by Dilly Court
Sarah did as he asked although her hands were trembling violently and she had difficulty in completing the simple task. As Grey laid Elsie’s unconscious form on the crude bed Sarah noticed that his own hands were blackened and blistered. Elsie was almost unrecognisable beneath a layer of soot and she was barely breathing. Sarah struggled against a bubble of hysteria that threatened to overcome her. ‘You both need to see a doctor and there isn’t one in the village. We’ll have to go to Maldon.’
‘No, we won’t.’ Grey heaved himself onto the driver’s seat. ‘We’re going to London where they have hospitals and specialists. You only have to look at her to see that she’s close to death.’
‘You can’t drive that far with those injuries.’
He gave her a pitying glance. ‘Of course not. You’ll have to take the reins.’
‘But I can’t go to London. I’ve a job to do, and who will look after the children if I’m not there?’
‘So you’ll let Elsie die, will you?’
‘No, of course not,’ she said angrily. ‘But I can’t leave without telling anyone.’
‘You bloody well can, and you will. Now stop arguing and get up beside me. You owe Elsie that, at least.’
‘I must let Davey know where I’m going.’
Grey closed his eyes and his skin paled beneath his tan. ‘You can send a message later. For God’s sake stop arguing.’
With the greatest reluctance she climbed up beside him. ‘All right. Give me the reins, but we’re going to get help before I even think about driving all the way to London.’ She glanced over her shoulder as the sound of roof timbers collapsing echoed across the saltings and flames consumed the last of her home and her belongings.
‘Must have been all that rubbish she kept in the place,’ Grey said grimly. ‘There’s nothing left here for either of you.’
‘Walk on,’ Sarah said, flicking the reins. Grey was right: everything had gone and her few worldly possessions would soon be nothing but ashes. Once again she had lost her home and was on the road with him, but this time she was returning to London.
Grey was silent for a while, grimacing with pain. ‘Elsie doesn’t stand a chance unless she sees one of the best physicians,’ he said hoarsely. ‘Anyway, I’ve got to get back by nightfall. I’ll be a dead man if I don’t pay a certain somebody what I owe him, and that’s no exaggeration.’
Sarah allowed Boxer to have his head as he followed the narrow track through the woods. ‘Who are you talking about?’
‘You know Trigg – he’s evil to his rotten core.’ Grey stared down at his injured hands. ‘This is nothing compared to what his men will do to me if I don’t pay up.’
She shot him a curious glance. ‘What has Trigg got to do with you?’
‘When he couldn’t get another job after being sacked from the workhouse he found another way to keep him and his hag of a wife in comfort. He lends money to desperate people and then charges them high interest. If they don’t pay up on time he sends his thugs round.’
‘And you owe him money?’
Grey shrugged his shoulders. ‘Business was slack. I owed money and my creditors were growing impatient. I thought I was on to a sure thing but the wretched fellow went down in the fifth round and so did my hopes of paying Trigg.’
‘I thought you were cleverer than that,’ Sarah said angrily. ‘How could you be so stupid? I thought you were trying to earn an honest living, but I can see I was wrong.’
A bitter smile twisted his lips. ‘You sound like Elsie.’
‘Maybe I do, but it looks as though you’ve proved her right.’
‘That’s what she said when I asked her for a loan.’
‘Is that why you came to see her today?’
‘I knew she had cash stowed away. Poor old Elsie has always been a miser and this is what it’s done to her.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I told her why I’d come to see her, and I didn’t mince my words.’
‘You didn’t steal her money, did you?’
‘I may be a bad ’un but I wouldn’t do that, even though most of my relations are skinflints.’
‘So how did the fire start?’
‘I asked her for a loan and at first she seemed willing to help. She pulled up a floorboard and took out a leather pouch. Did you know it was there?’
Sarah shook her head. ‘What was in it?’
‘Elsie tipped the contents on the table. It would have paid off Trigg and bought me a stake in the future.’
‘And she gave it to you?’
‘Not Elsie. She scooped the coins into the bag and put it back in its hiding place. She’d been smoking that filthy stuff she loves so much and she was laughing and waving her arms about like a madwoman. She fell against the range and one of her sleeves caught light. I tried to get to her but she panicked and knocked a bottle of spirits into the fire where it exploded and sent live coals flying into the air like rockets.’ He paused, shuddering at the memory. ‘I threw her on the floor and beat out the flames, but by this time the fire had taken hold. I managed to get her outside, and the rest you know.’
‘She would wear those strange flowing garments,’ Sarah said sadly. ‘I’ve warned her about them often enough but she would never listen, and she falls into a stupor at night after she’s been smoking that filthy opium.’ She cracked the whip to encourage Boxer into a trot. ‘I still think we ought to get help more quickly. She might die if we leave her like this.’
‘It’s London or nothing. I’ve got a room in Wych Street. D’you know how to get there?’
‘Yes, as it happens I do. It’s not far from Drury Lane, but why go there when you haven’t got Trigg’s money?’
Wincing, he put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch. ‘I grabbed it as I was leaving. This will buy my freedom and it might save her life. It means I can pay for the best treatment and . . .’ He slumped forward and was silent.
‘Well, we’re going to find a doctor and the sooner the better.’ She glanced at his inert form. ‘It was a brave thing you did, Grey, and I’m not going to let either of you suffer unnecessarily.’ She looked over her shoulder to check on Elsie, and was relieved to see that she was still breathing even though she had not yet regained consciousness. ‘Giddy-up, Boxer. We’re going to Maldon. There must be a doctor there, and I can send a message to Davey.’
The aged doctor shook his head when he saw the extent of Elsie’s injuries, but he did what he could and dosed her with laudanum. He attended to Grey’s injured hands, and said that nature must be allowed to take its course. Sarah paid him for his services, and ignoring Grey’s protests that they should be on their way immediately, she set off in search of a second-hand shop. She returned ten minutes later laden with coarse woollen blankets and a couple of pillows. ‘I’ve one more thing to do before we leave,’ she said, adjusting the bedding around Elsie so that it formed a warm cocoon.
‘Where are you going now?’ Grey demanded as she was about to hurry off.
‘The doctor gave me paper and ink and I wrote a note to Davey while I was waiting for you. I must find a messenger who will deliver it.’
Grey raised his eyes to heaven. ‘For God’s sake, girl. Haven’t we wasted enough time already? It’ll be after midnight before we reach London.’
‘I don’t care. This is important, and we need food and drink too. I don’t suppose you’ve got a well-stocked larder in your lodgings.’
‘Women!’ He frowned, staring at her as if seeing her for the first time. ‘You were just a child when I last saw you, and now you’re telling me what to do.’
‘I’ve grown up.’
He gazed sorrowfully at his bandaged hands. ‘I’m bloody useless like this.’
‘You saved Elsie’s life.’
‘But it was my fault it happened in the first place. I’m a worthless piece of work and maybe I ought to let Trigg finish me off.’
Sarah took him by the shoulders and shook him hard. ‘S
top it. That sort of talk won’t get us anywhere and we’re wasting time.’
‘You’re right.’ He held his hand out. ‘Give me the note and I’ll find someone to take it to your friend. You get the food, and hurry.’
Sarah’s first impression as they arrived in Wych Street was one of noise, filth and the long-forgotten noxious city odours. The narrow cobbled road was lined with timber-framed four-storey Elizabethan buildings which must once have been town houses for prosperous merchants, but now provided cheap lodgings above shops and rowdy public houses.
Grey nudged her with his elbow. ‘Stop here. This is where I live.’ He indicated a tall narrow building with an apothecary’s shop situated on the ground floor.
‘Why here?’
‘It’s cheap,’ he said brusquely.
She drew the sturdy carriage horse to a halt. Boxer had been exchanged for a faster steed at a coaching inn, although Grey had been reluctant to leave him and had paid the ostler good money to take care of the animal until he was able to return. He climbed stiffly to the pavement. ‘I’ll take Elsie inside. You stay here and keep an eye out for thieves. Use the whip if you have to. They’ll steal the clothes off your back given half a chance.’ He went round to the back of the cart and lifted Elsie gently in his arms. She uttered a faint moan, but she was heavily sedated and she did not protest as he carried her into the building.
Sarah sat hunched up on the driver’s seat with the horse whip clutched in her hand. The clock on the tower of St Clement Danes church had just struck midnight, but this part of London was still very much awake. Drunks stumbled out of the Angel Inn and the Rising Sun, laughing and singing, swearing and brawling. Prostitutes lingered in doorways offering their services to anyone with the money to pay for them. Feral cats and dogs scavenged for scraps of offal or anything that was remotely edible in the ankle-deep detritus in the gutters, and a couple of ragged street arabs skulked in the shadows dipping the pockets of unwary passers-by who were too inebriated to notice.
Sarah waited anxiously for Grey to return and breathed a sigh of relief when the door of the apothecary shop opened and he reappeared.
‘Get down,’ he said, holding up his arms. ‘I’ll take the horse to the stables. It’s not far and I can manage to drive a short distance.’
Her limbs ached and her hands were blistered. She allowed him to help her to the ground. ‘Where is Elsie?’
‘She’s safe in bed. Go down the passage and my room is at the back of the building, the last door on your right. I’ve left it open so you can’t miss it. Put the bolt across and don’t open it until I get back.’ He reached for the basket containing their provisions and handed it to her.
She hesitated. ‘What about Trigg? You said you had to see him tonight.’
‘He’ll be in the Rising Sun. I won’t let on that you’re here, so don’t worry.’
Sarah nodded vaguely. ‘Good luck.’
‘Don’t fret. I can repay my debt and that’ll be the end of it.’
Sarah was too tired to worry about Trigg, who would almost certainly have forgotten about her after all this time. He had had his revenge on poor Mr Arbuthnot and she was a person of very little importance. She realised that Grey was waiting to see her safely into the building, and the reason for his concern was obvious when she saw a group of drunken men staggering towards her. She hurried inside and closed the door, hoping that they had not seen her. She breathed a sigh of relief when the sound of their boots thudding on the paving stones faded into the distance.
It was extremely dark and the floorboards were uneven, creaking noisily each time she took a step. She had to feel along the walls, dislodging flakes of plaster and stifling cries of disgust as her fingers came in contact with damp patches and the odd snail or two. After what felt like an eternity, she came to the end of the long passageway. True to his word, Grey had left the door open and she stepped inside, shutting the door and bolting it as he had instructed. As her eyes become accustomed to the darkness she could just make out the square panes of a window on the far wall. A glimmer of light from the street lamp outside revealed a single wooden chair close to an empty grate and a narrow bed in the corner of the room. A table was pushed up against the wall and amidst the clutter of plates, mugs and empty bottles she found a candle and a box of vestas.
She discovered that candlelight did nothing to improve Grey’s lodging place. Cobwebs festooned the ceiling and veiled the window. Ashes spilled from the grate onto the tiled fire surround and the air was stale. Cockroaches scattered in all directions as she crossed the floor to take a closer look at Elsie, who was stirring and groaning. Sarah stuck the candle in an empty beer bottle and set it on the windowsill, leaving her hands free to tend Elsie, but there was little she could do other than give her a few drops of laudanum diluted in water.
‘We’ll get you to hospital first thing in the morning,’ she said, hoping that Elsie might be able to hear her and understand that she was doing everything in her power to make her well again. ‘You’ll be better soon, and we’ll go home. We’ll find somewhere else to live and I’ll take care of you. Grey will help us. He owes you that, Elsie.’ She pulled up the coverlet, wrinkling her nose. The lack of female touches and the disorder in the room spoke volumes about Grey’s bachelor existence. She began by tidying up the mess on the table, filling an old sack that she found stuffed in a broken windowpane with rubbish and cinders from the grate.
It was cold in the room and she could feel dampness rising through gaps in the floorboards. There were a few lumps of coal in the scuttle and a bundle of kindling stacked on the mantelshelf. She was in the process of lighting the fire when she heard someone tapping on the door.
Forgetting Grey’s warning she rose to her feet and ran to open it. ‘Thank goodness. I thought you were never coming back.’ Her hand flew to her mouth as the man barged past her and strode over to the bed. He wrenched back the covers and uttered an oath.
‘Who are you?’ Sarah demanded nervously. ‘What are you doing here? This isn’t your room.’
He had his back to her but he snatched the candle from the table and turned slowly to face her. His face was in shadow but she knew him instantly. Her heart was pounding and her legs threatened to give way beneath her. ‘What do you want?’ she whispered. ‘Go away.’
Chapter Nine
TRIGG HELD THE lighted candle close to her face. ‘I know that voice. It’s bloody Sal Scratch.’ He threw back his head and laughed. ‘So he couldn’t keep his filthy hands off you. I always knew that Grey was a man after me own heart.’
She felt sick. The bitter taste of bile filled her mouth but she held her head high. ‘I’m Sarah Scrase and you couldn’t be more wrong. Grey is my friend. He’s looked out for me all these years since you stole me from my home.’
Trigg glanced over his shoulder. ‘Who’s that in the bed? I know it ain’t your ma because we buried her in a pauper’s grave together with her bastard child.’
‘Don’t you dare speak ill of Ma. She was a good woman.’
‘She was a whore and it looks like you’re going down the same path.’
‘That’s a wicked lie. You don’t know anything about me.’
‘Well, if you ain’t Grey’s doxy, what are you doing here?’
‘You’re a bad man to even think such dreadful things,’ Sarah cried angrily. ‘I owe my life to him. I don’t know how he came to be mixed up with a brute like you, but Tobias Grey is a good man and you are evil.’
He guffawed with laughter and his hand shook, spilling candle wax onto the floor. He put it down and his face was left in shadow, but the menace in his expression was imprinted in her mind and she was nine years old again and terrified. He took a step towards her. ‘You’ve grown into a cheeky little madam, Sal. A good slapping would knock that out of you.’
She was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing that she was afraid and she forced herself to remain calm. ‘What do you want? Grey isn’t here.’
‘
I can see that, sweetheart. But I’ll bet a golden guinea that he won’t be far away from his lady love. The bastard owes me money and I ain’t going nowhere until I get what’s due to me.’
A footstep in the doorway made them both turn to see Grey, half hidden beneath the pile of bedding he had brought from the cart. Sarah raised her hand in warning. ‘Don’t come in.’
He dropped his burden and kicked it out of the way. ‘Keep out of this, Sarah. It’s between him and me.’
‘Yes, it is.’ Trigg made a move towards him, fisting his hands. ‘I want what I’m owed.’
Grey stood his ground. ‘And you shall have it, but we’ll go to the pub as arranged and leave the ladies in peace.’
‘Ladies!’ Trigg spat on the floor. ‘I don’t know about the old ’un. But it seems to me you’ve taken full advantage of young Sal.’
Grey would have lunged at Trigg but Sarah threw herself between them. ‘Don’t play his game. That’s exactly what he wants.’
‘She’s a bright girl. I’m sorry I got rid of her, but it’s not too late. If you can’t pay up, I’ll take her instead.’
‘I can settle the debt, but I’m warning you, Trigg. Lay a hand on Sarah and you’ll have me to answer to.’ Grey moved swiftly to the door, holding it open. ‘Let’s go.’
‘You would do better with me, darling.’ Trigg looked her up and down with a lascivious grin. ‘The missis is past her best and I could do with some young blood.’
‘You’ll taste your own if you carry on like that.’ Grey’s voice was controlled but his eyes glittered angrily.
Trigg raised his hand to touch Sarah’s cheek as he walked past her. ‘You’ll keep, little girl.’ He lowered his voice. ‘But don’t think you’ve seen the last of me.’
‘Come along, man,’ Grey said impatiently. ‘The pub will be closed if we don’t hurry.’
‘The landlord will stay open if I tells him to.’ Trigg stared pointedly at Grey’s bandaged hands. ‘You’re not in any condition to stand up for yourself. I could take her and your money right now, if I felt so inclined.’
‘Just try it.’
