A Handful of Sovereigns

by A Handful of Sovereigns (retail) (epub)

  Then smoothing the front of her shawl she strode from the kitchen, whispering silently, ‘Wish me luck, Liz, I may need all the help I can get.’

  Nineteen

  The landlord of The Black Swan in Stepney glared over the counter at the three men sitting in the middle of the tap-room. They had been there for over an hour nursing one drink, and by the look of them they wouldn’t be buying any more. Swiping the counter with a dirty cloth he wondered if he should say something, then swiftly changed his mind. After 20 years of running a pub he could spot trouble when he saw it, and the three men looked as if they could turn nasty without much provocation. His attention was diverted by a customer calling for service. As he handed the man his tankard of beer he saw out of the corner of his eye the three men get up and leave, and blew out his cheeks in relief. That big, blond fellow had had the look of someone itching for a fight, and he’d only just cleaned up the mess from Saturday night’s rumpus. Whistling under his breath he turned to his next customer.

  Out in the street the men spoke for a few minutes, their collars turned up against the bitter January wind, their gloveless hands thrust deep into torn pockets.

  ‘Well, I’d better be orf ’ome afore the missus sets the coppers out looking fer me.’

  ‘Yeah, me too. Besides, it’s too bloody cold to ’ang abaht in the street.’

  Jimmy Simms said nothing, his blue eyes cold as he stared at his two companions. His unflinching stare unnerved the two men, sending them shuffling off down the icy road, their worn down boots making hardly a sound on the icy pavement.

  Jimmy watched them go, his lips tight with anger. Bloody bastards, he seethed inwardly, they knew he had nowhere to go, yet neither of them had offered to put him up for the night. So much for friendship. They’d been chummy enough when he’d had a few bob in his pockets and could afford to buy them drinks. Now when he needed a favour in return they didn’t want to know. God, it was cold. He had spent his last shilling on a room in a doss house last night, a room he had shared with half a dozen dirty, smelly vagrants; now he couldn’t even afford that. A sudden gust of icy wind tore through his threadbare jacket, causing him to walk on, his head bent against the cold. Ducking into a nearby alley he leaned against the dirty wall, his face creased with anger.

  What the hell was he supposed to do now? He had no money and nowhere to go. He’d spent the past three weeks shacked up with a barmaid from one of his local pubs. That little love-nest had been rudely interrupted by the unexpected arrival of her seaman husband. Gawd, that had been a hairy moment. He’d just about had time to get his trousers on and jump from the first floor window before the bearded giant had come crashing into the room.

  Thinking his Mum would have forgiven him by now, he’d gone round to his old house, only to have the door slammed in his face. Despite his earnest entreaties, the familiar paint-peeled door had remained firmly closed. In a fit of rage he had begun to pound on the wood panelling, quickly taking to his heels as his Mum had come out after him, a heavy rolling-pin grasped in her fist.

  Jesus, it was cold. He’d have to find somewhere tonight or he’d be frozen by the morning. The only place he could think of was the Sally Army, but he’d been banned from there after causing a fight a couple of months back. Maybe they wouldn’t remember him – after all they must have seen thousands of men since he’d last been there.

  A feeling of rage and helplessness swelled inside him. This time last year he’d had a cushy billet, plenty of food and a warm and loving wife. He’d lived the life of Riley, now he had nothing. Throwing his head back he looked up into the darkening sky. Why? Why had it happened?

  Why did the silly cow have to go and get herself killed? Tears of frustration filled his eyes as he thought back over the weeks following Lizzie’s funeral. He had managed to keep the rent man at bay by spinning him a tale about Maggie and Charlie coming back soon, telling him they had gone away for a few weeks to get over the shock and that when they returned the rent would be paid in full. It had worked too, until the rent man had become suspicious, demanding some back rent or a visit from the bailiffs. He’d left that same night, bundling up everything he could carry to sell at the nearest pawnbrokers. With the money he had received and the large number of acquaintances he had, he’d had no trouble in finding somewhere to stay, even it was sometimes only for a night.

  Now the last of his so-called friends had deserted him, and he felt a tide of desperation rise within him. There must be someone, somewhere he could go to, but try as he would no-one came to mind. If only he had a few bob to get himself into a card game: he was lucky at cards most of the time. This pastime had saved him from having to find a job and work for a living. He clenched his fists inside his pockets, his teeth gritted in despair. Damn it, he was really in trouble this time, and it was all the fault of that bitch of a sister-in-law of his.

  If she hadn’t taken that money from his pocket he wouldn’t be in this mess now. An image of Maggie swam before his eyes. Of course; that’s where he’d go. He knew where to find her all right, news travelled fast in the East End. She’d landed on her feet all right, running a little gold mine by all accounts, or maybe it wasn’t her feet she had landed on, more likely her back. Oh, yes, he’d heard about her new friend. Some toff who could afford her prices no doubt. Yes; that’s what he would do. He’d go and see her; after all she owed him something, didn’t she? He could have had the police on her for what she’d done, and that brat of a brother of hers. Bashing him over the head and stealing his money, oh, yes he could make trouble for her if he had a mind to. He forgot that the reason he hadn’t reported her in the first place was because he was known to the police and knew he wouldn’t be received with any sympathy. The only thought in his mind was to get some money, any way he could.

  Moving away from the wall he looked up and down the street wondering which way would be the quickest to take to get to Aldgate. A cold blast of wind prodded him on his way. He judged it to be around four thirty. If he walked fast he could be at his destination by five thirty at the latest. For a moment his footsteps faltered. The toff who had set her up was well-known around these parts. Those who had come into contact with Harry Stewart spoke well of him, and those that didn’t, feared him. Doubt once again assailed him, for he wasn’t the bravest of men. Then the combination of the cold and hunger drove all other thoughts from his mind. If he didn’t get some money from somewhere he would die, and with a bit of luck he would find her on her own at this time of day. Blowing hard into his hands he gave one last stamp of his feet before moving on.

  * * *

  ‘Maggie, Maggie, she’s in here again.’

  Maggie turned from the oven, her face flushed with the heat.

  Wiping a strand of hair from her forehead she asked impatiently, ‘Who’s in here again? What are you talking about, Charlie?’

  Rolling his eyes in agitation he gabbled, ‘Her of course, Harry’s sister. She’s up to no good, you mark my words, Maggie, she’s not right in the head, I told yer, she…’

  ‘Oh for goodness’ sake, Charlie, she’s not doing any harm,’ Maggie snapped, brushing past him. ‘She’s probably just lonely and wanting a bit of company. She’s been here a few times now and she’s always been very polite to me. Now stop fussing about and do some of that washing up while I see what she wants.’

  ‘But, Maggie, I told yer how she went for me that night, and what she said about you. I don’t trust her, and Harry wouldn’t li…’

  ‘Now that’s enough.’ She whirled round to face him. ‘I’ve had a long day and I’m too tired to listen to you babbling on. Ever since the first time she came here, you’ve been running round like a chicken with its head cut off. How many times have I got to tell you not to worry? I know she frightened you that night, but like I’ve told you a hundred times, people often say or do things they regret later. Lord knows I’ve said some spiteful things in my time, then wished I could take them back. How many times have I gone for you for no good reason?
And what about me and Liz; God! If I had a pound for every time I’ve been nasty to someone I’d be a millionaire by now.’

  Charlie stared at her, his face set. ‘That’s different and you know it. Why d’yer keep on making excuses fer her? Is it ’cos yer think she might be yer sister-in-law one day; is that it? ’Cos if that’s the reason yer don’t have ter worry. Harry can’t stand her either, so there’s no need to suck up ter her…’ He broke off quickly, then backed away as Maggie advanced on him, her face red with fury.

  ‘Don’t you ever speak to me like that again, Charlie. You should know better than anyone else that it’s not in my nature to suck up to people, whoever they are. And you don’t have to tell me about Harry’s feelings towards his sister, I know only too well what he thinks of her. That’s why I feel so sorry for her. She’s got no-one who cares for her and she knows it. So if coming here puts a bit of a sparkle into her dull life, I’m not going to deprive her of it.’

  As suddenly as her anger had flared, it died down. Resting her bottom against the table she said quietly, ‘Think about it, Charlie. Think about how miserable her life must be if the only thing she has to look forward to is coming to a working man’s restaurant. It’s pathetic; she should be pitied, not feared. As for me thinking she might be my sister-in-law one day, well…’ She shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’ll admit I did hope once that one day me and Harry would…’ Again she paused, her eyes filled now with sadness. ‘But I’ve stopped hoping now. If he had any intention of asking me to marry him, he would have said something by now. Life’s funny isn’t it, Charlie? At one time I thought I had both the Stewart brothers clamouring for my affections and wished they’d both leave me in peace. Now they treat me as a good friend, nothing else. There’s an old saying: beware of what you wish for, it may come true.’ Smiling ruefully she added, ‘And I certainly got what I wished for, didn’t I?’

  Charlie shifted his gaze, embarrassed at hearing Maggie talk so freely, while at the same time amazed that she should think that Harry didn’t fancy her any more. Gawd, he was mad about her, you only had to look at his face whenever she was close by. Picking up a stack of dirty plates he walked over to the sink and plunged them into the warm soapy water.

  ‘Yer must be mad if yer think that,’ he said awkwardly. ‘I mean I’m glad that Hugh changed his mind abaht yer, ’cos that would have caused trouble and I wouldn’t have liked ter see Lotte getting hurt. But Harry… you just wait. He’ll say something soon, I’ll bet yer, he’s probably waiting ’til the buildings finished, then he’ll ask yer, you wait and see.’

  The sound of the bell over the front door brought Maggie’s thoughts back to her customers.

  ‘Lord, I’d better go before all the customers start walking out. Now look, Charlie, about Harry’s sister. Leave it, will you? She’ll probably get tired of coming here soon, but until then I don’t want you saying anything to Harry. I mean it, Charlie, not a word.’

  At the mention of Harry’s sister Charlie’s face became sullen. Thinking back to what Maggie had said earlier he muttered, ‘Just wants a bit of company. Huh! Wants to make eyes at the men that come in here more likely. Ugly old bat.’

  Shaking her head Maggie smoothed down her apron and walked into the dining room, then up the three steps to the landing she had made into a smaller dining room for women only. Harry and Charlie had both ridiculed the idea, saying that no woman would come into a place that catered for working men. But here she had proved them wrong. There were many women who only wanted a pot of tea and cakes while taking a break from shopping, but couldn’t afford the prices of the posher coffee houses.

  Standing before the smartly dressed woman she experienced a moment’s qualm. In spite of what she had told Charlie, the woman made her nervous. Was he right? Did Harry’s sister mean her harm in some way? When she had first appeared some weeks ago Maggie’s first thoughts were that the evidently well-born woman had wandered in by mistake. This impression had been immediately dispelled when the woman had introduced herself, saying that she had been curious to see her brother’s new dining rooms. The term dining rooms was hardly applicable to the surroundings. Nevertheless Maggie had beamed with pleasure and set about making the woman welcome; that was until Charlie had seen her. Lord, what a fuss he had made, jabbering and shouting like someone demented. Anyone listening to him would have thought there was an armed gang ready to blow their heads off, instead of one lone woman. She could understand him being apprehensive after what had happened, but honestly, what possible threat could the woman pose to them? Swallowing her misgivings she took out her order pad and waited.

  ‘Ah, there you are, Miss Paige.’ Bella smiled up at her. ‘I’ll have a cup of coffee and some of your delicious scones, if you have them.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Maggie made a pretext of writing down the order on her notepad. She had to admit there was something about the woman that wasn’t quite right, but as long as she remained civil she would continue to serve her and keep quiet about her presence from Harry.

  The tinkle of the bell announcing another customer brought her head up, a welcoming smile on her lips. A smile that faltered when she saw who her customer was. She felt the blood drain from her face at the sight of her brother-in-law walking towards her, his face wreathed in smiles.

  ‘Are you feeling well, Miss Paige?’ Bella enquired, noting the sudden pallor in the young girl’s face.

  Before Maggie could reply Jimmy was standing directly in front of her.

  ‘Hello Maggie love, long time no see, eh?’

  Clutching her throat Maggie whispered hoarsely, ‘What do you want? Get out before I call the police.’

  The smile slid from Jimmy’s face, to be replaced by anger. ‘You do that, Maggie love,’ he bluffed, ‘you do that, and while they’re here we can tell them about the little matter of some money you took from my pockets after your dear brother tried to cave me head in.’ The tension in the air soon attracted the attention of the rest of the customers, not least Bella, who was watching the scene with avid curiosity.

  Recovering her composure Maggie stared defiantly into the hated face. ‘Get out of here, you snivelling, pathetic little man,’ she hissed at him. ‘That money I took belonged to Liz not you; you never worked a day while you were married, nor since by the looks of you. Well, there’s no hand-outs here if that’s what you’ve come for. You’d better try your luck somewhere else. I’m sure there are plenty of other gullible women you can try your luck on, just like my Liz. God, she must have been mad to have been taken in by you. And as for telling the police about me, well, go ahead, while we’re slinging accusations around there’s the little matter of attempted rape. I’m sure they’d be interested to hear about that. But you’ve no intention of going to the police, have you? If you had you’d have done it long before now. Now I’m warning you…’

  A cry of pain escaped her lips as she found herself roughly grabbed by the arm.

  ‘You little bitch.’ The words were spat into her face while the unrelenting fingers dug deeper into her arm. ‘I’m not leaving here until I get what’s coming to me, do you hear me, yer dirty slut? I know what you’ve been up ter; got a fancy man now haven’t yer. Not so fussy about spreading yer legs fer someone with a bit of money, are yer?’ Maggie stared as if mesmerised into the hate-filled eyes, the pain in her arm making her feel faint. Behind them a concerted growl had erupted from the watching workmen, but both Maggie and Jimmy were too caught up in their own private war to hear them.

  ‘How would he feel if I was ter tell him how yer got the money to start the stall, eh? Maybe he wouldn’t be so pleased ter find out he’s not the only one to enjoy yer favours.’

  It was at that moment that Charlie decided to find out what was keeping Maggie. The sight of his sister being held against her will sent him bounding across the room, his young face filled with fury.

  ‘’Ere, what you playing at,’ he shrilled loudly, then fell back a step when he saw who the man was. ‘Bloody ’ell,
it’s you, yer cruel bugger. Let go of ’er or I’ll bash yer face in.’

  Jimmy threw back his head and laughed loudly, ‘Piss off, yer little runt before I knock yer on yer back.’

  With a strangled cry, Charlie flew forward, his arms flaying wildly, but before his outstretched fists could find their mark he found himself being picked up by the neck and thrown across the room. This act of brutality was the last straw for the watching men. Throwing back their chairs they advanced on the unsuspecting Jimmy.

  ‘You wanna fight, mate, ’ow about trying it on with someone yer own size, yer bleeding bully?’

  Jimmy swung round, his eyes rounding in fear at the sight of the angry faces surrounding him. ‘Now look, this is private, it’s a family matter, nothing ter do with anyone else,’ he blustered, while letting go of Maggie’s arm.

  ‘Is that right, Maggie, love?’ one of the men enquired of the ashen-faced girl.

  Maggie shook her head, ‘No, he’s no family of mine. Get him out of here, please, just get him out.’

  ‘Right yer are, love, but before we do, there’s something about what he said earlier, something about getting what’s coming to ’im.’ A wide grin on his face, the man’s fist shot out, connecting squarely with Jimmy’s jaw. ‘I fink you just got it, mate.’

  Jimmy’s head rocked back on his shoulders; then he found himself being roughly carried from the warm room and out into the bitter cold evening.

  ‘Don’t show yer face round here again, if yer knows what’s good for yer,’ one of the men shouted at him, the warning accompanied by a hard kick to his side. Staggering to his feet he shook his head before lurching off down the road, the hatred he felt for Maggie increasing with every painful step.