by Dilly Court
Phoebe smothered a sigh of relief. It was becoming obvious that Ethel and Minnie had only heard part of Caspar’s accusations.
‘I knew it was all a pack of lies,’ Maria said, moving swiftly round the table to give Ethel a hearty shove. ‘Get out of here, you drunken old bitch. I won’t have you and your ugly sister in my house a moment longer. Go now before I really lose my temper.’
‘Don’t push me, you Eyetie slut.’ Ethel fisted her hands, dancing about like a prize fighter at the start of a round, but Minnie caught her by the arm.
‘Come on, Ethel. Leave them. They ain’t worth the bother.’
‘I ain’t leaving until she tells me where to find my girl,’ Ethel said, jerking her head in Phoebe’s direction. ‘I’m not budging from this spot.’
Maria made a move to push Ethel out of the door, but Phoebe stepped in between them. ‘Dolly is safe and well. She doesn’t want anything to do with you.’
‘I’m her ma,’ Ethel protested, working her mouth as though she was trying to summon up tears. ‘I loves me girl.’
‘In that case allow her to live her life as she chooses.’
Ethel recoiled like a snake about to strike. Her small eyes almost disappeared between folds of flesh as she screwed her face up in a snarl. ‘You haven’t heard the last of this, missis. You’re a trollop just like your ma, so you can drop your airs and graces.’
‘I told you to leave my house.’ Maria picked up a wooden candlestick and brandished it above her head.
Minnie tugged at Ethel’s arm. ‘Come on. She means business.’
‘All right, I’m going.’ Ethel shook her fist at Phoebe. ‘If I hear that you’ve spread spiteful rumours about Dolly, it’ll be the worse for you. I got friends in the high mob and they ain’t afraid of the Paxmans. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them had fathered your brat.’
Maria rushed at her but Phoebe caught her grandmother round the waist before she managed to land a blow on Ethel’s retreating form. ‘Don’t, Nonna. Let them go.’
‘I’d have brained the evil woman,’ Maria said, replacing the candlestick on the mantelshelf with a dull thud. Her bosom rose and fell, betraying the depth of her emotion. She gazed at Phoebe with a puckered brow. ‘Was there any truth in what she said?’
‘No!’ Phoebe’s emphatic denial reverberated round the room. She shook her head. ‘Of course not, Nonna. I barely know the Paxman brothers.’
‘Of course you don’t, cara.’ Maria wrapped her arms around her granddaughter. ‘I know that, but I had to ask. You love Gino, and in September when we return home you will be married in the church of San Vittore on Isola Pescatori, just like me and Fabio were, and our parents before us.’
Momentarily diverted, Phoebe stared at her grandmother in surprise. ‘But I thought the family came from Stresa.’
‘Not all of us, cara. I was born on Isola Pescatori. My father and his forefathers were all fishermen. I met Fabio when I accompanied my eldest brother to Stresa to sell fish in the market there.’ Maria clasped her hands to her bosom. ‘I was just sixteen, and it was love at first sight.’
‘How romantic,’ Phoebe said, giving her a hug. ‘Was it the same for both of you?’
Maria nodded, her eyes misting. She moved away to wipe her eyes on her apron. ‘Yes. Fabio was so tall and handsome. After that first meeting he rowed out to the island every day to see me. We were married that September, which is why I want the same for you.’
Phoebe closed her eyes and she could see the jewel-like island seeming to float on a lake of deep ultramarine. It was a far cry from the stews of the East End, and suddenly she had a burning desire to be there beneath the benign Italian skies, with the sun on her face and the crystal clear air from the mountains in her lungs. ‘I want that too, Nonna.’ She wanted so much to believe that this was true. Surely all the problems that beset her in London would vanish like a puff of smoke once she was married to Gino. Neither the Paxmans nor Caspar could touch her when she was another man’s wife. Teddy would have a father and she would be as good as a mother to him. They would all live happily ever after, like the characters in the penny dreadfuls that she had loved to read when she was growing up. Tales such as The Castle of Otranto, and The String of Pearls, still had the power to thrill and absorb her. All she wanted was a happy ending. Surely it was not too much to ask after the tragedy of losing both her parents and the trials that beset her now?
‘Daydreaming again, Phoebe.’ Maria patted her cheek as she walked past. ‘I must get on with my work or there’ll be no supper tonight. What time is the next séance booked for?’
Phoebe glanced at the clock on the mantelshelf. ‘In ten minutes, Nonna. I must get everything ready.’
‘You won’t have to do this sort of thing once you’re married to Gino,’ Maria said with a worried frown. ‘I don’t like meddling with the spirit world. I wasn’t happy with Annie doing it and I like it even less now. I’ll be glad to rid my home of unwanted visitors from the other side.’ She made the sign of the cross and hurried from the room as if expecting evil entities to chase after her.
Phoebe sighed. She was tired of the whole business. Sometimes she saw things that others apparently did not, but mostly she told people what they wanted to hear, just as her mother had done for as long as she could remember. This afternoon’s clients were a newly bereaved widow and her sister-in-law who were squabbling over money. It was all very sordid and Phoebe could imagine the dead man turning in his grave if he could see the two women who were supposed to love him the most fighting for possession of his fortune. But where the lawyers had failed to appease both parties, perhaps a few well-timed words from beyond the grave might bring them to their senses. Phoebe sat down at the head of the table to compose her thoughts in preparation for the séance, but worries about how Ned might react when introduced to his son were still very much on her mind.
‘He’s a Paxman, all right.’ Ned held the baby at arm’s length, as if examining a thoroughbred pup. ‘He’s got the right colour eyes. Can’t quite remember what colour Annie’s were, but he’s not an Eyetie, that’s for sure.’
Teddy had been quiet until this point, but now he seemed to have had enough of being dangled in mid-air and his mouth opened, his face reddened and he roared his disapproval. Ned chuckled delightedly as he deposited the screaming infant in Phoebe’s arms. ‘He’s a chip off the old block. What a temper. He takes after me, of course.’
‘I’m sure he does,’ she said, smiling.
‘I’ve changed my mind about letting you keep him. I don’t know anything about little ’uns, but he’s mine and I’m not giving him away to the Eyetie. You can marry Gino, but I’m damned if I’ll allow him to bring up my son.’
Phoebe’s heart lurched against her ribs. ‘It won’t be like that. Gino knows you’re Teddy’s father. He’s a good man and he won’t stop you seeing your son.’
Ned’s attention had wandered as one of his dogs rushed off after a cat. He summoned it back with a sharp command. ‘Damn dog.’ He bent down to pat its head. ‘Do that again and you’ll get the strap.’ He straightened up, meeting Phoebe’s anxious gaze with a straight look. ‘I want the boy. As soon as he’s old enough I want him to come here and live with Rogue and me. I’ll pay a woman to look after him, but I’m not going to have my kid brought up by anyone else, not even you, Phoebe. You’re a good sort, but you’re only his half-sister.’
Her heart sank. ‘But, Ned. Think about it carefully. If the truth comes out about Teddy’s birth, my family and their many supporters will pursue a vendetta against you.’
He stared at her and for a moment she thought that he had seen sense, but he shook his head. ‘I ain’t afraid of a pack of Eyeties, but I don’t trust them either.’
Phoebe covered Teddy’s head with her shawl as large spots of rain began to fall from a sudden accumulation of dark clouds. ‘What do you mean?’
‘They could take the boy abroad and I’d never see him again.’
�
�I wouldn’t let that happen.’
‘Marry that Gino chap and you won’t have any choice in the matter, ducks.’ Ned took her by the arm, propelling her out of the gardens in the direction of the house.
‘I must go home,’ Phoebe protested. ‘Teddy will need feeding soon.’
‘It’s going to pour down any minute now. Come into the house and wait until the storm passes.’ Ned’s fingers closed into a tight band around her arm. Phoebe’s first instinct was to break away from him, but it would have been impossible without disturbing Teddy who was sleeping peacefully in the crook of her arm.
The rain was coming down steadily and already she could feel the damp seeping through her cotton blouse. ‘All right, but only for a few minutes. I’m leaving as soon as it stops.’
Ned opened the front door and stepped inside. ‘It’s just a shower. Come on in.’ He held out his arms. ‘Here, let me hold the boy while you take your bonnet off.’
A little reluctantly, Phoebe placed Teddy in his father’s arms. She could hardly deny him a few intimate moments with his son, since they would be apart for the whole of the winter. She took off her bonnet and hung it on the hallstand. A shiver ran down her spine although it was warm in the house. She glanced anxiously at Ned but he was grinning. ‘D’you know, I think I’d make a good father,’ he said proudly. ‘I’m beginning to think this domestic life might be just the thing for me.’ He headed towards a door on the opposite side of the hall to the study. ‘Come into the parlour and I’ll ring for some tea. That’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?’
She followed him into the room on the opposite side of the entrance hall to Rogue’s study, and once again was surprised by the homely atmosphere. Although the furnishings were slightly shabby and well worn, their faded elegance suggested that this must have been the domain of the lady of the house. Sun-bleached chintz curtains hung at the two tall windows overlooking Charterhouse gardens, and the sofa and armchairs were upholstered in what must once have been a deep shade of blue velvet, but were now a smoky grey with only the folds of the buttoned backs retaining the original rich hue. Ned motioned her to sit and he perched on the padded seat of the nursery fire guard. ‘Ma never let anyone take this away,’ he said, hitching Teddy over his shoulder as he started to cry. ‘Even when we were quite old enough to know that toppling into the fire wasn’t a good idea, she still insisted that it stayed. Rogue and I never had the heart to move it after she died.’
Phoebe sat on the sofa, spreading her damp skirts out around her. She sensed a genuine note of sadness in Ned’s voice, and she found herself looking at him with different eyes. ‘How long ago was that?’
‘Ten years or so. Haven’t kept a strict count.’ He reached across the empty grate to tug at the bell pull. ‘You’d like a cup of tea, I suppose?’
Phoebe glanced out of the window. It was still pouring with rain but she could see a break in the clouds. ‘No, thank you,’ she said politely. ‘We really must go home as soon as it stops. Teddy will start bawling his little head off when he’s hungry.’
‘Can’t you feed him on sops, or something?’ Ned regarded her with a frown.
She sensed that there was something more than idle curiosity behind the question. He looked much more comfortable holding Teddy now than he had at first, and she felt suddenly apprehensive. ‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘He needs a wet nurse for a while longer.’
‘I’m sure there are plenty of women who would step up for the job if paid enough.’
‘He’s used to Ivy, and she’s very fond of him. I have no reason to find anyone else.’
‘But if you would stay here for a while with him, just until he’s used to me and my brother, you could leave him then and not worry.’
Her initial anxiety proved to be justified and Phoebe leapt to her feet. ‘Are you mad? Haven’t you listened to a word I’ve said?’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I told you that I ain’t afraid of your family or their mates. Let them do what they like. Teddy is my boy and he’s going to live here with me.’
‘That’s not what we agreed. You can’t do this.’
He snorted with laughter. ‘I’m a villain. Didn’t your ma tell you that? She knew it all right and it excited her. She was a good ’un, was Annie.’
Fingers of fear clutched at Phoebe’s heart. ‘Yes, she was, and she loved you. Please don’t do this. Think of what Ma would have wanted for her little boy.’
Ned’s smile froze and he stood up, startling Teddy who began to whimper. ‘She’d have wanted him to be brought up by his father. The boy won’t want for nothing and you’ll be well looked after too, as long as you behave yourself.’
‘Me?’ Phoebe backed towards the doorway. ‘You must be joking. You can’t mean to keep me here against my will.’ She jumped as the door opened and the maidservant entered the room.
‘You rang, sir?’
‘Yes, Lizzie. The lady would like some tea, and cake if there is any. And send Judd out to find a wet nurse for my son.’
‘No,’ Phoebe cried. ‘Stop this nonsense, Ned. You can’t do this.’
He regarded her calmly. ‘All right then, send Judd to Saffron Hill to fetch the woman called Ivy. Tell him to bring her here, but do it without alerting the rest of the household.’
Lizzie gazed at Teddy who was now crying in earnest and her eyes widened in astonishment. ‘It’s a baby.’
‘Well done,’ Ned said sarcastically. ‘Now do as you’re told and push off.’
‘Wait.’ Phoebe turned to the young servant in desperation. ‘Stop, please. This is complete madness.’
Lizzie hesitated in the doorway. ‘What shall I do, master?’
Phoebe took a step towards Ned, holding out her arms. ‘Give him to me, please. Let me take him home now. You can’t keep us here and it’s unlikely that Ivy will go with a complete stranger. She knows nothing of all this.’
‘But she knows who Teddy’s real mother is, I’ll warrant.’ Ned lifted a now screaming Teddy above Phoebe’s head and out of her reach. ‘You can go if you like, but he stays here with me.’
‘But what would Rogue say?’ Phoebe saw a glimmer of doubt creeping into Ned’s eyes, and she pushed home her advantage. ‘He would be very angry, and he’d tell you to put Teddy’s needs above your own.’
‘Shall I go now, master?’ Lizzie’s bottom lip trembled as she shifted from one foot to the other. ‘What shall I do?’
Ned thrust Teddy into Phoebe’s arms. ‘Good God, what a pair of lungs he has. Hold him, but stay where you are.’ He waved his hand in Lizzie’s direction. ‘Forget what I said about Judd. Just bring tea and cake for the lady and a cup of milk for the baby. He’ll drink it if he’s hungry.’
Lizzie bolted from the room, slamming the door behind her.
‘Bloody girl.’ Ned took a small black cheroot from a box on the mantelshelf and struck a vesta. ‘Maybe fatherhood ain’t quite so easy as I first thought, but I’ll get there in the end.’
Rocking Teddy in her arms, Phoebe made for the door but Ned was too quick for her and he moved swiftly to bar her exit. ‘You’re staying here, my girl. I told you, I ain’t giving in to threats of vendetta.’
‘They’ll send out a search party,’ Phoebe said, hoping she sounded more confident than she was feeling. She wished now that she had told Ivy where she was going and that she had not been stupid enough to trust a Paxman.
‘This is the last place they’d think of looking, unless you told someone of your plans.’ He tossed the smouldering cheroot into the grate. ‘But I think you’d do anything to keep your family from finding out about Annie and me.’
‘You can’t keep me here indefinitely. Rogue would have something to say about that.’
Ned took her by the shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘I’ve got the perfect solution to our problems. You’re not the sort of girl I’d have chosen, and I doubt if you’re half as much fun as your mother, but I’ll marry you. I’ll get a special licence and we’ll do it
all legal and above board. Your family won’t be able to do a thing about it.’
Phoebe paced the floor in the attic room, trying in vain to pacify Teddy whose screams had reached an ear-splitting pitch. He was hungry, and there was nothing she could do about it. Ned had locked them in the sparsely furnished room, leaving with the promise that he would fetch Ivy from Saffron Hill. That had been over an hour ago and she was growing more desperate with each passing minute. She had been a fool to trust Ned Paxman, and soon the whole sorry story would come to light. Her grandparents would be shocked and mortified to learn that Annie had given herself to a villain and borne his child. She blamed herself for allowing sympathy for Ned to outweigh common sense. Gino would stand by her, she knew that, but even so he would be under immense pressure from his widowed mother. Phoebe had no doubt that Signora Argento would beg her son not to marry a woman whose mother had brought disgrace upon her whole family.
‘Please stop crying, Teddy.’ She crooned a half-remembered lullaby but, despite her efforts, he was inconsolable. Hitching him over her shoulders she went to the window and peered out. From the top floor of the house she had a good view of Wilderness Row and the gardens, but there was no sign of Ned or Ivy. In desperation she returned to the door and tried the handle again, rattling it and kicking at the lower panels in sheer frustration. The sound of approaching footsteps and the click of the key turning in the lock made her stop and take a step backwards. She hoped it was Ned who had seen sense and was about to release her, but to her consternation it was Rogue who entered the room.
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘Your mad brother locked me in.’ She had so far kept her emotions in check but her voice broke on a sob as she clutched Teddy to her breast. ‘He says he wants to marry me. I think he’s lost his mind.’
‘Why did he lock you in?’ Rogue’s tone was icy. He took the squalling baby from her. ‘What’s the matter with the little fellow?’
‘He’s hungry.’ Phoebe dashed away tears of relief with the back of her hand.
‘Come with me.’ Rogue tucked Teddy under his arm and strode out into the narrow corridor, his booted feet clattering on the bare floorboards.
