, but I have to get a cab to Fleet Street.’ Rose gazed round, trying hard to remember the house as it was in the old days when Sadie had everything in order and the aroma of baking wafted from the kitchen. She took out her purse and laid some coins on the window seat, which seemed to be the only place free from the rubbish. Broken clay pipes, torn up newspapers, dirty crockery and empty beer bottles littered the floor, and odd socks hung from the mantelshelf. Rose sighed and turned away. ‘Sparrow, I want you to be in charge of purchasing. Go out and buy soap, candles, coal and matches, and there should be enough left to pay for food. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll come back later and I’ll do my share.’
Sparrow puffed out her chest. ‘I’m in charge of buying things.’
‘That’s right, and with a bit of luck we might be able to move in before Christmas. I haven’t time to inspect the bedrooms, but I don’t suppose they’re in any better shape than the living room. The old captain must been turning in his grave.’
‘Was he drowned, Rose?’
‘As far as I know he retired from the sea to live here, so I would hope that he passed away peacefully, listening to the sounds of the river he loved. They say that if he’s happy he visits the house and you can smell tobacco smoke wafting through the rooms.’
Sparrow clutched her throat. ‘He ain’t going to haunt us, is he? I don’t want to sleep in a place where there are ghosts.’
‘No, certainly not. I think the captain was a kind old gentleman, who wants to have nice people living in his old home, and he isn’t at all frightening.’ Rose leaned over to kiss Sparrow on the cheek. ‘Now I must go, or I’ll be in trouble with Eugene, and I don’t want that.’
>
Scully was the first person Rose saw when she entered the office building. He grinned sheepishly. ‘You’ve come back, miss.’
Rose shook snowflakes off her mantle, leaving tiny puddles on the marble-tiled floor. There was something in his manner that was different and he did not seem able to look her in the eye. She gave him a searching look. ‘Is anything wrong, Scully?’
He backed away. ‘No, miss. You’ll have to excuse me, I got to take this article to the print room.’
Mystified, and with all her senses alert and ready for trouble, Rose made her way to the main office. There was a sudden silence when she entered the room and the clerks turned their backs on her, but the sly smile on Nicholls’ face was enough to convince her that there was mischief afoot. She ignored his sarcastic greeting as she crossed the floor and let herself into Eugene’s office without bothering to knock. He was standing by the window, staring out into the swirling snow.
‘What’s up, Guvnor?’ Rose took off her bonnet and was about to hang it on the coat stand when Eugene turned to face her.
‘It’s no good, Rose,’ he said wearily. ‘I’ve tried every trick in the book but I can’t make my cousin see sense.’
‘Are you telling me that I’ve been given the sack?’ She met his apologetic look with a defiant toss of her head. ‘Why? I did everything that was asked of me.’
Eugene walked over to his desk and sat down. ‘It seems that the men have got together and threatened strike action. It’s not you personally, Rose. They don’t want to have any women in the workplace.’
Rose clasped her bonnet tightly in her hands to stop them shaking. ‘But I’ve done nothing wrong, Guvnor. It’s not fair.’
‘It isn’t, and I agree with you entirely, but my cousin is the editor and owner of the newspaper and Nicholls has put pressure on him. This is a small and relatively new journal, when compared to The Times or some of the even older newspapers. If the press stops rolling the paper will go out of business, it’s as simple as that. I’m sorry, Rose. I’ve been arguing the point since I got here this morning, but Arthur is adamant. He doesn’t want trouble and I’m afraid you are expendable.’