A Daughter's Courage

by Kitty Neale

  ‘Do you think she will?’

  ‘I don’t know, but you’ll have to go round to her place as soon as you get the chance and tell her I want to see her. The sooner she finds out about Robbie the better.’

  Chapter 37

  Adrian had left for work when Dorothy opened the door to Malcolm, surprised to see him there. He told her that Nelly wanted to see her, but was vague about why, only saying it was important. Dorothy smiled. She could guess what Nelly wanted to tell her and no doubt her friend was itching to pass on the good news.

  It meant she had to ask Mrs Hart to sit with her father, but thankfully the woman didn’t seem to mind. At ten-thirty, after saying she’d be back as soon as she could, Dorothy didn’t walk or wait for a bus to get to Nelly’s house. For once she hailed a taxi.

  When she arrived, Nelly’s mum opened the front door and led her through to the front room. Dorothy smiled at the sight of her best friend sat with her plastered leg resting on a pile of old newspapers and perming lotion dripping down the side of her face.

  ‘Wotcha, Dottie. Mum’s doing me one of them poodle perms. She’s used tiny little rollers and the bloody things are pulling on my scalp. That setting lotion stuff stinks too. Still, I want to look my best for Malcolm,’ Nelly said and patted the sofa next to her for Dorothy to sit down.

  ‘Sorry I haven’t been round this week,’ Dorothy said, ‘but having to keep an eye on my dad makes it difficult for me to get out. Malcolm said you wanted to see me, so I asked Mrs Hart to sit with him.’

  ‘Don’t worry, sugar. I understand. How’s your dad doing?’

  ‘I don’t know if it’s the pills he’s on, but, other than having a chesty cough again, he seems better. He’s calm now and he gave me a lovely smile this morning.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Nelly said, then, raising her voice, she shouted, ‘Did you hear that, Mum? Bill’s on the mend.’

  Nelly’s mum came through to the living room with two cups of tea. ‘That’s nice, love. I’ll leave these cups here and let you two have a natter in peace.’

  No sooner had she left than Nelly said, ‘Dottie, I’ve got something important to tell you.’

  ‘Let me guess. Malcolm has proposed.’

  ‘No, it isn’t that, but watch this space,’ Nelly said, smiling briefly before her face straightened. ‘Look, Dottie, I’ll get right to the point. It’s Robbie. That man is the lowest of the low, bloody pond life.’

  Dorothy knew that Nelly had no time for Robbie and said, ‘Look, I know you don’t like him, but what’s brought this on?’

  ‘It seems he’s found himself a new line of business – as a pimp.’

  It sounded so ridiculous that Dorothy almost laughed. ‘What? Selling women for sex? You must be joking.’

  ‘It’s no joke, Dottie.’

  ‘I know you like a bit of gossip, Nelly, and I don’t know where you heard this, but I’m sure it’s rubbish.’

  ‘I heard it from Malcolm so I know it’s true. Robbie offered him a woman in exchange for the money he owes him.’

  Dorothy sat in stunned silence. It couldn’t be true, not Robbie, the man she loved. ‘Are you sure, Nel? Malcom could have been mistaken.’

  ‘There’s no mistake. Robbie told Malcolm that he’s got this young and gorgeous girl, and said he could have her to pay off the debt.’

  Dorothy felt her stomach lurch. She felt sick, and blurted, ‘Oh, Nelly, I think I’ve met her. Her name is Yvonne and she’s young, very young. I can’t believe Robbie would put her on the game.’

  ‘Well, he has, but how did you meet her?’

  Dorothy suddenly realised she had dropped herself in it and would have some explaining to do to her friend. ‘I thought Robbie was desperate for money, so I went to his place to give him a few pounds.’

  ‘When it comes to you and that man, once a mug always a mug,’ Nelly said, sighing. ‘I should have bloody guessed you’d been seeing him, even though you denied it.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Nelly. I should have told you. Can you forgive me?’

  ‘Of course, you twit, but I knew you was up to something. So tell me, are you still in love with him?’ Nelly asked. ‘And don’t give me a cock-and-bull story this time.’

  Dorothy thought hard before replying. There had been enough lies over the past few weeks and it was time to come clean, with Nelly at least. ‘Yes, I love him and I think I always will. I can’t help myself, and I think Robbie must be in dire trouble, desperate for money, to do what he’s doing.’

  Nelly shook her head in disgust. ‘You’ve always been blind when it comes to Robbie Ferguson and I should have known you’d make excuses for him. I just hope you’re not going to do anything silly, like running off with him.’

  ‘No, I won’t be doing that. Adrian has been so good to me; he loves me and I can’t hurt him. I just can’t love him in return.’

  ‘You could if you’d see Robbie for the nasty piece of work he is. The man’s a bloody pimp!’

  Dorothy pictured Yvonne’s young face and remembered her swollen lip. She wondered if one of Robbie’s clients had been a bit rough and hurt Yvonne. It was bad enough that the girl was being used for sex, without being physically abused too.

  ‘Robbie told me he was just letting the girl stay with him because her father had chucked her out and she had nowhere else to go,’ she said.

  ‘For goodness’ sake, open your eyes! Robbie is sick, Dottie. I reckon he’s got that pathological lying disease thing that I read about last week.’ Nelly paused, her look intent. ‘Are you all right? You look terrible.’

  ‘Yes, but now that I know the truth, I’m really worried about Yvonne. I can’t just ignore this. I have to do something.’

  ‘Like what? If you’re thinking about going round there to rescue the girl, forget it. You’re out of your depth here, and, after finding out that Robbie’s a pimp, you don’t know what else he’s capable of.’

  Dorothy could see that Nelly was worried about her, but felt she had no choice. ‘I’ll be fine. Robbie may be a lot of things but he isn’t violent. I know he would never hurt me.’

  ‘You can’t be sure of that. Robbie isn’t the man you think he is. You should tell Adrian what’s going on and leave him to sort his brother out.’

  Dorothy shook her head. ‘No, I’ve brought enough trouble to his doorstep already. And anyhow, I know Adrian. He’ll want to protect me and tell me to keep out of it. I’ll have to deal with this myself. I just want to talk to the girl. She’s so young, and as she isn’t very bright she may not understand what’s happening. As for Robbie, I’m finished with him,’ she said, but deep down Dottie knew that she still had feelings for him.

  After leaving Nelly, Dorothy set off on a determined march to Grant Street. She had told Mrs Hart she wouldn’t be long, but this was something she just couldn’t put off, and after talking to Yvonne she’d save time by getting a taxi home again. She hoped that Robbie would be out, but if he wasn’t, then she’d deal with him too. She’d tell him that what he was doing was disgusting, sick and depraved, and maybe hearing it from her would shame him into seeing sense.

  Soon Dorothy was climbing the rickety staircase to the top floor again, where she knocked on Robbie’s door. There was no answer, so she knocked again, this time harder.

  ‘All right, all right, don’t get your knickers in a twist,’ she heard Yvonne shout. The door opened and Yvonne stood there, biting her bottom lip worriedly when she saw who it was. ‘Robbie ain’t in.’

  ‘Good. It’s you I’ve come to see.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Yes, so can I come in?’

  ‘I don’t know. Robbie might not like it.’

  ‘I just want to talk to you and it won’t take long. Please, love, it’s important.’

  ‘All right then,’ Yvonne said, though she looked nervous as she stood to one side.

  ‘Do you mind if I sit down?’ Dorothy asked.

  ‘If you want, but you mustn’t stay long.’

 
‘I won’t, but I’ve come to see you because I’m worried about you.’

  ‘Why? I’m all right.’

  ‘I don’t think you are. Tell me, is Robbie making you do things you don’t want to do?’

  Yvonne frowned as though in thought and then said, ‘He does sometimes, but I don’t think I really mind.’

  ‘Does he make you have sex with other men?’

  Yvonne’s face paled and she shook her head vigorously. ‘I’m not allowed to talk about it. Robbie told me not to.’

  ‘I just want to help you,’ Dorothy told her. ‘I wish I could make you see that Robbie is just using you.’

  ‘No, he’s not. He loves me and we’re happy together.’

  ‘If he loved you, he wouldn’t offer you to other men for money.’

  ‘But … but he said it makes him happy.’

  ‘Yes, of course it does. Every time you have sex with another man, he gets paid for it, but you don’t have to agree to it.’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘No, you don’t,’ Dottie insisted. ‘I wish I could make you understand that Robbie has turned you into a prostitute, and it can be dangerous.’

  ‘But Robbie looks after me.’

  ‘Does he? Last time I was here I noticed you had a split lip. Did one of the men he made you sleep with do that to you?’

  Yvonne lowered her head, and just mumbled, ‘No.’

  ‘So who hit you then?’

  ‘It was my fault. I asked for it. If I’d done what Robbie told me to do, he wouldn’t have slapped me.’

  Dorothy felt her face stretch in shock. She couldn’t believe that Robbie had hit this young girl and it sickened her.

  ‘Yvonne, men that hit women are the lowest of the low, and if Robbie has hit you once, then you should leave him before he hurts you again.’

  ‘No … he … he told me he won’t hit me again. He loves me, he takes care of me and … and I think you should go now!’

  Dorothy knew she hadn’t got through to Yvonne and could see that the girl was getting upset. She pulled a piece of paper out of her handbag and scribbled on it before standing up. ‘All right, I’ll go, but take this, it’s my telephone number. If you ever change your mind about leaving Robbie and need help, please, call me.’

  Yvonne took the note and quickly tucked it away in her bra. Dorothy had the feeling that one day Yvonne would need her help, and hoped the girl would keep the number somewhere safe.

  Sadly Dorothy made her way home, close to tears and still unable to believe that Robbie had sunk so low.

  Chapter 38

  On the first Sunday in February, Nelly was flexing her leg, doing the exercises she’d been given to strengthen the muscles. She’d been glad to discard the crutches, but still had to use a walking stick. She was hoping to return to work soon and was also itching to tell Dorothy her news. For her birthday the previous evening, Malcolm had taken her out for a lovely meal, and just before their last course he had actually gone down on one knee in front of the whole restaurant to propose. She’d been gobsmacked. Malcom never struck her as being extrovert or romantic, and everyone in the restaurant had applauded when she had said yes. The manager had even sent over a bottle of champagne, and the bubbles had tickled her nose.

  ‘Here, Mum, you’ll never believe it, but I didn’t really like the taste of champagne,’ she said now. ‘I might sound a bit posher nowadays, but you can’t take the girl out of Battersea. I prefer Babycham.’

  Her mum laughed. ‘If you ask me, you can’t beat a nice glass of stout.’

  ‘Malcom will be here soon so I’d best get ready. We’ve been invited to Dottie’s for dinner.’

  ‘That girl has done well for herself. To think she was once engaged to Robbie Ferguson, and what a toe-rag he’s turned out to be. I bet his brother is ashamed of him, and Dottie certainly made the right choice with Adrian.’

  ‘Yes, she did,’ Nelly agreed. As far as she knew, Dottie still hadn’t told Adrian what his brother was up to, but at least she was keeping well away from Robbie for now, so that was something. Nelly felt it was only a matter of time before the gossip reached Adrian, and wondered what would happen when it did.

  ‘Have you set a date for the wedding?’

  ‘Give us a chance, Mum. We’ve only just got engaged.’

  ‘Yes, well, don’t leave it too long. Long engagements lead to temptation and I don’t want you walking down the aisle with a bun in the oven.’

  ‘I won’t be doing that,’ Nelly told her, but as she was already sorely tempted when she was in Malcolm’s arms, she wanted to set the date sooner rather than later.

  Adrian’s stomach grumbled as the smell of roast beef wafted through the house. He always looked forward to his Sunday lunch and the apple pie he knew would follow. He walked through to the kitchen to find his wife busy draining potatoes. ‘Do you want a hand with anything, love?’ he asked, knowing she would decline his offer and probably usher him out of the kitchen.

  ‘You can lay the table, if you like,’ she answered to his surprise.

  Dottie had seemed a bit distant for the last few weeks, probably worried because her father had a bad chest again, though Adrian couldn’t help but wonder if she’d seen Robbie again. He wouldn’t ask her as he wanted to trust his wife, but he didn’t – and never would – trust Robbie.

  The telephone trilled in the hallway and Dorothy quickly threw the sieve and saucepan in the sink, looking almost panicked as she said, ‘I’ll get it.’

  Again, niggling doubts began to bite, and Adrian wondered what his wife was so obviously trying to hide. He stood in the kitchen doorway and eavesdropped on the one-sided conversation.

  ‘Where are you? OK, stay right there and I’ll be there as soon as possible,’ she said, then turned to look at him, her face ashen.

  ‘Who was that?’ He asked.

  ‘Adrian, it’s a long story but I have to go and fetch a friend who needs my help,’ she answered.

  ‘What friend? What sort of help? Tell me what’s going on.’

  ‘It’s a long story. I met this young lady called Yvonne. She’s really sweet, but she got mixed up in a bad crowd and now she needs to get away. I said to call me if she ever needed me, and well, now it appears she does. I’m sorry, I know I should have told you about it, but it just sort of happened.’

  Typical of Dorothy, thought Adrian, always caring about other people. He was a bit peeved that she hadn’t discussed it with him, but how could he be angry at his wife for trying to help a young woman who was in trouble?

  ‘OK,’ he said, ‘but what do you want to do? I heard you say you were going to fetch her, so I suppose you’re bringing her back here?’

  ‘I don’t think she’s got anywhere else to go, so yes, if you don’t mind.’

  ‘Of course I don’t, but this bad crowd, are they likely to come here looking for her?’ Adrian asked. He wasn’t bothered about a bunch of yobs, but he was concerned for his wife’s safety.

  ‘No, I shouldn’t think so. They won’t know where she is.’

  ‘Where is she then? I’ll drive us.’

  There was a knock on the door and Dottie ran to answer it. ‘Nelly, thank goodness you’re here. We’ve got to go out for a little while, so can you keep an eye on my dad? I’m sorry about dinner, but I’ll finish it off when we get back.’

  ‘Yeah, all right, but where are you off to?’

  ‘I haven’t got time to explain now,’ Dottie said, looking even more anxious. ‘Come on, Adrian, we must go.’

  They left a flummoxed-looking Nelly and Malcolm watching them from the hallway as they hurriedly left and climbed into the car. He started the engine and then said, ‘Right, where to?’

  ‘She’s waiting at the telephone box on the corner of Falcon Road. Adrian, thank you so much for doing this. You are such a good man.’

  He would have liked Dottie to add, ‘and I love you’ to the end of her sentence. He was so desperate to hear those words from his wife, and still hoped he w
ould one day. After all, he did everything within his power to make her happy – even, it seemed, taking in street urchins now.

  ‘Adrian, there’s more I need to tell you,’ Dorothy said in a serious voice. ‘It’s about Robbie.’

  His heart sank. Was that why Dottie had been so distant? Was she going to confess that she’d been seeing Robbie? However, when she spoke again it shocked him to the core.

  ‘This girl, Yvonne, has been working for Robbie as a prostitute. He’s used her and he’s been hitting her too. She’s so young, Adrian, barely a woman, and she doesn’t have anyone. I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing so I went to see her a couple of weeks ago. I tried to talk some sense into her, but she refused to listen. She said she loves Robbie and wouldn’t leave him, but something must have happened to change her mind. She sounded terrified on the telephone.’

  Adrian’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He was sickened by what he’d heard, but also annoyed.

  ‘Did you hear what I said, Adrian? Your brother is a pimp.’

  ‘Yes, I heard you, but you said you went to see this girl two weeks ago. If that’s the case, why am I only just hearing about it? Are you trying to protect Robbie?’

  ‘No, of course not! What he’s doing disgusts me, but as Yvonne refused to leave him, there was nothing more I could do. I was going to tell you, but it’s just been one thing after another lately. I’m really sorry.’

  Adrian accepted her explanation, and though he was disgusted that his brother was now a pimp, he now knew that if that was the case Dottie would never have anything to do with him. Shortly afterwards he turned into Falcon Road, and, seeing the telephone box, he drew in to the kerb.

  ‘There she is, Adrian,’ Dottie exclaimed. ‘Stay in the car. If she sees you it might frighten her off.’

  ‘Yes, all right,’ he agreed and watched as Dottie walked up to a young girl who was hunched up in a corner next to the telephone box. Her face was streaked with tears and she looked so young and vulnerable. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but then Dottie was leading Yvonne over to the car and opening the back door.