Authors: Dilly Court
In the days that followed, Irene discovered
that
Kent was true to his word and each time she left the house she was aware that she was being watched. On one occasion she spotted Constable Burton lurking rather self-consciously in the doorway of the bakery just a little further down the street, but she pretended that she had not noticed him and continued on her way to Love Lane. With the house run by servants and Jim fully occupied with paperwork, she had little to do in the daytime and she often accompanied Emmie when she took Caroline out in her brand new perambulator. It made Irene smile inwardly to think that the polite nods and greetings they received were from people who not so long ago would have crossed the street rather than acknowledge two poor girls from the pickle shop.
At the end of a fortnight, when Irene was just beginning to think that Lester Fox had failed in his attempt to launch an appeal against her father’s sentence, Danny arrived at the house in Five Foot Lane bursting with the news that Billy’s case would be coming up before the magistrate in a week’s time. Mr Fox had not committed anything to paper, but he had told Danny to warn Irene against doing anything rash. The Sykes brothers would have learned of the appeal and they would be leaning heavily on prospective witnesses in
order
to prevent them from giving evidence against them. Irene was not, under any circumstances, to do anything to antagonise Vic or Wally. Danny emphasised the last part of the message by tapping his right leg below the knee. ‘Wood,’ he said, winking. ‘That’s what Lester told me to tell you. Unless you want to end up similarly disabled, he advises you to keep quiet and leave everything to him.’
Irene nodded her head, but she had no intention of complying with Lester’s instructions. She patted Danny on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t do anything silly. But there is something you can do for me, if you will.’
‘Anything, miss,’ Danny said, beaming. ‘You can trust me.’
‘I want you to give Alice a message from me. Tell her that I have been planning an outing for her and I will call on Monday morning, but she is not to mention it to her brother as it will be a surprise.’
‘A surprise,’ Danny repeated, grinning. ‘She’ll like that.’
He won’t, though, Irene thought grimly. If Edward knew of her plan to take Alice to the safe haven of the Round House he would be furious. But she had already put this important part of her strategy into action by writing a letter to Miss Maude, giving a very brief outline of the events which conspired to make
life
in London extremely dangerous for the crippled girl. Quite how she was going to get Alice to Havering Irene did not know, but get her there she would, and it had to be done before she faced the Sykes brothers and issued a challenge that would flush them out of their cover like two plump partridges. She gave Danny an encouraging smile. ‘Good boy, Danny. Go now and give Alice my message, and please be careful. Don’t go anywhere near Blue Boar Court or speak to anyone who might have dealings with the Sykes gang.’
‘I ain’t that daft,’ Danny replied, flushing from the roots of his hair to the tidemark on his neck. ‘I’m your man, Miss Irene. You can trust me.’ He sauntered off whistling a popular tune.
Irene glanced up and down the street. There did not seem to be any spies lurking in doorways or behind lamp posts and she closed the door with a sigh of relief. She could hear Jim issuing instructions to the servants in the gaming room and sounds of furniture being shifted about as the charwomen cleaned the salon. She needed time to think and she made her way upstairs to her bedroom, where she slumped down on the edge of the bed, sinking into the soft feather mattress with a sigh. Until now she had been in denial of the shocking truth: her feelings towards Edward, for she
could
no longer think of him just as Kent or the inspector, had suffered a sea change. And yet, if she were being honest, she knew that this had not happened overnight. Right from the start he had had the power to arouse her emotions. Love and hate were supposed to be different sides of the same coin; perhaps in the beginning she had mistaken one for the other, but not now. During the long, sleepless nights when her spirit longed to merge with his, and her traitorous body yearned to feel his touch, she had come to realise that she loved him more than life itself. In dreams he came to her and his lips claimed hers in passionate kisses that made her tremble with desire. It was all the more painful to awaken and discover that she was alone in her bed and he was as far away from her as the moon that hung in the sky like a silver sixpence.
She lay back against the down-filled pillows and closed her eyes. She had never felt this way about any man. She had thought that love was for silly girls who had no mind of their own, and whose lives would be incomplete without a man to lean upon. She had never given Emmie credit for having genuine feelings for Josiah, and had accused her in the past of marrying him for money and position, but she knew now that she had misjudged and maligned her sister. Emmie truly did love the
pompous
middle-aged draper and she adored her baby daughter. No doubt in the fullness of time she would give many more pledges of her affection to her doting husband.
The image of Edward’s angry face flashed before her mind’s eye and Irene raised herself to a sitting position, staring at her reflection in the dressing-table mirror. If he had had feelings for her in the past, he must surely despise her now. The thought was as painful as a knife in the heart. He had tried to tell her in his own reserved way, but she had rejected him out of hand. She had thrown away her chance of happiness and now, she told herself sternly, she must live with the consequences. She must not allow her own feelings to get in the way of seeking justice for Pa and all the others who had suffered at the hands of the Sykes gang.
Success would be bittersweet, but her reward would be to see her parents reunited.
Theirs, despite everything, was a true love story. No matter how badly Billy behaved, Ma had been devoted and loyal, and as far as Irene knew, Pa had never looked twice at another woman. Gambling was his vice, but perhaps his time in prison might have cured him of his guilty obsession. Irene rose from the bed and went to the washstand where she poured cold water from the jug into the willow-pattern
basin
. She splashed her face with water and patted it dry with a towel before going downstairs to check that the rooms were ready for the evening’s entertainment. She must carry on as normal. No one, least of all Jim, must suspect that anything was amiss.
On Monday morning the sun was high in a cloudless azure sky. A warm spring breeze ruffled the feathers on Irene’s new bonnet as she walked briskly in the direction of Robin Hood Court. She had dressed in her best and she knew from the appreciative glances she received from passers-by that she was looking very fine indeed. Tucked away in her reticule was the reply she had been waiting for from Miss Maude, and as she had hoped the good lady was only too happy to give Alice shelter until such time as it was safe for her to return to London. Maude went on to say that she had been to visit her sister in Navestock and they had patched up their differences. Arthur was well and he and Betty were planning a June wedding. Young Arnold spent as much time as he could in the smithy and Arthur had taken him in hand so that he was a much happier and better-behaved boy. Martha, Miss Maude said, was her usual crabby self, but she sent her love to Irene and was looking forward to seeing her again. Irene smiled. So far so good;
now
all that remained was to persuade Alice to make the journey into Essex.
A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Constable Burton, who stopped immediately and pretended to gaze into a shop window which just happened to be a milliner’s establishment. Irene stifled a giggle. Poor Burton, he would never be considered for promotion at this rate. She dodged into a doorway and to her relief he hurried past without spotting her. She waited for a few moments before leaving, and then she crossed the street to take a back alley which led into Cheapside. Satisfied that she had shaken him off, she went on her way.
The front door of the Kents’ house was unlocked and Irene let herself into the hall. ‘Alice,’ she called. ‘Alice, it’s me.’ The parlour door was open and Irene entered the room, but she came to a sudden halt at the sight of Edward, seated on the sofa. There was no sign of Alice.
He rose to his feet. ‘I’ve been expecting you.’
‘How? I mean why? Where is Alice?’
‘I took her to the country yesterday. She is safe with Miss Greenwood.’
‘You took her to Havering after all that you said?’
‘I admit that I was in the wrong. When I thought it over I realised that you were right
and
that by keeping her here I was exposing her to danger.’
Irene sank down on the nearest chair. His words had taken her breath away. ‘I’m glad you did so, but I didn’t think you were acquainted with Miss Maude.’
‘My mother and Dora were friends and as a small boy I was often taken to the Round House. I remember it well and I knew what you said was true, and that Alice would be welcome to stay there with Miss Maude and Martha. I hired a carriage and we journeyed into Essex.’
‘You might have told me,’ Irene said indignantly. ‘I’ve been worried sick about Alice and racking my brains trying to think how I would smuggle her out of London.’
A tender smile hovered around his lips. ‘I know. Miss Maude showed me your letter. She said it was just like you to put others before yourself.’
Irene felt a blush rising to her cheeks and she jumped to her feet, taking an agitated turn around the room. ‘I don’t understand. How did you know what I planned, and why are you here now? You couldn’t have known that I was coming today, unless …’ Her voice tailed off as she thought of Danny.
‘That’s right. But don’t blame the boy. I happened to overhear him giving Alice your message. It was then that I decided I must act,
so
you see I have only done what you intended to do.’
She stopped in her tracks. ‘Am I hearing things, or have you just admitted that I was right about something?’
He smiled, taking her hands in his. ‘I did as you wished, but now I need you to do something for me. I want you to promise that you will abandon whatever scheme you are hatching with regard to the Sykes gang.’
‘I can’t do that. I have gone too far to stop now.’
He drew her closer to him. ‘No, you have not. You must allow the courts to settle the matter of your father’s appeal. Leave Vic and Wally to me, Irene. I beg of you.’
His face was so close to hers that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. For the first time in her life Irene was tempted to give in, but a small insistent voice in her head warned her that all would be lost if she allowed herself to be swayed from her purpose. ‘I would do anything for you, Edward,’ she murmured as she leaned towards him as if drawn by a magnetic force far stronger than her own will. She drew back just as their lips were about to meet. ‘But not that.’
His hold on her tightened and his eyes hardened. ‘I’m warning you, Irene – no, I’m begging you to stop this folly.’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t, Edward. Please—’
He stopped her lips with a kiss that robbed her of thought and of the will to protest. In the safe haven of his arms Irene felt that she was entering the gates of heaven. She slid her arms around his neck, allowing herself to float away on a tide of emotions that were at once strange and wonderful. Her knees were weak and never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined the sweetness of such an embrace, but then suddenly it was over and he held her at arm’s length, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘I love you, Irene Angel. You are the most maddening, infuriating creature I have ever come across, but I love you with all my heart and soul.’
‘You love me?’ She was shaken to the core and yet inwardly rejoicing at the obvious sincerity of his words. ‘I’ve always thought that you hated me.’
His lips twisted into a parody of a smile. ‘At times I must admit that I could have quite cheerfully strangled you, and I tried to put my feelings for you aside because they were at odds with my professional judgement, but I failed miserably. I can’t get you out of my head, Irene, and my heart won’t let you go.’
Even as she struggled to absorb the full meaning of his words, a small voice in her
head
warned her not to listen. If she weakened now and admitted that she returned his love she would be forced to abandon the plan which was so close to fruition. She laid a finger on his lips, meeting his tender gaze with a long look as she battled against her inclination to melt into his arms and tell him she adored him to the exclusion of everything else. In the end she could not lie to him. ‘I love you too,’ she said simply, and her heart sang at the undisguised joy in his eyes, but she withdrew gently from his embrace. ‘But you must let me do this my way, Edward. I have gone too far to give in now. Can we not work together to bring about the destruction of the Sykes gang?’
He dropped his arms to his side with a groan of dismay. ‘Irene, hasn’t anything I have said sunk into your beautiful head?’
This made her smile and she raised her hand to caress his cheek. ‘Your words and your kiss are imprinted on my heart and mind forever, my dearest Edward. I love you body and soul but I could not live with myself if I gave up now. Please don’t try to stop me.’
He ran his hand through his dark hair, causing it to stand on end and giving him the appearance of a baffled schoolboy. ‘If you love me, don’t do this.’
‘You have no idea what my plan is,’ Irene said softly. ‘Won’t you at least hear what I have
to
say before you forbid me to meddle in police business? Don’t you think you owe me that?’
‘I will listen, but if this scheme involves you placing yourself in danger from the Sykes brothers …’
‘It does, but they won’t lay a finger on me,’ Irene said earnestly. ‘They don’t make war on women.’
‘Then why were you so frightened for Alice? Answer me that.’