Читать книгу The Christmas Card: The perfect heartwarming novel for Christmas from the Sunday Times bestseller - Dilly Court, Dilly Court - Страница 11

‘What do you want, guv? If you’re the landlord we ain’t got no money for rent.’ One of the shadowy shapes rose with difficulty, holding out stick-like arms. ‘Have pity on a poor widow, sir.’

Rory took a step forward, keeping a wary eye on the other occupants of the cellar. ‘Are you Molly Bishop?’

The woman shrank back into the darkness and another, bolder figure stepped forward. ‘Who wants to know? If you’re the law then I never done nothing wrong. It were Long Nell what bashed the cove over the head. I weren’t even there at the time.’

‘I’m not the law, madam,’ Rory said hastily. ‘If you are Molly Bishop speak up. There’s someone who wants to meet you.’ He held the candle closer to reveal a woman who, despite her dishevelled appearance, was better dressed and fractionally cleaner than the other occupants of the cellar.

‘And if I am Molly Bishop, what would the likes of you want with me?’

‘It was your child’s Christmas wish to meet her mother.’ Rory placed a protective hand on Flora’s shoulder. ‘This is your daughter, or so I’ve been led to believe.’

Molly clutched her bony hands to her breast. ‘Is it really you, Fanny?’

‘Flora,’ Rory said sternly. ‘Her name is Flora.’

‘Of course it is. My mind wanders something terrible these days.’

‘It’s the laudanum, my duck.’ The woman who had spoken first cackled with laughter. ‘Got a penny piece so she can get some more, guv?’

‘Shut up, you old troll.’ Molly peered at Flora, twisting her lips into a parody of a smile. ‘Come to your mama, darling.’

Flora’s fingers curled around Alice’s hand and she shook her head.

‘You’re frightening her, ma’am,’ Alice said, drawing Flora closer.

‘You are me long lost child.’ Molly insisted. ‘Me little daughter what was robbed from me by rich folk. I never wanted to give you up, me little angel.’

Rory stepped in between them. ‘That’s not quite true, is it, Molly?’

‘As I said just now, I’m the child’s mother.’ She inched towards Flora. ‘I was tricked into giving you away, my baby girl.’

‘As I heard it you were quite handsomely paid,’ Rory said calmly. ‘Where are your other children? You had seven of them, according to Smithson.’ He held up his hand as Molly opened her mouth to protest. ‘I know she’s not the most reliable witness, but when I tracked her down yesterday she was reasonably sober and it was she who told me where to find you.’

‘Well, I could lie to you, guv, but the sad truth is that they’re all gone. The little ’uns is buried in paupers’ graves and the older ones have run away, the ungrateful brats. They left their poor ma to survive on the streets. I ain’t had a proper meal in days – weeks, even.’

‘She lying, guv. It’s her what owns the building. She’s here to collect the rent from us poor devils.’ The voice from the shadows spoke up again, accompanied by grunts of assent.

‘Don’t take no notice of her,’ Molly said hastily. ‘She’s touched in the head – they all are. I’m poor like them and in need of help.’

‘Have I got brothers and sisters?’ Flora asked anxiously. ‘Why did you give me away? Didn’t you love me?’

Molly eyed her speculatively. ‘Of course I did, me little flower. I loves you with all me heart, but they snatched you from me arms. I cried for a week after you’d gone.’ She reached out to grab Flora by the arm. ‘Now you’ve come back and you can look after your old ma. I got plans for you, darling.’

Flora pulled away, cowering against Alice. ‘I don’t want to live here. You’re not the beautiful angel I see in my dreams.’

A ripple of grim laughter echoed round the room, and Molly turned on her companions with her hands balled into fists. ‘Shut up, the lot of you.’ She bent down so that her face was close to Flora’s. ‘You wouldn’t leave poor Molly to rot, would you, sweetheart?’

‘I think I’d like to go home,’ Flora whispered.

‘We’ve seen and heard enough.’ Rory put his hand in his pocket and took out a small leather purse. ‘This will keep you in laudanum or whatever takes your fancy for a few days, Molly. Merry Christmas.’

She snatched the money and slipped it down the neck of her blouse, glaring at him with narrowed eyes. ‘So you’re taking me baby away again, are you, guv? I deserve more compensation than that.’

‘You surely don’t expect the child to stay here, do you?’ Rory moved closer to Alice and Flora as the other occupants of the basement room stirred, some of them rising to their feet and others slithering towards them on their backsides.

‘You could take me with you, sir.’ Molly eyed Flora with a sly smile. ‘I could look after me girl. You needn’t tell no one that we’re mother and child. You could say I’m the new nursemaid.’ She made a move towards Flora. ‘You love your old ma, don’t you, girl? Otherwise you wouldn’t have come all this way to see me.’

Alice could stand no more. ‘You are a mean, ungrateful woman, Molly. You don’t deserve a lovely daughter like Flora. It was her dearest wish to find you and make sure you were all right, and this is how you treat her. Do you never think of anyone other than yourself?’

‘I want to go now,’ Flora whispered.

‘That’s right,’ Molly pointed a bony finger at Flora. ‘Run off with your rich friends and leave me here to rot. I’m the one what gave you life and this is how you treat me.’

Low growling sounds echoed off the walls as the other occupants advanced on them. Rory reached into his pocket once again and dropped a handful of coins in their midst. In the wild scramble that ensued he guided Alice and Flora out of the room and up the stairs. Screams and threats followed them even as they reached the street, but thankfully the cab was waiting for them on the corner, as instructed.

‘It’ll be double what I quoted you, guv,’ the cabby said crossly.

‘I won’t argue with that.’ Rory bundled Flora into the cab and Alice climbed in after her. ‘Drive on, cabby.’ Rory jumped in and slammed the door.

Flora sobbed all the way home and nothing that either Alice or Rory could say seemed to comfort her.

‘This was a terrible mistake,’ Alice said in a low voice. ‘We’ve only made things worse for the poor child.’

‘She’s upset now but maybe it’s for the best. At least she knows what sort of woman her mother is.’

Alice was not convinced. She tightened her hold on Flora and they lapsed into silence until they reached Russell Square.

They were met in the entrance hall by Lydia, who had been issuing orders to Hoskins, but she broke off when she saw them.

‘What’s the meaning of this?’ she demanded angrily. ‘How dare you take Flora out without first consulting me?’

Rory handed his hat and coat to Hoskins, who backed away hastily. ‘Merry Christmas, Lydia. I must say that the house looks very festive.’

‘You can’t get round me that way, Rory. I want an answer.’

Flora opened her mouth to speak, but Alice silenced her with a warning glance.

‘I knew you would be busy preparing for your guests to arrive,’ Rory said smoothly. ‘So I took the liberty of asking Flora and Miss Radcliffe to accompany me to my office in Ludgate Circus, where I had a surprise for Flora.’

‘What sort of surprise?’ Lydia shook her head. ‘Really, you are the most exasperating person, Rory.’

‘It’s a secret, Lydia.’ Rory winked at Flora and patted his jacket pocket. ‘One that must be put beneath the Christmas tree with the other presents.’

Lydia threw up her hands. ‘You are talking nonsense, and you abused our trust by taking Flora from the house without my permission.’ She turned to Alice, frowning. ‘As for you, Miss Radcliffe, I’ll deal with you later.’

‘No, Mama.’ Flora stamped her foot, scowling. ‘You must not blame her. It was my doing and I threatened to have a tantrum if she didn’t allow me to go with Uncle Rory.’

‘Keep out of this, Flora. It’s none of your business.’

‘I’ll scream and make myself sick if you don’t promise to be nice to Alice.’ Flora opened her mouth, closing her eyes and screwing up her face until tears oozed from beneath her eyelids.

‘Stop that, you horrid child,’ Lydia cried, holding her hand to her forehead. ‘My guests will be arriving for luncheon at any moment. Stop it, I say.’

Flora opened one eye. ‘Do you promise, Mama?’

‘Yes, I suppose so.’ She was shaking with barely suppressed anger as she spun round to face Alice. ‘In the future if Mr Dearborn suggests an outing you must check with me first, Miss Radcliffe. Do you understand?’

Alice nodded and bobbed a curtsey. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Come with me, Rory. I haven’t finished with you.’ Lydia marched off in the direction of the staircase, leaving Flora and Alice to make their way back to the nursery.

‘Don’t worry, poppet,’ Rory said, winking at Flora. ‘I’ll see you later.’ His expression changed subtly as he turned to Alice. ‘All will be well, I promise,’ he added in a low voice. ‘Coming, Lydia.’ He strolled off, following in his sister-in-law’s wake.

Flora waited until they were back in the nursery. She grinned up at Alice. ‘Uncle Rory is a good liar and I’m rather good at getting my own way.’

‘Are you all right, my dear?’ Alice asked anxiously. ‘I know you were very upset by what we saw this morning. Your uncle meant well by taking you to see your mother.’

Flora sank down on the chair by the fire, holding her hands out to the blaze. ‘I know that, and now I’m sorry I made such a fuss about finding her. Do you think that person was just pretending to be my mama? Maybe she wanted money. She didn’t seem to have any or she wouldn’t have been living in such a dreadful place.’

Alice sat down beside her. ‘That could be a possibility.’

‘But you don’t think so?’

‘To tell you the truth I don’t know what to believe. There’s one thing for certain, and that is your uncle really loves you and I’m sure that your father does too. Your mama might have an odd way of showing it, but she obviously cares about you or she wouldn’t take so much trouble to keep you safe.’

Flora put her head on one side, a frown creasing her brow. ‘I suppose so.’

‘And you have a good home here, even if the rules are very strict. I think what you need most is the company of other children.’

‘I don’t know how to play games. When Smithson used to take me for a walk in the square I used to see children playing together, but they never asked me to join in with them.’

Alice stared into the flames as they danced around the coals, creating glow fairies in the soot on the fireback. ‘I know how you feel. I was an only child and it can be lonely, but you have me now.’

‘And Uncle Rory. I wonder what’s he’s going to give me. There was that big present he put under the tree and now there’s the little package he had in his pocket. I can’t wait to find out.’

An hour later a flustered Nettie brought them their luncheon, complaining bitterly about the amount of work that guests created. She thumped the tray down on the table and stomped off, grumbling beneath her breath. Alice attacked her food with a keen appetite, but her thoughts were with her mother and she could only hope that Clara was keeping an eye on her. It had been a traumatic morning, but at least Flora seemed to have recovered from her meeting with Molly Bishop. She appeared to have convinced herself that the woman was lying and that her real mother was the angel she had imagined her to be. Alice did not try to persuade her otherwise. It seemed too cruel to make a nine-year-old face up to such a stark reality.

Shortly after Nettie had cleared the table and taken the tray back to the kitchen, she returned breathless and red in the face to tell them they were summoned to the drawing room. ‘Me legs will drop off if I have to climb them stairs again today,’ she grumbled. ‘Cook is in a flap because the jelly didn’t set in time for luncheon and she had to serve the mince pies she was saving for dinner this evening. She threw a saucepan at Winnie what’s come in to help with the serving up and covered her with custard. Luckily it was cold or she’d have been scalded and might have died.’

‘I wish I’d seen it,’ Flora said, giggling. ‘I wonder if she licked it off. I love custard.’

Alice grabbed her by the hand. ‘Yes, so do I, but I wouldn’t like to wear it. Come along, Flora, we’ve been told to go downstairs. You want your presents, don’t you?’

‘You’re lucky,’ Nettie said gloomily. ‘I won’t get no presents. I’m off to Wapping to visit me mum and dad tomorrow, but I won’t get nothing. Poor folk can’t afford to give each other presents.’

‘Do they live in a cellar, Nettie?’ Flora asked eagerly. ‘Is it cold and damp and smells nasty?’

‘Certainly not, miss. They’re respectable folks. Pa is a lighterman and Ma takes in washing, but there’s twelve of us children and money is tight.’ She made for the door and held it open with a dreamy smile on her face. ‘One Christmas I had a poke of peppermint creams. I loves them more than anything, but I’m quite partial to toffee and barley sugar as well.’ She wandered off, still rhapsodising about the delights of sugary treats.

‘I’ll ask Uncle Rory to buy her some sweets,’ Flora said in a whisper as she followed Alice downstairs. ‘I’ve never thought about how poor people live before. It’s not nice.’

‘No,’ Alice agreed. ‘Poverty is dreadful.’ A vision of Horace Hubble sprang to mind and she shuddered. Would such a marriage be preferable to living hand to mouth? She led the way to the drawing room, putting such thoughts aside, and was about to knock on the door when Flora pushed past her and barged into the room. She dropped a dramatic curtsey for the benefit of the visitors and smiling angelically she marched up to her parents.

‘Merry Christmas, Mama and Papa, and everybody. May I have my presents now?’

A ripple of amusement greeted her theatrical entrance, and Lydia managed a tight little smile. Her husband leaned over to pick Flora up and he dandled her on his knee. ‘Merry Christmas, my darling.’ He kissed her on the cheek and set her back on the floor. ‘You may open your gifts.’

Alice stood at the back of the room watching Flora’s apparently carefree performance. She could only wonder at the resilience of children, and a quick glance in Rory’s direction convinced her that he was thinking along the same lines. Flora was sitting on the floor unwrapping the large present he had given her, and he edged his way through the assembled guests to stand beside Alice. ‘She’s quite remarkable,’ he said in a low voice. ‘I was afraid she would be devastated.’

‘Children are tougher than we imagine,’ Alice answered in a whisper. ‘She’s convinced herself that Molly Bishop is not who she claims to be.’

He frowned, shaking his head. ‘I was wrong to take her there. I should have known better.’

Alice was prevented from replying by a cry of delight from Flora as she opened a large wooden box and showed off its contents. ‘It’s a paint box,’ she cried gleefully. ‘With brushes so that I can make proper pictures. Maybe I could be an artist at your printing works, Uncle Rory.’

‘An able apprentice, I’m sure. You’re a lucky little girl, Flora.’ A large man with a red velvet waistcoat straining at his corpulent belly slapped Rory on the back. ‘That’s a splendid gift.’

Flora closed the box, stroking the polished lid with the tips of her fingers. ‘I want to be an artist like Alice.’

Heads turned to stare at her and Alice felt the blood rush to her cheeks. ‘Thank you, Flora, but I’m sure you are more talented than I.’

‘There is still our present, Flora,’ Lydia said icily. ‘Why not open it now?’

Flora reached beneath the tree and took out a much smaller gift, which she opened carefully. ‘A Bible,’ she said in a small voice. ‘Thank you, Mama and Papa.’

‘A leather-bound Bible,’ Lydia said firmly. ‘With your initials embossed on it in gold leaf, Flora. Aren’t you a lucky little girl?’

‘It’s very nice.’ Flora laid it aside, peering under the tree. ‘Where is the other present from Uncle Rory? He said he brought it especially for me.’

Once again heads turned to stare at Rory. ‘Did I forget to put it under the tree?’ he said loudly. ‘My fault entirely, Floss.’

‘You said you went to your office to fetch it,’ Lydia said icily. ‘Let us all see it, Rory.’

Flora jumped to her feet. ‘I can’t wait. I’m sure it’s something very special.’

Rory leaned closer to Alice. ‘It wasn’t for her. I thought she might forget with all her other gifts to open.’

‘You have to give her something,’ Alice said in a whisper. ‘You can’t disappoint her now.’

‘Well, Rory, we’re waiting,’ Frederick Dearborn rose from his seat. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve lost it.’ He glanced round at the flushed faces of his guests. ‘This is typical of my brother. He always was a scatterbrain. I could tell you stories of our childhood and the pranks he used to play. Our father beat him so often that at times he could hardly sit down.’

‘Don’t be vulgar, Frederick,’ Lydia said primly. She glared at Rory. ‘Well, where is it? We’re waiting.’

Rory patted his pocket. ‘I must have dropped it in the hallway. Perhaps Miss Radcliffe will be kind enough to help me look.’ He held his hand up as Flora danced towards him. ‘Wait there, poppet. This won’t take a second.’ He opened the door and stepped outside, followed by Alice.

‘Did you have anything for her, or not?’ she demanded angrily. ‘You can see how disappointed she was by her parents’ present.’

‘That would be Lydia’s doing. She’s not over-generous when it comes to her daughter.’

‘That’s not an answer. Have you something for her or not?’

He shook his head. ‘No, I’m afraid not. I just said the first thing that came into my head.’

‘So what was in the little parcel?’

‘It was a small gift for you, Alice.’ He took the package from his pocket. ‘I know it was a liberty, but I also knew that my sister-in-law would never think of giving you a present, even though you’ve done so much for Flora in such a short space of time. She’s a different child.’

‘I wasn’t expecting anything. You must give it to Flora.’

‘I can’t.’ He laid it in her hand. ‘It’s not suitable for a nine-year-old, and it’s only a trinket, but you’ve been so kind to Flora, and I thought you’d like it.’

She opened it and found a gold ring with a single pearl in a claw setting. ‘It’s lovely.’

‘I saw it in a jeweller’s window and I thought of you.’

Alice shot him a sideways glance and realised that he was being serious. She knew she was blushing, but she was more concerned about Flora than she was for herself. Thinking quickly, she took off her precious butterfly brooch, which she had hidden beneath the stiff white collar of her uniform dress. She placed it in the paper and wrapped it, placing it in his hand. ‘The ring is beautiful, but I can’t accept it. Give this to Flora; she’ll love it as I always have.’