Dilly Court - Ragged Rose

‘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.’