Lynda La Plante - The Legacy

‘I don’t wish to sound rude, dearie, but, well, you don’t look, if you will excuse my saying so, you don’t really look like most of the clientele in this establishment. I was wondering if you will excuse my rudeness for asking, how you are able to stay at the Grand?’

Evelyne stood up sharply, her hands gripped at her sides, her face taut. ‘It is no business of yours, but I was left a legacy, and I am quite able to afford the price of this “establishment”. I may not look like the so-called “ladies” I’ve seen parading around the lobby, but I wouldn’t care to dress like them anyway, not that my legacy would run to that height of fashion. I have no other motive but to help a man whom I believe is innocent. There is nothing sexual about my friendship with him, I am only interested in justice. I am sorry to have wasted your time but I took you to be a gentleman who could possibly guide me in what I should do. I can see I was wrong, excuse me.’

Ed Meadows rose to stop her, but Sir Charles laid his elegant hand on Ed’s arm again. Evelyne reached the door, turned and thanked Sir Charles for the sherry and then turned abruptly and walked out.

‘Why d’yer behave like that, sir? I fink she was a true ‘un moment I hear her givin’ that snotty lift-boy a bollockin’.’

Sir Charles smiled, raised his whisky glass. ‘On the contrary, I would say she’s magnificent, she’s a tigress, Ed m’boy, but we have to be very sure, I’d say that gel will make a first-class witness, and from what I’ve read to date the boy will most certainly need that, plus a lot more. Go and check on a chap called Smethurst, he’s a lawyer, we’ll need the best there is — or the best Cardiff can provide.’

From the hotel lobby, Ed Meadows asked if Miss Jones would care to have dinner with him, as Sir Charles had suggested it. Evelyne said she had a previous engagement and Ed apologized for disturbing her, but thought he should mention to her that His Lordship had already set the wheels in motion. He was hiring a lawyer first thing in the morning to act on behalf of Freedom Stubbs. He was going to pay a visit to the prison himself, and Ed added that he hoped she was not affronted by his invitation to dinner. Evelyne felt awful and would have liked to change her mind, but she knew she had nothing suitable to wear so she thanked Ed again and said perhaps another time.

Miss Freda had taken Evelyne at her word. She had been round the second-hand shops, run-down tailor’s shops, bespoke tailor’s, pawn shops. With an eagle eye for a bargain she bartered and argued and scrimped, and saved a penny here, twopence there. There was a dreadful pink satin ballgown that she could pull the beads from and hand-stitch instead round the collar of a fawn suit, the pinkish beads setting off the fawn of the jacket.

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Accustomed to rising early, Evelyne was sitting on the window-seat with her legs curled beneath her when Freda arrived at seven-fifteen. Poor Freda looked pale, with deep circles beneath her eyes, but she had brought four garments, all finished down to the buttons. She was able to double her money on each item, but she didn’t feel she was cheating Evelyne, she had cut and sewn all night long and she would defy anyone to tell what or whose they had once been.

Freda hid in the bathroom when Evelyne called down for some coffee to be sent up to suite twenty-seven, and stayed there until the waiter delivered the steaming pots.

They discussed Evelyne’s outfits and talked about what sort of hat she needed to go with each. Evelyne counted out the shillings and pennies, double-checked it and handed the money to Freda, then she went into the bathroom to brush her hair. Returning to the bedroom she found Freda curled up like a dormouse on the unmade bed, so deeply asleep, she didn’t even stir when Evelyne slipped the eiderdown round her tiny shoulders.

The rest of the day was spent in shopping and carefully choosing material and one pair of shoes that would be suitable for all the outfits.

Ed Meadows was waiting in the lobby when Evelyne got back, and he rushed her up to Sir Charles’ suite.

Freedom Stubbs had turned down Sir Charles’ offer to take over his case, refusing point-blank, although thanking Sir Charles for his time and obvious expense. Sir Charles had pulled many strings and had his motorcar waiting to take Evelyne to the jail. She must talk to him, tell him he was being foolish and would hang for it unless he accepted their offer.

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***

Ed Meadows sat in the front of the car with the chauffeur, and gave Evelyne details of the offer, making it sound simple and, of course, to Freedom’s advantage. Sir Charles wanted Freedom to sign a contract to be under his sole management.

‘We reckon he could be a contender, see Evie, me and the guv’nor want to train ‘im, like, get ‘im ready. It’s a fair contract, all the money ‘e laid out for the court case, legal fees and what ‘ave you, would be comin’ out of whatever ‘e’d earn as a boxer.’

Evelyne, clutching the contract, was led through the jail to the visiting room. This time the prison officers were cordial and called her ‘ma’am’. Freedom was brought into the small room in handcuffs, but he had bathed and shaved. His hair was shining, and was braided down his neck. He sat, head bowed, opposite her, and the officer told Evelyne quietly that she could stay as long as she wanted.

One officer was left on duty inside the room, as usual, and another outside the door, but this time the room was not locked.

‘Well, what have you got to say for yourself, Freedom? You know how much trouble I’ve been to, and Sir Charles, you can’t say no, you must be out of your mind.’

Freedom looked down at his hands and pursed his lips. Evelyne leaned over and whispered that no one was concerned about anyone else, nothing had been mentioned about anyone else’s involvement, no names. All they were interested in was his innocence or guilt.

‘You are innocent, I know it, I can stand up and prove it in Willie’s case, but you’ll have to say where you were on the days when the other lads were killed.’

Freedom shifted his weight but still he would not

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look up and meet her eyes. He remained silent, infuriating Evelyne.

‘Sir Charles Wheeler’s no ordinary man, he can help you in your boxing, all you’ve got to do is sign this contract an’ he’ll make you a contender.’. Having misunderstood what Ed Meadows had said, Evelyne had no idea what ‘contender’ meant. Freedom smiled, still with his head down, his eyes averted.

‘You sign this and he’ll take all the court costs out of what he’s agreed to pay you. It’s a chance for you, you can’t throw it away.’

Still he said nothing, and she tried cajoling and various other approaches.

‘Do you not want to box, is that it?’

Freedom lifted his head and stared at her, then turned to face the prison officer. ‘Aye, I want that, I just don’t want no one else to be involved.’

She knew he was thinking of Rawnie and Jesse, and she couldn’t believe it. Her temper got the better of her. ‘You are a fool, you know that, a stubborn fool, I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath on you!’ ‘

‘And I don’t know why, you tell me, I don’t know why I deserve this, no one has ever fought for me before, why you, what do you want?’

‘Because you’re innocent, that’s why, I’d do it for any man who was about to hang when I knew he shouldn’t.’

She laid out the contract and read down the detailed, neatly typed pages. She turned it over, Sir Charles was guaranteeing Freedom a wage, and a fair one as far as she could see.

‘Is there something here you don’t agree with, is it too long a contract, is that it?’