The Workhouse Girl (15 page)

Putting such thoughts out of her mind, she entered the cottage to find the children seated on their stools munching their food with evident relish. ‘Good,' she said, smiling. ‘You're looking after the boys like a little mother, Mary.'

‘She's bossy,' Lemuel said with his mouth full.

‘She won't let us have cake,' Jonah added, frowning.

Mary pulled a face. ‘The baker's wife gave us some fruit cake in exchange for a dozen herring, but it's for tea tonight when Davey comes home.'

‘That's right,' Sarah said, trying not to laugh at the expression on the twins' faces. ‘You must be firm with these two, Mary. But I can see that you're managing very well without me.'

Mary leapt up from her seat. ‘Won't you stay for a while, please, Sarah?'

‘I can't, love. I wish I could but I promised Miss Elsie that I'd help her this afternoon. Maybe I'll come back this evening when I've done all my chores at home. How about that?'

‘You can have some cake if you do,' Jonah said, winking.

She ruffled his short hair. ‘You're a cheeky boy, Jonah Hawkes.'

‘I'll save you a slice.' Mary rushed over to her and gave her a hug. ‘Please come. Davey's always in a better mood when you're here.'

‘Is he now? Well, I'll have to tell him off if he's grumpy with you when you all work so hard.' Sarah retreated to the doorway, blowing them a kiss. ‘Boys, you can practise your alphabet and show Mr Wills how clever you are when he returns on Monday.' She paused as she was about to step outside. ‘And do what your sister says. It won't only be Davey who gets cross with you if I hear bad things when I return.' She left with the sound of their promises ringing in her ears, although she doubted very much whether they would remember her words once she was out of sight. The boys were a handful and Mary had only just celebrated her tenth birthday, but at least the woman who lived next door was always ready to step in when needed. Mother Johnson had raised eleven children of her own and was a kindly soul who would have done more for the orphans had it not been for her rheumatics.

Sarah made her way towards the saltings with a spring in her step. It was still a lovely day and tonight she would see Davey. They would eat cake and drink tea together as they sat by the fire discussing the day's events, and when the young ones were safely tucked up in their beds Davey would walk her home across the marsh. She felt like singing as she took the shortcut through the woods, and when she came across Grey's cart with Boxer placidly nibbling at the grass she was doubly happy. She had not seen him since Easter and she always looked forward to his visits. She stopped to make a fuss of the old horse but then she smelled something that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle with fear. She turned and saw smoke rising in the air above the trees. The acrid odour of burning wood and pitch could only mean one thing. Fire!

She raced across the clearing and emerged from the trees at the edge of the track. A cry of horror was wrenched from her lips. The cottage was ablaze sending pillars of black smoke billowing into the azure sky. For a moment she was frozen to the spot but then she saw Grey stagger out of the building carrying Elsie in his arms. Sarah broke into a run. ‘Is she all right?'

He shook his head. ‘She's badly burned.'

‘Let me help you.'

‘Go and lay some sacks on the floor of the cart. We've got to get her to a physician as quickly as possible.'

Sarah did as he asked although her hands were trembling violently and she had difficulty in completing the simple task. As Grey laid Elsie's unconscious form on the crude bed Sarah noticed that his own hands were blackened and blistered. Elsie was almost unrecognisable beneath a layer of soot and she was barely breathing. Sarah struggled against a bubble of hysteria that threatened to overcome her. ‘You both need to see a doctor and there isn't one in the village. We'll have to go to Maldon.'

‘No, we won't.' Grey heaved himself onto the driver's seat. ‘We're going to London where they have hospitals and specialists. You only have to look at her to see that she's close to death.'

‘You can't drive that far with those injuries.'

He gave her a pitying glance. ‘Of course not. You'll have to take the reins.'

‘But I can't go to London. I've a job to do, and who will look after the children if I'm not there?'

‘So you'll let Elsie die, will you?'

‘No, of course not,' she said angrily. ‘But I can't leave without telling anyone.'

‘You bloody well can, and you will. Now stop arguing and get up beside me. You owe Elsie that, at least.'

‘I must let Davey know where I'm going.'

Grey closed his eyes and his skin paled beneath his tan. ‘You can send a message later. For God's sake stop arguing.'

With the greatest reluctance she climbed up beside him. ‘All right. Give me the reins, but we're going to get help before I even think about driving all the way to London.' She glanced over her shoulder as the sound of roof timbers collapsing echoed across the saltings and flames consumed the last of her home and her belongings.

‘Must have been all that rubbish she kept in the place,' Grey said grimly. ‘There's nothing left here for either of you.'

‘Walk on,' Sarah said, flicking the reins. Grey was right: everything had gone and her few worldly possessions would soon be nothing but ashes. Once again she had lost her home and was on the road with him, but this time she was returning to London.

Grey was silent for a while, grimacing with pain. ‘Elsie doesn't stand a chance unless she sees one of the best physicians,' he said hoarsely. ‘Anyway, I've got to get back by nightfall. I'll be a dead man if I don't pay a certain somebody what I owe him, and that's no exaggeration.'

Sarah allowed Boxer to have his head as he followed the narrow track through the woods. ‘Who are you talking about?'

‘You know Trigg – he's evil to his rotten core.' Grey stared down at his injured hands. ‘This is nothing compared to what his men will do to me if I don't pay up.'

She shot him a curious glance. ‘What has Trigg got to do with you?'

‘When he couldn't get another job after being sacked from the workhouse he found another way to keep him and his hag of a wife in comfort. He lends money to desperate people and then charges them high interest. If they don't pay up on time he sends his thugs round.'

‘And you owe him money?'

Grey shrugged his shoulders. ‘Business was slack. I owed money and my creditors were growing impatient. I thought I was on to a sure thing but the wretched fellow went down in the fifth round and so did my hopes of paying Trigg.'

‘I thought you were cleverer than that,' Sarah said angrily. ‘How could you be so stupid? I thought you were trying to earn an honest living, but I can see I was wrong.'

A bitter smile twisted his lips. ‘You sound like Elsie.'

‘Maybe I do, but it looks as though you've proved her right.'

‘That's what she said when I asked her for a loan.'

‘Is that why you came to see her today?'

‘I knew she had cash stowed away. Poor old Elsie has always been a miser and this is what it's done to her.'

‘I don't understand.'

‘I told her why I'd come to see her, and I didn't mince my words.'

‘You didn't steal her money, did you?'

‘I may be a bad 'un but I wouldn't do that, even though most of my relations are skinflints.'

‘So how did the fire start?'

‘I asked her for a loan and at first she seemed willing to help. She pulled up a floorboard and took out a leather pouch. Did you know it was there?'

Sarah shook her head. ‘What was in it?'

‘Elsie tipped the contents on the table. It would have paid off Trigg and bought me a stake in the future.'

‘And she gave it to you?'

‘Not Elsie. She scooped the coins into the bag and put it back in its hiding place. She'd been smoking that filthy stuff she loves so much and she was laughing and waving her arms about like a madwoman. She fell against the range and one of her sleeves caught light. I tried to get to her but she panicked and knocked a bottle of spirits into the fire where it exploded and sent live coals flying into the air like rockets.' He paused, shuddering at the memory. ‘I threw her on the floor and beat out the flames, but by this time the fire had taken hold. I managed to get her outside, and the rest you know.'

‘She would wear those strange flowing garments,' Sarah said sadly. ‘I've warned her about them often enough but she would never listen, and she falls into a stupor at night after she's been smoking that filthy opium.' She cracked the whip to encourage Boxer into a trot. ‘I still think we ought to get help more quickly. She might die if we leave her like this.'

‘It's London or nothing. I've got a room in Wych Street. D'you know how to get there?'

‘Yes, as it happens I do. It's not far from Drury Lane, but why go there when you haven't got Trigg's money?'

Wincing, he put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch. ‘I grabbed it as I was leaving. This will buy my freedom and it might save her life. It means I can pay for the best treatment and . . .' He slumped forward and was silent.

‘Well, we're going to find a doctor and the sooner the better.' She glanced at his inert form. ‘It was a brave thing you did, Grey, and I'm not going to let either of you suffer unnecessarily.' She looked over her shoulder to check on Elsie, and was relieved to see that she was still breathing even though she had not yet regained consciousness. ‘Giddy-up, Boxer. We're going to Maldon. There must be a doctor there, and I can send a message to Davey.'

The aged doctor shook his head when he saw the extent of Elsie's injuries, but he did what he could and dosed her with laudanum. He attended to Grey's injured hands, and said that nature must be allowed to take its course. Sarah paid him for his services, and ignoring Grey's protests that they should be on their way immediately, she set off in search of a second-hand shop. She returned ten minutes later laden with coarse woollen blankets and a couple of pillows. ‘I've one more thing to do before we leave,' she said, adjusting the bedding around Elsie so that it formed a warm cocoon.

‘Where are you going now?' Grey demanded as she was about to hurry off.

‘The doctor gave me paper and ink and I wrote a note to Davey while I was waiting for you. I must find a messenger who will deliver it.'

Grey raised his eyes to heaven. ‘For God's sake, girl. Haven't we wasted enough time already? It'll be after midnight before we reach London.'

‘I don't care. This is important, and we need food and drink too. I don't suppose you've got a well-stocked larder in your lodgings.'

‘Women!' He frowned, staring at her as if seeing her for the first time. ‘You were just a child when I last saw you, and now you're telling me what to do.'

‘I've grown up.'

He gazed sorrowfully at his bandaged hands. ‘I'm bloody useless like this.'

‘You saved Elsie's life.'

‘But it was my fault it happened in the first place. I'm a worthless piece of work and maybe I ought to let Trigg finish me off.'

Sarah took him by the shoulders and shook him hard. ‘Stop it. That sort of talk won't get us anywhere and we're wasting time.'

‘You're right.' He held his hand out. ‘Give me the note and I'll find someone to take it to your friend. You get the food, and hurry.'

Sarah's first impression as they arrived in Wych Street was one of noise, filth and the long-forgotten noxious city odours. The narrow cobbled road was lined with timber-framed four-storey Elizabethan buildings which must once have been town houses for prosperous merchants, but now provided cheap lodgings above shops and rowdy public houses.

Grey nudged her with his elbow. ‘Stop here. This is where I live.' He indicated a tall narrow building with an apothecary's shop situated on the ground floor.

‘Why here?'

‘It's cheap,' he said brusquely.

She drew the sturdy carriage horse to a halt. Boxer had been exchanged for a faster steed at a coaching inn, although Grey had been reluctant to leave him and had paid the ostler good money to take care of the animal until he was able to return. He climbed stiffly to the pavement. ‘I'll take Elsie inside. You stay here and keep an eye out for thieves. Use the whip if you have to. They'll steal the clothes off your back given half a chance.' He went round to the back of the cart and lifted Elsie gently in his arms. She uttered a faint moan, but she was heavily sedated and she did not protest as he carried her into the building.

Sarah sat hunched up on the driver's seat with the horse whip clutched in her hand. The clock on the tower of St Clement Danes church had just struck midnight, but this part of London was still very much awake. Drunks stumbled out of the Angel Inn and the Rising Sun, laughing and singing, swearing and brawling. Prostitutes lingered in doorways offering their services to anyone with the money to pay for them. Feral cats and dogs scavenged for scraps of offal or anything that was remotely edible in the ankle-deep detritus in the gutters, and a couple of ragged street arabs skulked in the shadows dipping the pockets of unwary passers-by who were too inebriated to notice.

Sarah waited anxiously for Grey to return and breathed a sigh of relief when the door of the apothecary shop opened and he reappeared.

‘Get down,' he said, holding up his arms. ‘I'll take the horse to the stables. It's not far and I can manage to drive a short distance.'

Her limbs ached and her hands were blistered. She allowed him to help her to the ground. ‘Where is Elsie?'

‘She's safe in bed. Go down the passage and my room is at the back of the building, the last door on your right. I've left it open so you can't miss it. Put the bolt across and don't open it until I get back.' He reached for the basket containing their provisions and handed it to her.