Cinderella Sister Page 8

‘It’s entirely up to Monsieur Labrosse, Lily.’ Matt mounted the stairs. ‘Follow me, monsieur.’

  Lily stood as if frozen to the spot. She had not thought as far as Armand’s eventual recovery and return home. The realisation that she might never see him again sliced through her with an actual pain. He had admired her work and he had understood her love of art and now he was going to leave. He had likened her to a white lily with the innocence of youth, but the feelings she had been harbouring for him had been anything but innocent. He had stirred something within her that she had never experienced before; it was an entirely grown-up emotion and a physical desire. In the few short days that she had known Armand Labrosse, Lily realised that she had bridged the gulf between adolescence and womanhood. And yet, in her heart, she knew that her case was hopeless. Armand had left her in no doubt that it was Nell who had first claim on his affections. The winter sun might be slanting through the hall windows, but to Lily it felt as if it was snowing. She had fallen in love and realised that it was a lost cause all in the space of an hour. It was a bleak day indeed.

  Later that evening Nell and Molly received the news in their different ways. Nell attempted a brave smile that did not reach her eyes; Molly burst into floods of tears and stormed out of the kitchen. There was silence in the room as the family listened to her thunderous footsteps reverberating on the stair treads followed by a loud crash as she slammed the bedroom door.

  Aggie sighed and raised her eyes to heaven. ‘She hasn’t done that since she was fourteen. It’s quite like old times.’

  Matt pushed his chair back from the supper table and stood up. ‘She’ll just have to get over it. When Monsieur Labrosse saw how well Armand was doing he decided to return home tomorrow. They’ll be sailing on the evening tide.’

  ‘I have a lesson to prepare for the morning,’ Nell said, rising to her feet. ‘I’ll be in the front parlour if anyone wants me.’

  ‘Wouldn’t you rather sit with Armand?’ Lily asked tentatively. ‘I mean, it is his last evening with us.’

  Nell moved swiftly to the dresser where she had left a pile of books. She picked them up, clutching them protectively to her breast. ‘We will never see him again,’ she said softly.

  ‘You’ve hardly touched your supper,’ Aggie said crossly. ‘All that good mutton stew going to waste.’

  Mark reached for her plate. ‘I’ll eat it. The sheep might have died of old age but it’s tasty.’

  ‘You’re a pig,’ Luke said, pulling a face. ‘You’ll get fat and your Flossie will find another chap.’

  ‘She loves me as I am,’ Mark retorted, stuffing a whole potato into his mouth.

  Matt flipped him round the head. ‘You’ve certainly got the manners of a hog. Anyway, I’m going out.’

  ‘Will you be late back?’ Nell asked. ‘I don’t want to lock you out.’

  ‘I’ve been summoned to a meeting with the manager of the London Docks.’

  ‘At this time of night?’ Nell said, angling her head. ‘That sounds ominous, Matt.’

  He uttered a humourless laugh. ‘It’s meant to be informal; a chat over a glass of wine or two and Labrosse will be there, so perhaps it’s a pat on the back for looking after his son.’

  ‘It’s a pity they didn’t invite all of us,’ Luke said, getting up from the table. ‘I’d like a chance to see how the rich folk live. Anyway, I’m going to the parlour. I hope you’ve lit the fire, Lily. That fellow upstairs has had all the attention lately. I shan’t be sorry to see the back of him.’ He strolled out of the room, holding the door open for Nell. ‘Are you coming?’

  ‘Yes, right away.’ She paused in the doorway. ‘Good luck, Matt.’

  ‘What was all that about?’ Mark demanded as the door closed on them. ‘What did she mean?’

  Lily held her breath, wondering if Matt was going to admit that they were in danger of being evicted from their home, but he shrugged on his jacket and his expression gave nothing away. ‘It’s something and nothing. It could be that Labrosse wants a bit more information about the cause of the fire. It’s all in my report, but I’m not going to turn down the opportunity to enjoy a glass of good wine or two.’ He turned to Lily, who had risen from her chair and was busy stoking the fire in the range. ‘You’d best go upstairs and see if our guest needs anything, Lil. He might be leaving tomorrow but we want him to think kindly of us.’ Matt plucked his cap off the hook behind the door and left the kitchen with Aggie staring after him.

  ‘I dunno,’ she said, puffing out her cheeks. ‘There’s something going on and I’d like to know what.’

  Patting his full belly, Mark stood up. ‘That was good grub. I say we ought to keep young Labrosse here for longer if we’re to get meat every day.’

  ‘Well, since you enjoyed your meal so much, you can help by stacking the dishes in the scullery,’ Aggie said sternly. ‘It’s not fair to leave everything to Lily, and I doubt if we’ll see young Molly again this evening. She could do with a good spanking if you ask me.’

  Mark opened his mouth to say something, but Lily had seen the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and she sent him a warning glance. ‘You’d best go now if you want to see Flossie. Mr Cobbold locks the shop door at nine o’clock and he won’t open it for anyone.’

  ‘You’re a good little thing, Lil. I don’t know what we’d do without you.’ Mark patted her on the cheek as he made his way to the door.

  Left alone with Aggie and a mountain of dirty crockery, Lily sighed. Was it always going to be like this? Much as she loved her family, she wished they would see her more as a person and less as an unpaid servant. Armand had made her feel like a woman and he had acknowledged her talent as an artist, but by this time tomorrow he would be gone from their lives forever. It seemed so unfair.

  ‘Stop daydreaming,’ Aggie said sharply. ‘I hope you’re not going to start spouting poetry at me. I couldn’t do with two of you with your heads in the clouds.’

  Lily smiled reluctantly. ‘You don’t have to worry about me, Aggie. I couldn’t make up a rhyme to save my life.’

  ‘Then you must be in love like the other two, and I say it’s a good thing that young man upstairs is leaving tomorrow. He’s turned all your heads with his foreign ways.’

  ‘I must go and see if he wants anything,’ Lily said hastily. ‘I won’t be long, Aggie. You sit down and rest and I’ll clear up in a minute.’ Without giving her time to reply, she left the room.

  Upstairs, she opened the door to Armand’s room quietly in case he was taking a nap after his meal, but she withdrew when she realised that he was being entertained by Molly. The sound of their laughter echoed off the high ceilings and it seemed to Lily that her sister was living up to the wild rose’s reputation for bringing pleasure; but perhaps the pain was yet to come. Lily returned to the kitchen with a heavy heart.

  It was getting late by the time she finished the washing up and had dried and stacked the dishes on the dresser. Aggie had gone to bed in the small room off the kitchen, and the only sound in the house was the creaking of old timbers as they contracted in the cold night air. Lily doused the fire with damp tea leaves that had been used several times and would not stand another brew, and having satisfied herself that the back door was locked she made her way to the front parlour. There was no sign of Luke or Nell and the fire had burnt to ashes. She left the room in darkness and looked into her grandfather’s room to make sure that he had not fallen asleep with the candle still burning. He was getting very forgetful with advancing years and had almost set fire to the house a couple of times in the past few months. Having assured herself that all was well, she was about to go upstairs when the front door opened and Matt lurched into the hall. He carried his cap in his hand and the wind had ruffled his dark hair, causing him to look dishevelled and unkempt; quite unlike his normal self.

  Lily went to meet him. ‘Matt, are you drunk?’

  ‘I might be a bit squiffy, Lil.’

  ‘I’ve never seen you like this.’

 
; He hooked his arm around her shoulders. ‘It was that bastard dock manager, Lil.’

  His voice rose in anger and she was afraid that he would wake the whole house.

  ‘Come with me, Matt,’ she said, taking him by the hand and leading him towards the kitchen. ‘I’ll make you a cup of tea. You’ve got to sober up and tell me what’s happened.’

  The heat had not gone completely from the fire and the kettle was still simmering on the hob. Lily made a pot of strong tea using fresh leaves. It was a reckless extravagance, but she would worry about that in the morning. There were more important matters to think about at this moment. Matt drew Aggie’s chair closer to the range and sat down, staring moodily into the dying embers as he sipped his tea.

  ‘It’s no good, Lily,’ he said at last. ‘I thought – or rather I hoped – that Labrosse might be able to put in a good word for us.’

  ‘What went on this evening? I’ve never seen you in such a state.’

  He curled his lip into a cynical smile. ‘It was all very jolly at the start. Labrosse was very grateful for what we’d done for his son, and the wine was flowing, but then he went off to bed saying he had a business meeting early in the morning. I was left with our friend the manager, and it seems they want the house much sooner than I thought. We’ve only got until the end of this month to find alternative accommodation. He gave me a long speech about how lucky we’ve been staying on since Grandpa retired but he said business is business and they aren’t running a charity. He made me feel like a pauper, the smug bastard.’

  Lily threw her arms around him. ‘We’ll be all right. You said we might be able to rent rooms next to the fire station. It doesn’t matter if it’s not what we’re used to. As long as we’re together, we’ll be fine.’

  ‘I wish I was as certain, ducks,’ Matt said, shaking his head. ‘It’s not so bad for the boys and me. We’re used to living over the shop when we’re on night watch, but it’s going to be tough on you girls, and then there’s Grandpa. The shock might finish the old bloke off.’

  ‘Not Grandpa,’ Lily said with more confidence than she was feeling. ‘He’s tougher than that.’

  ‘I dunno, Lil. I’ve done my best to keep the family together, but I’ve failed somewhere along the line. I always wanted Pa to be proud of me, but for the first time I’m glad he didn’t live to see this day.’

  ‘Don’t say that. If Pa could see how hard you’ve worked to keep us all he would be more than proud. I know I am.’

  ‘You’re a poppet, Lily. Don’t ever change.’ Matt raised his hand to pat her on the cheek. ‘Go to bed, there’s a good girl. I’ll sit here and smoke a pipe of baccy before I go up, and I’ll finish the tea in the pot.’

  ‘All right, Matt.’ She made a move to go but he caught her by the hand.

  ‘Best not mention any of this to the others. Not yet, anyway. I’ll tell them when it’s absolutely necessary, and in the meantime you can pray for a miracle.’

  She left him sitting in semi-darkness, lighting his pipe with a spill from a glowing coal. She went slowly upstairs feeling as though she was in a living nightmare. The old house might be crumbling round their ears but it was home. All her childhood memories were encapsulated in its walls and she was not going to let it go without a fight. She went past her bedroom and headed for Armand’s room, entering without bothering to knock.

  In the soft glow of the firelight she could see the shape of Armand’s dark head silhouetted against the white cotton pillowcase. She thought at first that he was asleep but as she approached the bed he turned his face towards her. ‘What is it, Lily?’

  ‘Armand, I need your help.’

  He raised himself up on one elbow. ‘Of course, anything you want, within reason.’

  She thought she saw the flicker of a smile in his eyes but in the poor light she could not be certain. She knotted her fingers together behind her back. ‘The dock company are going to throw us out on the street at the end of the month.’ The words tumbled from her lips.

  He frowned. ‘But why? Is it that you cannot pay your rent?’

  ‘It’s not that. They need the house for the present dockmaster. Grandpa was allowed to stay on for a short time only, but he didn’t tell us that. Matt was hoping that your father might put in a good word for us, but I don’t think he was given the chance. Will you speak to him tomorrow? Please, Armand, it might not be too late.’

  ‘I will do so, but to be honest with you, Lily, I don’t think it will make much difference. My father owns some shares in the dock company it is true, but not enough to influence their decision in a matter such as this.’

  ‘But he might be able to help. If not we’ll be living in two poky rooms above the fire station in Cock Hill. Think of Nell, and Molly too.’

  He reached across the counterpane to touch her hand. ‘And you, Lily. What would you do without your drawing and painting?’

  ‘I would survive. I have pictures in my head and in my heart. They will always be there when I close my eyes, or when I see the sun turning the ripples on the river into diamond necklaces, but it would be terrible for Grandpa to lose his home. His pride will suffer, and Matt thinks he has let us all down. You will help us, won’t you, Armand?’

  He squeezed her fingers. ‘I will try, my little Lily. If only for your sake, I will do my best.’

  ‘Thank you, Armand, thank you so much.’ She raised his hand to her cheek for the briefest of moments and then let it fall back onto the faded satin coverlet that had once graced her parents’ bed. She could still feel the imprint of his fingers as she hurried from the room. The blood was drumming in her ears with the insistence of a military band as she ran to her own room, stopping outside the door to take off her boots so that she did not wake her sisters as she made her way across the bare boards to her bed. Slipping off her print frock, she slid beneath the covers, shivering as her warm flesh met the iced glassiness of the starched cotton sheets. Lying on her back she looked up at the stars through the small windowpanes where fingers of frost glinted in the moonlight. She could still feel the heat of Armand’s hand on her cheek and she touched it gently, closing her eyes and sending him a kiss in her thoughts. He might think of her as being little more than a green girl, but loving him had matured her into a woman. She drifted off to the place where dreams become reality, walking into his open arms and dancing the night away to the strains of a Viennese waltz.

  Lily spent the next morning in a state of feverish anticipation. Nell had taken Armand’s breakfast to him before she left for the school, and Molly had insisted on clearing out the grate in his room and had lit the fire. Lily had to wait until her brothers and sisters had gone to work before she had a chance to speak to him alone. In her dreams she had spent the night being held in his arms, but in broad daylight she felt suddenly shy in his company, and unusually tongue-tied.

  ‘I haven’t forgotten our conversation last night,’ he said as she was about to take his breakfast tray downstairs. ‘I will speak with my father when he visits me later today. Perhaps I can persuade him to delay our return to Paris. I want to be sure that you and your family are treated fairly.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she murmured. ‘I knew I could rely on you, Armand.’

  She took the tray back to the kitchen and found Aggie sitting at the table counting out piles of silver and brass coins. Aggie looked up, grinning broadly. ‘What a windfall! We’ll have roast beef for dinner tonight, or maybe a nice fat capon, seeing as how it’s his nibs’ last meal with us.’

  Lily picked up a silver florin. ‘Where did all this money come from?’

  ‘Monsieur Labrosse gave it to Matt in payment for his son’s board and lodging, and not before time if you ask me. Anyway, better late than never, and I’m off to market. I might even make a treacle pudding as a special treat.’ She slid the money into a leather pouch.

  In spite of everything, Lily had to smile. If Aggie had been a cat Lily was certain she would have been purring with satisfaction at the thought of hav
ing money to squander on luxuries. Perhaps in the circumstances she ought to have warned Aggie to be more prudent as hard times were coming, but Lily could not betray Matt’s confidence and it seemed a shame to spoil Aggie’s fun. She went instead to clear out the grate in her grandfather’s room and light the fire. She turned a deaf ear to his grumbles, but she couldn’t help wondering how he would react when faced with eviction from his beloved home. She could not imagine Grandpa existing away from the river, even such a short distance as Cock Hill. Without his spyglass and his view of the trading vessels plying the Thames day and night, she had a horrible feeling that he might wither and die like the sooty leaves on the roses that rambled over the portico in summer.

  ‘So when is the young Frenchman leaving us?’ Grandpa demanded as Lily hefted the bucket of cinders from the grate. ‘I saw his pa come to the house yesterday but nobody thought to introduce us. I might as well be dead for all you lot care.’

  ‘That’s not true, Grandpa. We all love you.’

  ‘I’m shut up here and forgotten. It’s my house and the fellow ought to have paid his respects to me.’

  ‘Monsieur Labrosse was in a hurry, Grandpa. He sent his compliments to you and asked to be excused, but he will come and see you today.’ Lily eyed him warily to see if her improvisation had hit the right note. Unfortunately it was true that Grandpa did get overlooked occasionally, but it was hard to include him in their daily lives when he was so unpredictable. Sometimes he was completely rational, but if he was in one of his moods he might fly into a rage at the slightest provocation, and he had been known to order the odd unwary visitor out of the house. He had thrown a teapot at the vicar when he had chanced to call, and that was the last time they had received the Reverend James Crisp. He had left the house with a large lump on his head and the beginnings of a black eye. It was no wonder that he had curtailed his visits, although Nell still attended church every Sunday without fail.

  ‘Go on then, girl,’ Grandpa said testily. ‘Why are you standing there gawping at me like a codfish? I want my morning tea, and a slice of cake wouldn’t go amiss.’