A Place Called Home Page 4

  Peckham obliged with a sharp bark and she tossed the food to him. He fell on it and gobbled it up. Lucy tucked the ham rolls into her pocket and picked up the mugs, but she could not resist a quick glance over her shoulder. The gentleman met her startled gaze with a steady look and she turned away, walking as fast as she could without spilling too much of the hot tea. She dodged into the maze of alleyways, which would be impossible for a carriage and pair to negotiate, but arriving back at the lodging house she could not shake off the feeling that she had been followed. The door was not locked and she let herself in. Peckham looked up at her expectantly and she had not the heart to shut him outside in the cold. She allowed him to follow her up the stairs, hoping that Mrs Wicks was otherwise occupied.

  Eva was sitting up in bed, sorting through the pile of clothing. She looked up with a fond smile, holding her hand out for the mug, and gulped down the rapidly cooling tea. ‘That was just what I needed, poppet. Your old granny can’t take the drink like she used to.’

  Lucy squatted on the palliasse. ‘Where did you go last night, Granny? Who gave you all this stuff?’

  ‘I told you, love. I got an old friend who can be very generous given the right amount of encouragement.’ Eva tossed her head and laughed. ‘And it took some persuading, but it was worth it. I got all these duds to sell today. We’ll make a killing in Rosemary Lane. Who knows, we might even have enough cash to hire a stall and set up properly.’

  Lucy offered her one of the ham rolls. ‘You must be hungry. I’m starving.’

  ‘Eat them both if you want,’ Eva said, placing the mug on the floor and turning her attention back to the assortment of garments. ‘I had a bit of supper with Abe, but the blue ruin was a mistake.’

  ‘Why did you drink it then? And who is Abe?’

  ‘He’s just a bloke I’ve known since I was a girl not much older than you. He’s helped me out in the past and he’s come up trumps this time, as always.’

  ‘But how did you pay him for all this?’

  ‘Good God, child. Why all the questions? Just think yourself lucky to have a full belly. It doesn’t matter how I got them, what’s more important is that we sell them and make a fine profit. You won’t have to dip pockets no more; I’ll see to that.’ Eva held her hand to her forehead, wincing. ‘My head aches, so don’t ask no more questions. Let’s see if I got anything that will fit you.’

  Lucy sat back, eating her roll and sharing some of it with Peckham, but she was worried nonetheless. Her grandmother rarely drank to excess, and she could only imagine what favours Granny had bestowed on the man she called Abe in order to procure such a wealth of saleable items. Lucy had learned early on that nothing in life was free, especially if you were poor and needy. She had witnessed hurried couplings in dark alleyways when prostitutes who made themselves available for the price of a drink, or a meal for their numerous offspring. She had seen women selling their young daughters to men who were old enough and rich enough to know the difference between right and wrong. She knew of little boys who had been apprenticed to sweeps and sent up chimneys to clear the soot, many of them getting stuck and suffocating in the attempt, or at the very least suffering terrible burns and being scarred for life. Children as young as five or six picked over dust heaps, looking for anything that could be salvaged, and others were mudlarks, risking death by drowning on the banks of the River Thames as they searched for lost valuables. She also knew that, but for her grandmother, she might have been one of these; even worse, she might have been consigned to the workhouse.

  Seemingly oblivious to everything other than the prospect of making money, Eva gave a cry of delight as she selected a frilly cotton lawn petticoat trimmed with broderie anglaise. ‘This will fit you, poppet. Try it on for size.’

  Lucy stood up reluctantly. ‘You could get good money for that. It’s too grand for me.’

  ‘Nonsense, darling. I want you to have something pretty.’ Eva tossed it to her. ‘Put it on. You deserve to have something special.’

  Peckham had been sitting beside Lucy but at that moment he sprang to his feet, growling and staring at the closed door.

  ‘What’s the matter with him?’ Eva said crossly. ‘You shouldn’t have encouraged him, Lucy. That old hag will throw us out if she finds him up here.’

  Lucy was about to defend her actions, but before she had a chance to argue the door flew open and a man stepped into the room. Her hand flew to her mouth and she uttered a cry of fright. ‘It’s him, Granny. The strange man in the carriage.’

  Eva scrambled to her feet, sending clothes flying in all directions. Her face paled to ashen as she stared at him in disbelief. ‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded angrily. ‘Have you been following my granddaughter?’ She wrapped Lucy in a close embrace and the dog cowered at their feet, making low growling sounds deep in his throat.

  ‘She’s my granddaughter too.’

  Lucy stiffened. ‘What did he say, Granny?’

  ‘Leave us alone,’ Eva cried angrily. ‘Get out of here.’

  The gentleman took a step towards them, fixing his gaze on Lucy so that she was unable to look away. ‘I am your grandfather, child. I don’t even know your name, but you are my flesh and blood and I’ve been searching for you for a very long time.’

  She opened her mouth to reply but Eva laid a finger on her lips. ‘Let me handle this, Lucy.’

  ‘Lucy.’ The gentleman’s stony countenance relaxed into a smile. ‘That was your great-grandmother’s name.’

  ‘Is this true?’ Lucy demanded. ‘I want to know.’

  ‘The child has spirit.’ The gentleman took off his top hat to reveal a head of silver hair. His eyes were a similar shade, neither blue nor grey but the colour of the summer sky reflected on steel. ‘My name is William Marriott and your father is my son.’

  ‘Was,’ Eva said quickly. ‘The bastard who seduced my innocent child is dead and buried in a French cemetery.’

  ‘Julius died in Paris as you well know, madam.’

  ‘Served him right.’ Eva released her hold on Lucy. ‘Your son lured my little Christelle away with his fine words and fancy presents. He abandoned her and the child and God knows what would have happened to them if I hadn’t come to their rescue.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Lucy said slowly. ‘If my pa was a toff, why was we left penniless?’

  ‘A good question.’ Eva fixed Marriott with a hard stare. ‘If his father hadn’t been such a toffee-nosed snob he might have helped the pair of them, instead of turning his back on his only son.’

  Marriott shook his head. ‘And I’ve lived to regret it, madam.’

  ‘I found my little girl living in a hovel south of the river.’ Eva slipped her arm around Lucy. ‘This is her daughter, Sir William, but she’ll have nothing to do with you.’

  ‘I’m trying to make amends.’ He held his hand out to Lucy. ‘Come, child, I’m not an ogre. There’s no need to look so scared.’

  ‘I don’t know you, guv.’ Lucy bent down to pat Peckham, who seemed to sense her distress and growled again, baring his teeth.

  He dropped his hand to his side. ‘You speak like a street urchin and you dress like one too. Nevertheless, I can see a passing resemblance to my son and I’m prepared to accept you as my granddaughter.’ He drew Eva aside. ‘I won’t mince words, madam. I came here today to offer you a considerable sum if you’ll release Lucy to my care.’

  ‘You want to take her away from me? You’ve got the cheek to offer to buy her? What for, I’d like to know? What sort of creature are you to want to take a child from her home?’

  ‘Home?’ He looked round, curling his lip. ‘I’ve seen the slums where you’ve been living, and I’m well aware of the way you grub for money and that you send the child out thieving.’ He glanced at the pile of clothes. ‘I doubt whether any of this was come by honestly.’

  ‘I never stole it, if that’s what you’re saying.’

  He raised an arched eyebrow. ‘There are other ways of pr
ocuring goods. You are still a handsome woman, Miss Pocket, and you know how to use your charms to good purpose.’ He held up his hands in a gesture of appeasement. ‘I’m not criticising you, madam. I’ve had you watched for some time, and from my own observations I know that you’ve struggled to survive. I’m offering you enough money to start again, but only if you allow your granddaughter to become my ward. I’ll see that she’s educated and brought up to be a lady. She’ll take her place in society and have a future that you could never guarantee. What do you say?’

  ‘I say that you can go to hell. Where was you when the baby was born? Where was you when her mother ran off? Where was you when this child had the measles and nearly died?’

  ‘I should have done something sooner, but my dear wife was mortally ill and I could think of nothing else at the time. On her deathbed she begged me to find the child and make sure that she had a good start in life. After she died I had time to think about the opportunity I had missed by renouncing my only grandchild, and that’s when I set out to find her.’

  ‘My heart bleeds for you,’ Eva said, curling her lip. ‘Selfish to the last.’

  ‘Selfish I might be, but this time I’m thinking only of the child. If you love her you’ll do what is best for her. She is the only link I have with my dead son and I’m not giving up easily.’

  ‘You’re wasting your time. Go away and leave us alone.’

  ‘You can’t blame me for wanting to save my own flesh and blood from living a life of poverty and ignorance. What prospects has she got if she remains in your care, Miss Pocket?’

  Lucy looked from one to the other, shaking her head. ‘Stop it, both of you. I ain’t a bone to be fought over. The dog is better behaved than you two.’

  There was a brief silence, broken by someone hammering on the door. It burst open and Mrs Wicks stood on the threshold, breathing heavily. ‘No gentlemen callers. I told you that, missis.’ She pointed a shaking finger at Peckham. ‘And no bloody dogs neither. I dunno which is worse – men or dogs. Get out of here, all of you, and take that animal with you.’

  ‘I paid a week’s rent in advance, you old besom,’ Eva said angrily. ‘I ain’t leaving unless you give it back.’ She made a move towards Mrs Wicks, fisting her hands, but Sir William stepped in between them.

  ‘There’s no need for violence.’ He turned to Mrs Wicks and she cowered beneath his stern gaze. ‘I’d advise you to hold your tongue, madam. You will be recompensed for your trouble, but if you continue to harass us you won’t get a penny piece.’

  Mrs Wicks seemed to shrink into her black bombazine dress like a tortoise retreating into its shell. ‘Very well, sir.’ She shot a malevolent glance at Eva. ‘I’ll deal with you later.’

  Sir William closed the door on her. ‘Now, Miss Pocket, there’s no need for us to be enemies. I’m sure we both have Lucy’s best interests at heart.’

  ‘I do, but I ain’t so sure about you.’

  He turned to Lucy with an attempt at a smile. ‘Lucy, my dear child, I want you to come and live with me in Albemarle Street. You will want for nothing, and I’ll do everything in my power to make up for the neglect you’ve suffered since birth.’

  ‘Hold on, guv. I love my granny and I don’t want to leave her. I don’t know you and I don’t want to be a lady. I ain’t coming with you.’

  ‘You heard her,’ Eva said with a triumphant smile. ‘Now sling your hook, Sir William. We’ve managed so far without you and we’re just getting back on our feet.’

  ‘You live from day to day, relying on pure chance to get you through. What will you do when you’ve run out of rubbish to sell? Will you send the child out thieving again?’ He held up his hand as Eva opened her mouth to protest. ‘I also know that you consorted with a man who is known to the Metropolitan Police as a fence for stolen goods. You were seen entering his premises in Clerkenwell last night and you left in the early hours of this morning, more than a little the worse for wear, with a large bundle slung over your shoulder. Do you want me to go on?’

  Eva shook her head. ‘Not in front of the child, sir.’

  He put his hand in his pocket and produced a wallet, stuffed with notes. He took out three crisp white five pound notes and placed them in Eva’s hand, closing her fingers over them. ‘Fifteen pounds is more than you’ll earn in a year.’

  Eva made as if to throw the money in his face but she met his steady gaze and dropped her hand to her side. ‘I can’t sell her, not for ten times that amount.’

  ‘And I won’t go,’ Lucy cried, clinging to her grandmother’s arm. ‘I won’t leave my granny.’

  Sir William regarded them with a hint of sympathy in his cool gaze. ‘I understand, but your grandmother must do what is best for you, child.’

  ‘She looks after me,’ Lucy murmured. ‘We’re doing all right, guv.’

  He focused his attention on Eva. ‘What will happen to her when you aren’t around to look after her? What future will she have if she remains in your care? Will she suffer a similar fate to that of her unfortunate mother? Will she fall for the first rogue who makes a play for her?’ His expression changed subtly. ‘I see that there is a strong bond between you, but if you love the child you’ll do what is best for her.’

  Eva’s eyes filled with tears. ‘He’s right, Lucy. Much as I love you, I know in my heart that what he says is true. I can’t give you anything other than the sort of life I’ve had to lead. I don’t want that for you.’

  Lucy threw her arms around her grandmother’s slim waist. ‘Don’t send me away. I’ll work harder and earn more pennies. I’ll do anything if you’ll just let me stay with you.’

  ‘I’ll make you an allowance, Miss Pocket,’ Sir William said gruffly. ‘You’ll be able to rent rooms in a decent lodging house and live more comfortably than you do now.’

  ‘No,’ Lucy cried passionately. ‘Don’t let him do this to us, Granny.’

  ‘Will I be able to visit her?’ Eva said faintly.

  He shook his head. ‘It must be a complete break, ma’am. You have to understand that, and I want you to give me your promise that you won’t try to contact Lucy.’

  ‘That’s cruel,’ Lucy sobbed. ‘You can’t do this to me.’

  ‘Have I your word that you will treat my granddaughter as if she were your own child?’ Eva stroked Lucy’s hair back from her forehead, dropping a kiss on her tumbled curls. ‘Will you love her and care for her?’

  ‘I’m not a demonstrative man, but I will do my utmost.’

  ‘I hate to admit it, but he’s right, Lucy.’ Eva rocked her granddaughter in her arms as if she were a baby. ‘You’ll have everything that I can’t give you, and you’ll have a chance to better yourself.’

  ‘But I don’t want to go with him. I want to stay with you.’

  ‘I will always love you, and it breaks my heart to let you go.’ Eva raised a tear-stained face. ‘I’m putting my trust in you, Sir William. If you make my girl unhappy I’ll see that you suffer the torments of hell.’

  ‘I don’t want to be a lady.’ Lucy broke away from her grandmother and dropped to the floor, wrapping her arms around the dog, ‘We’ll run away. Me and Peckham will disappear and you won’t be able to find us.’

  ‘You may keep the animal if it means so much to you,’ Sir William said with an impatient edge in his voice. ‘I have dogs at home. I daresay another won’t make much difference.’ He nodded in Eva’s direction and smiled. ‘You see, Miss Pocket, I am trying hard to make the child feel comfortable.’

  ‘We’re not going,’ Lucy said firmly. ‘Peckham and me are staying here, and that’s final.’

  She huddled in the corner of the carriage with Peckham curled up on her lap. Despite her protests and her earnest entreaties to be left with her grandmother, she had lost the battle and was now on her way to Albemarle Street. Sir William sat opposite her but made no attempt at conversation. She stared out of the window. At any other time she would have been thrilled to be travelling in such luxury, but in her
present emotional state nothing registered in her brain other than the fact that every turn of the wheel and every hoofbeat took her further away from everything she knew, and the one person in the world she loved.

  When the coachman reined in the horses outside the elegant five-storey house in Albemarle Street Lucy sat very still. If she did not move a muscle, maybe the strange man who purported to be her grandfather would get out of the carriage and leave her to return home. He had ignored her until now, but when a liveried footman opened the door and put the steps down Sir William gave her his full attention. ‘You first,’ he said abruptly.

  The footman proffered his arm and Lucy thrust the dog into his startled embrace. ‘Hang on to him. He might take fright and run away.’ She leapt to the ground. ‘Give him to me, mister. He don’t like strangers.’

  Sir William alighted from the vehicle and strode across the pavement to the front door, which opened as if by magic. Lucy followed him inside to the obvious surprise of the butler, whose eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline.

  ‘Miss Lucy has come to live with us, Bedwin.’ Sir William took off his top hat and gloves and handed them to the butler. ‘Send Mrs Hodges to me. We’ll be in the drawing room.’

  ‘Yes, Sir William.’ Bedwin shot a curious glance at Lucy and she stared back. Peckham wriggled in her arms and whimpered and when she put him down he ran to the front door, and turned his head to give her an expectant look.

  ‘He wants to piddle, or he might want to sh—’

  ‘Let him out, Bedwin,’ Sir William said, cutting her off in full flow.

  ‘Not out there.’ Lucy ran to the door. ‘He’ll get lost.’

  Sir William sighed heavily. ‘Take him to the garden, Bedwin. Get someone to give the creature a bath before you let him back into the house.’

  ‘Let me do it, guv,’ Lucy said eagerly. ‘He’s my dog.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing. We are going to start as we mean to go on. You have a lot to learn.’ Sir William strode towards the staircase, motioning her to follow him.