“I know, Mama.” She kissed her mother on the cheek and left her to her mechanisms.
It might be a better life, with less chance of getting transported or chucked in Newgate, but it didn’t
pay.
Not enough, not when you couldn’t resist bringing home a girl you spotted with a neat line in pickpocketing or patter, who would be an asset if you could only put her to use, but who hadn’t a copper penny to put towards the fees.
She didn’t dare risk bringing the law down on them, no. But there were reasons the girls learned how to pick a mark, run a con, break a window, and slide out with the swag without raising an eyebrow. There were reasons they learned what she could remember from her brief time at the Britannia School, being taught the elements of espionage.
She had schemes, she had plans, and she had ambitions. And she had an interview tomorrow, which, if she could be bold enough and lucky enough, might be the beginning of better times.
“E
VVIE
!” A
LARGE,
leather-waistcoated figure strode towards her, a pipe clamped in one corner of her mouth, trailing blue smoke down the corridor behind her.
“Ma,
please
can you smoke that foul thing outside?” Eveline said,
“You got proper finical since you set up this place,” Ma Pether grumbled, but she opened a window, knocked out the pipe on the frame, and pointed its chewed mouthpiece at Eveline. “Those girls are doing all right. You’ve got an eye for ’em, just like me.”
“Told you so.”
“Ah, you did. But, Evvie my birdlet, what’re you planning to do with ’em? They’ll get restless. They already are. And that can only lead to trouble.”
“Who’s getting restless? What’ve they done?”
“I caught that Doris – she may look like butter wouldn’t melt, but she’s a proper bobbish mort, that one,” Ma Pether’s admiration was unmistakeable. “I caught her trying to get into
my
room! Mine!”
Bobbish?
Eveline thought.
Bloody daft, if she thought she could put one over on Ma P and get away with it. Brave, but daft.
“What did you do?”
“Don’t look like that. I didn’t whack her, I know you don’t hold with it – though I was tempted. I told her I’d be peaching on her to you.” Ma gave her a look.
It was a challenge. Evvie knew it. Ma might have been talking about retiring from playing Fagin to a houseful of girls for as long as Evvie had known her, she might have shown every sign of gratitude for her new role, but she’d ruled her particular roost a long time, and thought she knew how it should be done.
“I’ll deal with her.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ve said I will, and I will. And you’re right, it’s time they were put to work. I’m off about something for us tomorrow.”
“What do you mean you’re off about something?”
“Like I said. I’m sniffing something out, and that’s all I’m saying. You’re the one told me never spread a secret, Ma.”
“True enough. But I hope you know what you’re about.”
“
Yes,
Ma. Honestly, you and Liu... you’ll drive me distracted between you!”
“Yes, well, that boy’s another thing. I don’t hold with it.”
“Don’t hold with
what,
exactly?”
“Now don’t you take me up so sharp, Evvie Duch... Evvie
Sparrow
. You know exactly what I mean. Boys is trouble.”
“Liu is
not
trouble. He risked his neck for me, remember?”
“I got nothing against him personal. He seems a decent enough sort – but when all’s said and done, you keep a fox in a henhouse you’re going to get ruffled feathers.”
“He hasn’t been
ruffling any feathers
, if you mean what I think you mean, Ma.”
“And you’d know that, would you?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Well, you know your own business best, I’m sure,” Ma said, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s the cart you don’t think’s moving as runs you down.”
“E
VVIE
? A
RE YOU
all right?”
“Oh, Beth.” The bell rang, signalling the end of the day, and Evvie pulled Beth into an empty room as the corridor filled with chattering girls.
“Was Ma Pether bullying you again?” Beth said.
“She’s all right, she’s just got her way.”
“I don’t know how you stand up to her,” Beth said. “She scares me.”
“I won’t let her do anything to you.”
“It’s you I’m worried about.”
“She won’t do anything to me, neither.” Eveline leant against the wall and rubbed her eyes. “She’s all right, is Ma, but she don’t half go on. And Mama, too. Honest, Beth, I had no mother for the longest time and now it’s like I got two, and it ain’t that I’m not grateful, but sometimes...”
“You’ve taken on ever so much, Evvie. I wish I could help more.”
“I couldn’t do it without you, Beth. Who’d teach the girls mechanics and sums? You know how cack-handed I am with all that, and all them little numbers makes my head swim. And you’re helping out with other lessons, too. You’re doing plenty, don’t you worry about that. And if we get this job, there’ll be proper money coming in and we can get some more teachers. We can start up Bartitsu if we can find someone to teach it. I miss Bartitsu,” she said. “I could properly do with hitting something today.”
“Evvie? Are you going to tell your Mama?”
“Not yet. Not ’less it works. She’ll only worry.”
“And what about Ma Pether?”
“No. She’d interfere.”
“Are you sure that’s all she’d do?”
“That’d be enough. Why?”
“I don’t know.” Beth chewed her lip. “I just... I don’t think she’ll like it, that’s all.”
“Well of course she won’t
like
it, it wasn’t her idea. She likes to be the one doing the planning – doesn’t think anyone else is up to snuff.”
“Mmm. Evvie? What happens if we don’t get this job?”
“I’ll find another,” Eveline said. “Come on, Miss Anxiety. I don’t know about you, but I want a cuppa tea.”
The
Times
was lying on the table in the kitchen, not yet having been used for the fire, and Beth disappeared behind it. Eveline made tea and dug some more bills out of her pockets. She’d taken to carrying a few about with her, hoping that somehow it would inspire her to find a way to pay them – but also because it made the pile of them on her desk slightly less intimidating.
“This is scary,” Beth said.
“You’re right there,” Eveline said, glowering at a bill. “They start charging any more for coal I’m going off to dig me own.”
“I mean Panjdeh. Have you heard about it?”
“The what? No, what is it?”
“Panjdeh. It’s a place in Turkmenistan.”
“Sounds a long way away.”
“It is. Eve
line.
Don’t you remember any of our geography lessons?”
“Not a one. And I don’t see a need to. I got no plans for any more travelling, thank you very much.”
“I’d love to go to Russia,” Beth said. “Such a huge country. So mysterious. But they don’t like us – they want a lot of the same bits of country we want. There was almost a war over the Panjdeh Incident, you know – there still might be.”
“What do they want some bit of land in the middle of nowhere for, anyway? Why do
we?
S’a lot of nonsense if you ask me.”
“It might be nonsense, but if it comes to war people will still be killed,” Beth said.
“Well they ain’t going to be coming here recruiting us, are they?” Eveline said.
“I suppose not.” But Beth still looked worried. Eveline couldn’t help feeling a little irritated with her friend. It wasn’t as though they didn’t have problems of their own, without bothering about something that was happening on the other side of the world.
Eagle Estates
I
T TOOK
E
VELINE
longer than she had intended to find the offices of Eagle Estates. They did not declare themselves loudly. A small brass plate screwed to the yellowish bricks, almost hidden in the shadow of the portico, was the only clue for the curious. She checked it twice, to be sure, and in the slight but unacknowledged hope that this might not be her destination.
It was a smart enough building and fairly new, but the squat pillars of the portico had a dropsical look, and together with the sulphurous bricks, black-leaded windows and spear-headed black iron railings they gave the place a sullen, hostile feel that sent unease capering up and down her spine.
You’re just letting yourself get all unnecessary,
she told herself sternly
. You’re Eveline Duchen, the Shanghai Sparrow, and you’ve got through plenty worse than this.
The Britannia School had looked pretty forbidding, when she’d first arrived – and
that
door had had the headmistress, Miss Cairngrim, waiting on the other side of it. There couldn’t be anything much scarier behind this one.
Eveline took a deep breath, and gave herself a last mental check. Smart, business-like skirt and jacket, in grey, trimmed with dark blue ribbon. Hat, straw, with a stiff, dark blue gauze bow adorning its crown. A bag that was something like a baby Gladstone, also in dark blue.
She was still getting used to these narrower skirts. For convenience they were definitely to be preferred to crinolines, but she did miss the sheer capacity of a crinoline. It was amazing what you could stash under there if you had to.
Not that she was planning on stashing anything today. Today she was respectable. And she was as sure as she could be that she
looked
respectable. Whether she looked like somebody a person might hire for a job, that was another matter.
“Well, if they don’t, the more fool them,” she said to herself, raised her chin and rang the bell.
J
OSH
S
TUG LOOKED
out of the window of his office at the hat below. A woman? What could she want? It wasn’t his wife, she never came to the offices and he would certainly have discouraged it had she shown any such inclination.
Not... not one of them, surely?
He jolted back from the window, his hand unconsciously rising to his mouth. If anyone should see, should guess... But surely there was no reason? He was due, yes, with another payment – but not
over
due.
But why would they wait in the street? They had no need... the figure moved under the portico, and the next moment the bell sent its juddering clatter up the stairs.
That settled it. They would certainly never ring the bell. Unsettled, none the less, he snapped at Jacobs, “Well, answer it, man,” even as his secretary was lifting the speaking tube to his lips.
“A representative from Sparrow’s Nest Security, Mr Stug,” Jacobs said, putting his hand over the mouthpiece. “I have the appointment in the book.”
“From... Really?”
“It’s written here, sir.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure it is, but I thought I saw... never mind. I’ll see them in the main room. And Jacobs.”
“Sir?”
“Don’t correct me again.”
Jacobs twitched and ducked his head. “Yes, sir. I mean no, sir.”
S
TUG SEATED HIMSELF
behind the immense leather-topped desk, propped his elbows on it and fixed his face in an intimidating glower. It came naturally – he was one of those men who look as though they were put together from drying clay by an angry child; thickset, bristle-browed and jowly. His looks did not trouble him, since they had never prevented him from getting what he wanted.
When Jacobs ushered the slight figure through the door he felt another, momentary jolt. It was indeed the woman he had seen from the window. His glower deepened. Barely even a woman – a mere girl, who was looking at him with far too direct an expression.
“Mr Stug?” she said.
“And who might you be?”
“I’m the representative from Sparrow’s Nest Security, Mr Stug.”
“Oh, now really. Why in the world would they send you? Is this their idea of a sensible approach?”
“It’s the only approach we have, Mr Stug.”
“Hmph.” He leaned back and waved a hand at her. “Well, go on, since you’re here, but be quick about it, I don’t have the whole morning to waste.”
“This is a very fine office you have, Mr Stug.”
“I know that.”
“I understand you are looking to increase your security.”
“Well I assume that’s why you’re here. Do you intend to set yourself up as a guard, perhaps? Stand in the doorway and ward off all comers?” He smiled at the ridiculousness of the thought.
“Oh, no, Mr Stug,” she said with irritating calm. “We would simply advise you on how to best improve your building to prevent intrusion, thievery, and disruption to your business.”
“I suppose you have some new invention or miraculous device that will do the thing?”
“Not at all. I noticed that the windows on the lower floor are easily reached from the street, however.”
“They are locked every night.”
“Windows can be broken.”
“A police officer patrols this street regularly, he’d soon notice the sound of glass breaking, I assure you.”
“Windows can be broken silently, Mr Stug.”
“Then the intruder would also have to deal silently with a pair of large, bad-tempered dogs.”
“Dogs can also be dealt with. Silently.”
“And how would you know all this?”
“We have advisers, Mr Stug, who have expertise in this area.”
“Turned-off coppers thrown out for a fondness for the bottle, no doubt. No, I really don’t think so, Miss... whoever. I would advise your employers to seek someone more appropriate to plead their cause. And as for you... I suggest you apply to be a governess, you have just that sort of niminy-piminy way about you. Good day to you. Jacobs will show you out.”
The brown eyes under the smart straw hat regarded him steadily, and he felt a little jab of irritation. She should have been flustered, any decent female would have been. “Thank you for your time, Mr Stug,” she said, rose, and left the room.
What a piece of nonsense! He picked up one of the papers on his desk. Those tenants in the house off Elsted Street were behind with their rent again. He leaned back in his chair. Elsted Street, Elsted Street – oh, yes. The Huntridge family. The husband a dockworker, no doubt out of work again, the wife took in sewing – and they had a gaggle of children.