by Dilly Court
Seeming to sense her growing distress, Froniga slipped her arm around Lucy’s shoulders. ‘Think of Eva,’ she whispered. ‘She’s had to endure this for years.’
The warder came to an abrupt halt, turned and gave her a withering look. ‘This is paradise compared to some places I’ve worked.’ He selected a key and unlocked the cell door. ‘Five minutes is all I can give you.’ He thrust it open and stood aside to allow them to enter.
Lucy stepped over the threshold and was immediately accosted by a skeletally thin woman with lank grey hair and a wild expression contorting her features. ‘Get me out of here, and I’ll make you a rich woman.’
Froniga pushed her away. ‘Sit down, Mother. We can’t help you.’
The woman collapsed onto the floor, burying her head in her hands as she started to wail. Lucy patted her on the shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything for you.’
‘Eva Pocket.’ Froniga stepped in front of Lucy, fending off two more of the inmates who made a grab at her. ‘Eva, where are you?’
The cell was in semi-darkness, and for a moment Lucy thought that the warder must have brought them to the wrong place, but as her eyes grew accustomed to the gloom she saw a shadowy shape in the far corner. The woman was crouched on her haunches, peering at them through a wild mass of tangled curls. Slowly, Lucy made her way towards her, holding out her hand. ‘Granny? Is that you?’
‘Granny, is that you?’ One of the women took up the cry in mocking tones and the others joined in. The deafening chorus rose in a crescendo, ceasing as suddenly as it had begun when the object of their derision rose to her feet.
‘Shut up.’ Eva Pocket raised herself with difficulty and hobbled towards her granddaughter, peering at her in disbelief. ‘Lucy?’
The voice was hoarse but Lucy had heard it often enough in her dreams. The ragged, shapeless figure could not have looked more unlike the lively, attractive grandmother she remembered, but when she looked into her eyes Lucy knew that she had found her. She flung her arms around Eva, regardless of the lice-ridden condition of the pathetically thin creature, a mere shadow of her former self. ‘Granny, I’ve found you at last.’
‘Keep away,’ Froniga snapped as one of the women slunk up to Lucy, fingering the material of her riding habit.
The woman seemed to shrink inside her prison gown and she retreated, cowed and whimpering like a beaten animal.
Lucy turned to Froniga, a tremulous smile on her lips. ‘We’ve found her. This is my granny.’
‘How long are you in for, Eva?’ Froniga demanded brusquely.
‘Don’t speak to her like that.’ Lucy tightened her hold on her grandmother’s frail body. ‘Can’t you see she’s ill?’
‘I don’t know how much longer I’ve got to serve,’ Eva said with touching dignity. ‘Time doesn’t count for much in here. I hardly know if it’s night or day.’
‘We must get you out of here.’ Lucy clutched her hand, raising it to her cheek. ‘I’ve wanted to find you for years, but I didn’t know where to start. Why didn’t you let me know you were in trouble? I could have helped.’
‘You’re a lady now,’ Eva said, turning away. ‘Go back to your life and leave me here where I belong.’
‘No. Don’t talk like that.’ Lucy grabbed her by the shoulders, twisting her round so that they were face to face. ‘I won’t listen to such nonsense. I’ll get you out of here if it’s the last thing I do.’
Eva subsided, leaning her head wearily against Lucy’s shoulder. ‘I’m a lost cause, my duck. You’re even more beautiful now that you’re a grown woman.’ She fingered the velvet costume, the garish pink softened by the dim light. ‘You’re doing well for yourself, I can tell.’
Froniga tapped Lucy on the shoulder. ‘I can hear the guard’s flat feet. I think our time is up.’
‘I can’t leave her in this terrible place.’ Lucy clutched her grandmother’s hand. It was happening all over again. She was ten years old facing separation from the person she loved most in the whole world. ‘I won’t abandon her here.’
‘You must, but only for now,’ Froniga said in a low voice. ‘We’ll appeal against her sentence, and we’ll find a lawyer to speak up for her.’
Eva snatched her hand free. ‘It won’t do no good, gypsy woman. Your sort can foretell the future so you must know there’s no chance of me getting off. Unless by some miracle you find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and use it to bribe the beak.’
‘There must be a way,’ Lucy cried in desperation. ‘I’ve found you, Granny. I’m not giving up now.’
The sound of the key grating in the lock was followed by the grinding of the hinges as the door opened and the warder stepped into the cell. ‘Get back,’ he warned, raising his truncheon as two of the women moved towards him. ‘Time’s up, ladies.’
‘I will return,’ Lucy whispered as she kissed Eva on the cheek. ‘I won’t let you down, Granny.’
‘Get her out of here. This ain’t no place for a girl like my Lucy.’ Eva motioned to Froniga. ‘She mustn’t come back to this hell.’ She turned her face to the wall, standing resolutely stiff and silent.
‘Time’s up,’ the warder repeated in an ominous tone.
Froniga grabbed Lucy by the shoulders, propelling her towards the open door. ‘We’re leaving, mister. Don’t get in a stew.’ She gave Lucy a shove, sending her stumbling into the corridor to the obvious amusement of the women prisoners. They clustered round the door cackling and thumping on it as the warder locked them in.
Outside the prison walls, Lucy shielded her eyes from the brilliance of the sunshine. The air was clean and sweet-smelling in comparison with the stench inside the jail, and a cool breeze fanned her hot cheeks. ‘I can’t believe how horrible that place is,’ she said, shuddering. ‘I don’t know how she’s managed to survive in such conditions.’
Froniga shook out her skirts. ‘I feel as if I’m running with fleas and lice. Anyway, we’d best starting walking or they’ll have left without us and it’s a long way to the camp.’ She marched off without waiting to see if Lucy was following. ‘Come on. You won’t do her any good standing outside the bloody jail. We’ve got to find a way to get Eva out of there.’
With one last glance up at the forbidding walls, Lucy hurried after her. ‘I’ll secure her release,’ she said breathlessly when she caught up with Froniga. ‘I’ll save every penny I earn so that I can hire a good solicitor.’
The parade had been a great success, so Monty announced when they arrived back at camp. They could expect bumper crowds at the first performance and he hoped that people would come from miles around to see the wonders of Charter’s circus. That evening there was an impromptu party in the big top where everyone contributed food and Bertram supplied a barrel of beer and a keg of cider. Lucy was not feeling very sociable, but Froniga persuaded her to attend. ‘People will think you’re stuck up if you don’t go,’ she said firmly. ‘You can’t help Eva by worrying and making yourself miserable. You need this job and so do I, so we’ll both go and look as though we’re enjoying ourselves.’
‘Why did you join the circus, Froniga?’ Lucy slipped off her costume and stepped into a clean cotton print gown. ‘I thought Romany people always travelled together.’
‘I married a gadjo,’ Froniga said calmly. ‘My husband was not of our culture and by marrying him I disgraced my family. They wanted nothing more to do with me.’
‘But that’s so sad. Where is he now?’
‘He died.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Lucy was lost for words. She wanted to know more, but only if Froniga was willing to confide in her.
‘I chose not to return to my people. I couldn’t forgive them for the way they treated us, and I made a life for myself working the fairgrounds and setting up my stall in market places.’
‘Don’t you miss your family?’
‘They turned their backs on me and I can’t forget that. I choose my friends, and I chose to help you. Now put your hair up and let�
�s join the party.’
They entered the arena together and Froniga went off to join Ilsa and Johann, leaving Lucy standing by the trestle table where Dario had been left in charge of the drinks. He picked up a tin mug, waving it in front of her face. ‘What is your pleasure, pretty lady? Do you like the beer or the cider?’
‘Cider, please.’ Lucy managed a smile, although she was feeling far from happy. The dire conditions of the prison and her grandmother’s suffering had etched a picture in her mind that was almost impossible to erase.
Dario filled the mug and handed it to her. ‘You like to take a walk with me?’
She shook her head. ‘Not at the moment, thank you. I’m rather tired after the parade.’
‘Ah, yes. The parade was good, no?’
‘It went well, I think.’ She was about to edge away when she saw Stella bearing down on them. Her expression was not encouraging.
Dario threw up his hands, grinning absurdly. ‘Here is the love of my life: my beautiful assistant, who also charms snakes.’
Lucy took an involuntary step backwards. ‘I must go and find M—’ She broke off. ‘I mean, I see Jenny and Obadiah. I must speak to them.’
‘Don’t hurry away on my account,’ Stella said, baring her lips in what looked more like a snarl than a smile. ‘You two seem to be getting along splendidly.’ She reached past Lucy to slip her hand into Dario’s pocket. Taking out a hip flask she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. ‘Brandy is so much nicer than cider or beer.’
Dario snatched it from her. ‘I keep it for medicinal purposes only. Strong drink and knife throwing do not go together, and tomorrow is our opening night. We both need to keep a clear head, tesoro mio.’
‘Don’t tell me what to do, Dario.’ Stella’s dark eyes narrowed. ‘Play with your little friend. I’m going to find Monty.’ She shot a sideways glance at Lucy. ‘Unless you have designs on him too, you Jezebel.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Lucy said coldly. ‘I was on my way to talk to Jenny.’ She walked off before Stella had a chance to respond. ‘That woman is impossible,’ she muttered beneath her breath.
‘What’s this? Talking to yourself? You know what they say about people who do that.’
She came to a halt, turning her head to meet Monty’s amused gaze. ‘I’m not mad, I’m angry.’
He took her hand and linked it through the crook of his arm. ‘Tell me all about it.’
‘You’re laughing at me.’
‘Not at all. I overheard what Stella said to you, but you mustn’t take any notice of what she says. Beneath it all she’s a decent person, if a little temperamental, as are many performers. She’ll come round.’
‘I just want her to leave me alone, and I don’t like snakes. They scare me.’
A flicker of sympathy lit his eyes and he smiled. ‘Don’t worry. The animals are kept under lock and key when they aren’t performing. We have very strict rules about that.’
‘Yes, I suppose so.’
‘Come and sit down. You’ve had a busy day.’ He led her to the seating area at the edge of the ring. ‘Where did you and Froniga go when the parade ended?’
‘We went to the common like everyone else.’
‘That’s not entirely true, is it?’
‘How do you know?’
‘It’s my business to know everything that goes on around here. These are my people and what concerns them also concerns me.’
‘But I’m not . . .’ She slumped down on one of the chairs set around the ringside.
He sat down beside her. ‘You’re not one of us? Is that what you were going to say?’
‘No. Well, yes. Maybe.’
‘I knew from the moment I set eyes on you that you weren’t a performer, but I guessed that you must be desperate to find work.’
‘Why did you take me on, then?’
‘Maybe I was curious to discover why a well brought up young lady would run away to join a travelling circus. You don’t look as if you were half starved, or beaten by a wicked stepfather. Or are you escaping an arranged marriage? I’m curious.’
His whimsical smile brought an unwilling response and she chuckled. ‘None of those.’
‘Then why did you come here, and how do you know Froniga?’
‘It’s a long story.’
He leaned back in his seat. ‘And we’ve got all night if necessary. You’re a bit of a mystery woman, Lucy Pocket, and you still haven’t told me where you went after the parade.’
She was tempted to confide in him, but she was reluctant to reveal her past history to a man who until recently had been a stranger, and to admit that her grandmother was a convicted criminal might make things even more difficult. If she lost her job she would never be able to raise the money for a lawyer. ‘Froniga had an errand to do in town and I went with her,’ she said vaguely. ‘It was nothing very interesting.’
‘And that’s all you’re going to tell me?’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘That’s all there is to it, sir.’
‘Have I offended you in some way, Lucy?’ He stared at her, twin furrows deepening on his brow. ‘Why the sudden formality? We’re partners in the ring, and you saw fit to call me by my Christian name during rehearsals.’
She rose to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, Monty. I am a bit tired, after all. If you don’t mind I think I’ll turn in. It has been a long day.’ She walked off, resisting the temptation to glance over her shoulder.
The party was in full swing and the sound of laughter reverberated off the canvas dome of the big top, echoing into the night. Lucy left with the sound ringing in her ears, but she was not in a mood to celebrate. She was tired, but she doubted whether she would be able to sleep, even though Jenny had found her a straw-filled palliasse and a clean blanket. The full moon shone down on the camp site and diamond-bright stars twinkled in a black velvet sky. She opened the tent flap and went inside. Moonlight shone through the canvas, making it unnecessary to light the paraffin lamp, and she stepped out of her dress, unlaced her stays and was about to pull back the blanket when it moved. She leapt back, uttering a loud scream as the snake uncoiled and reared its head.
She ran, stumbling over grassy tussocks, but her cries for help were drowned by the noise in the big top. Forgetting that she was only wearing a thin cotton shift, she rushed inside, colliding with Tallulah. ‘Good God, what’s happened to you?’ Tallulah took off her shawl and wrapped it around Lucy’s trembling body.
‘S-snake.’ The word tumbled from her lips as she struggled for breath.
When she opened her eyes she was lying on her bed with Froniga kneeling at her side. She struggled to sit up but was restrained with a firm hand. ‘You’re all right now, Lucy.’
‘The snake?’ She shivered convulsively. ‘It was here in my bed.’
Tallulah’s large frame filled the entrance to the tent. ‘Don’t worry, my pet. It’s back in its crate. You caused quite a sensation running into the marquee in your shift.’
Lucy groaned and subsided against the cushions. ‘Oh no. I don’t remember anything except that horrible creature raising its great head.’
‘Now, now,’ Froniga said soothingly. ‘It’s all over. Stella collected the animal, and as Tallulah said, it’s locked up safe and sound.’
‘She did it,’ Lucy muttered. ‘Stella put it here on purpose.’
‘Maybe she did,’ Tallulah said, chuckling. ‘I wouldn’t put anything past that one, but if I was you I’d say nothing.’
Froniga helped Lucy to sit up. ‘Have a sip of this,’ she said, holding a glass of water to her lips. ‘Tallulah’s right. Everyone knows that Stella was responsible, although she swears she doesn’t know how the beast escaped, let alone how it found its way into our tent.’
‘I’ve made a fool of myself.’ Lucy sipped the water. ‘Thank you, Froniga. I’m all right now, I just feel embarrassed. Did everyone see me?’
‘I don’t know why you’re worrying, my pet,’ Tallulah said
with her throaty laugh. ‘I wear a more skimpy costume than that when I’m in the ring, and the tightrope walkers wear even less. We’re show folk; we don’t shock easily. Anyone would think you was a little princess the way you talk.’
Froniga scrambled to her feet. ‘Thanks, Tallulah. But I think she needs a rest now. It’ll all be forgotten in the morning.’
‘Yes, they’ll all have sore heads and seeing you in your shimmy will have faded from their memories.’ Tallulah backed out of the tent, still chuckling.
Lucy held her head in her hands. ‘Did Monty see me like that?’
‘He couldn’t help it, my duck. You were screaming your head off and then you fainted. It was a grand entrance.’
‘It’s not funny. I’ve played right into Stella’s hands.’
‘Don’t worry about it, Lucy. I saw Monty take her to one side. He’s no fool, and he knows how to handle her. I’ve heard they was close once, if you get my meaning.’
‘They were lovers?’
Froniga shrugged her shoulders. ‘I never mentioned the word love. I doubt if Stella has ever loved anyone other than herself. Just be careful and keep out of her way as much as possible.’
Lucy leaned back on her cushions, overcome with exhaustion. ‘I’ll do that, but if she pushes me too far I’ll forget that Grandfather brought me up to be a lady. I learned how to stand up for myself when I was a nipper.’
‘Go to sleep and forget her. You’ll need to be fresh for the first show tomorrow, and you’ll probably be the only one with a clear head.’ Froniga doused the lamp and lay down on her bed, fully dressed. Within moments she was snoring loudly.
There were obviously some sore heads next morning, but by the early afternoon when the audience had packed the seats all the performers were at their positions ready to give their best. Monty looked every inch the dashing ringmaster in his black hunting coat and riding breeches when he introduced the first act, aided by Arturo, the white-faced clown, Pepe the character clown in his tattered clothes and battered hat, and Leon the auguste, who played the joker in the ring but in real life was an ill-tempered drunk who beat his wife and children, and was regularly threatened with dismissal.
