Mermaids Singing Read online

  Jumping to his feet, Jem caught Kitty around the waist. ‘Never mind them, Kitty. You know this is my last day ashore. I’ll be sailing on the evening tide.’

  ‘I didn’t know that. I mean, surely not so soon?’

  ‘So you will miss me a bit then?’

  Jem’s blue eyes were laughing but there was an eager look in them that made Kitty catch her breath. ‘Of course I’ll miss you. You’re my best friend, Jem, and always will be.’

  ‘More than a friend, Kitty. You and me belong together.’

  ‘Please don’t start all that again.’

  Jem dropped his hands to his sides and his smile faded. ‘I’m not giving up that easily, Kitty. One day I hope you’ll change your mind about us, but I can wait.’

  Kitty caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and, turning her head, saw that Lady Mableton and Captain Edward were coming towards them. ‘You’d better go quick.’

  ‘Not unless you promise to come and see me off at the docks.’

  ‘You know I can’t.’

  Leonie broke free from Kitty’s restraining hand and ran towards her mother. Lady Mableton bent down and lifted her up, kissing Leonie’s rosy cheek. ‘Bad girl to run away from Nanny.’

  ‘I’m sorry, my lady,’ murmured Kitty, glancing nervously from Lady Mableton’s flushed face to Captain Edward’s. She was relieved to see they were both smiling.

  ‘It’s all right, Kitty. No harm was done,’ Lady Mableton said, casting a curious glance at Jem. ‘Is this young man a friend of yours?’

  ‘I’m sorry, my lady,’ Kitty said, before Jem had a chance to speak. ‘I know it ain’t allowed, but Jem is an old friend.’

  ‘And a seafarer by the looks of things,’ said Captain Edward, eyeing Jem’s reefer jacket and shiny brass buttons. ‘What ship do you sail on, young man?’

  Tugging off his cap, Jem snapped to attention. ‘The Mairangi, Sir. We set sail on the evening tide, bound for New Zealand.’

  ‘How splendid!’ cried Lady Mableton, her eyes shining as she set Leonie down on the ground. ‘How romantic to sail to such a faraway place.’

  ‘I don’t know about that, Ma’am, but I would sail away far happier if Kitty could come and see me off.’

  Appalled by Jem’s boldness, Kitty nudged him in the ribs. ‘Jem, you shouldn’t speak so to Lady Mableton.’

  ‘I admire a bold fellow,’ Lady Mableton said, laughing and casting a sidelong glance at Captain Edward. ‘Of course you must go and see him off, Kitty.’

  Despite Kitty’s protests, Lady Mableton insisted that she must have the evening off, and Captain Edward wished Jem bon voyage, handing him some coins with instructions to send Kitty home in a hansom cab.

  When they arrived back at Tanner’s Passage they found that Polly had suffered one of her funny turns, and had been put to bed with a draught of laudanum to quieten her down. Betty cried and hugged Jem. She blessed Kitty for coming to see him off, as she could hardly leave poor Poll in this sad state. Jem went upstairs to say his own goodbyes to Polly and came down again, blowing his nose and rubbing his eyes, pretending that he had a speck of dust in them. Kitty knew he was blinking away tears and she wanted to hug him, but she stopped herself in time; Jem would take it all wrong and she mustn’t give him false hope.

  ‘Goodbye, Ma,’ Jem said gruffly. He wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her. ‘Take care of yourself, old girl.’

  ‘Let me go, you big stupid,’ Betty said, pushing him away. ‘You get going or you’ll miss your ship.’ She managed a brave smile, but Kitty could see her mouth working as though she wanted to cry.

  ‘I’ll be back afore you know it,’ Jem said, hefting his sea chest onto his shoulder. He headed for the door, knocking a chair over on his way.

  Kitty righted it, turning to Betty with a wobbly attempt at a smile. ‘He’ll be all right. You mustn’t worry.’

  The dock was crowded with horse-drawn wagons, carts and people milling about in a seemingly disorganised fashion. A constant stream of men poured up and down the gangplanks of the steam ship Mairangi, loading the provisions for its long journey. The air was filled with noise, and Kitty almost lost Jem in the midst of the hustle and bustle. She heard him calling her name and then, craning her neck, she spotted him standing on his sea chest, waving his cap.

  Edging her way through the crowd, Kitty was hot and flustered by the time she reached him. ‘I thought I’d lost you.’

  ‘No chance of that,’ Jem said, grinning. ‘You’re stuck to me like glue, Kitty.’

  ‘We’re much too young to even think about courting.’

  ‘Maybe, but I’m a faithful sort of chap and I’ll not change.’

  ‘We’ll always be friends.’

  Jem stared at her for a moment, pushing his cap to the back of his head. ‘I wish I was good at words. It’s all here in my head but when I start talking it all comes out wrong.’

  ‘I care about you, very much. Can’t we leave it like that?’

  Shoving his hand in his pocket, Jem brought out some coins. Selecting a golden guinea he held it up in front of her face. ‘D’you know how many days I got to work to earn this much money?’

  Kitty shook her head. ‘I don’t.’

  ‘A lot of days.’ Jem took a knife from his belt. ‘This coin is like you and me. You’re the one side and I’m the other.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ Kitty watched in horror as Jem knelt on the cobbles and hacked the coin in half. ‘Have you gone mad? It takes me over a month to earn a guinea.’

  Scrambling to his feet, Jem pressed one half of the coin into her hand, closing her fingers around it. ‘That’s my pledge to you, Kitty. No matter what happens, you hang on to that and I’ll keep mine. One day I hope you’ll look at me different, but I’ll not press you.’

  ‘I’ll always love you like a brother, Jem. I can’t promise nothing more.’

  ‘That’s all I ask, for now at least,’ Jem said, kissing her on the tip of her nose. Taking her hand, he pressed two half-crowns into her palm, closing her fingers over the coins. ‘I told that cabby over there to wait and take you back to Dover Street. It ain’t safe for you to walk these streets on your own.’

  Eyeing the coins, Kitty shook her head. ‘It’s an awful waste of money, Jem. This would feed a family for a week.’

  ‘Promise me you’ll take the cab.’

  ‘I promise, but I still think—’

  Twisting one of her short curls around his finger, Jem looked deeply into her eyes. ‘I love you, Kitty.’

  Before she could answer, he had picked up his sea chest and was off up the gangplank. As he boarded the ship, Jem turned and blew her a kiss. With a last cheery wave, he disappeared from view.

  Kitty stood on the quay wall, watching while the crew went about their duties and the great engines purred into life. Steam belched from the funnels and the gangplanks were hauled up. The mooring ropes were released and the great ship began to move. Kitty thought she saw Jem briefly on deck before the Mairangi slid away from its moorings. She waved anyway, hoping he might be able to see her. She stood on the dockside until the ship was out of sight and then made her way slowly along the quay wall, heading towards the cabstand. She had not expected to feel anything but a slight sadness that Jem had gone away but, as the sun plummeted behind the buildings, drowning the City in dusky purple, Kitty suffered an almost overwhelming feeling of loss. Her best friend was sailing away to foreign lands; she would miss Jem more than she could have imagined possible.

  Realising that she still clutched the piece of gold coin in her hand, she glanced nervously over her shoulder to make sure no one was looking, and then tucked it safely away inside her corset so that it nestled between her breasts. It was a daft thing for Jem to have done but it had touched her deeply. The knowledge that someone cared that much about her made her feel all warm and squashy inside; it was strange but sweet, to be treasured and stored away like the fragment of gold coin. She smiled to herself as she made her wa
y to where the cab had been waiting, but it seemed the cabby had got tired of waiting or had picked up another fare. Shrugging her shoulders, Kitty set off to catch the omnibus and, still thinking about Jem and not considering where she was going, she followed the familiar route that would take her past Sugar Yard.

  Realising her mistake, she broke into a run, but as she reached the pub where Sid drank away his wages, Kitty couldn’t help glancing through the open door. The smell of stale beer and tobacco smoke made her wrinkle her nose; her heart missed a beat when she saw Sid leaning against the bar. Instinct told her to run but she froze with terror at the sight of him and her limbs wouldn’t respond. Forcing them to move, Kitty felt as though she were wading in deep water, her breathing was ragged and the sound of her own blood drumming in her ears deafened her. She broke into a run but a pair of strong hands caught her, pinning her arms to her sides. Kicking and screaming, she was dragged inside the pub door.

  ‘Look what I found lurking outside, Sid. Does this belong to you?’

  Kitty saw Sid’s fist coming towards her but she couldn’t dodge the blow …

  She regained consciousness to find herself being dragged into a dark alleyway between two warehouses.

  ‘Thought you’d got away with it, did you?’ Sid muttered through clenched teeth. He threw her down on the cold, hard ground. ‘Well, now I’ll give you what for, my lady. Put you in your place right and proper.’

  Kitty kicked and fought but another clout round the head stunned her. Sid came at her like a maddened bull, forcing her legs wide apart. His raddled face hovered above hers like a hideous incubus, his eyes darkened with lust and his breath foul with stale drink and tobacco. His weight pinned her to the cobblestones, making struggling futile, and his knuckles grazed her flesh as he ripped his trousers open, sending buttons pinging onto the cobbles. She opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his free hand over her face.

  The searing pain of his first thrust into her almost tore her apart. Writhing with agony, she bit at his hand but he was crushing her, squeezing the breath of life from her lungs. Again and again he thrust into her, tearing her bodice and exposing her breasts, kneading them like putty and sucking savagely at her nipples. She was suffocating, she couldn’t breathe. The sour stench of his breath made her want to vomit. This couldn’t be happening; it wasn’t real. It was a terrible dream: a terrifying nightmare. But the pain was real; the terror was real and so was the disgust and utter humiliation. After what seemed like an eternity he collapsed on top of her, panting and laughing, but it seemed that he was far from finished. He ran his tongue down her cheek, nipping at her neck and sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of her breasts, biting her nipples, until the pain became unbearable and Kitty sank into the black pit of oblivion.

  Chapter Six

  ‘Bella, there’s been an accident.’ Maria burst into the bathroom where Bella lay relaxing in a hot, scented bath. ‘The police have brought Kitty back in a terrible state.’

  Bella jerked herself upright, sending a wave of fragrant water onto the marble-tiled floor. ‘Oh my God!’ She leapt out of the bath, snatching the towel from Maria. ‘I’ll come at once.’

  ‘Best get dressed first.’

  Ignoring Maria’s protests, Bella rushed into her bedroom and dragged a blue silk robe over her naked body. Stuffing her feet into swansdown slippers and wrapping a shawl around her shoulders, she hurried from the room with Maria close on her heels.

  In the servants’ hall, Bella found Mrs Brewster bending over Kitty’s inert body. She lay on the sofa, apparently unconscious, with Florrie waving burnt feathers under her nose in an attempt to revive her. Olive and Dora huddled together in the doorway and Jane clutched at James’s arm, her eyes wide with shock. Two burly police officers stood to attention behind the sofa.

  ‘What happened?’ demanded Bella. ‘Is she badly hurt?’

  The older and more senior officer took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm. ‘Begging your pardon, Ma’am,’ he said, bowing stiffly from the waist, ‘but this isn’t a subject fit for a lady’s ears. If I might have a word with Sir Desmond …?’

  Bella drew herself up to her full height. ‘My husband is away from home, Officer. You may speak quite openly to me. I am not easily shocked.’

  The sergeant gave a delicate little cough, casting a wary glance at Maria, who stood close by Bella with her arms folded across her chest and a warning scowl on her face.

  ‘It was an assault, my lady. The young person was found unconscious in an alleyway near Billingsgate Market. She had been attacked most brutally.’

  Bella leaned over Kitty, shuddering at the sight of the ugly bruises on her face and the parts of her body left exposed by her torn, bloodstained clothing. Taking off her shawl, Bella covered Kitty’s traumatised limbs. ‘Has anyone sent for the doctor?’

  ‘If you please, Ma’am,’ Mrs Brewster said, bobbing a curtsey, ‘I took the liberty of sending George for the doctor as soon as Kitty was brought home.’

  Kitty stirred and coughed as the acrid smell of the burnt feathers began to work. Her eyelids fluttered, opened for a moment, and then closed again.

  ‘You’re safe now, Kitty,’ Bella said, patting her hand.

  Florrie dropped the feathers on the floor and began to snivel, burying her face in her apron. ‘Poor Kitty – who would have done such a dreadful thing?’

  ‘And what was she doing out all alone in a place like that, I’d like to know?’ Olive said, in a loud whisper to Dora. ‘Especially when it wasn’t even her night off.’

  ‘Now, now, Olive,’ Mrs Brewster said, glancing anxiously at Bella, ‘that’s no way to talk. Kitty had my lady’s special permission to visit a friend.’

  ‘Some people get what they deserve.’ Dora’s face twisted into a malicious grin. ‘I knew that fella wasn’t her brother. This is what you get for acting like an alley cat.’

  ‘Silence! I won’t tolerate this dreadful behaviour.’ Casting a fierce look in Dora’s direction, Bella turned to the sergeant. ‘Have you any idea who would do such a dreadful thing, Officer?’

  He shook his head. ‘Ma’am, if we might have a word in private …?’

  ‘Of course.’ Bella drew Maria aside, speaking in a low voice. ‘Stay with Kitty. I want to be informed immediately the doctor has seen her. I’ll be in the drawing room with the police officers.’

  Bella was halfway up the steps when Edward came hurrying through the baize door.

  ‘I heard the commotion. What on earth is going on?’

  ‘In the drawing room, please, Edward,’ Bella said. ‘There’s been some trouble.’

  Upstairs in the drawing room, the two police officers stood grimly to attention.

  Edward sat down on the sofa beside Bella and his hand sought hers, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. ‘Have you any idea who did this terrible thing?’ Edward directed his question at the sergeant.

  ‘No, Sir. The young person was unconscious when we arrived on the scene, alerted by a constable on patrol. She come round just long enough to tell us her name and give us this address.’

  ‘I hope you catch him,’ Bella said, curling her fingers around Edward’s hand. ‘The brute who did this to her should be hanged.’

  ‘Quite so, my lady,’ the sergeant said, running his finger round the inside of his uniform collar. ‘A dreadful act indeed! We’ll need to speak to Miss Cox when she recovers sufficiently. But, in the meantime, if you could let us have some personal details of the unfortunate victim, then we won’t bother you any longer tonight.’

  Bella shook her head. She knew nothing about Kitty’s past or, if it came to that, she knew nothing about any of the servants in her household. How far she had come from her roots in the East End now that she was a titled lady. Seeing Kitty lying on the sofa, battered and brutalised by a horrific rape, had brought the past flooding back. The poor girl, not yet grown to womanhood, could have been herself at a similar age; only then it was not a cruel stranger who had raped he
r, but someone much closer to home. She closed her eyes, pressing her hand to her temples in an attempt to banish the appalling memories.

  Edward’s arm went about her and she could hear his voice, but it sounded far away. ‘Lady Mableton is naturally distressed, Officer. I’m sure that Mrs Brewster has the details you need.’

  ‘Of course, Sir. We’ll find our own way out.’

  Edward’s arms tightened round Bella as the door closed behind the police officers. ‘Darling, Bella. Are you all right?’

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, I just felt a bit faint.’

  ‘You should have stayed in your room and let me deal with this terrible situation,’ Edward said, his voice filled with tenderness. ‘I’m here to look after you now, my darling.’

  Bella wanted to laugh hysterically and to cry at the same time. ‘Oh, my dear, if only it was as easy as that.’

  Edward held her closer and, for a wonderful, dangerous and self-indulgent moment, Bella slid her arms around his neck. She could feel the heat of Edward’s muscular body through his starched cotton shirtfront, searing her flesh as if the thin layer of her silk robe had melted away. She caught her breath as his lips caressed the hollow at the base of her throat, moving upwards in light, teasing kisses. His mouth claimed hers with a fierce hunger that matched and inflamed her desperate need for him.

  Edward pulled away first, his eyes clouded with desire as he dropped butterfly kisses on Bella’s forehead, nose and lips. ‘My God, Bella. I love you so much.’

  Trembling and dizzy, Bella laid a finger against his lips. ‘And I love you, Edward.’

  ‘Say it again. Let me hear you say it again, my darling.’

  ‘Edward, there’s so much you don’t know about me.’

  ‘There’s nothing you could say or do that would make me love you any the less,’ Edward said, clasping her hands in his. ‘I want you so much, my love, that it’s tearing my heart out being so close to you and yet so far away.’

  ‘We have so little time together, Edward,’ Bella said, her voice catching on a sob. ‘Don’t spoil it.’