The Cockney Sparrow (32 page)

A hansom cab pulled up at the kerbside, saving Clemency the necessity of answering. She climbed in with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been correct in assuming that the outing was a test of her skill. Jared had not invited her because he wanted her company. She
sat in the corner, staring out of the window as he gave the cabby instructions and leapt in beside her. ‘Don’t look so glum,’ he said, patting her on the arm. ‘You need not be nervous. I’ll be with you to make sure nothing goes wrong. If you do well, then we’ll start doing the rounds of places such as Madame Tussaud’s Wax Works exhibition and the Zoological Gardens. Then we’ll progress to summer evening parties at Olympia, and maybe even the Crystal Palace. I have confidence in you, Clemency. Together we’ll make a superb team.’

Their sortie to Hyde Park on Sunday did not start well. Clemency was more nervous than she had been on her first appearance at the Strand Theatre. She felt self-conscious in her new clothes, and her tightly laced stays left her desperately short of breath. Despite all her lessons in deportment, she was still unsteady on high heels and the fashionable shoes pinched her toes, making each step so painful that she wanted to cry out. She tried not to lean too hard on Jared’s arm as they followed Isobel and Lady Skelton at a funereal pace along the north side of the Serpentine. If only they had been here purely for pleasure she would have been deliriously happy, but she could not escape the knowledge that she was here to work. At a given signal from Jared, she was to go into their well-practised routine
where she would lift a gentleman’s wallet, a breast pin or a gold watch.

The waters of the Serpentine glinted in the late May sunshine and the fresh green leaves on the trees rustled in the light breeze. Birdsong filled the air, competing with the clip-clopping of horses’ hooves and the lively chatter of people promenading in their Sunday best. Clemency almost jumped out of her skin when Jared squeezed her hand, nodding his head in the direction of a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman approaching them. He was paying far more attention to the young woman on his arm than was natural in a husband or a father. Gold rings gleamed on his fat fingers, and a watch chain was stretched to breaking point across his portly belly, suggesting that it might be attached to an expensive half-hunter; but it was the bulge of his inside breast pocket that Jared indicated with a flick of his eyes.

Taking her cue, Clemency pretended to stumble, falling against their victim with a mumbled apology. Her skilled fingers found his wallet and lifted it from his pocket, but her hand was clammy with sweat: it slid from her grasp and fell to the ground. She righted herself, glancing nervously at the wallet. She could neither move nor speak. She looked up and saw a glint of suspicion in the fat man’s eyes. His mouth fell open as if he were about to denounce
her as a thief. It all happened in the blink of an eye, and before she realised what was happening, Jared had retrieved the wallet and was handing it back to its owner. ‘My dear sir, I do apologise for my young friend’s clumsiness. This is yours, I believe.’

‘Eh? Oh, yes. Thank you kindly.’ He stuffed the wallet back into his pocket, but his companion glared at Clemency.

‘I say she done it on purpose, Henry. I met her sort afore.’

‘N-no,’ Clemency said breathlessly. ‘It was an accident. I tripped over a stone.’ It struck her suddenly that she had made a pun, and she had to bite back a hysterical giggle. She could not look at Jared, but his hand closed tightly on her arm. It was enough of a warning and she struggled to maintain her self-control.

The man, whom the girl had called Henry, began to bluster. ‘A likely story. The pavement is as smooth as a billiard table. The girl is lying.’

For a moment, Clemency thought that things were going to turn nasty, but Lady Skelton had heard the altercation, and she was advancing on them like a ship in full sail, followed by a worried-looking Isobel. ‘What is the meaning of this vulgar display?’

Henry pointed a shaking finger at Clemency. ‘She tried to steal my wallet.’

‘How dare you, sir. This young lady is my
ward and has a character above reproach.’ Lady Skelton’s fur tippet seemed to come alive and bristle with indignation. Clemency would not have been surprised if it had growled.

‘I tell you, ma’am, she tried to pick my pocket.’

‘I have never heard such impertinence. An apology is called for, sir.’

‘Come, come, Grandmama,’ Jared said smoothly. ‘It was just a misunderstanding arising from a simple accident.’

‘Call a copper, Henry.’ The girl tugged at his arm. ‘I’ll swear on oath it was deliberate.’

Lady Skelton shook her furled parasol at him. ‘Another word from you, sir, and you’ll be hearing from my solicitor. Mr Horatio Porlock of Porlock, Porlock and Stubbins, of Thavie’s Inn.’

By this time a small crowd had gathered. Isobel dragged Clemency away along the path. ‘Leave it to Grandmama,’ she whispered. ‘She would make Boadicea look like a Sunday school teacher. I wish I could get her interested in women’s rights.’

‘You and your women’s rights thing,’ Clemency murmured as she quickened her pace in order to keep up.

‘Every woman should be interested in the movement,’ Isobel said earnestly. ‘I’ll take you to a meeting, Clemmie. Then you’ll see.’

‘Hmm, yes. All right.’

‘But don’t you dare mention a word of it to
Jared. He thinks that I spend my Wednesday afternoons at an art class.’ Isobel stopped walking and turned her head to look over her shoulder. ‘It’s all right – they’re coming, and the crowd has moved on.’

Clemency breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It was just a misunderstanding, Izzie. The stupid man thought I was trying to pinch his blooming wallet.’

Isobel giggled. ‘Hush, don’t let Grandmama hear you using words like blooming.’

‘I don’t know how you remember all this ladylike stuff,’ Clemency said, shaking her head. ‘It’s blooming – I mean it’s really hard work.’

Isobel patted her hand. ‘But you’re doing very well, Clemmie. And it’s much more fun having you and your family in the house. Life was such a bore before you came to us.’ She turned, smiling brightly as Jared and Lady Skelton joined them. ‘Did you sort the dreadful man out?’

Lady Skelton chuckled. ‘The mere mention of a solicitor always works wonders with tradesmen. Not that I have one, but he didn’t know that.’

‘Grandmama, do you mean that you told a fib?’

‘I improvised, my dear Izzie. Now, after that bit of excitement, I suggest we proceed to the bandstand and listen to the music.’ Lady Skelton shot a meaningful glance at Jared, and without
waiting for an answer she unfurled her parasol, and marched off in the direction of the bandstand with Isobel obediently following her.

‘I’m sorry,’ Clemency said, falling into step beside Jared. ‘It was clumsy of me.’

‘It was just nerves. You’ll do better next time.’

‘I thought you’d be angry with me for messing it up.’

‘I told you, this is just a training session. Now there is your next challenge.’ With a nod of his head, Jared indicated a man swaggering towards them, making a great display of a silver-headed ebony cane; waving it before him like a conductor’s baton. Following behind him was a soberly dressed woman and two young girls wearing flower-trimmed straw bonnets. ‘See that man, Clemency? He owns a blacking factory in Silvertown. He’s worth a small fortune, but his employees work in appalling conditions, for pitifully low wages. Let’s try again.’

This time she was successful, and she handed Jared a bulging wallet. The factory owner continued on his way, apparently blissfully unaware that he was lighter to the tune of several guineas. She began to relax as they stood listening to the band, and her thoughts turned to Jack, who would now be playing his flute in the Circus gardens. At two o’clock on Tuesday afternoon he was to see Mr Chance, the chief medical officer at the City Orthopaedic Hospital. She needed
money to pay for his consultation fee and for any subsequent treatment. She looked round at the people in the crowd, selecting her next victim. Jared and Lady Skelton had primed her well: she was only to take from those who looked as though they could afford the loss. Even if they had not made it a rule, she would have baulked at stealing from hardworking servants on their afternoon off, or clerks and shop workers on a day out with their young families. She spotted a geezer wearing a checked suit and a bowler hat: on his arm was a loud-mouthed woman in a crimson dress trimmed with black braid. Clemency sidled up to them, and while the woman was talking volubly, punctuated with screeches of laughter, she dipped her fingers into the reticule that hung from her wrist. Smiling to herself, she pocketed a haul of rings, brooches and breast pins that were unlikely to have been come by honestly. It amused her to think that she had stolen from a real pro. The man in the checked suit was smoking a cigar, and bellowing with laughter at everything his companion said. Clemency lifted his wallet and relieved him of a gold watch with a weighty fob and chain. She went back to Jared satisfied that she had earned enough to pay for Jack to see the consultant.

After supper that evening, Clemency had just finished regaling Jack and the others with an account of the fashionable promenade in the
park, carefully omitting any mention of her nefarious activities, when the bell connected to the drawing room began to jingle on its spring. Augustus rose from the table with a sigh. ‘Oh, really! Anyone would think that I was being paid to wait hand and foot on them above stairs.’

‘Well, you are in a way, old chap,’ Ronnie said, dabbing his mouth with a linen napkin. ‘Paid in kind with food and lodging, as we all are.’

‘That’s called slavery.’ Fancy refilled her glass with small ale from a pitcher. ‘Yes, I’m grateful for a roof over me head and three square meals a day, but we’re stuck here and totally dependent on Mr Jared Stone. If he takes it into his head to throw us out on the street, we can’t do nothing about it.’

‘It’s true,’ Jack said moodily, lighting a Woodbine, and inhaling deeply.

The bell jangled impatiently. ‘All right. Keep your hair on, I’m coming.’ Augustus strode across the floor to the stairs. ‘Sometimes I think I prefer the life of a street entertainer. If only my little nightingale would return to her loving papa.’ He barged through the baize door, allowing it to swing shut behind him with an emphatic bang.

‘You see, Clem,’ Fancy said, passing the pitcher to Jack, ‘you got it easy, mixing with the toffs upstairs, and leading the life of a lady.’

‘That’s not fair. You don’t know half of what I have to put up with.’

‘Oh, pardon me. I was forgetting how hard it must be to be forced to wear expensive duds, and be taken for strolls in the parks up West, pretending to be something you ain’t.’

Clemency opened her mouth to put Fancy in her place, but Jack held up his hand. ‘Fancy, that’s not fair. Clemmie’s the one who got us off the streets, and if Stone has taken a liking to her, and wants her for a companion to his sister, then we should count ourselves lucky. We could still be dossing in that abandoned church or camping under the stage in the theatre.’

Fancy swallowed a mouthful of beer. ‘I know that, Jack. All I’m saying is that she’s got the best of it. Some of us has to work hard for our bread.’

Ronnie gave Clemency a shrewd look. ‘I think Clemmie works hard too. She’s brushed up on her reading a treat, and she’s learning to speak the Queen’s English just like them above stairs.’

‘Yes, and where will it lead?’ Fancy stuck her chin out with a belligerent gleam in her eyes. ‘I’m working me fingers to the bone. Augustus is at the beck and call of them above stairs, and you and Jack are out in all weathers playing in the band for pennies. It ain’t fair.’

‘Shut up!’ Clemency’s patience snapped, and she leapt to her feet. ‘I’ve had enough of your whining, Fancy Friday. At least you’ve got a
decent room to sleep in now with a proper bed and clean sheets. Anyway, you chose to work in the kitchen rather than act as maid to Miss Isobel and me, like Jared said you should.’

‘Huh! Wait on you? That’ll be the day.’ Fancy stood up, waving her hand in front of Clemency’s face so that the stone flashed in the gaslight. ‘You’ll have to be more respectful when Jack and me get hitched. I’ll be your sister-in-law all legal and proper, and he’s the head of the family, so you’ll have to mind what I say. At least I got a fellow, which is more than you can say for yourself, Miss High and Mighty.’

Clemency stared at her in shock. She knew, of course, that Fancy still resented her, and that their truce was only superficial: she had seen the ring on Fancy’s fourth finger, but it had never occurred to her that Jack had proposed marriage. She turned to him, frowning. ‘Is this true? Have you asked her to marry you?’

Avoiding her eyes, he tossed his cigarette butt into the fire. ‘I ain’t in a position to take a wife and Fancy knows it.’

‘But we have an understanding,’ Fancy said, standing behind him and laying her hands on his shoulders. ‘Tell her, Jack. Tell your snooty sister that we’ll get married one day, whether she likes it or not.’

Jack covered Fancy’s hand with his, and he raised his eyes to cast an appealing glance at
Clemency. ‘I loves her, Clemmie. And for some strange reason, she loves me. Although how a girl like Fancy could fall for a useless cripple is beyond my understanding.’

The muscles in Clemency’s throat constricted; she felt a rush of pity, mixed with impatience for Jack’s self-deprecating attitude. ‘You mustn’t talk like that. Tomorrow you’re going to see Mr Chance at the hospital. He may be able to help you, Jack. You mustn’t give up.’

‘I won’t let him.’ Fancy slid her arms around Jack’s neck in a protective gesture. ‘He’ll walk again. You’ll see.’

‘We’re all behind you, Jack,’ Ronnie said, clearing his throat.

‘I know you are.’ Jack’s bottom lip trembled. ‘But it don’t pay to get our hopes up too much. And there’s the cost of it all. I know that Stone said he’d pay for the first visit, but I can’t expect him to stump up the rest.’

‘No? Well he shouldn’t make promises that he can’t keep. I’ll have a few words with Mr Stone.’ Clemency left them before anyone had time to question her. She was halfway up the main staircase when she met Augustus on his way down.