Fallen Angels

by Val Wood

  John Ward gave an exasperated grunt. The constable wasn’t getting the point. Mrs Fowler and her daughter were not drowned. They were missing, it was true, but he was convinced that harm had come to them at Fowler’s own hands.

  The next morning Billy Fowler dressed in his dry clothes and prepared to walk into Withernsea. He’d breakfasted on porridge and a slice of bread. He’d hoped for a rasher of bacon but Mrs Ward wasn’t offering any. ‘Mr Ward has summat a bit later,’ she said, answering Billy’s hints, ‘after he’s finished wi’ ’animals. But you’ll not want to stop that long, will you? You’ll be off to mek enquiries about Mrs Fowler and her bairn. It’s a mystery about ’lad, though, isn’t it? You’d wonder where he was off to at that time o’ day, ’specially when it was so wet.’

  ‘They’re a law to themselves,’ Billy muttered as he put on his jacket. ‘But where’s my hoss? That’s what I’d like to know.’

  Mrs Ward related this to her husband when he came in later, after Fowler had gone. ‘He wanted to know where his owd hoss was,’ she said. ‘He didn’t seem that bothered about his poor wife and ’bairns.’

  ‘There you are then,’ he answered. ‘Isn’t that what I said? I reckon that lad was leaving home, or,’ he nodded significantly, ‘he was going off looking for his ma.’

  Fowler searched out the parish clerk. ‘I’m homeless,’ he said pitifully. ‘My lovely little house has gone ower cliff, aye and my wife and daughter wi’ it.’ He decided not to mention Ted, as John Ward had spoilt that part of his story, and in any case he reckoned that the boy had scarpered when he saw him go over the side. ‘I’m a poor widower. Everything I owned has gone.’

  ‘That’s terrible,’ the clerk said. ‘Is somebody looking for ’bodies?’

  ‘Oh, aye.’ He nodded. ‘Humber lifeboat’s been notified.’ Then he shook his head sorrowfully and wiped his eye. ‘But they’ll nivver find ’em.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  When Lily returned from Rena’s the fire was blazing merrily in the tidy parlour, a small table had wine bottles and glasses on it and the cushions on the sofa had been plumped up.

  ‘Can we have a glass of that?’ Lizzie asked. ‘We need summat to boost us up.’

  ‘Why?’ Lily asked. ‘What would you normally have?’

  ‘Gin,’ Lizzie said. ‘Or sometimes a glass of beer, but you’re better wi’ gin cos some of ’landlords water their beer.’

  ‘Yes, they do,’ Lily agreed. ‘I’ve seen ’em do it.’

  ‘I’m so hungry!’ Cherie complained, and the others agreed that they were too; they’d had little to eat but soup and bread.

  ‘I’ve no money left,’ Lily told them. ‘I gave ’last to Rena. Is there nothing to make soup of, Betty?’

  Betty shook her head. ‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘We shan’t be able to eat till we’ve been paid and Jamie will want his share first.’

  Mrs Flitt had been listening. ‘I’m just going out,’ she said. ‘What if I ’appened to find some money? What would you like to eat?’

  ‘Meat pie!’ Lizzie said.

  ‘A nice piece o’ cod,’ Alice said.

  ‘Chicken.’ Lily smiled. ‘But you’d need a miracle. Where will you find any money?’

  Mrs Flitt tapped her nose and picked up her old shawl. Lily had given her her old clothes but she wasn’t wearing them yet. The skirt was much too long and wide and she would need to take it in and shorten it; the sleeves on the blouse were so long that they hid her hands completely, but she was well pleased with them.

  ‘I’ll be back in a bit,’ she told them. ‘Don’t mess ’place up.’

  ‘Where’s she going, do you think?’ Lily asked.

  ‘Stealing,’ Lizzie said.

  ‘Beggin’, shouldn’t wonder,’ Alice said. ‘I’ve seen her many a time down Whitefriargate.’

  The afternoon stretched long and they’d nothing to do. Lily took the skirt she’d given to Mrs Flitt and unpicked the seams. Cherie and Betty brushed each other’s hair, Alice dozed in a chair and Lizzie went upstairs. Then they heard the front door open. ‘Jamie!’ Lily said. ‘Or Mrs Flitt.’

  It was Jamie and his arms were full of flowers. He beamed at them all and let his gaze fall on Lily in her grey gown. ‘You look nice,’ he said. ‘Did I buy that?’

  ‘On credit,’ she said. ‘From Rena.’

  ‘Good old Rena,’ he said, ‘you can allus rely on her.’ He thrust the flowers towards her. ‘Lilies,’ he said. ‘We’re going to call you Miss Lily, so I reckoned we should allus have lilies in ’house. Just smell ’em,’ he said. ‘They’re lovely.’

  Lily breathed in the heady perfume. ‘They are,’ she agreed. ‘I’ve never been bought flowers afore.’ She suddenly felt emotional. The only flowers I’ve ever been given were from Johnny. I was sixteen and he plucked a wild rose from the hedgerow and put it in my hair.

  ‘Ah well,’ he said, spoiling the moment, ‘this is business. They’re to mek ’house smell nice.’ He wrinkled his nose and sniffed. ‘It don’t smell of damp any more, anyway.’

  ‘It’s been scrubbed out, that’s why,’ Lily said. ‘And we’ve had ’doors and windows open.’

  ‘Right, I’m off,’ he told her. ‘I’ll be back tonight at eight o’clock with ’first customers. Be ready.’

  Lily sat clutching the flowers after he had gone and looked at the other girls. Alice was examining her bitten nails; Betty was pinning up Cherie’s hair. Cherie seemed nervous.

  ‘It’ll be all right, Lily,’ Betty said calmly, glancing at her. ‘Don’t worry about it. It’s not as if we haven’t done this before. And we’re not out on ’streets.’

  ‘I think I’ll be all right for tonight,’ Alice remarked. ‘My face isn’t so swollen, and besides they wouldn’t notice.’

  Lily nodded and swallowed nervously. ‘We’ll draw ’curtains,’ she said. ‘And light ’lamps.’

  ‘Yes,’ Cherie said. ‘They won’t want anybody looking in at ’em. Customers, I mean.’

  Lily got up to put the flowers in water. There were several vases and a jardinière in a cupboard and she busied herself filling these and arranging the lilies as best she could, just to take her mind off what was happening tonight. Then she heard the door open again and Mrs Flitt rushed towards the kitchen, calling them all to come and eat.

  ‘Chicken pie.’ She grinned. ‘And meat pie; but I didn’t buy any fish,’ she told Alice. ‘It didn’t smell fresh; it was yesterday’s catch. And I was given these hot potatoes by a fellow in ’market who knows me.’

  ‘Where did you get ’money from?’ Lily asked.

  ‘Beggin’,’ Mrs Flitt said, and Alice gave a told you so look. ‘And then I found a tanner in ’gutter, and then,’ she gave a triumphant grin, ‘I accidentally on purpose fell to my knees, right in front of a nice lady and gentleman, who helped me up. Leave me, I cried. Leave me to die! I haven’t got long for this world.’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling, clutching her bony fingers together. ‘I told ’em I hadn’t eaten for a week, which is nearly true,’ she added. ‘And they give me a shilling to go and buy summat hot to eat and drink.’

  They all dived into the food, and Lizzie, with her mouth full of pastry, said, ‘Can we open a bottle o’ wine, then? It’ll put us in ’right sort o’ mood for tonight.’

  ‘Yes, let’s!’ they all said, and Lily, gazing at the excited expectancy on their faces, agreed. What does it matter? she thought. Why should we save it all for the men who are coming, who probably have a glass of wine every night of their lives?

  ‘I’ll get a bottle,’ she said. ‘But we’ll drink it out of cups and save ’glasses for when ’customers come.’

  She went to fetch a bottle from the parlour and by the time she came back with it opened there were six cups ready and waiting on the table. ‘There’ll onny be enough for one cup each,’ she said as she poured. ‘But it’s enough, we can drink a toast.’ She sat down again and raised her cup. ‘Here’s to all of us. May we have good fortune.’
r />   ‘And money,’ Lizzie added. ‘Lots of it.’

  ‘Good health,’ Alice said, adding, ‘and meet somebody nice.’

  Lizzie snorted derisively. ‘Not a chance,’ she said. ‘Don’t fool yourself, Alice. Nowt’s really going to change.’

  ‘It has already,’ Betty butted in. ‘We’re here, aren’t we? We’re not outside hanging about in ’street. We’ve just eaten; we’ve got nice clothes to wear, and we’ve met Lily.’ She blinked and raised her cup again. ‘You’re ’best thing that’s ever happened to me, Lily. I think we should drink to Lily.’

  ‘Hear hear,’ Mrs Flitt said. ‘I’ll go along wi’ that.’

  The others agreed and smilingly raised their glasses. ‘To Lily.’

  They were all changing into their finery when there was a knock on the door. ‘Oh, no!’ Lily was in her room by the door and just putting on her black slippers. ‘Not yet! It’s onny seven o’clock. We’re not ready!’

  Another knock came, louder and more persistent, and she smoothed down her hair, which was still hanging down her back, and went into the hall. Cautiously she opened the door. It wasn’t a man standing there, but two young women who by the look of them were women of the streets.

  ‘Yes?’ she said.

  ‘Jamie sent us,’ one of them said. ‘He said there’d be a place for us here. Let’s come in,’ she added, staring at Lily. ‘Can’t stand ’ere all night.’

  ‘Well, we could.’ The other one laughed coarsely. ‘But we’d tek all your trade!’

  Lily opened the door wider. Whatever was Jamie thinking of, asking women like this to come here? He said he wanted a better class of woman. These were as low as could be; they showed it by their dress and demeanour. One of them, who had brassy fair hair, was chewing tobacco, her inside lip stained dark brown; the other had a glazed look to her eyes as if she had been drinking heavily, and her blouse was open, showing her thin ribs and loose breasts.

  ‘This place has changed a bit,’ the fair woman said, chewing open-mouthed. ‘Not like when Miss Emerald had it.’

  ‘Oh, you knew her, did you?’ Lily said. ‘Did you work here?’

  ‘Yeh,’ she answered, looking round. ‘We did. On and off. When some of her regular girls were off sick.’

  ‘This is not ’same,’ Lily asserted. ‘This is a better class establishment.’

  The other woman laughed. ‘That’s what they all say. But they’re all selling ’same thing.’

  ‘I know that,’ Lily said. ‘But we’re aiming for something better. A better class of customer. Do you have any other clothes?’ she asked briskly. ‘You can’t wear those you’ve got on.’

  The tobacco woman glanced down at her shabby skirt and then up at Lily. ‘Don’t mek any difference,’ she said. ‘They don’t notice your clothes.’

  ‘You can’t work here if you don’t change,’ Lily said firmly. ‘And you need to wash your hands and faces and brush your hair. We’ll find you something else to wear.’

  The two women stared at her as if she was mad; then they looked at each other and grinned.

  ‘What’s up?’ A voice came from the top of the stairs and they all looked up to see Lizzie dressed in her red velvet gown; her hair was brushed and hanging loose about her face and she’d put a touch of rouge on her cheeks. She looks lovely, Lily thought. You’d never think it was the same Lizzie.

  The other two women seemed to think the same, for they stared and stared as if Lizzie was an apparition. Then the drunken one pointed a finger. ‘I know you,’ she mumbled. ‘Where’ve I seen you afore?’

  ‘It’s Lizzie!’ the other one said, and moved towards the stairs. ‘Crikey! Look at you! Who do you think you are, dressed up like a shilling dinner?’

  Lizzie moved slowly down the stairs. ‘What ’you doing here, Flo? And you, Poll? Who dragged you in here?’

  Flo continued to chew. ‘Jamie,’ she said. ‘He said he needed some more women.’

  ‘And are you two all he could find?’ Lizzie sneered. ‘What was he doing down in ’gutter?’

  Flo launched herself towards Lizzie, grabbing hold of her by the hair. ‘Who do you think you’re talking to, you drab,’ she yelled. ‘Just because you’re wearing fancy clothes doesn’t mean you’re better than ’rest of us.’

  ‘I’m better than you any day, you she-cat,’ Lizzie yelled back, aiming a punch at Flo’s nose. ‘I allus was and allus will be.’

  ‘Stop it. Stop it!’ Lily screeched at them, and pushed away Poll, who was hurling herself towards them to join in the rumpus.

  Doors opened upstairs and Betty, Alice and Cherie appeared. They too were dressed in their gowns for the evening.

  ‘God al mighty!’ Flo exclaimed, stopping her onslaught on Lizzie. ‘What’s going on? Where do you think you’re all at – ’queen’s palace?’

  ‘No, we don’t think that,’ Lily said steadily, though she felt anything but calm. ‘But now do you see why I want you to have a wash and change your clothes?’

  ‘Will we earn more?’ Flo’s eyes narrowed. ‘And who pays for ’fancy frocks? I en’t paying for ’em, I’ll tell you now.’

  ‘You don’t have to,’ Lily said. ‘Jamie got them for us, but you can’t keep them,’ she added hastily. ‘They’re onny borrowed.’

  ‘Where’re you from?’ Flo asked. ‘Not round here. Why don’t I know you? I know all ’tarts, whores and harlots in this town.’

  ‘You don’t know me!’ Betty piped up from the stairs. ‘And I’m a tart. But Lily isn’t a whore!’

  ‘Huh! And I’m a vestal virgin,’ Flo scoffed. ‘So what’s she doing here then, in this bawdy house?’

  ‘Don’t you talk of Lily in that way,’ Cherie said angrily. ‘She’s fallen on hard times, that’s all.’

  ‘And who are you?’ Flo turned on Cherie. ‘Little Bo-Peep in your clean frock! You’ll soon get that soiled in a place like this.’

  ‘Do you want to stay or not?’ Lily interrupted. ‘If you don’t, you’d better go now. We’re expecting customers and I don’t want you here looking like you do. If you stay, you get changed as I’ve said, and,’ she added, ‘you watch your language and your manners. You’ll stop in ’kitchen till I tell you to go upstairs and I’ll choose ’customers for you. I want no trouble,’ she said firmly. ‘If there is, you leave.’

  Flo and Poll looked at each other. ‘I’ll not have her lording it over me,’ Flo said, pointing at Lizzie. ‘She’s no better’n any of us even if she thinks she is.’

  ‘Is it yes or no?’ Lily asked. ‘Mek up your mind.’

  ‘All right,’ Flo said. She seemed to be the one who made the decisions. ‘We’ll see how it works out. Who pays us?’

  ‘Not the customer,’ Lily told her plainly. ‘I collect ’money and Jamie will pay you.’

  ‘What if she’ – Flo shifted her head towards Lizzie – ‘what if she gets more customers than me? What do I do for money? And I suppose you get all ’extra tips when they leave?’

  ‘I might,’ Lily said tight-lipped, trying not to lose her temper. ‘But I’m at ’door and it’s me who decides who’s suitable for ’customer.’

  Flo and Poll both burst out laughing. ‘We’ll tek anybody,’ Poll said. ‘We don’t care who it is as long as he pays.’

  Lizzie turned away with an exclamation. ‘Jamie’s crazy to tek these two on. We’ll have a bad reputation even before we start.’

  Flo raised her fist to Lizzie and Lily quickly intervened. ‘Go and get changed. Betty, tek a couple of frocks into ’kitchen. They can try them on in there, but mek sure they get washed first; we might want to take ’dresses back.’

  She took a deep breath as Betty led the two women from the hall. The last thing she wanted was for them to be in the parlour to greet the customers. They would immediately let the tone down, and, she thought, I can’t imagine that putting them into clean clothes will make much difference. They look like what they are, coarse and dissolute harlots. Whereas my girls … my girls, she thought affectionatel
y, are simply fallen angels.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  At a quarter to eight they were all ready. Cherie and Betty were making last minute arrangements at the drinks table; bottles of wine were opened; Lizzie and Alice were prowling about, and Mrs Flitt was keeping an eye on the two women in the kitchen, who surprisingly did look better after a wash and in their clean clothes. She’d made them a pot of coffee in an attempt to sober Poll up and they were sitting at the table grinning and whispering together.

  Lily had positioned herself in her room so that she could see down the street. There were only a few people about: some girls strolling arm in arm, but no men. It’s early yet, she thought, and still light. Perhaps the men don’t come looking for girls until it gets dark. They’ll be afraid of being seen. Then she saw Jamie hurrying down the street; he was carrying a top hat and trying, it seemed, to keep up with a hansom cab which was trundling before him.

  She went into the hall and to the parlour door. ‘Get ready, girls,’ she said in a hoarse voice. ‘I think ’first customer is arriving.’

  ‘It’s odd,’ Lizzie whispered to Alice. ‘But it feels like it’s my first time.’

  ‘I’m scared,’ Alice confided. ‘I’ve never entertained gentlemen afore. It’s allus been – well, like, in a hurry.’

  Lily watched Jamie run up the steps, ring the bell and then dash down again to the cab. He spoke to the driver and then opened the cab door. Lily took a breath. This is it then, she thought. Here is where my life changes. I’m no longer the woman I was. I must pretend that I’m someone else.

  She opened the front door as Jamie and an elderly man arrived on the top step. ‘Good evening, gentlemen,’ she said softly. ‘Won’t you come in?’

  ‘Miss Lily,’ Jamie said suavely, ‘may I introduce Mr Smith? Lily will be looking after you this evening, Mr Smith. Anything you want, anything at all, just ask her.’

  Mr Smith silently appraised her as he handed her his top hat and unbuttoned his coat. ‘Mmm,’ he murmured. ‘Fine figure of a woman. Very striking.’