The Best of Sisters

by Dilly Court

  ‘I thought as much.’ Arms akimbo, Daisy squared up to Eliza. ‘You’re sweet on him yourself. I seen the way you look at him, and I’m warning you to keep your hands off Freddie. If you so much as flutter your eyelashes at him I’ll take Tommy back to New Zealand and you’ll never see him again.’

  A knot of fear twisted in Eliza’s stomach. In spite of the fact that she had only known of Tommy’s existence for less than an hour, he already held a place in her heart. He was Bart in miniature and he must be loved and protected; she was ready to fight. ‘Take him away and you won’t get a penny from the chandlery.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, dearie. I’ll go to the law and stake Tommy’s claim as rightful heir to Enoch Bragg’s business. Keep me sweet and we’ll get along fine, but keep your hands off my man.’

  ‘I don’t want Freddie,’ Eliza said, tossing her head. ‘I got a gentleman friend and we’re stepping out together. He’s young, rich and handsome and his father owns a big warehouse and half a dozen ships. Freddie’s too old for me, and I simply ain’t interested in him.’

  ‘What’s this, girls? Are you fighting over me?’ Freddie’s voice echoed off the high ceiling in mocking tones, but Eliza was quick to hear something else in his voice. She turned her head to meet his gaze, and she knew by the hurt look in his eyes that he had overheard her last words. It was too late to take them back; if she weakened now, admitting that she had lied, she knew for certain that Daisy would carry out her threat and she would never see Tommy again.

  ‘Freddie, darling, isn’t that good news?’ Daisy pushed past Eliza and threw her arms around Freddie, smiling up into his face. ‘Little Liza has a fellah.’

  ‘Yes, I heard what she said.’

  Eliza shivered at the harsh tone of his voice and the look of cold indifference that turned his eyes to the colour of the Thames in winter. She had been pushed into a ridiculous lie by Daisy’s cunning and she knew that she was trapped. If she tried to fight Bart’s widow she would lose her nephew and Freddie too. Somehow she managed to force her lips into a smile. ‘It’s getting late. I’d best go home.’

  ‘Aren’t you going to tell us his name, Eliza?’ Freddie demanded, in a cold, clipped voice. ‘I’d like to meet this paragon of virtue.’

  ‘Yes, do tell us, dear,’ Daisy said, flashing a knowing wink at Freddie. ‘If he’s real, that is.’

  Eliza knew she was being manoeuvred into a corner and her one thought was to escape from this crumbling mansion: the stinking, vice-ridden streets outside seemed far less dangerous than being in the presence of a jealous woman like Daisy. ‘I really must go.’ She made for the front door but Freddie was there before her.

  Daisy stamped her foot. ‘Let her go, Freddie.’

  Ignoring Daisy, he caught Eliza by the wrist and held her with an iron grip. ‘You haven’t answered my question, Liza. You mean a great deal to me, so I feel entitled to know the name of the man who has captured your young heart.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘Brandon Miller. His name is name is Brandon Miller, and now I really must go.’

  ‘And who is Brandon Miller?’ Freddie leaned his shoulders against the door, barring her exit.

  ‘His father is Aaron Miller. He’s one of the richest men in Wapping. I told you about him, Freddie. He’s the bloke what offered to help me when the chandlery burned down.’

  Freddie stared at her for a moment, then his serious expression dissolved into the smile that she had always loved. ‘Well, that’s not so bad. At least he’s a gentleman, Liza. If you like him then I’m happy for you.’

  ‘Freddie!’ Daisy said with an impatient toss of her head. ‘We’ve got things to do, my dear. I’m sure Eliza is eager to get home.’

  ‘That’s as maybe, but I won’t allow her to walk home on her own.’ Freddie went to retrieve his hat and gloves from a side table. He stuck the top hat on his head at a jaunty angle. ‘I won’t be long.’

  ‘But we was going to the warehouse to choose furniture. Doesn’t our home mean nothing to you, Freddie?’ Daisy moved towards him, pouting and swaying her hips.

  ‘It’s all right; don’t worry about me,’ Eliza said, wrenching the door open. ‘I can take care of myself.’

  ‘Nonsense. I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you.’ He paused briefly, to brush Daisy’s restraining hand off his arm. ‘You can go to the warehouse, Daisy. I’m sure I’ll like whatever you choose.’ He followed Eliza into the street, closing the door and cutting off Daisy’s stream of protests.

  Eliza quickened her pace. ‘There’s no need to upset her by taking me home.’

  ‘There’s every need.’ Freddie lengthened his strides to keep up with her. ‘You’re too young and vulnerable to walk these streets in safety. Anything could happen to you.’

  ‘Freddie, I have to do business around the docks. I’ve been doing it for the last six years.’

  ‘Look at yourself, Liza.’ Freddie drew her to a standstill in front of a tavern window. He twisted her round, holding her by the shoulders, so that she was faced with her own reflection. ‘Take a good look. You’re no longer the little girl who used to accompany me on my rounds. I don’t think much of your gentleman friend if he allows you to wander round the docks on your own.’

  The touch of his hands on her shoulders was light, but the heat from his fingers seemed to sear through the layers of woollen shawl and the thin poplin of Eliza’s gown. For a delightful moment she allowed herself to lean against his well-muscled body and she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the man she had known and loved for so many years. But he was not for her. He already had a woman. She must accept that fact and live with it. Opening her eyes, she twisted free from his grasp. ‘Brandon looks after me. He does. And I usually take Arnold with me when I go about my business.’

  ‘It’s not the sort of business I would have chosen for you, Liza.’

  ‘But it wasn’t your choice, was it? You’re not my father, Freddie.’

  If she had slapped his face, he could not have looked more shocked. But he seemed to collect himself quickly and he released her with a rueful smile. ‘Of course not. I’m sorry, Eliza. I can’t quite get used to the idea that you’re all grown up now.’

  ‘Well, I am.’

  He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘Are we still friends?’

  Her heart was thudding against her ribs and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, but somehow Eliza managed a smile. ‘Of course we are.’ She linked her arm in his and they walked on.

  By the time they drew near the chandlery they were almost back on their old terms, but Eliza was aware of a slight constraint that had crept into Freddie’s manner since she’d mentioned Brandon’s name. Although she longed to confess that she lied about her relationship with him, she could not bring herself to tell Freddie the truth. Admitting a childish fabrication like that would only convince him further that she was too young to be taken seriously. Her thoughts were jumbled and her nerves were shredded after a day that had provided almost more shocks and surprises than it was possible to bear. Her seesawing emotions had taken her to the heights of happiness and the depths of despair, but Eliza’s natural optimism made her cling to the good things that had happened to her today. She had learned startling facts about the mother that she had never known, she had found her dearest Freddie, and she had met Bart’s son. She banished thoughts of Daisy and her proprietorial attitude to Freddie from her mind. She would worry about that later.

  Freddie stopped outside the chandlery, pointing to the roof trusses that stood out in the gathering dusk like the skeleton of a beached whale. ‘Why is there no upper floor? There isn’t room for the sail loft.’

  ‘Mr Miller would only put up the money for one storey, Freddie. He said that sail would soon be a thing of the past, what with the new steam engines and such. I wasn’t in a position to argue with him.’

  ‘That must have been hard on young Davy. I always thought he would take over from Ted whe
n he retired.’

  ‘I’m sure he would have, but for the fire. There wasn’t much choice but for him to follow his trade at sea.’

  ‘You must miss him.’

  Eliza met Freddie’s questioning gaze with a smile. ‘I do, but not half as much as poor Millie. She loves him dearly, but he still thinks of her as a child. That’s very hard to bear.’

  ‘I think Davy has eyes for one girl only, Liza.’ Freddie squeezed her hand.

  ‘Nonsense, that was just puppy love. We was never anything but good friends. Come on, Freddie, it’s getting cold and Ada will be wanting to get home to her own family.’ She curled her fingers around his hand, and they walked on at a brisk pace, into the sepia-tinted dusk.

  Hemp Yard was too poor an area to have benefited from gaslights, and it was in almost complete darkness, except for the odd ghostly glimmer of a candle mirrored in the few windowpanes that were not stuffed with paper and rags. Bats careered about overhead and starlings chattered noisily as they came in to roost. Eliza hesitated outside the door. ‘Before we go in, I have to warn you that you’ll find Dolly sadly changed. Sometimes she’s not quite in her right mind and the only thing that calms her is a dose of laudanum.’

  ‘You mean she’s addicted to the stuff?’

  ‘I’m afraid she is. She had come to rely on the tonic that you made up for her and I tried to make it myself, but it didn’t work unless I added more and more laudanum.’

  ‘I am so sorry, Liza. If I had known I was going to be transported to the other side of the world I would never have started Dolly on that path. It was only supposed to be a temporary measure.’

  ‘I know and you mustn’t blame yourself. It’s a sickness of the mind that makes her as she is, and the laudanum is the only thing that seems to help.’

  ‘I’d like to see her.’

  ‘She may not know you.’ Eliza opened the door. As she stepped inside, the sight of Brandon standing with his back to the range wrenched a gasp of surprise from her lips.

  ‘Eliza! I had to see you.’ He came to meet her with his hands outstretched, but his smile faltered as he saw Freddie. ‘Who is this?’

  Freddie was so close behind her that she could feel his muscles tense, and Brandon had his chin stuck out like a bull terrier about to attack. Eliza’s nerves were stretched to snapping point, but somehow she managed to keep calm. ‘Brandon, I want you to meet an old friend of mine. Dr Freddie Prince.’

  ‘How do you do, sir?’

  Freddie eyed him up and down. ‘So you are Brandon Miller.’

  It was more a challenge than a statement, and Eliza stared from one to the other with a growing feeling of annoyance. They were squaring up to each other as if they meant to fight, but neither of them had the right to argue over her. She was about to say so, but Brandon spoke first. ‘And what exactly is your interest in Eliza?’

  ‘I’d say it was none of your business, Mr Miller.’

  ‘Anything to do with Eliza is my business, Dr Prince.’

  ‘Stop this, both of you.’ Eliza had suffered enough of this stupidity. She stepped in between them. ‘Isn’t it enough to know that Freddie is probably my oldest friend, Brandon? He doesn’t have to explain himself.’

  ‘You don’t need to defend me, my dear.’ Freddie was smiling, but there was a hint of steel in his eyes. ‘As Eliza said, we’re old friends. I’ve known her since she was a child.’

  ‘So where were you when she needed you?’ Brandon’s lip curled and his voice was filled with contempt. ‘I didn’t see you rushing forward to help her when the chandlery was razed to the ground. A fine friend you are.’

  ‘Had I been in the country I would have come to her aid, but I was sentenced for a crime that I did not commit and transported to a penal colony in Australia. I’ve served my time and now I’m a free man.’

  ‘A convict!’ Brandon’s tone was acid spiked with ice.

  ‘Actually, I’m a medical man and I intend to practise my profession in my recently acquired establishment in Wapping Wall. If you have need of a doctor, Mr Miller, then feel free to call on me. My rates are very reasonable.’

  ‘Please stop,’ Eliza said angrily. ‘There is no call for either of you to behave like this.’

  ‘There’s every need, my dear Liza,’ Freddie said stiffly. ‘If this young man is your intended, then he is entitled to know who and what I am. I would do the same in his shoes.’

  ‘I appreciate your candour.’ Brandon clicked his heels together in a mock salute. ‘Now if you wouldn’t mind leaving us, I have a lot to say to Eliza.’

  She shook her head. ‘I’m sure it can wait.’

  ‘It cannot. I came to speak to you and I won’t leave until I’ve had my say.’

  ‘This is my house, Brandon. I’ll thank you not to forget it. Freddie was kind enough to escort me home and he wants to see Dolly.’

  Brandon gave a derisive snort. ‘That woman is out of her mind. She threatened to wet herself if your maid didn’t take her out to the privy. In my opinion she should be locked away.’

  ‘And your opinion counts, does it?’ Freddie said coldly. ‘Dolly is suffering from an illness, but she is certainly not mad. She is a kind and lovely lady and deserves our respect.’

  Eliza could have kissed him, but she managed to contain her feelings. She was about to show Brandon the door, when a splintering crash from the direction of the scullery and a cry for help from Ada put everything else out of her mind. She ran to her aid, closely followed by Freddie. Dolly seemed to be having some kind of fit and Ada was attempting to lift her from the ground where she had fallen.

  ‘Leave her to me,’ Freddie said, lifting Dolly with effortless strength. He carried her into the living room and set her gently down in her chair, holding her until the spasms passed and she opened her eyes.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Eliza went down on her knees, brushing strands of wiry grey hair back from Dolly’s forehead.

  ‘She was took ill on the privy,’ Ada said, straightening her apron that had somehow got itself tangled round her neck. ‘We was stuck in there for half an hour or more. I’d have thought he’d have come to see if he could help instead of loitering about in here,’ she added, glaring at Brandon. ‘Useless toff.’

  ‘I didn’t come here to be insulted,’ Brandon said, snatching up his hat and gloves.

  ‘So where do you usually go then?’ Ada’s lip curled with contempt.

  As her overwrought nerves threatened to turn into hysteria, Eliza could not look at Freddie. Even though he said nothing, she knew that he was laughing at Ada’s sarcastic remark.

  Brandon rammed his hat on his head, glowering at Ada. ‘I’ll choose to ignore that piece of impudence.’ His expression changed subtly as he turned to Eliza. ‘Will you see me to the door, my dear? I have something to say to you.’

  Dolly groaned. ‘I need a dose of me medicine.’

  ‘A nice hot cup of tea is what she needs,’ Ada said, bustling over to the range and picking up the kettle.

  Brandon wrenched the street door open, pausing on the threshold. ‘Eliza, a moment of your time, please.’

  ‘Shut the door, there’s a terrible draught,’ Dolly said in a quite reasonable voice. ‘Where’s me specs? I can’t see a thing. Me head aches something rotten.’

  Eliza looked to Freddie for help. ‘Shall I give her a dose of laudanum?’

  ‘I think a cup of tea would do her more good,’ Freddie said. ‘If you’d be so kind, Mrs Little.’

  ‘It’s Ada to you, doctor. I’m so glad you’re back. We really need you here. Not like some people who think they’re too good for the likes of us.’ Ada aimed her last remark at Brandon and, turning her back on him, she stomped off into the scullery carrying the steaming kettle.

  ‘I’m leaving,’ Brandon said crossly. ‘I’ll speak to you later, Eliza.’

  ‘Shut the blooming door.’ Dolly took her spectacles from Freddie, who had found them on the floor, and she hooked them on the tip of her nose, peering
at Brandon. ‘I don’t know you, do I?’

  ‘It’s Brandon, Mum,’ Eliza said, stroking her gnarled hand. ‘You know Brandon.’

  Dolly shook her head. ‘Never heard of him.’

  Brandon hovered in the doorway, seeming unwilling to leave but equally reluctant to stay. ‘The woman is insane and probably dangerous. She ought to be in an asylum.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Eliza snapped. ‘Of course she isn’t dangerous. Dolly is just a bit confused.’

  ‘Tell him that toffs shouldn’t come to Hemp Yard, Eliza. Tell him there’s sorts round here what would cut his throat for his bootlaces, let alone a pair of fine leather boots like those.’

  ‘I’m leaving now, Eliza,’ Brandon said stiffly. ‘But I’ll be back later this evening and I’ll take you out to supper so that we can have a private conversation.’

  Her first instinct was to tell him to go and boil his head, but she knew that Freddie was staring at her. ‘I’d love to, Brandon. But I’m so very tired. I can’t go out tonight.’

  ‘Then I’ll take you out tomorrow evening. Be ready at seven-thirty and wear something presentable. I don’t dine in cheap taverns and chophouses.’ Brandon shot a darkling look at Freddie, and walked out into the darkness.

  ‘Masterful, ain’t he?’ Freddie said, chuckling. ‘How did you stumble across a flash cove like him, Liza?’

  ‘Brandon is a gentleman. He was educated at public school and then Oxford. Without him and his father I couldn’t hope to rebuild the chandlery.’

  ‘Be wary of his sort.’

  Eliza was saved from replying by Ada coming in with a tray of tea. ‘There, just what the doctor ordered,’ she said, chuckling at her own joke and setting the tray down on the table. She glanced down at Dolly, who was sitting upright in her chair but with her eyes closed. ‘She looks more peaceful now. Thank God you come back to look after her, doctor. You’ve been missed, I can tell you.’

  ‘Have I?’ Freddie shot Eliza a quizzical look. ‘Everyone seems to have managed perfectly well without me.’

  Eliza shrugged her shoulders and went to pour the tea.