Mermaids Singing

by Dilly Court

  Humphrey brushed her lips with a kiss. ‘Nonsense, sweetheart! I’ve got an old friend of yours waiting to see you. You wouldn’t want to disappoint him, now would you?’

  ‘An old friend?’ Bella’s heart began to race.

  ‘The friend who brought us together in the first place, my dove. Giles Rackham.’

  Sparks of anger ignited in Bella’s brain. ‘Give me five minutes, Humphrey,’ she said, pushing him towards the door.

  As he left the room, Humphrey blew her a kiss. ‘I knew you’d change your mind.’

  Snatching up the pot of cold cream Bella flung it at the opposite wall with all her might. It shattered in a starburst of broken glass and white cream. ‘Rackham! I might have known he’d come to gloat.’

  ‘Don’t get yourself in a state,’ Maria said, snatching Bella’s evening gown off its hanger. ‘Forget Rackham and be thankful that you’ve got a man who thinks the sun shines out of your backside.’

  ‘Not likely,’ Bella cried. ‘Not blooming likely! I want to see Giles face to face and I’ll give him what for.’

  Without knocking, Bella marched into Humphrey’s office.

  Rackham had his back to the door but he turned as she burst into the room, smiling and holding his arms outstretched. ‘Bella, your performance was spiffing, as usual.’

  ‘And you are despicable, Giles, as usual!’

  ‘Bella, that’s not like you.’ Humphrey leapt to his feet and, moving swiftly for such a large man, he came from behind his desk to place his arm around Bella’s shoulders. ‘You poor darling, you really must be exhausted after that sparkling performance tonight.’

  ‘Humphrey, would you mind if I had a word with Giles? Alone!’

  ‘Not at all, if it will help to straighten things out,’ Humphrey said, kissing her on the cheek. ‘Don’t upset, my brightest star, Giles, or you’ll have me to answer to.’

  As he left the room, Bella turned on Rackham. ‘You despicable cad! How could you stoop so low as to make up to Iris?’

  Rackham seized her hands. ‘Bella, listen to me,’ he said, urgently. ‘Everything I’ve done is to help you, you must believe me.’

  ‘I don’t believe anything you say.’ Struggling, Bella attempted to break free but his grip was pure steel.

  ‘All right, but just hear me out if you want your daughter back.’

  ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘Make any excuse you like, but refuse Humphrey’s supper invitation. I’ve arranged everything. Kitty is waiting outside in a hackney carriage and George will let us into the house in Dover Street.’

  ‘I – I don’t understand. What wild scheme have you dreamed up?’

  ‘Do exactly what I tell you, and by midnight you’ll have Leonie safely back with you, where she belongs.’

  Mableton House was eerily silent as Bella followed Rackham and Kitty up the servants’ staircase. The only sound that Bella could hear, apart from the soft pitter-patter of their feet on the stone steps, was the drumming of her own heart. George had let them in, and now led the way through the sleeping house. When they reached the nursery suite, he slipped away to stand guard at the top of the main staircase.

  Rackham turned to Kitty. ‘Go and get Leonie.’

  ‘Let me go in first,’ Bella whispered. ‘Leonie will be frightened at being woken in the middle of the night.’

  Rackham shook his head. ‘Kitty knows her way round the nursery, even in the dark.’

  ‘Leonie will remember me, Bella,’ Kitty whispered. ‘Best do as he says.’

  Rackham put his arm around Bella’s shoulders. ‘Trust me, Bella.’

  She could feel his muscles tense, ready to spring into action, and the firm pressure of his fingers on her upper arm was oddly comforting. This time, to her own surprise, she didn’t flinch or pull away.

  ‘Keep calm,’ he said softly. ‘It won’t be long now.’

  A loud crash from inside the nursery was followed by screams. Pushing Bella aside, Rackham wrenched the door open and switched on the light. In the middle of the room, Nanny Briggs, with her nightcap askew and her eyes bleary with sleep, was clutching Leonie’s arm in an attempt to wrest her from Kitty. Nanny’s screams and Kitty’s cries of protest were all but drowned by Leonie’s angry howls. Rackham seized Nanny, pinning her arms behind her back. ‘Get Leonie out of here,’ he told Kitty, as Nanny kicked out at him. ‘Stop struggling, woman.’

  Sweeping Leonie off her feet, Kitty hefted the hysterical child over her shoulder.

  Beside herself with joy mingled with fear, Bella tried to take Leonie from Kitty’s arms. ‘Mama is here, baby. Give her to me, Kitty.’

  ‘Don’t, Bella,’ Kitty said, struggling to keep hold of Leonie. ‘She’s terrified and she’s heavy.’

  ‘For God’s sake, just get her to the carriage,’ Rackham gasped, as he struggled to restrain Nanny Briggs, who was trying to bite his hand. ‘That’s enough from you, madam.’ Hefting her off her feet, he dumped her in the bedroom, turning the key in the lock. ‘Run for it, both of you. Someone’s coming.’

  ‘Stop that noise,’ Kitty commanded Leonie in a stern voice that silenced her for a minute. ‘We’re going on a big adventure. Hold my hand and don’t let go.’

  Wide-eyed and trembling, Leonie clutched Kitty’s hand, casting an anxious glance at Bella.

  ‘Do as Kitty says, my darling.’ Giving Leonie a gentle push, Bella followed them out of the room, only to find Iris on the landing, barring their escape. With her hair wound up in rags and her nightgown billowing around her skinny body, she looked wild to the point of madness.

  ‘Help,’ Iris shrieked. ‘Father, help! They’re kidnapping Leonie.’

  ‘Run, Kitty!’ cried Bella, grabbing Iris by the sleeve. ‘Run!’

  ‘Let me go, bitch,’ screamed Iris, giving Bella a hefty shove that sent her staggering backwards into Rackham’s arms. Bundling her skirts above her knees, Iris tore after Kitty as she headed for the main staircase.

  George stood at the top of the staircase, seemingly stunned and unable to move, as Kitty hurtled past him, clutching Leonie, closely followed by Iris with Bella and Rackham making grabs at her flailing arms. They all came to a sudden halt on the landing below, confronted by Sir Desmond, breathing heavily and purple in the face as he leaned on his cane for support.

  ‘What the bloody hell is going on?’

  ‘Father, Father, they’re trying to take Leonie,’ Iris wailed.

  Sir Desmond advanced on Kitty, who dodged him and started to run down the next flight of stairs. She almost bumped into Warner, who appeared round the bend in the stairs, struggling into his dressing gown.

  ‘I heard the commotion, Sir,’ he said breathlessly. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘Kidnap, that’s what’s happening, Warner,’ Sir Desmond said, wheezing and waving his stick wildly above his head. ‘You there, George! Don’t gawp like an idiot. Fetch the constable.’

  Rackham lunged forward, seizing Sir Desmond by the throat. ‘Let Bella have her child, you miserable bastard. Haven’t you caused her enough misery?’

  ‘Take your hands off me.’ Sir Desmond’s florid complexion darkened a few shades. ‘This time you’ll go to prison and I’ll make sure that it’s for life.’

  ‘And you said you loved me.’ Iris flew at Rackham, beating her fists against his back. ‘You’re a cad and a liar. Hanging is too good for you.’

  Keeping his hold on Sir Desmond, Rackham turned his head to look at Iris with a flash of his old humour. ‘Does that mean our engagement is off, my love?’

  Iris leapt backwards with a scream of rage, tugging at the ring on her finger and hurling it at Rackham, catching him on the cheek. ‘You swine, I hate the sight of you. How could I ever have imagined I loved you?’

  A trickle of blood ran down his cheek where the diamond had cut him. ‘I’m broken-hearted, my dear,’ Rackham said, wiping his cheek on the back of his hand.

  ‘You, George,’ roared Sir Desmond. ‘I told you to fetch the co
nstable.’

  Kitty sent him a pleading look. ‘Don’t do it, George.’

  George hesitated, glancing nervously from Sir Desmond to Warner, who had reached the top of the stairs and was eyeing Rackham uncertainly.

  ‘Kitty, take Leonie to the carriage,’ Bella whispered. ‘If we’re not out in five minutes tell the cabby to take you home.’

  ‘I’ll not leave you like this,’ Kitty said, attempting to pacify Leonie, who was sobbing against her shoulder.

  ‘We’re leaving, Mableton,’ Rackham said, relaxing his grip so that Sir Desmond toppled against the banister. ‘The child belongs with her mother and I’d advise you not to try and stop us.’

  ‘You’ll go to jail for this, Rackham,’ Sir Desmond spluttered, as Warner helped him to his feet.

  Iris rounded on Bella. ‘You bitch. This is all your doing. You were never good enough for my father and you tried to seduce my brother. I’ll make it my business to see that no one in polite society will have anything to do with you, or your ridiculous shop.’

  ‘They’ll be too busy laughing at you, Iris,’ Bella retorted. ‘You’ll be the object of society gossipmongers, not me.’

  Iris drew back her head, eyes-narrowed, hissing and poisonous. ‘Do you really sell gowns or your own personal services? I always thought you were just a common whore.’

  Bella leapt at Iris, her hands balled into fists. ‘Take that back.’

  ‘That’s enough!’ Rackham stepped between them, his face pale with fury. ‘Iris, if you so much as breathe a word against Bella, I’ll see to it that the name of Mableton is smeared all over the newspapers. I’m sure that everyone would love to know that Sir Desmond is a wife beater and his daughter was prepared to buy herself a husband.’

  Iris threw up her hands and screamed. Sir Desmond lifted his cane and struck out at Rackham, who dodged the blow. Losing his balance, Sir Desmond stumbled, tried to save himself by clutching the handrail, and toppled headlong down the staircase. The dull thuds of his heavy body bouncing down the stairs were followed by stunned silence as everyone froze to the spot.

  Iris’s screams brought them back to life. Rackham was the first to move, running down the stairs to examine the crumpled body, sprawled like an ungainly puppet whose strings had been cut. Kitty and Bella followed him more slowly and Iris collapsed in hysterics at the top of the stairs.

  ‘Fetch the doctor, George,’ Rackham said, kneeling down and feeling for a heartbeat.

  With an anxious glance at Mr Warner, who seemed momentarily dumbstruck, George scurried off, his footsteps echoing through the silent house.

  Warner leaned against the newel post and, taking a large, cotton hankie from his pocket, he mopped his brow. ‘Is he breathing, Sir?’

  Shaking his head, Rackham got to his feet. ‘I don’t think there’s anything to be done. We’ll wait for the doctor.’

  Wrapping her arms around Leonie, Bella cuddled the sobbing child to her breast. ‘There, there, my darling. Mama is here and I’ll never, never leave you again.’

  Warner cleared his throat. ‘Perhaps it would be better in the circumstances if you took Miss Leonie down to the drawing room, my lady.’

  Bella nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak. Her knees were shaking, and it was all she could do to stop herself from burying her face in Leonie’s blonde curls and sobbing, as shock and relief surged over her in huge, drenching waves.

  ‘Let me have her, Bella. Best to get her away from this,’ Kitty said, holding her arms out to Leonie. ‘Come to Kitty, darling.’

  Sobbing, Leonie wrapped her arms around Kitty’s neck and reluctantly, Bella let her go.

  ‘I’ll wait in the cab,’ Kitty whispered, taking Leonie by the hand. ‘Be brave, Bella.’

  Bella made to follow Kitty as she hurried down the staircase, pushing past Warner, but a cry from the upper landing made everyone look up. Pointing an accusing finger at Bella, Iris came down the stairs, white-faced and shaking with fury. ‘You murderess! You killed my father.’

  Rackham moved swiftly, placing himself between Bella and Iris. ‘It was an accident.’

  ‘She killed him. Send someone for the constable, Warner.’

  Warner cleared his throat with a nervous little cough. ‘Begging your pardon, Miss Iris, but Sir Desmond slipped and fell. We all saw it.’

  ‘I don’t care what you say you saw.’ Iris’s voice rose to a screech. ‘She was responsible. And she’s not going to take Leonie away from her home.’

  ‘Pull yourself together,’ Rackham said, his voice cold as chipped ice. ‘Warner is right. It was an accident and I think you’re forgetting that Lady Mableton is Leonie’s mother and legal guardian. This is still her home and I’d be careful what I said if I were you, Iris.’

  ‘My father is dead and it’s all your fault.’ Iris drew herself up to her full height. ‘At least show him some respect.’

  ‘This is very distressing for you, Ma’am,’ Warner said. ‘Might I suggest you adjourn to the drawing room until the doctor arrives?’

  ‘You’re quite right, Warner,’ Rackham said, taking Bella by the hand. ‘We’ll wait in the drawing room.’

  Bella stared at the inert body of her husband and she was shocked to realise that she felt nothing but relief. Glancing up into Rackham’s face, Bella read sympathy and understanding in his eyes and she looked away quickly.

  ‘I’m staying with Papa,’ Iris said, through clenched teeth. ‘Make the most of your freedom, Giles. I promise you it won’t be for long.’

  Back in the safety of the house in Sackville Street, Bella went to take the sleeping Leonie from Kitty’s arms. ‘Let me take her, Kitty. I want to put her down in her own little bed next to mine.’

  Kitty shook her head. ‘Best not waken her, poor little moppet. I’ll put her to bed, but it’s you she’ll see when she wakes.’

  Bella knew this was good sense but her arms ached to hold Leonie once again. She longed to breathe in the sweet scent of her child, who was no longer a baby but had grown, during their enforced separation, into a beautiful little girl.

  Rackham laid his hand on her arm. ‘Kitty is right, don’t disturb the poor child.’

  Bella swallowed the lump in her throat, wiping her hand across her eyes. ‘I’ve waited so long for this moment.’ She watched Kitty as she carried Leonie up the staircase, and suddenly the enormity of what had happened that evening flooded over her in a tidal wave of shock and pent-up emotion. She did not resist when Rackham put his arms around her. ‘It all seems like a bad dream, Giles,’ she said, resting her head against his shoulder.

  ‘It’s all over now, my pet,’ Rackham said, speaking in a tone he might have used to comfort Leonie. ‘You are a free woman.’

  ‘And I have you to thank for it, Giles. I’ve been a bitch to you recently, and I’m truly sorry.’

  Rackham lifted her chin with his finger and laid it gently across her lips to silence her. ‘I’ve deserved most of it, my love, but at least now I’ve managed to make amends.’

  There was something so final in his tone that Bella searched his face, trying to read his carefully guarded expression. ‘What are you trying to tell me?’

  His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘I’m going away, Bella. You don’t need me any longer.’

  ‘You’re leaving?’ Bella clutched his arm, fighting down an inexplicable feeling of panic. ‘But you can’t just go like this. Not when I’ve so much to thank you for.’

  Rackham patted her hand, smiling ruefully. ‘You don’t have to thank me. I had a lot to make up for and now it’s done.’

  Icicles of cold fear spiked in Bella’s blood. ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘It’s time for us to say goodbye, my dear.’

  ‘No, Giles. This is silly. You don’t have to go.’

  ‘Bella, my darling, you’ve made it plain enough over and over again that you don’t want me, and I’ve never pressed my suit on any woman. But the sad truth is that I love you, Bella. I’ve always been
in love with you, right from the start when you were little more than a child. I was wrong to take you as I did, but for myself I’ve never regretted one moment of our time together. Now I hope I’ve made up just a little for everything that happened in the past.’

  ‘You love me?’

  ‘I do love you.’

  ‘No, you don’t. You’ve said that to hundreds of women, including Iris. I don’t believe you, Giles.’

  ‘That’s your prerogative, my dear, but I’ve never lied to you,’ Giles said, kissing her lightly on the lips. Prising her fingers gently off his sleeve, he turned to go.

  ‘Giles, stop! You can’t go now.’ Bella’s lips burned from the brief caress and she clutched her hand to her mouth.

  Rackham paused, shaking his head. ‘There’s bound to be gossip even though we’ve got witnesses to prove that Mableton’s death was an accident. It’s best for all of us if I leave the country for a while.’

  ‘That is so stupid,’ Bella cried, stamping her foot. ‘You’re running away, as usual, Giles, and it’s not fair.’

  ‘I don’t play fair, Bella, you ought to know that. I’m a bounder, a cad, a rotter, anything you like to call me, and you are better off without me. I’m leaving for Monte Carlo first thing in the morning.’

  Forcing her frozen limbs to move, Bella ran and caught him by the hand as he opened the door. ‘You are none of those things, Giles. You’ve done all this for me and I’ve been hateful to you. Please, please, stay.’

  Rackham’s eyes were sombre. ‘Do you still love Edward Mableton? Give me an honest answer, Bella.’

  Pain constricted her throat, tears burned the back of her eyes, but she couldn’t lie to him; couldn’t speak; couldn’t even shake her head even though it might make him change his mind about leaving.

  ‘I thought as much. Goodbye, Bella.’

  The door closed and he was gone. ‘No, Giles, no,’ Bella cried, tears pouring down her cheeks. She wrenched the door open and ran down the steps into the quiet street. His tall figure was striding away towards Piccadilly, his opera cloak billowing out behind him. She opened her mouth to call him back, but no words came and, clutching at the iron railings, she sank down onto the steps watching until he was swallowed up by the night. Suddenly she was afraid. Afraid like the fourteen-year-old girl violated by her own father, waiting in the filthy back parlour of the pub in the Commercial Road: waiting for the man to whom she had been sold for a few golden guineas. It had never crossed her mind until this moment that she had been lucky that the man was Giles Rackham. She had not realised, until he had gone, that in some unexplainable way she had relied on the knowledge that, when she needed him most, he would be there for her. She had told him she hated him so often that she had convinced herself that it was true; but now she realised she did not hate him at all. She had wasted so much time rebelling against their relationship. She had deliberately chosen to forget that it was Giles who had taught her the delights and sensual pleasures of physical love. He had been patient and gentle with her, until she had learned to respond to his lovemaking and then, it was true, he had taken her to the heights of ecstasy and beyond. But, she thought miserably, he had never told her he loved her. She had felt lonely and abandoned when he went off on his gambling trips; the fact that he had made her stay in England for her own welfare and safety had not occurred to her then, but the truth flooded over her now in a painful revelation.