Ragged Rose

‘I’ve had such a lovely time,’ Cora whispered. ‘He’s such a gentleman and he wants to take me driving in the park one afternoon. Do you think Papa would allow it?’

‘Are you mad?’ Rose grabbed her by the wrist. ‘You can’t tell anyone about this, least of all Pa.’

‘But that’s not fair.’ Cora’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears. ‘He likes me, Rose. He really likes me.’

‘I’m sure he does. Don’t cry, Corrie. There’s our intro – we’re on stage, so smile.’

As they emerged from the smoky atmosphere of Fancello’s saloon into the darkness of Cupid’s Court, Rose was immediately aware of a tall figure loitering at the far end of the alley. He was silhouetted against the light of a streetlamp, but he appeared to be wearing an opera hat and cloak. Her conversation with Bennett had put all thoughts of Carter out of her head, but now she was nervous.

‘What’s the matter?’ Cora demanded. ‘Why have you stopped?’

‘It’s nothing,’ Rose said quickly. The last thing she wanted was to worry Cora, but her heart was thudding against her ribs and she was scared. ‘We must hurry or Aunt Polly will have retired for the night.’ Rose walked on, hoping that the man would go away, but it became obvious that he was waiting for them. He turned to face them and she saw to her relief that it was Bennett Sharpe.

‘Who is that man?’ Cora demanded breathlessly. ‘Do you know him?’

‘It’s all right, there’s no need to be scared,’ Rose said hastily. ‘I met him in Fancello’s. He’s a friend.’

‘And you thought I was being forward,’ Cora whispered. ‘At least I didn’t arrange an assignation with Gerard.’

‘It’s not like that. Trust me, Cora. This man is to defend Billy in court and he’s here to help us.’ Rose greeted Bennett with an attempt at a smile. ‘I didn’t realise you were waiting for us, Mr Sharpe.’

‘I thought it best if I were to escort you home.’

‘I recognise you now,’ Cora said slowly. ‘You’re the gentleman who put that dreadful man in his place. I was going to come over myself, but I could see that you had the matter well in hand. I’m Cora, by the way. The other half of the Sunshine Sisters act. How do you do, sir?’

Bennett’s expression softened and he bowed over Cora’s hand. ‘Bennett Sharpe. How do you do, Miss Sunshine?’

‘It sounds so odd when you say it that way, Mr Sharpe,’ Cora said, laughing.

Rose was accustomed to seeing strangers falling under her sister’s spell, and it was clear that Bennett was no exception, but it was getting late. ‘We have to call in at our aunt’s establishment in Old Street, and we need to get there before she locks up for the night.’

Cora tucked her hand in the crook of Bennett’s arm. ‘I expect Rose has told you everything, Mr Sharpe. The things we get up to might be the plot of a penny dreadful, but we have to go to great lengths to keep our secret, and we couldn’t do it without Aunt Polly’s help.’

Bennett proffered his free arm to Rose. ‘Anything that either of you can tell me will be of great value, and if you don’t want me to speak to your parents it might help if I can talk to your aunt.’

Polly was ready for bed and did not bother to disguise the fact that their late arrival was an annoyance. Her expression hardened when she saw Bennett.

‘Who is this? Why have you brought a man to my house? This is unacceptable behaviour for which there is no excuse, girls.’

‘It’s not what you think, Aunt Polly,’ Rose said hastily. ‘Mr Sharpe is the barrister who has been hired to defend Billy. He came to the saloon tonight to talk to us, and he’s going to see us home.’

‘You’d better come in.’ Polly showed them into her parlour. ‘You’re very late. I was about to go to bed.’

‘We’re so sorry. We didn’t know we were expected to do two shows this evening.’ Cora laid a hand on her aunt’s arm. ‘Don’t be cross, Aunt Polly.’

Polly shrugged, refusing to be pacified. ‘Your father would be horrified if he knew what you girls were up to. Quite honestly I’m beginning to regret my part in all this.’

‘Pa will be even more horrified if he discovers that his only son is awaiting trial for murder.’ Rose had not meant to speak so sharply, but it had been a long and exhausting day. ‘I’m sorry we’ve caused you to worry,’ she added apologetically. ‘But events have moved rapidly, and Mr Sharpe thinks we might be able to help.’

Polly clutched her robe around her, eyeing Bennett with suspicion. ‘I suppose you’re trying to justify a huge fee, sir? We’re poor people and these girls are risking more than their reputations in an attempt to raise the money for William’s defence.’

Bennett inclined his head. ‘As I discovered this evening, ma’am.’

‘I can’t talk to you now.’ Polly glared at him, refusing to be soothed by his apologetic smile. ‘It’s late and my nieces should be at home in bed. I’ll ask you to wait in the hall while they change into their street clothes, and then you may walk them home.’

‘I understand perfectly, ma’am. I hope you will excuse this intrusion and will allow me to call tomorrow at a more suitable hour.’

‘I’ll see you at noon. Don’t be late, I detest bad manners.’

‘I will be here on the dot, ma’am.’ Bennett left the room, closing the door behind him.

‘He’s trying to help us, Aunt Polly,’ Cora said mildly.

‘And he’s Billy’s only hope.’ Rose took off her bonnet and shawl. ‘I’m very sorry I couldn’t let you know that we would be late.’

‘Don’t be angry, Aunt Polly. I will cry if you scold us.’ Cora’s bottom lip trembled ominously. ‘I am so very tired.’

Rose stepped into her plain grey gown, fumbling with the tiny buttons on the bodice in her haste to get dressed. ‘We’ll be gone in a few minutes, and tomorrow we’ll have time to talk properly to Mr Sharpe and discover exactly how he plans to help Billy. You do want to help him, don’t you, Aunt?’

‘Silly girl, of course I do.’ Polly moved to a side table and poured a generous tot of brandy into a glass. She collapsed onto the sofa, took a sip and sighed. ‘I doubt if I’ll sleep a wink tonight. All these comings and goings are too much for me.’ She seized one of the many fans that were scattered about the room and used it vigorously.

Rose experienced a pang of guilt. Aunt Polly was not a young woman, and she worked hard to keep the unfortunates in her care from ending up in the workhouse. ‘You must say if our visits are too much for you. I know you are up at the crack of dawn every day.’

‘Are you insinuating that I’m too old to be of any use?’

‘No, of course she isn’t.’ Cora slipped her shawl around her shoulders. ‘You weren’t, were you, Rosie?’

‘Certainly not, but we don’t want to take advantage of your good nature, Aunt Polly.’ Rose moved to her aunt’s side and leaned over to brush Polly’s powdered cheek with a kiss. ‘You are a wonderful woman and we love you dearly. We couldn’t raise the money to save Billy without your help, and I know you will work your considerable charm on Mr Sharpe tomorrow. He’ll be eating out of your hand, just as the gentlemen used to when you were the toast of the London stage.’

Polly drained her glass of the last drop. ‘It’s true. I had my devoted following, but those days are long gone.’

‘I’m sure you could dance all night if you chose to do so, but you’ve taken a different path, Aunt. You look after women who are in desperate need, and I admire you for that.’ Rose patted her aunt on the cheek. ‘I think you are a heroine, Aunt Polly.’

‘Stuff and nonsense, girl.’ Polly’s pale cheeks flooded with colour, but despite her harsh tone she was smiling. ‘We agree on one thing, and that is the need to do everything we can to clear Billy’s name.’

‘That’s the only reason we’re appearing on stage, and now we have to work tomorrow night as well.’

‘But tomorrow is Sunday,’ Polly said, patently shocked by such a notion. ‘Your father wouldn’t like that.’

‘I hope he won’t find out, and that’s where we need your help, Aunt. Mrs Blunt has Sunday afternoon and evening off, so Cora and I do the washing-up. If we could have Maisie to do that for us we could get away without anyone being the wiser.’

‘I’m not sure that I ought to collude in such behaviour, but you can have Maisie. Heaven knows, she’s not much use here. She faints if she sees a cut finger, let alone a woman in labour. On occasions we can’t get an expectant mother across the road to the Lying-In Hospital, and sometimes they simply refuse to be moved. I don’t know how she will cope when her time comes.’ Polly flapped her hands at them. ‘You girls need to hurry home. It’s very late, but at least you have a capable-looking man to see that you get there safely.’

‘I love you, Aunt Polly,’ Rose said, blowing her a kiss as she opened the door. ‘Come on, Cora, don’t waste time primping in the mirror. It’s too dark outside for anyone to notice you.’

Bennett was waiting for them in the entrance hall. ‘What is this place?’ he asked, frowning. ‘I’ve heard screams coming from a room upstairs, and a baby crying.’

‘This is a home for fallen women,’ Cora said shyly. ‘Aunt Polly helps unfortunates who have nowhere else to turn in their time of greatest need.’

‘Papa thinks that we come here to help look after the poor souls.’ Rose grimaced at the sound of a fierce argument upstairs. ‘We wouldn’t be able to perform at Fancello’s were it not for Aunt Polly.’

‘Yes,’ Cora added. ‘We change our clothes here, and then we go on to Fancello’s. We do this in reverse on our way home.’

‘I’m not sure I understand why you feel the need to complicate matters in this way.’ Bennett looked from one to the other, frown lines furrowing his brow.

‘Because the lingering smell of tobacco smoke and the fumes of alcohol would be noticed at home,’ Cora said earnestly. ‘We would have difficulty in explaining that away.’

‘I admire the way you’ve thought things through, but I have to agree with your aunt. You’re exposing yourselves to enormous risks.’

‘Our brother’s life is at stake,’ Rose said coldly. ‘Would you have us sit at home and do nothing?’

‘That’s a question you should be asking William, not me.’

‘I wish I could see Billy,’ Rose said passionately. ‘I would tell him that we’re doing everything in our power to secure his release.’

‘Poor Billy …’ Cora’s voice broke on a sob.

Bennett opened the front door and ushered them out into the cold night air. He walked on with lengthy strides. ‘Gawain Tressidick is dead. He was a young man with a promising career ahead of him.’

Rose had to quicken her pace in order to keep up with him. She held her sister’s hand, towing her like a small, tired child. ‘He was Billy’s best friend. I’ll never believe that our brother struck the fatal blow.’

‘Nor I,’ Cora said faintly. ‘Billy abhorred violence of any sort.’

‘But I understood he was something of an expert in the noble art of pugilism.’ Bennett came to a halt, facing Rose with a steady look. ‘He was, wasn’t he?’

Rose gulped and swallowed. It was a question she had been dreading. ‘He regarded it as a science as well as a sport. Billy would have defended himself, but he would never start a fight. I’d stake my own life on it.’

‘He was a southpaw,’ Cora said proudly. ‘He told me so, although to be honest I’m not exactly sure what that means.’

‘Billy is left-handed?’ Bennett’s dark eyes glinted with the golden reflection of the gaslights as he met Rose’s questioning look with a triumphant smile. ‘Is that correct?’

‘It is,’ she said slowly. ‘But I don’t see what that’s got to do with anything.’

‘This piece of information might have a huge bearing on the case.’ He smacked his hand on his forehead. ‘Why didn’t I think of that before?’

Rose and Cora exchanged baffled glances. ‘I don’t understand,’ Rose said, frowning. ‘What difference does it make?’

‘I can’t be certain, but it might be the one fact that has been overlooked. I have to return to Cornwall first thing in the morning.’

‘So soon?’ Rose stared at him in surprise. ‘But you said you needed to know more about Billy.’

Bennett started to walk, hands clasped behind his back. ‘This could be just what I was searching for. I couldn’t understand how a young man who was destined for the clergy could suddenly turn into a vicious killer, which is why I accepted the brief in the first place.’

Rose forgot that her feet hurt and her throat was sore from singing in a smoky atmosphere. A glimmer of hope had been ignited in her breast and she wanted to know more. She caught him up, leaving Cora to stumble along behind them. ‘Why is it so important, Mr Sharpe? Don’t keep me in suspense.’

‘I don’t want to raise your hopes too high. You will have to trust me in this. I’ll leave a message for Scully and he’ll keep you informed as to my progress, or the lack of it.’

‘Stop here,’ Rose said breathlessly. ‘This is where we live.’

Bennett came to a halt, staring at the vicarage as if committing every brick and tile to memory. ‘Then I’ll say goodbye for now. Will you explain my absence to your aunt, and ask her to accept my apologies?’

‘I will, but I know she’ll be overjoyed to think that there is hope.’ Rose held out her hand. ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

Bennett raised it to his lips. ‘I promise you I will do my utmost for Billy.’

‘Are you leaving us, Mr Sharpe?’ Cora caught up with them, holding her side and panting. ‘We’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘I’m afraid not, Miss Cora. Rose will explain everything, but I hope to see you when I return to London.’

‘When will that be?’ Rose asked anxiously. ‘Please don’t leave us in suspense.’

‘I don’t know. Everything depends on what I discover when I return to Portmorna.’

A shiver ran down Rose’s spine. ‘Billy was staying at Portmorna House.’

Bennett slipped his hand into his breast pocket and took out a deckle-edged calling card. ‘This is the address of my chambers in Lincoln’s Inn. If you need help they will put you in touch with Scully.’

Rose took the card from his outstretched hand, and it was still warm from his touch. She tucked it into her reticule. ‘I’d like to see Billy. He’s so far from home and I can’t imagine what he must be feeling.’ She slipped her arm around Cora, who had begun to sob. ‘Don’t cry. Mr Sharpe is doing everything he can for Billy.’

‘I promise you that I’ll do my utmost to bring this sorry situation to a satisfactory end.’ Bennett backed away. ‘I have to leave you now, but next time we meet I hope it will be under happier circumstances.’

‘Thank you.’ Rose stood very still, watching Bennett until he was out of sight. A chill wind whipped her hair from beneath her bonnet and a feeling of exhaustion threatened to overcome her. They were alone again, with nothing to sustain them other than hope.

‘Let’s get you indoors, Cora. You’ll feel better in the morning.’

‘It’s too hard,’ Cora sobbed. ‘I felt better when Mr Sharpe was here, but now he’s gone it’s just the same as it was before.’

‘Not quite,’ Rose said gently. ‘We know he’s on our side, and I trust him.’ She was about to open the gate that led to the tradesmen’s entrance when the clattering of a horse’s hoofs and the rumble of wheels echoed down the quiet street. She hurried Cora into the garden and waited for the vehicle to pass, but it slowed to a halt at the kerb. She peeped out from behind a laurel bush and her breath hitched in her throat.

‘It’s Dr Grantley, Cora, and he’s calling here. Something awful must have happened. Go inside, quickly.’

Chapter Five

The kitchen was deserted, but the kettle singing on the range was a sure sign that Mrs Blunt had not retired for the night. Rose helped Cora to a chair. ‘Sit down and dry your eyes. I’ll go and find out what’s happening.’

‘It must be Mama.’ Cora raised a tear-stained face. ‘We shouldn’t have left her.’

‘I’ll find out. Stay there and try to keep calm.’

Rose discarded her bonnet and shawl as she hurried from the room, making her way to the entrance hall where Dr Grantley and her father were deep in conversation. The sound of their deep tones echoed through the otherwise silent house.

‘What’s wrong, Papa?’ she asked anxiously. ‘Has Mama been taken worse?’

Seymour’s thin features were sharply outlined by the shadows cast by the flickering gaslights, and his face was ashen. ‘I’m afraid so. Mrs Blunt is with her now.’

‘I’ll go up, shall I, Vicar?’ Dr Grantley moved to the foot of the stairs without waiting for a response. ‘I know the way.’ He lumbered up the staircase and the treads creaked beneath his considerable weight.

‘Why are you home so late, Rose?’ Seymour demanded angrily. ‘I’ll have words with Polly for keeping you girls out until all hours. She will have to hire more help if she cannot run her establishment without you and Cora.’

‘It wasn’t Aunt Polly’s fault, Pa. We lost track of the time.’

‘Well, it isn’t good enough. I don’t want my daughters roaming the city streets late at night.’

‘I’m truly sorry that you were worried, Pa.’ Rose could see that her father was upset and unlikely to be mollified by excuses. ‘Shall I go upstairs with the doctor? I’ll ask Mrs Blunt to make you a cup of tea or a tisane to calm your nerves.’

He seemed to shrink before her startled gaze, and his shoulders stooped as if burdened by an unbearably heavy weight. He dashed his hand across his eyes. ‘Yes, Rose, that would be for the best. I think I might go to my study and rest for a while.’

The temptation to put her arms around him and give him a hug was almost irresistible, but Rose knew that her father was not the sort of man who welcomed personal contact. Even as a child she could not remember any outward demonstrations of affection on his part. As far as she was concerned, Papa had always been a slightly aloof figure of authority. Billy had always been his favourite, and no matter how hard Rose tried to please her father it had never seemed to be enough, but it was a shock to see him bowed and bent like a gnarled tree battered by a gale. She made a move to follow the doctor. ‘I’ll take care of Mama, and I’ll send Mrs Blunt to you.’

‘Where is Cora?’ Seymour demanded anxiously.

‘She’s in the kitchen, Pa.’

‘You must take care of her, Rose. She’s delicate, like your mother, and I worry about her health. Going out in the night air isn’t good for anyone with a weak constitution.’

‘Cora is perfectly well, Papa. I wouldn’t allow her to do anything that might compromise her wellbeing.’ Rose waited until her father went into his study before continuing upstairs to her parents’ bedroom.

Mrs Blunt was standing by the bed with a doleful expression on her face. She gave Rose a reproachful look. ‘Your ma was taken ill an hour or more ago. She was calling for you.’

Rose approached the bed, keeping a respectful distance from the doctor, who was using a stethoscope to examine his patient. Eleanor lay amongst the pillows like a broken flower, her long hair spreading out around her head in a halo of pale gold. Seeming to sense her daughter’s presence, she opened her eyes and her bloodless lips curved in a hint of a smile. ‘Rose,’ she whispered. ‘Where were you?’

‘No talking, please, Mrs Perkins.’ Dr Grantley shot a warning glance at Rose before continuing his examination.

‘I’m sorry, Mama,’ Rose said softly. ‘I was delayed, but I’m here now.’ She turned to Mrs Blunt. ‘My father looks very tired. I’m sure a cup of tea would revive him, or one of your excellent camomile tisanes.’

‘Yes, of course, Miss Rose.’ Despite her meek response Mrs Blunt managed to convey her reluctance with a twitch of her shoulders and a loud sniff as she left the room, but Rose was too concerned with her mother’s health to worry overmuch about offending their housekeeper’s sensibilities.

Dr Grantley folded the stethoscope and replaced it in his medical bag. ‘Your mother needs rest and quiet, Rose.’ He leaned over the bed, fixing Eleanor with a stern gaze. ‘I’ll give you some laudanum, which will help you to sleep, Mrs Perkins, and I’ll call again in the morning.’

He took a small glass bottle from his bag and handed it to Rose. ‘One or two drops diluted in water will ease the pain.’ He snapped the lock shut and headed for the door, beckoning Rose to follow him. ‘Your mother is very unwell. She has a delicate constitution and I’m afraid that the polluted air in the city has taken its toll on her health.’

‘What can we do to make her better, Doctor?’

‘I would advise good food, country air and above all rest, but I fear that is out of the question.’ He stroked his beard, frowning. ‘Unless, of course, you have relatives who dwell in the countryside, or a family friend who lives out of town and would care for Mrs Perkins during her convalescence?’

‘I don’t think so, Dr Grantley. My grandparents died several years ago and Mama has only one sister, but she lives in Old Street.’

A grim smile curved Dr Grantley’s thin lips. ‘Ah, yes. I know Miss Day very well. A good woman, despite her colourful past. I attend her establishment on a fairly regular basis.’

‘And Papa was an only child. As far as I am aware, he has no living relatives.’

‘What about William? I believe he is at Oxford; would it be possible for your mother to stay with him for a few weeks?’

Rose hesitated, caught unawares by the mention of Billy’s name. ‘I’m afraid that’s out of the question. My brother is staying with friends in Cornwall until the beginning of the next term. He has rooms in college.’

Dr Grantley shook his head. ‘A great pity. However, I will come again tomorrow. We can only do so much and the rest is in God’s hands.’

Rose returned to the bedside and measured out two drops of laudanum into a glass, topping it up with water. She helped her mother to a semi-recumbent position and held the glass to her lips. Eleanor drank thirstily and fell back on the pillows, exhausted by the effort.

‘I’m sorry to be such a nuisance to you all,’ she murmured.

Rose replaced the glass. ‘Don’t talk like that, Mama. You know that’s not true. We’d do anything to make you better, anything at all.’

‘I feel so useless,’ Eleanor whispered. ‘I spend more time confined to my bed than I do looking after my family, or helping to care for the poor of the parish.’

‘You do more than enough, and that’s partly why you keep falling ill. You wear yourself to the bone looking after the sick and aged, but you mustn’t worry. Cora and I will do more to help Papa, and you must concentrate on getting well.’ Rose leaned over to kiss her mother’s pale cheek. ‘I promise you that we’ll take care of everything.’

‘You’re such a comfort to me, Rose.’ Eleanor’s eyelids fluttered and closed and within minutes she was sound asleep.

Rose went straight to her father’s study. Her mother’s fragile condition could no longer be put aside as being a temporary indisposition. She knocked and entered the room without waiting for a response. ‘Pa, I need to talk to you.’

Seymour put his cup back on its saucer, eyeing her with a worried frown. ‘What is it, Rose? Has your mama taken a sudden turn for the worse?’

She sank down on the chair in front of his desk. ‘Mama is asleep. The laudanum has done its work, but it isn’t a cure. Dr Grantley said that she needs rest and country air. You must get her away from London before it’s too late, Pa.’

Seymour peered at her over the top of his steel-rimmed spectacles. ‘Don’t you think I would have done that months ago had it been possible, Rose?’

‘I don’t think there is a choice now. There must be something we can do.’

‘I can’t abandon my duties as parish priest.’

‘Joshua is in his fourth year as curate, Papa. Surely he could take over for as long as need be? If you could take Mama to the seaside it would be beneficial to her health.’

‘I can’t afford it, Rose. It’s as simple as that.’

Rose was not going to give up easily. ‘There must be a way.’

‘I have to trust in the Lord, my dear.’ A tired smile lit Seymour’s grey eyes. ‘Wearing yourself out with worry isn’t going to help, Rose. You’re a good daughter and I’m proud of the work you do, but you must take care of yourself or you might fall ill and then what would we do?’