The Cockney Sparrow

by Dilly Court

  Afternoons were spent either with Jared in Hog Yard, or with Isobel, who took the task of outfitting her very seriously indeed. If the weather was inclement, they pored over fashion magazines, and on fine days they toured the department stores in Oxford Street. Despite her comparatively wealthy lifestyle, Isobel was no spendthrift. She guided Clemency to the stores where they might expect to find bargains in undergarments and silk hose. She was prepared to haggle if she thought the price of anything was too high, and even while they were in the process of selecting silk gowns, fans and evening shoes, she expounded her views on women’s rights and the poor housing conditions of those less fortunate than themselves. Clemency did not like to tell her that she knew first-hand about poverty and what life was like in the worst East End slums. She liked Isobel, and admired her social conscience, even if her knowledge had been gained second hand, and was sometimes wildly inaccurate. The only exception to this routine was on Wednesdays, when Isobel went off to her art class, although it did seem rather odd to Clemency that Isobel never brought home any of her work or, for that matter, showed the slightest inclination to pick up a brush or pencil at any other time. The toffs were a strange bunch, she decided, and immediately put the matter out of her head; there were much more interesting things to occupy her mind now.

  *

  Ned brought Edith to the house in Finsbury Circus one Sunday afternoon. They sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and eating slices of the seed cake that Nell had sent with them. Although they didn’t say much, Clemency could tell that both Ma and Ned were impressed with the house. She did not invite them above stairs to meet Isobel and Lady Skelton, who was visiting at the time. It was not that she was ashamed of Ma, who looked very pretty now that she was well again, and had kept her promise to keep off the booze: Clemency sensed that Lady Skelton might make Ma feel uncomfortable, and she was aware that Ned had disliked Jared on sight. It was best for all parties to keep them apart. Nancy seemed to get on well with Edith, and they chatted amicably while Ned talked to Jack and Ronnie. Augustus was having one of his bad days, when he mourned for his lost songbird, and he retired to his room to brood. Apart from that, the visit was a great success, and Ned promised to bring Edith again when they had a quiet afternoon at the pub.

  The days slipped into a pleasant routine. Clemency loved her fine new clothes, and she had grown used to having a bath once a week, although it had been a surprise to discover that she was expected to wash her hands and face every evening before going to bed, and to repeat the process first thing in the morning. At first, it seemed like overdoing cleanliness, but it was wonderful to be free of head lice and fleas for the first time in her life. Isobel had given her a pot of cold cream, with instructions to rub it on her face, which would make her skin soft and might eventually remove the dusting of freckles on her nose. She also gave Clemency a bottle of lavender water, informing her that young ladies should smell fragrant. It was unacceptable to leave the rancid odour of sweat in one’s wake. Only horses were allowed to sweat – ladies were supposed to glow. Sometimes, Clemency thought her head was going to burst with all this information and instruction.

  Although she was reluctant to return to a life of crime, she began to enjoy her secret trips to Hog Yard with Jared. He had managed to convince Isobel that he was taking Clemency to Mr Haines’ Riding Stables in Seymour Place, where she could learn to ride safely in the covered school before venturing out on the streets. Isobel had declined an invitation to accompany them, as Jared admitted that he had known she would. He explained that his sister was terrified of horses, and had taken it into her head that their parents’ death had been solely due to the vicious temperaments of the animals harnessed to the carriage in question. When Clemency asked him how she would explain to Izzie that she could not ride after so many expensive lessons, he told her they would meet that problem if, and when, it arose. She had to be content with that, although she was not happy about lying to someone as transparently honest and straightforward as Isobel.

  ‘You worry too much,’ Jared said one afternoon when she had mentioned her concern about Isobel as they were leaving Hog Yard. ‘Izzie is unlikely to discover the deception, since I can’t afford to keep riding horses, or even a pony and trap, for that matter. We must start earning money soon, Clemency. The next quarter’s rent is due and it costs a small fortune to run the house.’

  ‘There must be places that are a lot cheaper.’

  He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. ‘Of course there are, but I have to keep up appearances. The rich benefactors wouldn’t trust me with their donations to the charities if they thought I was poor, and might keep some of it for myself.’

  ‘Why don’t you sell the hospitals and homes to someone else, and just keep the money?’

  ‘If only I could. My grandfather donated the buildings to the institutions but he kept the leasehold on the land, which is entailed and therefore cannot be sold.’ He glanced down at her and smiled. ‘You know, you are almost as bad as Izzie. She has a tender conscience too.’ He touched her cheek with the tip of his finger, smiling. Clemency felt her heart do a somersault inside her breast. There was a light in his eyes that made her feel as though she were drowning in their blue depths. They were standing outside the dreadful, run-down buildings in Hog Yard with just a little patch of clear sky above their heads. But suddenly it seemed to her as though they were alone in the middle of a beautiful garden. She could smell flowers and hear birds singing in the leafy trees. She gazed up into his face. She was so close to him that she could hear his heart beating – or was it her own? His hands, that minutes ago had been demonstrating how to steal a man’s wallet from an inside breast pocket, slid around her waist. The scent of him was as intoxicating as wine. She slid her arms around his neck and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  His lips brushed her forehead with the lightest of kisses. ‘Come,’ Jared said briskly, dropping his hands to his sides. ‘We should get back to the house before Isobel thinks we’ve had a dreadful accident.’

  Clemency opened her eyes, but he had already moved away, and was striding down the alley towards the main street. She hesitated for a moment, biting back tears of disappointment and frustration. She had offered herself to him. She had made it obvious that she wanted him to kiss her, and he had snubbed her with a token caress as if she had been a child. Humiliation, anger and embarrassment roiled in her stomach. She had been stupid to think that a man like Jared would give a girl from the slums a second glance. She was just a business proposition to him; a partner in crime. She dashed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, and, picking up her skirts, she ran after him. ‘Here, hold on, guv. I ain’t got me breeches on now. I can’t keep up with you.’

  Jared stopped walking. He turned to her with an apologetic smile. ‘Sorry. I forgot.’

  She tossed her head. ‘I suppose a girl like me is easy to put on one side, not being a lady of quality.’

  ‘You have many qualities, Clemency. Being a lady isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.’

  She sniffed, refusing to return his smile. She was not prepared to forgive him, not yet anyway. ‘It’s all an act, if you ask me. All this polite business that Lady Skelton is trying to cram into my head. Seems to me that we’re all the same underneath, and you’re no better than the rest of us.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more.’ He offered her his arm. ‘And I meant what I said. You’ve got courage, Clemency. You’re brave and you’re loyal. You are also a bit of a crook, just like me, and that’s why we’ll do well together.’

  ‘As partners in crime?’

  ‘That will do for now.’ Jared executed a bow from the waist. ‘Will you allow me to escort you home, Miss Skinner?’

  A reluctant chuckle escaped from her lips and she took his arm. ‘It would be a pleasure, sir.’

  ‘You’ve worked hard, my dear. And I think you’ve earned a treat. On Sunday, I want you to dress up in some of your fine new clothes and I am going to t
ake you to Hyde Park, where we will promenade with the rich and fashionable.’

  Falling into step beside him, Clemency caught her breath. She had heard of the famous park, but had never imagined she might have the chance to actually visit that part of London. Up West was another world. ‘Really? You aren’t teasing me, are you, Jared?’

  ‘Of course not. It’s one of the best places to relieve the unwary of their trinkets. I always take my girls there first. It’s easy pickings in such a crowded place.’

  She came back to earth with a thud. So it wasn’t an outing for two. It was just another training session, or a test to see how much she had learned. ‘Oh,’ she said dully. ‘I see.’

  ‘You don’t sound too enthusiastic.’

  ‘I am. I’ve always wanted to visit Hyde Park. It’s just that – maybe I’m not ready yet. I need a bit more practice.’

  They had reached the main thoroughfare and Jared hailed a cab. ‘You mustn’t worry on that score. And you won’t be on your own with me. We’ll take Izzie and Lady Skelton along too. I don’t expect you to do more than lift a couple of wallets and breast pins, but if you can do so without Izzie noticing anything amiss, then I’ll say you are ready to begin work in earnest.’

  A hansom cab pulled up at the kerbside, saving Clemency the necessity of answering. She climbed in with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been correct in assuming that the outing was a test of her skill. Jared had not invited her because he wanted her company. She sat in the corner, staring out of the window as he gave the cabby instructions and leapt in beside her. ‘Don’t look so glum,’ he said, patting her on the arm. ‘You need not be nervous. I’ll be with you to make sure nothing goes wrong. If you do well, then we’ll start doing the rounds of places such as Madame Tussaud’s Wax Works exhibition and the Zoological Gardens. Then we’ll progress to summer evening parties at Olympia, and maybe even the Crystal Palace. I have confidence in you, Clemency. Together we’ll make a superb team.’

  Their sortie to Hyde Park on Sunday did not start well. Clemency was more nervous than she had been on her first appearance at the Strand Theatre. She felt self-conscious in her new clothes, and her tightly laced stays left her desperately short of breath. Despite all her lessons in deportment, she was still unsteady on high heels and the fashionable shoes pinched her toes, making each step so painful that she wanted to cry out. She tried not to lean too hard on Jared’s arm as they followed Isobel and Lady Skelton at a funereal pace along the north side of the Serpentine. If only they had been here purely for pleasure she would have been deliriously happy, but she could not escape the knowledge that she was here to work. At a given signal from Jared, she was to go into their well-practised routine where she would lift a gentleman’s wallet, a breast pin or a gold watch.

  The waters of the Serpentine glinted in the late May sunshine and the fresh green leaves on the trees rustled in the light breeze. Birdsong filled the air, competing with the clip-clopping of horses’ hooves and the lively chatter of people promenading in their Sunday best. Clemency almost jumped out of her skin when Jared squeezed her hand, nodding his head in the direction of a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman approaching them. He was paying far more attention to the young woman on his arm than was natural in a husband or a father. Gold rings gleamed on his fat fingers, and a watch chain was stretched to breaking point across his portly belly, suggesting that it might be attached to an expensive half-hunter; but it was the bulge of his inside breast pocket that Jared indicated with a flick of his eyes.

  Taking her cue, Clemency pretended to stumble, falling against their victim with a mumbled apology. Her skilled fingers found his wallet and lifted it from his pocket, but her hand was clammy with sweat: it slid from her grasp and fell to the ground. She righted herself, glancing nervously at the wallet. She could neither move nor speak. She looked up and saw a glint of suspicion in the fat man’s eyes. His mouth fell open as if he were about to denounce her as a thief. It all happened in the blink of an eye, and before she realised what was happening, Jared had retrieved the wallet and was handing it back to its owner. ‘My dear sir, I do apologise for my young friend’s clumsiness. This is yours, I believe.’

  ‘Eh? Oh, yes. Thank you kindly.’ He stuffed the wallet back into his pocket, but his companion glared at Clemency.

  ‘I say she done it on purpose, Henry. I met her sort afore.’

  ‘N-no,’ Clemency said breathlessly. ‘It was an accident. I tripped over a stone.’ It struck her suddenly that she had made a pun, and she had to bite back a hysterical giggle. She could not look at Jared, but his hand closed tightly on her arm. It was enough of a warning and she struggled to maintain her self-control.

  The man, whom the girl had called Henry, began to bluster. ‘A likely story. The pavement is as smooth as a billiard table. The girl is lying.’

  For a moment, Clemency thought that things were going to turn nasty, but Lady Skelton had heard the altercation, and she was advancing on them like a ship in full sail, followed by a worried-looking Isobel. ‘What is the meaning of this vulgar display?’

  Henry pointed a shaking finger at Clemency. ‘She tried to steal my wallet.’

  ‘How dare you, sir. This young lady is my ward and has a character above reproach.’ Lady Skelton’s fur tippet seemed to come alive and bristle with indignation. Clemency would not have been surprised if it had growled.

  ‘I tell you, ma’am, she tried to pick my pocket.’

  ‘I have never heard such impertinence. An apology is called for, sir.’

  ‘Come, come, Grandmama,’ Jared said smoothly. ‘It was just a misunderstanding arising from a simple accident.’

  ‘Call a copper, Henry.’ The girl tugged at his arm. ‘I’ll swear on oath it was deliberate.’

  Lady Skelton shook her furled parasol at him. ‘Another word from you, sir, and you’ll be hearing from my solicitor. Mr Horatio Porlock of Porlock, Porlock and Stubbins, of Thavie’s Inn.’

  By this time a small crowd had gathered. Isobel dragged Clemency away along the path. ‘Leave it to Grandmama,’ she whispered. ‘She would make Boadicea look like a Sunday school teacher. I wish I could get her interested in women’s rights.’

  ‘You and your women’s rights thing,’ Clemency murmured as she quickened her pace in order to keep up.

  ‘Every woman should be interested in the movement,’ Isobel said earnestly. ‘I’ll take you to a meeting, Clemmie. Then you’ll see.’

  ‘Hmm, yes. All right.’

  ‘But don’t you dare mention a word of it to Jared. He thinks that I spend my Wednesday afternoons at an art class.’ Isobel stopped walking and turned her head to look over her shoulder. ‘It’s all right – they’re coming, and the crowd has moved on.’

  Clemency breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It was just a misunderstanding, Izzie. The stupid man thought I was trying to pinch his blooming wallet.’

  Isobel giggled. ‘Hush, don’t let Grandmama hear you using words like blooming.’

  ‘I don’t know how you remember all this ladylike stuff,’ Clemency said, shaking her head. ‘It’s blooming – I mean it’s really hard work.’

  Isobel patted her hand. ‘But you’re doing very well, Clemmie. And it’s much more fun having you and your family in the house. Life was such a bore before you came to us.’ She turned, smiling brightly as Jared and Lady Skelton joined them. ‘Did you sort the dreadful man out?’

  Lady Skelton chuckled. ‘The mere mention of a solicitor always works wonders with tradesmen. Not that I have one, but he didn’t know that.’

  ‘Grandmama, do you mean that you told a fib?’

  ‘I improvised, my dear Izzie. Now, after that bit of excitement, I suggest we proceed to the bandstand and listen to the music.’ Lady Skelton shot a meaningful glance at Jared, and without waiting for an answer she unfurled her parasol, and marched off in the direction of the bandstand with Isobel obediently following her.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Clemency said, falling int
o step beside Jared. ‘It was clumsy of me.’

  ‘It was just nerves. You’ll do better next time.’

  ‘I thought you’d be angry with me for messing it up.’

  ‘I told you, this is just a training session. Now there is your next challenge.’ With a nod of his head, Jared indicated a man swaggering towards them, making a great display of a silver-headed ebony cane; waving it before him like a conductor’s baton. Following behind him was a soberly dressed woman and two young girls wearing flower-trimmed straw bonnets. ‘See that man, Clemency? He owns a blacking factory in Silvertown. He’s worth a small fortune, but his employees work in appalling conditions, for pitifully low wages. Let’s try again.’

  This time she was successful, and she handed Jared a bulging wallet. The factory owner continued on his way, apparently blissfully unaware that he was lighter to the tune of several guineas. She began to relax as they stood listening to the band, and her thoughts turned to Jack, who would now be playing his flute in the Circus gardens. At two o’clock on Tuesday afternoon he was to see Mr Chance, the chief medical officer at the City Orthopaedic Hospital. She needed money to pay for his consultation fee and for any subsequent treatment. She looked round at the people in the crowd, selecting her next victim. Jared and Lady Skelton had primed her well: she was only to take from those who looked as though they could afford the loss. Even if they had not made it a rule, she would have baulked at stealing from hardworking servants on their afternoon off, or clerks and shop workers on a day out with their young families. She spotted a geezer wearing a checked suit and a bowler hat: on his arm was a loud-mouthed woman in a crimson dress trimmed with black braid. Clemency sidled up to them, and while the woman was talking volubly, punctuated with screeches of laughter, she dipped her fingers into the reticule that hung from her wrist. Smiling to herself, she pocketed a haul of rings, brooches and breast pins that were unlikely to have been come by honestly. It amused her to think that she had stolen from a real pro. The man in the checked suit was smoking a cigar, and bellowing with laughter at everything his companion said. Clemency lifted his wallet and relieved him of a gold watch with a weighty fob and chain. She went back to Jared satisfied that she had earned enough to pay for Jack to see the consultant.