‘This afternoon!’ Her voice came out as a squeak. She hadn’t expected it to be so soon.
‘Well, he was in London and in Chelsea too, and seeing as I knew you would be here, there seemed no sense in delaying.’ His arm had clamped about her waist now and when he began to kiss her she felt dizzy; didn’t even try to stop him when his hand began to slowly caress her breast. It was wonderful and terrifying all at the same time – and suddenly she remembered the little bottle and the sponges in her bag. Would it be so very bad to let him make love to her? she wondered. After all, he had told her he loved her a number of times now so he clearly intended them to be together. They had come close to going all the way on a number of occasions lately, but Sunday’s words of warning had always stopped her so far. But then Sunday belonged to another time and another way of life now. In London, everything was so much more easy-going. Why, Ruby had had numerous lovers and wasn’t ashamed to admit it. She had even provided Kitty with the means to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, so surely she wouldn’t condemn her – and Kitty did so want to bind Richard to her for all time. Perhaps this would be the best way to do it?
Richard was panting with desire now but she managed to extricate herself from his arms long enough to gasp, ‘When will the gentleman be here?’
‘Oh, not for another hour or so.’
‘Then I’ll pop behind the screen and slip into something a little more comfortable.’ She snatched up her bag and once behind the screen she quickly undressed, put on the robe that Richard kept there for her and took the bottle and the sponges from her bag with shaking fingers.
When she came back to him clad in nothing but the robe and blushing furiously, he gently drew it open and moaned aloud as he stared at her naked body.
‘You are quite beautiful!’ He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes then asked gently, ‘Have you ever done this before?’ When she shook her head, he slid the robe from her shoulders and began to stroke the creamy skin of her shoulders. She was shaking now with a mixture of excitement and fear, but his voice was soft and husky as he told her, ‘I won’t hurt you, I promise. It will be beautiful, just like you.’
And so Kitty lay trembling as Richard slowly undressed, letting his clothes pool around his feet. She had never seen a naked man aroused before, but as he had promised he went slowly … and gradually her passion mounted to meet his. When he finally entered her there was a brief moment of pain but then she began to move with him as sensations she had never felt before coursed through her. By the time he rolled away from her there were tears in her eyes. She had come to his room that afternoon as a girl but she would leave as a woman and she didn’t have a single regret.
‘I do love you so, Richard,’ she told him adoringly as she gazed up at him and he laughed and chucked her under the chin as he sat up and lit a cigarette in all his naked glory.
‘That is good to hear, but now, my sweet, perhaps you should go and get ready for our visitor. He will be here soon.’
Kitty suddenly felt crestfallen. She had hoped that Richard would tell her he loved her too, but he was acting now almost as if nothing had happened between them. Still, she told herself, he will when the time is right, and so she nodded obediently and scuttled behind the screen to wash herself and put on the undergarment he had laid out ready for her. She had only just finished tidying her hair when someone rapped on the door.
‘Mr Johnston to see you, sir,’ the little maid shouted and Richard finished adjusting his clothing and hurried to let him in, locking the door after him.
‘The young lady I told you about is getting ready for you behind the screen,’ Kitty heard him say. ‘Now would you like a drink while we’re waiting?’
‘Thank you, sir, and I suggest you pour one for the young lady too. We should celebrate the start of a long and lucrative arrangement.’
Kitty stepped out, nervously clutching the robe about her and was shocked at what she saw although she didn’t know why, for she hadn’t really known what to expect. Mr Johnston was a small man, almost as far round as he was high, with a balding pate and a large moustache that quivered beneath a huge red nose. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul and she felt uncomfortable in his presence.
‘Here you are, my dear.’ He thrust a large glass of wine at her and Kitty reluctantly took it. ‘You’re every bit as lovely as Ricky here told me you were. Now why don’t you have a nice little drink an’ relax a bit, eh?’
Kitty did as she was told and surprisingly after a few sips she started to feel much more confident.
‘Ready?’ Richard asked after she had finished half the glass.
She nodded. Taking her clothes off in front of this stranger didn’t seem quite so daunting now. She slid the robe from her shoulders and made for the chaise longue feeling slightly wobbly. Perhaps I shouldn’t have had a drink on an empty stomach, she thought as she settled into one of the poses that she knew Richard favoured. Today she was dressed in a very pretty white silk corset trimmed with thin red ribbons, but she had no sooner laid back than the stranger came striding towards her while Richard positioned himself behind the camera.
‘Just a little more shoulder showing if you don’t mind, m’dear.’ His fat sausage fingers snaked out and smoothed the straps of the corset from her shoulders, but Kitty was feeling far too mellow to complain. In fact, she would have liked nothing more than to just curl up and go to sleep. His hand dropped to caress her breast but even then she didn’t protest. She was battling to keep her eyes open for some reason and that was the last thing she remembered …
A gentle hand squeezing her shoulder brought her starting awake, and she found herself staring up into Richard’s face. Her head was throbbing and she felt totally disorientated. And then she remembered the repulsive little man who had been present but a glance around the room assured her that he was gone. ‘What happened?’
Richard smiled as he helped her into a sitting position. ‘I’m afraid the wine you drank made you go out like a light so I postponed the shoot with Mr Johnston until another day.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she croaked, wondering how half a glass of wine could have affected her so badly.
He waved her apologies aside. ‘Don’t worry about it, my lovely. I’ve asked Millie to make you a pot of strong coffee. Don’t forget you have a performance this evening, otherwise I would have let you sleep.’
‘Goodness, you’re right.’ Kitty felt so ill at that moment that she was wondering how she was going to manage it but once she had drunk two large cups of coffee she started to feel human again and eventually went behind the screen to get dressed.
Once she was ready, Richard escorted her outside and hailed a cab and as she sank back against the seat she felt strangely let down. In the beginning, he had always run her home in his car and after what had happened between them that day she would have expected him to be a little more gentlemanly. But then he probably has another client to see, she consoled herself and closed her eyes against the dull pain throbbing behind them.
‘Where have you been? I’ve been frantic with worry,’ Maggie greeted her the second she set foot through the door and Kitty groaned. A lecture, even a well-meaning one, was the last thing she needed at present. ‘We shall have to leave for the music hall in less than an hour and you haven’t even started to get ready yet.’ She stopped then, and peering at Kitty she said very matter-of-factly, ‘You look absolutely awful. What have you been doing?’
Kitty flushed. ‘I haven’t been doing anything out of the ordinary,’ she replied guiltily. ‘I just have a bit of a headache, that’s all.’
‘Then we’d better get a powder down you and try to get you right for this evening.’ And taking Kitty’s elbow, the other girl led her up the stairs.
Chapter Thirty-Six
It was mid-July 1914 and Cissie had just returned to Primrose Cottage after spending the day at Treetops when a knock came on the open kitchen door. Humming merrily to herself she turned to see who it was and then froze on the
spot. A younger version of Albert Pinnegar stood watching her and with a shock and with no need for words, Cissie knew that she was staring at her long-lost son. She had often wondered what he looked like. Had he taken after her or his hated father? And now she knew.
‘Y-you must be Hugh.’ Her voice came out as a croak as the man removed his hat and inclined his head and she found herself thinking that unlike his father he had manners at least.
‘And you must be Cissie. My mother told me about your visit.’
Cissie had dreamed of this moment for thirty-four long years. In her mind, she had pictured a joyful reunion where mother and son would fall into each other’s arms and profess their love for each other, and yet now it was here she might have been struck dumb, for she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
‘May I come in?’ he asked awkwardly after a time and suddenly Cissie sprang towards him and led him to George’s favourite chair. It wasn’t his fault if he looked like his father, after all.
‘Can I offer you a cup of tea?’
‘A cold drink would be lovely, if it’s no trouble.’
She was pleased to hear that he spoke nicely too, no doubt down to the private education that the Tates had supplied him with. She hurried away to the marble shelf in the pantry and after pouring out two glasses of lemon barley she handed one to him and sat down opposite him with the other.
‘I wasn’t sure that I would ever meet you,’ she said shyly and he smiled, a sad smile.
‘When my mother told me that you had called, I knew I would have to come. I’ve always wondered who my birth mother was, you see.’
‘And did she tell you how we were separated when you were born? That I had no choice?’
He took a sip of his drink and nodded, and now Cissie really studied him. He was very smartly dressed and his hair was neat and tidy. She could have taken him for a toff any day of the week, but this was her son – her son. In a flash she forgot all the negative things the Tates had told her about him. She wanted to judge him for herself; to get to know him.
‘I want you to know that I attach no blame to you for what happened,’ he said. ‘It must have been dreadful for you.’
‘It was,’ Cissie admitted. ‘I think for a while after they took you away from me that I was almost as mad as some of the poor lunatics I was locked away with.’
‘But you married eventually and had more children?’
Cissie smiled now and nodded. ‘Oh yes. I’ve been very fortunate indeed. My husband is a lovely man and we were blessed with three beautiful children. All grown up and flown the nest now, of course. But still never a day went by when I didn’t think about you. You were always part of me.’
He reached out his hand to her and just for a second she almost flinched away, for he was so like his father in looks that she was suddenly remembering the feel of Albert Pinnegar’s fat hands all over her. But none of what had happened was this young man’s fault and he had never asked to be born.
‘I felt much better after meeting your parents,’ Cissie confided to him then. ‘To know that you had been loved and cared for meant the world to me.’
‘Huh!’ he snorted. ‘Is that what they told you? Well, it isn’t strictly true. You see, I think they wanted a little puppet who would do their bidding, and because I had spirit and didn’t want to take over my father’s shop they disowned me. Well … almost. I did go to see them again a few days ago, which is when my mother told me about you and gave me your address.’
‘Oh!’ Kitty was taken aback. The Tates had seemed like such a nice, genuine couple. Then suddenly a shadow fell across the room and looking up Cissie saw that George had come home.
She leaped to her feet and told him joyously, ‘George, you’re just in time to meet Hugh – my son.’
His face straight, George held out his hand and said: ‘It’s nice to meet you. Cissie has always wanted to find you.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ Hugh answered respectfully. Then to Cissie, ‘And thank you for your hospitality. I’d like it if we could meet again sometime if you felt able to, so we can get to know one another. But for now, I really should be going. I’ve imposed enough on you as it is.’
All the initial reservations she had felt at first sight of him melted away. He was her flesh and blood, and at last he was back in her life.
‘You haven’t imposed on me at all,’ Cissie assured him. ‘And we’re both usually home at this time each evening so do call again whenever you’ve a mind to. You’ll always be welcome.’ Her maternal instincts were suddenly working overtime.
The man nodded then strode from the room and Cissie watched him go with a rapturous look on her face.
‘Well, who would have thought it after all this time, eh?’ she sighed. ‘I must admit, I got a bit of a gliff when I first clapped eyes on him. He’s so like his father, ain’t he? But only in looks, mind. He seemed to be quite a charmer.’
George forced a smile. He hadn’t taken to the chap at all, if truth be told. Hugh Tate had seemed to be a right smarmy so-and-so – not that he’d say that to his wife. He wanted her to keep the dream of her long-lost son intact. She’d had to wait long enough for him to come back into her life, God only knew! He just hoped that she wouldn’t live to regret it.
‘Pssst! Maggie, have you got a minute?’
Maggie paused on her way down to the kitchen the next morning to see Miss Fox gesturing to her from the door of the drawing room. She went to join her and once they were in the room, Miss Fox hastily closed the door and asked, ‘Is Kitty all right? I went along to her performance last night and she didn’t seem to be at her best.’
Maggie sighed. ‘She isn’t, to be honest. I think she’s overdoing things but if I mention it she gets all hoity-toity with me. Perhaps you could have a word with Ruby? She could maybe talk some sense into her. Kitty can’t go on like this, burning the candle at both ends.’
‘Huh! Fat lot of good that would do,’ Miss Fox snorted, folding her hands neatly at her waist. ‘Ruby is off with the fairies most of the time nowadays. Why, only last night I threatened to tip every drop of wine I could get my hands on down the sink. If truth be told, she wants Kitty to work and doesn’t care about the toll it’s taking on the girl. It’s Kitty’s earnings that are keeping this house going at the moment.’
Maggie had suspected that Kitty wasn’t being paid a fraction of what she earned and now Miss Fox was confirming it. But when Maggie tried to broach the subject with Kitty she got her head bitten off, for Kitty wouldn’t have a wrong word said about Ruby.
‘Ah well, don’t you go fretting over it,’ Miss Fox said now. ‘Just make sure that she rests when she can.’
‘That’s easier said than done,’ Maggie sighed ruefully. ‘When she isn’t singing on stage she’s off to that damn photographer’s all the time and she won’t let me go with her.’ The two women stared at each other for a moment, both with the same thoughts, then without another word they went their separate ways. Maggie herself was gravely concerned. The little bottle and the tiny sponges that she had found some weeks ago in Kitty’s bag were now being used, which could only mean one thing. But what if they didn’t work and Kitty were to find herself with child? Would her wonderful photographer stand by her then and do the honourable thing? Huh! Maggie very much doubted it. The week before, she had visited the market early one morning while Kitty was still in bed and she had seen Richard Fitzherbert strolling along bold as brass with a very pretty blue-eyed blonde hanging off his arm. Fearful of being spotted, Maggie had darted into a shop doorway until they were out of sight. From the way the girl had been gazing adoringly up at him, it had been very obvious that they were more than friends. Richard Fitzherbert was playing Kitty like a fiddle and stringing her along.
Her dilemma now was, should she tell Kitty what she had seen? After giving it much thought Maggie had decided against it, for she had a feeling that Kitty would just fly into a rage and refuse to believe her. It hurt her, though, to think that her frien
d was being used. But Kitty was almost eighteen years old now and Maggie supposed that she would have to learn by her own mistakes. She could only pray that, in time, Kitty would see Richard for what he was.
Only the day before, she had dared to ask outright: ‘Has he ever paid you personally for any of the modelling you’ve done for him?’ and was put firmly in her place.
‘He and Ruby have an arrangement. He pays her my fee then she pays me.’ Maggie had clamped her mouth shut and said no more.
Now, as she mounted the stairs with a loaded breakfast tray, Maggie hoped that Kitty would have a quiet day at home and be able to rest. However, the second she set foot in Kitty’s bedroom, she found the girl rummaging feverishly through her armoire and throwing clothes into a heap onto the floor.
‘Why didn’t you wake me?’ she nearly screamed. ‘I have to be out in half an hour!’
‘I’m not a mindreader,’ Maggie answered stoically as she placed the laden tray down. ‘How was I to know you needed a call if you didn’t tell me? And if you’ll just say what you’re looking for, I’ll find it for you.’ She sighed as she glanced at the mess. No doubt the items would all need pressing again now.
‘I’m trying to find the new blue skirt and the white frilled blouse that I bought last week!’
Maggie gently nudged her aside and within seconds produced the clothes Kitty had been looking for. ‘Skirts to the left, blouses in the middle and dresses to the right.’
‘Well, it’s not my job to know that, is it?’ Kitty answered churlishly as she stamped over to the bathroom.
‘So where are you off to in such a hurry?’ Maggie shouted after her just as the bathroom door slammed.
‘Richard’s!’
Maggie said a rude word as she started to lift the clothes and place them over a chair. She might have known. And now another lonely day stretched ahead of her.
The Little Angel Page 28
