The River Maid Read online

  ‘Wait a minute.’ Essie followed him, although she had to run to keep up with his long strides. ‘Are you leaving? I thought you weren’t supposed to be seen in daytime.’

  He came to a sudden halt, rounding on her. ‘You were told to mind your own business. Please go home and tend to your father.’ He walked off, cutting a swathe through the curious neighbours who had gathered on their doorsteps, and the children playing on the pavement.

  ‘What are you looking at?’ Essie demanded, turning her back on the women who were chattering, giggling and pointing at her. She reached the house and let herself in to find her father propped up on a couple of pillows. Judging by the tipsy smile on his face he had supped one too many bottles of ale, and the evidence lay around him on the floor. The smell of alcohol filled the front parlour.

  ‘I suppose he bought these for you,’ Essie said angrily as she put her basket down and bent over to pick up the empty bottles. ‘You’ll only fall again if you get drunk, Pa. You know you can’t take your ale like you used to.’

  ‘Stop fussing, girl, it was only a little tumble.’

  It was at that moment Essie noticed a large lump on her father’s forehead and the beginnings of a bruise. ‘I’ll soon put a stop to this.’

  She abandoned the task of tidying up and ran from the house, determined to catch up with Raven. Dodging passers-by and leaping over infants who were crawling about in the filth, Essie chased after their errant lodger. He had been heading towards Fore Street, and, as she rounded the corner, she caught sight of him striding along, but he stopped suddenly as a carriage drew to a halt at the kerb. The door opened and he climbed in. Essie hesitated, waiting for the vehicle to continue on its way, but it remained stationary and this made her even more curious. She approached cautiously, pretending to study the contents of the shop windows, but as she drew level the carriage door opened and Raven leaped out.

  ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ He grabbed her by the arm. ‘Why are you following me?’

  ‘Let me go, you’re hurting me.’

  He tightened his grip. ‘Who put you up to this?’

  ‘No one. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘What’s going on, Raven?’ A fashionably dressed young woman leaned out of the carriage, staring curiously at Essie. ‘Who is that?’

  ‘Get in. We’re drawing attention to ourselves.’ Without a by-your-leave Raven lifted Essie off her feet and tossed her into the vehicle. He climbed in and closed the door. ‘Now then, I want an explanation.’

  ‘My dear, you’re scaring the poor creature.’ The young woman turned to Essie with a beguiling smile. ‘Who are you? And why were you following this man?’

  ‘She is the boatman’s daughter,’ Raven said angrily. ‘Unfortunately our paths crossed just as I was leaving White’s Rents in answer to your note, Alice. I wasn’t to know the silly little fool would follow me.’

  ‘I am not a fool,’ Essie protested. ‘And I’m capable of speaking up for myself, sir.’

  ‘Aha, a young lady of spirit.’ Alice leaned back against the padded velvet squabs, putting her head on one side as she eyed Essie with renewed interest. ‘Tell me about yourself. What’s your name?’

  ‘I might ask the same of you, ma’am,’ Essie said stiffly. ‘I didn’t ask to be pitched into your carriage. I was merely following this man because I want to know what he’s up to.’

  ‘Let’s start with who you are, shall we?’

  ‘My name is Esther Chapman and I brought this fellow ashore from a foreign vessel, with very little thanks for my trouble and a good deal of inconvenience, I might add.’

  ‘Really? I’m impressed, and I apologise for Raven’s treatment of you, but he is rather anxious to keep his presence in London a secret, as you might have guessed. And you are quite correct, introductions should have been made first. I am Alice Crozier.’

  ‘Lady Alice Crozier,’ Raven added with a wry smile. ‘Daughter of the Earl of Dawlish.’

  ‘I’m sure that has little interest for Esther,’ Alice said sweetly. ‘I’ll thank you to mind your own business, Raven.’

  ‘You are very much my concern, Alice.’ Raven’s smile faded as he turned to Essie. ‘You will keep this to yourself.’

  She nodded. ‘I just want to know what you’re up to, and what business you have that keeps you out all night. Times are hard enough without dragging my pa into something shady.’

  Alice raised her eyebrows, fixing Raven with a questioning glance. ‘Well? What do you say to that?’

  He eyed Essie thoughtfully. ‘How trustworthy are you, Esther?’

  ‘It all depends what you mean by trustworthy. My main concern is for Pa and myself. We’re struggling as it is and we don’t want any trouble.’

  ‘But you’ve taken my money,’ Raven said smoothly. ‘That might implicate you in my crime, or whatever you imagine my misdeeds to be.’

  Alice laid her mittened hand on his arm. ‘Stop teasing the poor girl, Raven. I think Esther could be trusted, and anyway she knows too much to fob her off with threats or platitudes.’

  He leaned back in his seat, fixing his intense gaze on Essie. ‘I am a convicted felon,’ he said slowly. ‘I was transported to Australia five years ago.’

  Essie, for once, was speechless – she could only stare at him in amazement. He was obviously an educated man, and not the sort she associated with the crimes that could be punished by transportation to the colonies.

  ‘That surprises you,’ Raven continued. ‘I suppose I should be flattered, but I was accused of obstructing officers of the Crown and sentenced to seven years’ penal servitude.’

  ‘Were you guilty?’ Essie demanded, finding her voice at last. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘That doesn’t matter.’ Raven turned his head away, staring out into the street. It had started to rain and the passers-by were scurrying for shelter.

  ‘He was protecting his brother.’ Alice leaned towards Essie. ‘Raven did not deserve such a harsh sentence. He was punished because he came from a privileged background and was supposed to set an example to his inferiors, or so the judge said.’

  ‘Seven years sounds a bit harsh,’ Essie said thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know what your brother did, but surely he should have been punished, not you.’

  ‘My brother was young and irresponsible. He got away.’

  ‘You saved him from himself,’ Alice said severely. ‘Frederick was your mother’s spoiled darling, and he thought he could do as he pleased. But for you he would have been sent to a penal colony instead of living a life of luxury abroad.’

  ‘A monastery in Italy is hardly the most thrilling place for someone like Freddie to spend the rest of his days.’ Raven shook his head. ‘I intend to clear both our names, but I’m no hero. If I’m discovered I’ll be thrown into jail and will probably face the death penalty.’

  ‘Then why have you risked everything to return to London?’ Essie demanded.

  ‘It’s a matter of trust and honour, but I don’t want you to be involved.’

  ‘But she is already,’ Alice said gently. ‘And you are risking everything by being seen in daylight. We will all be in trouble if you’re recognised.’

  ‘I know that, Alice. But I have to see Gilfoyle today – it’s taking too much time with all this creeping about at night. I need to go to his office and have it out with him.’

  Alice’s green eyes widened and her mouth turned down at the corners. ‘That’s insanity.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I must see him in person. I have to sort out my affairs before the Santa Gabriella sails. I have to be on that ship.’

  Essie shifted uncomfortably on the padded velvet seat. ‘I shouldn’t be here. Perhaps I ought to go home. I have to find work anyway.’

  Alice reached out to grasp Essie’s wrist. ‘Don’t go yet. I have an idea that might save us all from a great deal of trouble and heartache.’

  ‘You always were the clever one in the family,’ Raven said with a wry
smile. ‘What do you suggest?’

  Alice ignored him, concentrating her attention on Essie. ‘How do you earn your living, Esther?’

  ‘It’s Essie, my lady. No one calls me Esther unless I’m in trouble.’

  ‘All right then, Essie – what work are you looking for?’

  ‘My pa fell and hurt his back. He’s works the river and I’ve taken over his job while he’s poorly.’

  ‘Forgive me, but I don’t know what that entails.’

  ‘We have a boat and we do trips that are too small for the watermen and lightermen to take on. As I told you, I brought Mr Raven ashore the other night, and it was blooming difficult, rowing against wind and tide.’

  ‘We need a go-between, Essie,’ Alice said earnestly. ‘Raven is risking everything simply by returning to London, but he has important business to transact.’

  Essie looked from one to the other. Raven was frowning thoughtfully, but he made no comment. ‘You’re an escaped convict,’ she said slowly. ‘I’d be in trouble too, if you were caught.’

  He nodded. ‘Yes, you would. I don’t want you going into this blindly.’

  ‘But we would pay you well,’ Alice insisted. ‘You’re involved now anyway.’

  ‘Don’t tell the girl that,’ Raven said angrily. ‘She can still walk away. I won’t be responsible for ruining a young life.’ He fixed Essie with an intense look. ‘You aren’t under any obligation to me or my cousin. If you’re unhappy with this you are free to go now, and nothing more will be said.’

  Essie held his gaze and saw a man she could trust. ‘I will help you,’ she said slowly. ‘Just tell me what you want me to do.’

  Raven was about to reply, but Alice laid her hand on his arm. ‘Leave this to me.’ She turned a brilliant smile on Essie and the sun seemed to shine inside the luxurious carriage, even though the rain was drumming on the roof. ‘We will take you home and you can tell your papa that you have been offered work in the house of a respectable lady, which will give you an excuse for visiting me in Hill Street.’

  ‘Take me home?’ Essie shook her head. ‘Are you mad? Begging your pardon, my lady, but if this carriage arrived in White’s Rents it would cause a sensation.’

  ‘She’s right, Alice.’ Raven’s tense expression melted into a smile. He opened the door. ‘Go home, Essie. I’ll see you later.’

  Essie visited Riley on the way, but he had no work for her and she spent the day cleaning the house, attempting to ignore her father’s constant carping. In the end she went to the pub and had a jug filled with ale, which kept him happy. He was soon sound asleep and snoring loudly, and Essie was sitting by a desultory fire in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil, when Raven entered the room.

  She jumped to her feet. ‘I thought they’d got you,’ she said crossly. ‘I’ve been waiting all day for you to return.’

  He took off his cap and reefer jacket, shaking droplets of rainwater on to the tiled floor. ‘You sound like a nagging wife.’

  ‘I don’t know who would want to marry a man like you,’ Essie countered. ‘You asked me to help you and I need to know exactly what I’m supposed to do.’

  He pulled up a chair and sat down, stretching his long legs towards the fire. ‘Haven’t you got any more coal? That’s a pitiful excuse for a blaze.’

  ‘No, I haven’t. I bought a bag yesterday and put it out in the yard but someone pinched it.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I know I’ve put you to a lot of trouble, but you’ll be handsomely recompensed.’

  ‘If I’m not sent to jail first.’

  A smile curved his lips and he nodded. ‘Touché. But I’ll take great care that doesn’t happen.’ He leaned forward and took the poker from her hand. ‘That really is a poor apology for a fire.’

  Essie sat back in her chair, eyeing him thoughtfully. ‘Why aren’t you staying with Lady Alice? You’d be a lot more comfortable in her house. She’ll have a servant or two to take care of you, and I’m sure she has coal fires in every room.’

  ‘My cousin has a large house in Hill Street, as you’ll discover, and she has a small army of servants. Most of them are trustworthy, but there’s always someone with a loose tongue.’ He put the poker down with a sigh. ‘I can’t afford to be caught, Essie. This isn’t a game, which is why I want you to visit Hill Street daily and return with whatever information Alice has for me.’

  ‘What do you hope to gain from all this?’ Essie asked boldly. ‘And don’t say it’s none of my business, because you’ve involved me and my pa whether we like it or not. Why would you risk everything to return to London now, when you only have to wait for another two years and you could be a free man?’

  ‘Free, but still a convicted criminal.’ He stared into the pale flames that licked around the damp nuggets of coal. ‘Have you heard of a place called Ballarat?’

  ‘No, can’t say I have.’

  ‘You know that fortunes are being made from the goldfields?’

  ‘I suppose I must have seen something about it in the old newspapers that people leave about, but Australia is on the other side of the world. What has that got to do with us here?’

  Raven put his hand in his pocket and took out a gold nugget, which gleamed dully in the firelight. ‘This is what it’s all about, Essie.’

  ‘You’ve struck gold?’

  ‘Let’s just say that I’ve found enough to buy back my good name and that of my brother.’

  ‘It’s hard to believe that something so small can be of such value.’

  ‘This is not the whole of my find. There’s more.’ He put the nugget back in his pocket. ‘You mustn’t breathe a word of this. People become savages when there is so much money at stake.’

  She laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation. ‘Round here they’d kill you for a silver sixpence, let alone a lump of gold.’

  ‘Which is why no one must find out.’

  ‘I will help you, but what did Frederick do that caused you both so much trouble?’

  ‘I suppose it will do no harm to tell you.’ Raven leaned back in his chair with a faraway expression in his eyes as if seeing a world quite different from the poorly furnished kitchen with damp staining the walls and cracked windowpanes. ‘Our family home is in Devon. Freddie had just come down from Cambridge and, for whatever reason, he got involved with some undesirables. Despite the efforts of the preventive officers, smuggling still goes on along the coast and probably always will. Freddie was caught aiding the gang to unload their illicit cargo onto the beach.’

  ‘What happened then?’ Essie asked anxiously. She could almost smell the salty air and hear the waves crashing on the shingle as the boat laden with contraband was hauled ashore.

  ‘Freddie escaped and came home, but the revenue officers followed him. I did what anyone would do when their younger brother was in trouble and I said he was doing my bidding. I thought, quite wrongly, that my privileged position could keep me out of trouble.’

  ‘But you said he’s in Italy. I don’t understand why you were punished instead of him.’

  ‘We were both put on bail, but I knew that Freddie would admit his culpability and I arranged for him to leave the country. I stood trial and I was punished for my stupidity and arrogance. It was too late to tell the truth and that’s why I’m here now, paving the way for freedom for both myself and Freddie.’

  ‘But your brother is guilty and he’s escaped punishment. That doesn’t seem fair.’

  ‘Freddie was young and stupid, but he’s no criminal. You would do the same for a brother if you had one, I’m sure.’

  Essie’s eyes filled with tears. Memories of long ago flooded back on a tide of emotion – a smiling face, a playful tug at her hair, a paper poke filled with shards of toffee, a piggyback when her little legs were too tired to walk another step – the older brother ousted from the family home when she was a small child. She gulped and swallowed, turning away so that Raven would not see her tears.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ he d
emanded. ‘What have I said to upset you?’

  Chapter Three

  The need to tell him was too strong. It was a forbidden subject as far as her father was concerned, but love did not fade away on command, and she had loved George. She had hero-worshipped her elder brother, who had alternately teased and spoiled her, but the feeling ran deep. ‘I have a brother, too,’ she murmured, half-afraid to speak his name in case Pa should hear.

  ‘You have a brother? Where is this fellow? He ought to be taking care of you now.’

  ‘I should have said that I had a brother, but George left home when I was very young. Pa won’t allow his name to be spoken, and he blames George for my mother’s death. He says he broke her heart and that’s why she died.’ Essie wiped her eyes on her apron. ‘But I know that’s not true. She died of the fever that she caught from me. I am to blame for her death, not George.’

  ‘That’s ridiculous, Essie. You couldn’t help being ill, and you certainly weren’t responsible for your mother’s death.’

  ‘I try to believe that, but George left anyway.’

  ‘To lose your mother and your brother at such a young age must have been hard for you to bear.’

  ‘It was – it still is – which is why I will help you. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll try my hardest to help you and your brother.’

  Next morning Raven gave Essie the money for a cab and she walked to Commercial Road, waiting until she was safely out of sight of prying eyes before she hailed a passing hansom. The cabby looked askance when she gave him the address and demanded to see her money, but the sight of a silver shilling was enough to convince him that she could pay her way.

  ‘Hop in, but I hope you know what you’re doing, miss. The toffs don’t take kindly to the likes of you knocking on their door, begging for work.’