by Sam Michaels
Charlotte was wringing out the mop when she heard Nancy. The woman’s voice grated on her and Dog growled and bared his teeth. He clearly didn’t like Nancy either and Charlotte thought he was a good judge of character.
‘I’ll take tea now and don’t forget the sugar cubes this time.’
Charlotte glanced up from under her lashes and in her mind, mimicked Nancy’s voice.
‘Did you hear me, girl?’
‘Yes, I heard you.’
Dog stepped towards Nancy, still growling, and Nancy began to back away.
‘That smelly, flea-ridden creature shouldn’t be in here. Put him outside where he belongs.’
Charlotte took hold of Dog’s collar. ‘I’ll do no such thing,’ she said. ‘It’s raining.’
‘I couldn’t care less for the weather. It’s unhygienic to have him indoors. Out. Go on, put him out,’ Nancy said and pointed to the back door.
Dog growled some more.
‘He’s Miss Garrett’s dog and she wouldn’t have him put out in the rain.’
‘She isn’t here so I’m in charge and I’m telling you to put him out.’
‘Who says you’re in charge? I ain’t never heard Miss Garrett say that!’
‘Do not question my authority and do as I tell you.’
‘I won’t. Why should I? I don’t know who you think you are coming in here with your cut-glass accent and your fancy outfits. You might act and look like a woman of good character but you’re nothing more than a jumped-up madam. A paid worker, just like the rest of us, only you’re paid to sort out the prostitutes. So just you remember your place.’ Charlotte felt rather proud of herself for speaking up. She’d lost her voice for so long and it felt good to have unleashed a tongue-lashing on the woman. And she thought Nancy’s appalled face was a picture.
‘How very dare you! I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a way.’
‘Oh, go and polish your buttons or something. And you can make your own bleedin’ tea. Make sure your little pinkie finger is sticking out when you’re drinking it,’ Charlotte said sarcastically, then added under her breath, ‘You stupid posh, skinny bitch.’
‘You haven’t heard the last of this,’ Nancy barked and walked off haughtily.
‘There, that told her, didn’t it, Dog,’ Charlotte said with a smile and crouched beside him.
Dog slobbered her face with his tongue, which made her giggle. It had been a while since she’d last laughed and it felt good. As Dog licked her face and neck, his tail wagging, she lost her balance and toppled backwards onto her bottom. That’s when she saw Nancy marching towards her with a face like thunder. She was holding a cricket bat in the air and Charlotte could tell the woman had every intention of swinging it in her direction.
Charlotte scrambled to her feet and went to dive for cover but then she saw that Nancy was aiming the bat at Dog. ‘NO!’ she screamed, and jumped in front of Dog.
The bat came crashing down and caught Charlotte’s shoulder. The intense pain was instant and she cried out in agony.
Nancy gasped, apparently shocked at what she’d done. Dog was barking threateningly and just inches from her. Charlotte had slumped forward and was groaning as she held her shoulder.
‘I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… It wasn’t meant for you,’ Nancy said with her voice quavering.
‘I know exactly who that was meant for and you’re gonna be sorry when Georgina hears about it.’
‘Please, Charlotte… I don’t know what came over me. Please, forgive me. Don’t say anything.’
‘Piss off, Nancy.’ Charlotte’s pain was intense and she couldn’t be bothered to listen to Nancy grovelling.
Dog’s bark was sounding more ferocious and Charlotte called him back. He ignored her the first time but responded on the second call though he still growled at Nancy.
‘If you tell Miss Garrett about this, you know what will happen to me, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, and I hope she makes you pay good and proper. You could have killed him,’ Charlotte answered with no concern for her own injury. But she felt fiercely protective of Dog.
‘There must be something I can do to make it up to you?’
‘Yeah, you can piss off!’
‘I can’t, Charlotte, not until I’ve convinced you to keep quiet. I’ve already lived in fear for my life once. I couldn’t go through that again and if Miss Garrett finds out about this, well…’
‘You should have thought about that before you tried to attack Dog!’
‘I wouldn’t have hurt him… I just wanted to scare him…’
‘You’re a liar,’ Charlotte spat. ‘And I ain’t letting you get away with it.’
‘Here, let me see to your shoulder,’ Nancy said and went to pull Charlotte’s dress to one side.
‘Don’t touch me,’ she snapped and brushed Nancy’s hand away. ‘I swear, if you ever touch me again, I’ll rip your bony fucking arm off and shove it up your skinny arse.’
‘Oh, my word,’ Nancy said and reeled back.
Charlotte liked Nancy’s reaction to her threat and an idea began to form. ‘I’ll tell you what, you stuck-up cow. I’ll cut you a deal. Seeing as you’ve done me shoulder in, I won’t tell Georgina what happened but you’re gonna do all my cleaning chores, the laundry and picking up the dog shit in the yard. And you can bring me tea. How do you like that?’
‘But… I… erm… what about the brothels?’
‘I’ll run ’em. I’ll have your room and can sit in there with me feet up. Deal?’
‘I don’t know, Charlotte. I wouldn’t know where to start.’
‘You can start with getting me something cold to put on me shoulder and I’ll have a cuppa too.’
‘But what will we say to Miss Garrett when she asks why I’m doing your duties?’
‘Don’t you worry about her – you leave that to me. Come on, Dog,’ Charlotte said as she stepped towards Nancy, took the cricket bat from her and headed towards Nancy’s room.
Here, though her shoulder was causing her much discomfort, she sat at Nancy’s desk and smiled smugly to herself. Dog was unharmed and she had some bruising. Not too much of a price to pay to have dumped her cleaning chores on Nancy and now, as the new madam, she could prove her worth to Georgina.
*
Georgina hadn’t realised how exhausting it was just sitting at someone’s bedside. She supposed it must be the worry that was tiring her. For three days now, she’d waited for some sort of response from David but there’d been nothing. The doctors had told her to prepare herself. He might never wake up, but they’d also said there was always hope and all the time he slept and rested, his brain was healing. Though they’d warned her if he did eventually come round, he probably wouldn’t be the same and might require round-the-clock care. Georgina hadn’t accepted anything of what they’d told her. As far as she was concerned, David would open his eyes and she’d tell him she would marry him and then everything would be fine.
Doctors and nurses came and went, as did some of the men who worked for David. Georgina spent her time talking to him, reading him the newspapers and sometimes just sitting quietly and holding his bandaged hand. She imagined their life together and pictured Alfie riding on his shoulders and him reading bedtime stories to Selina. Of course, they’d never discussed him being a stepfather but he knew her children came as part of her so felt confident he’d readily accept them. But what if David wanted children of his own? She hadn’t contemplated that idea and wasn’t sure how she felt about it. And then it occurred to her, she knew very little about him but once he was recovered, they would have all the time in the world to learn about each other.
Georgina walked over to the tall sash window next to David’s bed and peered down to the street below. She saw a hive of activity with people bustling around in their normal daily activities. It didn’t seem right. Here was David, fighting for his life, yet the world carried on regardless. It angered Georgina. She wanted to open the window and scream o
ut to tell them to stop. A man could be dying up here! It wasn’t fair.
Johnny’s voice from behind startled her.
‘Miss Garrett…’
Georgina turned around and studied his face for any sign of good or bad news, but whatever he had to tell her, she didn’t want to know.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Nothing. I just came to see how he is.’
Relieved she wouldn’t have to leave his side, she told Johnny there had been no change.
‘Actually, there is something,’ he said. ‘We found Rupert.’
‘Have you dealt with him?’
‘Not yet. We wanted to know if you’d like to deal with it yourself.’
She thought for a moment. She’d have liked to be the person to put a bullet in him but that would mean leaving David’s bedside.
‘No. You see to him. I don’t care how it’s done. I just want him dead.’
Johnny nodded.
‘And when he’s dead, don’t bury him. He don’t deserve any sort of grave. Leave him somewhere where the rats will gnaw him.’
29
Two days later, Nancy heaved and as she picked up Dog’s mess from the backyard. Of all the chores she’d taken on from Charlotte, this was the one that really turned her stomach. Of course, she could leave at any time. Harold was no longer a threat to her and she was a free woman. But now that she was so close to taking over the business from Miss Garrett she felt walking out wasn’t an option.
There was one advantage to doing Charlotte’s work – she had a key to Miss Garrett’s office. With the woman being absent and at the hospital, Nancy had taken the opportunity to have a good snoop. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to get into the safe but she had gleaned some interesting information from Mr Harel’s books. Georgina was making a very tidy profit, in fact, much more than Nancy had imagined. But for her, it wasn’t just about the money. She wouldn’t have been bothered if the business was running at a loss. She wanted the power and respect that came with the position of being the boss.
Nancy had never envisaged being in charge of anything. Even though she’d studied law, she’d never been taken seriously in her work; women rarely were. But Miss Garrett was. She was taken very seriously indeed. And although Nancy didn’t care for the woman, she had found her inspirational. She thought her to be quite vulgar at times and though she didn’t like to admit it, she was jealous of Georgina’s beauty. She was sure Johnny secretly fancied the woman and that just fanned the flames of hatred in her.
With the yard now cleared, Nancy tipped the contents of the bucket in the outside privy and went back into the kitchen to thoroughly wash her hands with carbolic soap. As she dried them, she looked at her broken nails. Just days earlier, they’d been long and painted flame red. Now they were a mess and her skin was beginning to crack. Still, her perseverance would be well rewarded soon, she thought, and inwardly smiled.
She heard the front door close and quickly smoothed down her dress and patted her waved hair. It could be Johnny and she had to be looking her best if she was to tempt another invite to his bed.
‘Ah, there you are,’ Johnny said when he came into the kitchen. ‘Miss Garrett sent me in to check everything is all right.’
‘Yes, all tickety-boo.’
‘Good. I wouldn’t want to give her anything else to be worrying about. Oh, and just to let you know, Mr Harel will be back in the office from Monday.’
‘Great. I’m glad to hear he is over his bout of flu.’
‘Yeah. How come you’re in ’ere and Charlotte is in your room?’
‘Oh… erm… we’ve swapped roles for a while.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘It’s a long story, Johnny. Perhaps I could tell you about it over dinner tonight?’
‘Not tonight, Nancy, it’s poker night in Clapham. Tomorrow?’
‘Yes, tomorrow is fine. I shall look forward to it,’ Nancy purred and smiled sweetly.
‘Yeah, me and all. Right you are, I’d better get orf now. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
And with that, Johnny was gone, leaving Nancy pleased that she’d secured another date with him. And this time, in his bed, she hoped to manipulate him enough to turn against Georgina.
Big H came into the kitchen next and asked, ‘What did he want?’
‘Nothing much, just checking up on us to report back to Miss Garrett.’
‘What did you tell him?’
‘I told him everything was fine. It is, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, course.’
‘How’s that girl getting on with running things?’
‘Fine. You gonna keep her on doing that job when you’re the guvnor?’
‘Absolutely not and shush, be careful. We don’t want any slips now that we’re almost there.’
‘Yeah, right, sorry, Miss Austin.’
‘Follow me,’ Nancy told him and led him through to the yard. Once outside, she said, ‘You should complete the robberies by tomorrow night so I think it’s time we started talking to the men. I’d like you to bring them to me, one by one. Not Victor, Johnny or the Barker twins, and probably not Ned or Max either. But the rest of them. Are you in agreement with me that there’s a very good chance of winning them over?’
‘Yeah, I reckon so, as long as we pay ’em enough. But what if one of ’em goes back and tells Miss Garrett?’
‘I’ve thought about this and it’s a risk we’ll have to take. There isn’t any other feasible way. We need manpower and we can’t recruit from outside. But you know them better than me. If you suspect that anyone will inform on us, then do not speak to them. Understood?’
‘Yes, Miss Austin, loud and clear,’ Big H answered and saluted like a private in the army.
‘Here,’ she said and rummaged in her pocket before handing him a folded piece of paper. ‘I’ve listed the men and calculated how much we can offer each of them. I feel it’s ample persuasion, wouldn’t you agree?’
Nancy thought Big H’s eyes were going to pop out of his head as he read the sums she’d written down.
‘Cor blimey, miss, this oughta do it. I never realised me and Sparrow had robbed so much.’
‘You haven’t. The payments will be made one-third on their agreement, another third when I take up my position and the final third a month later once they have proven their loyalty to me.’
‘That’s bloody clever, you’ll use the business profits to pay ’em.’
‘Exactly. I told you, I’m an intelligent woman, Big H. Stick with me and you’ll soon be a very wealthy man.’
‘Won’t Charlotte get suspicious when the blokes start coming in and out of here?’
‘Stop worrying. I’ve got it covered. She won’t be around much over the next few days.’
‘Oh, right, yeah. I should have realised you’d have thought of everything.’
‘You just do as I tell you and everything should work out perfectly,’ Nancy said smugly and turned to go back into the kitchen but saw Charlotte staring through the window at them. Undeterred, she marched through the back door with her head held high.
‘What was all that about?’ Charlotte asked.
‘None of your business,’ she answered and indicated for Big H to leave. ‘I’m allowed to have a private conversation with whom I choose.’
‘Not on Miss Garrett’s time, you ain’t. And what was that you handed him?’
‘I told you, Charlotte, it’s none of your business.’
‘I’ll go and ask Big H then, shall I?’
‘Feel free but he’ll tell you the same as me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.’
Charlotte looked at her suspiciously before walking away. She was bound to tell Georgina what she’d seen but there was nothing that could be proved. She and Big H had done nothing wrong, just a little chat in the backyard. At least she hoped that was all Charlotte suspected. The girl hadn’t indicated that she knew anything else though Nancy was worried because Charlotte had been in her offi
ce before she’d had a chance to clear it of any incriminating evidence. The timetable of restaurant robberies had been in a drawer in the desk. And so had a few scribbled notes. But surely, if Charlotte had found them, Nancy would know by now. If she had gone running to Georgina, Nancy wouldn’t still be breathing. No, Charlotte didn’t know anything and anyway, by tomorrow morning, the girl wouldn’t be in any fit state to talk. She would make sure of it.
*
Charlotte went back into what was her office now and closed the door. She had a sneaking suspicion that Nancy was up to something and was intent on finding out what. It obviously involved Big H too, not that she was shocked by that. She didn’t trust the man and found there was something about him that made her skin crawl.
Dog was curled up at her feet under the desk. She felt like joining him for a snooze. It had been a long and mostly sleepless night. The air raid sirens had sounded and although the all-clear had come quickly, Charlotte couldn’t sleep, terrified that a bomb would drop on them whilst she slept. Georgina had been a great help in calming her and she’d found that talking about what she’d seen during her time on the streets had eased her anxiousness somewhat, but nothing would ever stop her being terrified when Hitler had his planes fly over London.
Half an hour later and Charlotte heard a light tap on the door. Nancy carried in a tray and set it in front of her. The warming aroma of the vegetable soup and toast made her stomach grumble. She’d skipped breakfast this morning and was ready for her lunch now. Without thanking Nancy, she tucked into the meal, pleasantly surprised that the woman was capable of turning out such tasty food, especially as she’d claimed to be ignorant about domestic work.
Once finished, she pushed the tray to one side and slipped a small piece of toast under the desk to Dog. ‘There’s a good boy,’ she told him. ‘I’ll take you for a walk later.’