by Emma Hornby
Wiping the back of a floury hand across her brow, Lizzie smiled. ‘Ta for this, Laura. It’d take me twice as long to make this at home, what with the little ’uns careering in and out every two minutes and getting under my feet.’
‘That’s all right.’
‘Eeh, smell that,’ said Lizzie appreciatively, closing her eyes with a long sniff as the heady tang of hot lemon cake permeated the air. ‘It’ll be browned in a minute and ready to take round to Eliza’s. Has a bad leg, she does, and it’s been playing her up – bring a much-needed smile to her, will this. I’ve been saving for the ingredients ’specially.’
‘You’re a kind soul, lass.’
‘Nay.’ Modest to a fault, Lizzie would take no claim of the compliment. ‘Anyone would do the same.’
‘Well, I say you are, and you are! And another thing: Daniel’s blind if he can’t see thee for the sound catch you are—’ She paused and bit her lip as colour rushed to Lizzie’s cheeks. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to put my nose in your business …’
‘It’s all right. It’s no secret, I suppose. I like the lad, aye. I like him a lot.’
She nodded awkwardly. What was there to say? That Daniel didn’t share her keenness was also common knowledge and the sting of this was clear on Lizzie’s face – she shouldn’t have brought the subject up. It had nothing to do with her, after all. She busied herself with clearing away the dirty bowls and spoons whilst Lizzie turned her attention back to the finished bake.
‘Sorry, lass,’ Laura said again later, breaking through the silence that her statement had created. ‘I really ought not to have said owt.’
The girl’s smile returned. She shrugged. ‘It’s all right. ’Ere, come on. Help me spread on the sugar icing.’
Job done, and when the topping was dried and hardened, Laura motioned to the broad knife she’d used. ‘Why don’t I scratch an ‘E’ on t’ top, as you did with that one in Father’s memory? Be a nice touch, that will.’
‘Aye, go on.’
Whilst Laura fulfilled her suggestion, Lizzie brought up the subject of her and Nathan’s wedding and, as they chatted, the knife continued to move over the surface as though it had a life of its own. Laura wasn’t aware of what she’d done until Lizzie’s gasp broke through her daydreaming – she looked from the girl to the cake and her puzzlement swiftly turned to horror.
‘Oh! I’ve ruined it. Sorry, Lizzie, I didn’t realise—’
‘Nay, leave it,’ she insisted, rescuing the knife as Laura made to try and smooth over fresh icing to conceal her handiwork. ‘Just look at that. How in the world …? I love it!’
In the centre was the promised letter ‘E’. But it was the carved shapes around the edge that set the whole thing off: a pattern of diamonds with a pearl border, neat and perfectly symmetrical.
‘A work of art, that’s what it is.’ Lizzie was full of admiration. ‘That’s a rare talent you’ve got.’
Laura recognised the design instantly as that on a coal-hole cover she’d seen on her rounds and often admired. She’d pointed it out to Nathan several times, along with others she admired, but it was plain he hadn’t the same enthusiasm in the artworks as she, though he did indulge her interest with smiles. ‘How queer – I didn’t even plan to do that; my hands took over without me! You sure your friend will like it?’
‘She’ll love it.’ Studying it further, Lizzie laughed. ‘’Ere, we should team up, me and thee. We’d make a fair handsome living flogging baking as good as this. If only we had the means, eh?’
‘What would we need?’ Laura asked, and though Lizzie laughed again, she pressed, ‘Tell me, lass. Means for what?’
‘You’re not serious?’
‘And why not?’ She nodded thoughtfully. ‘You just said yourself they’d sell.’
‘Aye, mebbe, but …’
‘But what?’
‘Well, it’s just … folk like us don’t try at things like this. It’s the shop owners, the fancy confectioners and the like, what do this forra living. What would two lasses from the slum have any business doing, trying to compete with that? It’d never work.’
A spark of proud defiance brought Laura’s chin up. ‘We’re as good as anyone else beyond them court walls, lass, and don’t forget it. We seem to be good at this – at least we could be, with practice. Us, working together. We’d start out small at first, like, you know …? Our own business. Just think of it!’
‘But how? Who would we sell to and where?’
‘I don’t know,’ Laura admitted, ‘not right now. Not till I’ve had time to plan. You’d be for it, though, lass? You’d want to give it a go should I figure out a way?’
‘Aye. Oh, Laura, it’d be a dream come true. D’you really think we could?’
Before a grinning Laura could assure her further, the door sounded and they turned to see Daniel entering the room. Forgetting herself in her excitement, she hurried towards him and took his arm. ‘Come and see this, Daniel. What d’you think?’
He lifted an eyebrow at their creation. ‘That’s gradely.’
‘You really think?’
‘Aye. The detail really is very good. Did you do that?’
She nodded then blushed, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Then she caught sight of Lizzie’s gaze, full of desperation to be noticed by him, and her eyes creased in pity. Hoping to shift the praise, she shook her head. ‘How it looks ain’t nowt on how it’ll taste, mind. Lizzie here has the real talent.’
‘I don’t much care for cake, to be honest. Too sickly for my liking. That design, though … Well done. I’m impressed.’
She’d succeeded only in making matters worse – the girl was crestfallen. Didn’t he realise how hurtful he was being? Laura shot Lizzie an apologetic look and was about to sing Lizzie’s skills further when, once again, the door opened, and in walked Nathan. His smile for Laura fell away slowly to see his brother present.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked the older man.
If Daniel sensed any animosity, he didn’t show it. ‘All right, lad? I came looking for thee, thought tha might like to come forra jar at the inn.’
‘I’ve been at the yard, feeding the horse. And nay, sorry, I can’t. I came to ask Laura if she fancied a walk somewhere.’
‘Aye, I’d like that,’ she said quickly when Nathan turned to look at her, keen to kill the tension. ‘Where was tha thinking?’
‘I thought Alexandra Park. It’s a fair trek, but worth it; a bonny spot, it is. Oh, er … youse are welcome to join us,’ he added to the others, and it was evident he’d merely offered out of politeness, for his face fell at Daniel’s nod. Clearly, he hadn’t expected either of them to accept. ‘Oh. Well. Right, then.’
‘A better choice than what I had in mind, lad. After all, ain’t it said that the park were built to keep Manchester men from the alehouses on their day off?’ Daniel flashed a lopsided smile. ‘You can bet we’ll be able to count the working fellas there the day on one hand, mind.’
‘You’ll come, an’ all, won’t you?’ Laura asked Lizzie, but the girl shook her head.
‘I’ve to get this to Eliza, remember?’
‘You can take it round to her later, can’t you?’
She glanced to Daniel, as though in the hope he’d give some indication he wanted her to accompany them. Receiving none, she shook her head again. ‘Thanks, but nay. Some other time, mebbe.’
Hiding a sigh, Laura bade her a quiet farewell and went to fetch her shawl. Then she and the men set off on the somewhat awkward jaunt.
Their afternoon was as uncomfortable as she’d feared.
She’d had no option but to spend most of the time talking to Daniel, couldn’t very well have ignored him, as Nathan chose to trail behind in sullen silence. She could, to a point, understand his churlishness – it had been rather tactless of Daniel to accompany them on what had clearly been intended to be an intimate walk. But Nathan had asked him along, after all. The least he could have done was put a civilised fr
ont on it.
He’d been right about one thing – the triangular-shaped public space, recently opened by the mayor, was a definite beauty spot. Covering some sixty level acres of lawn with curved and oval walkways, lodge, sunken bowling green and raised terrace complete with clocktower, all interspersed with flower gardens and ornamental features, she would in different circumstances have enjoyed promenading in such pleasing surroundings. Instead, she found herself willing the time away and couldn’t contain a relieved breath when it was decided they should be making their way back to Ancoats.
Nathan lagged again on the return journey and, after several fruitless attempts to let him catch up, Laura gave up and walked ahead with his brother.
When St Mary’s bell-tower appeared in the distance, it was releasing its deep chimes to the bleak sky, and she pointed: ‘Mrs Price and Widow Jessop shall just be leaving – have we to walk across, see them home?’
Nathan shrugged, Daniel nodded and Laura led the way to the church. They spotted the two women by the door and, after exchanging greetings, they were all about to set off for Ebenezer Court when someone else caught Laura’s eye. ‘I’ll not be a minute,’ she told them, before hurrying after the beshawled figure.
Bridget jumped and sprang round when Laura tapped her on the shoulder. Her face creased slightly in pleasure at seeing her, but her downcast mouth refused to budge. ‘Hello there, colleen.’
‘Your eye.’ Laura was horrified. She reached out to touch the dark swelling but the Irishwoman shrank from her. ‘What happened to thee?’
‘Oh this?’ As though a switch had been flicked, Bridget pooh-poohed her concern with an easy chuckle. ‘’Tis nothing. Sure, weren’t I an eejit yesterday and took a tumble in the kitchen? Tripped over my own feet, so I did, and received this from the corner of the table for my clumsiness.’ She let out another laugh then pressed Laura’s arm. ‘And how are ye? Keeping well, I hope?’
Laura wasn’t fooled in the slightest. She shook her head. ‘What really occurred, Bridget? Please, you can tell me.’
‘Colleen … It’s as I said,’ she insisted, but her gaze had gone suspiciously bright. ‘The table, and … and not watching my step—’
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t believe thee. This is Ambrose, in’t it? He did this to thee.’
The woman released a long, slow breath then dissolved into silent tears. ‘Aye,’ she whispered. ‘Aye, he did.’
Despicable, bullyish, rotten old swine … ‘Come on,’ she said, taking her elbow. ‘You’re coming home with me for a brew and a talk, and I’ll not take nay for an answer.’
When the six of them were squashed into Mrs Price’s kitchen with Joyce, who had seen them all entering the court and, figuring something was amiss, had joined them inside, Laura took some steadying breaths. She’d decided the time for honesty had come. Bridget knew her secret and, should her injury somehow be the result of being privy to it – which Laura half suspected it was – she’d rather the sordid revelation came from her lips than those of the Irishwoman. These people – her neighbours, friends, soon-to-be family – needed to know the truth. But by God, how would she utter it? She was overcome with queasiness just contemplating it.
‘Here, wench. Get that down thee.’
Taking the cup from Widow Jessop, Bridget thanked her and took small sips of the sweetened tea. After a few minutes, it became clear that she was using this as a distraction to put off what must be said, and Laura prompted her gently:
‘This … is it due to what you overheard the day I came to tell Uncle Ambrose of Father’s passing?’
The Irishwoman nodded and her words were barely a whisper. ‘I finally confronted him about it. He flew into a fearsome fury. He struck me, warned me never to mention it again.’
‘What’s this?’ Nathan was looking at them both in turn. ‘Ambrose Todd inflicted that shiner? Overheard what?’
‘Lad …’ The shame was unbearable; Laura couldn’t bring herself to meet his eye. ‘My uncle, he … tried things with me that he shouldn’t. Unnatural things – warped.’
‘The bastard what?’ He was livid. Even Daniel looked as though he’d like to dole out to Ambrose the kicking of his life.
‘The first time it happened … I’d been to the market, had been up early, and what with doing double the work – helping out Father on the round alongside my duties at the yard – tiredness caught up with me. I dropped off to sleep in t’ office and when I awoke … I tried to stop it but he’d not listen, and I were so frickened, so confused and ashamed and disgusted, and I couldn’t tell a soul, not even Father, for I didn’t … didn’t know what to do and … and …’
Nathan’s arms went around her, killing her distressed and garbled speech. Clinging to him, she opened up her heart, right there in front of everyone, and it felt so good. The relief in sharing her crippling burden was immense.
‘I’m going to kill him.’
‘Nay, lad.’ She’d feared this, knew he’d want to exact revenge, to defend her honour. Yet there was a tiny part of her that was relieved he believed her. She’d fretted that no one would, had put off telling Amos for mainly that reason. But also because he, too, would have murdered that lecherous devil, had he seen the way of things. She wouldn’t drag another soul into her troubles. Look what happened last time, the terrible fate that had befallen her father. She wouldn’t have another death on her conscience. ‘It – he – ain’t worth dangling at the end of a rope for. I’ll not see thee swing. Please, leave it to me. I’ll have my day with him yet.’
‘But—’
‘Promise me. You must, Nathan, for I’ll not know another minute’s peace till you do.’
There was silence. Joyce was the one who broke it. Taking Laura’s hand, she shook her head. ‘That’s not how we do things here, lass. Folks cross the line and folks have gorra pay. You’re one of us, now, and we stick by the ones we love, in good times, but ’specially during the storms, whatever the cost. That filthy piece you call kin needs teaching a lesson. No law, mind – our lot, our class, don’t work like that. We settle scores our way. We’ll be the ones to dole out his punishment. Aye, and one he’ll not forget.’
She glanced to her younger son then continued, ‘The lad confided in me about them brothers what are on yon tail and the reason why. Now, don’t be vexed with him,’ she added soothingly when Laura threw Nathan a disappointed look. ‘He were worried is all, needed his mam’s guidance. That pair, we’ll think on as and when the need arises; seems they’ve left for now. This Mr Todd, on t’ other hand, ain’t for curbing his antics any time soon. As far as I can see, he’s caused grief enough and must be stopped afore he creates any more. Question now is how.’
Mrs Price and Widow Jessop were nodding agreement, as was Nathan, whilst Bridget sat staring at the floor, biting her lip. Only Daniel appeared unconvinced, and Laura wanted to run to him, to shake him and tell him to reason with the group, who seemed intent on taking dangerous matters into their own hands. She pleaded to him with her eyes to speak up for her but he merely sighed quietly and looked away. She turned back to Joyce.
‘We can’t act as judge, jury and executioner, can’t go wading in there to cause him injury or worse, much as he deserves it. We’d be the ones to suffer a more fearsome fate, don’t you see? He’s powerful. He’s got standing, money; we touch a hair on his head and one word from him and we’d be hauled off to the gallows. No court in the land would listen to our side, not us, not over a successful man of business. Nay. I’ll not risk it. There has to be another way.’
Why couldn’t she just live a life of peace? Why did God hate her so? What had she done to deserve this hellish existence but fall in love with the wrong man? She seemed to draw enemies to her like a moth to a flame. It was all so unfair, and she was bone weary of looking over her shoulder, of running, being afraid, all of it. Would it ever end?
‘I’d best be on my way, else sir will wonder where I’ve got to, so he will.’
Though Laura wanted to
reason with Bridget, tell her not to return to that hell house, she knew it wasn’t her decision to make. It was Bridget’s life, Bridget’s call. She loved the man, that was the crux of the matter. Whatever anyone said, the Irishwoman had to follow her own way. Laura walked her out and, when they were in the privacy of the yard, said, ‘You know we’d help thee, Bridget, put thee up, if ever you choose to leave his employ.’
‘’Tis kind of ye to say, colleen.’
‘I mean it.’
‘I know. Only I can’t,’ she said simply, a look of such longing in her eyes that it tore at Laura to witness.
‘He’ll never wed thee, Bridget.’ She had to say it. It seared to have to hurt her with the words but she had to give them life. ‘He’s incapable of love, I think.’
Blinking back tears, the Irishwoman smiled. ‘I live in hope. It’s all I can do.’
‘Remember,’ Laura told her, giving her a quick hug, ‘I’m allus here. And Bridget?’ she added, when they drew apart. ‘You’ll not inform him of what you’ve heard us speak about the day, will thee?’
After a long hesitation she shook her head. ‘No, colleen.’
When she’d gone Laura leaned against the house’s cold bricks and heaved a long sigh. Would she keep her word? Only time would tell. She’d discovered in the most painful way possible what happened when you crossed Ambrose Todd. Heaven help her should he get to hear she was planning his downfall. But how, how would she achieve it if not by brute force, as those inside believed to be the answer? What other route was there to make him pay? For pay he must, there was no debate on that front at least.
‘They want only to get you justice.’
Laura glanced around and nodded to Daniel, who had appeared beside her. ‘I know.’
‘When one of our own are wronged, it becomes a matter for us all. You see?’
