Three days later Albert was in Pentonville, waiting for Tommy Bonner to be brought to him. He was hoping that this boy was nothing to do with Eleanor, but Mr Steadman was certain that he was her brother. Damn, he’d known this search was going to be fraught, but he couldn’t protect Eleanor from every upset in life, and he was certain she would survive this, and emerge a stronger person.
When the door opened he watched with narrowed eyes as Bonner walked towards him. There was no doubt about his parentage. He was the image of his father, Fred Bonner, and full of cocky bravado. It was not a good start.
‘Who are you?’ Tommy demanded as soon as he sat opposite Albert. ‘What you want with me?’
‘Who I am can wait for the moment.’ Albert held his gaze, trying to see beneath the surface, feeling a jolt as he looked into eyes the same colour as Eleanor’s. But these eyes were hooded, wary, and yes, crafty. ‘I want you to tell me exactly what happened in the robbery where the man was injured.’
‘Why should I tell you? You a lawyer, or something?’
‘Something. Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll talk to me. And I want the truth.’
Tommy folded his arms, and glared at Albert. ‘I told the truth, but they still put me in here for ten years and bleedin’ well threw away the key. I’m a thief, I admit that, but I ain’t never hurt no one.’
That remark gave Albert some hope, slim though it was. ‘Tell me what happened, and if you’re not guilty of a violent crime, then I might be able to help you.’
‘Why should you? I don’t know you.’
Albert’s sigh was one of exasperation. ‘You’re going to have to trust me. Come on, Tommy, talk to me. What have you got to lose?’
Giving a shrug, Tommy leant his elbows on the table. ‘I was with two others. I shouldn’t have got mixed up with them ’cos they’re nasty types, but I was broke. They said the shop would be easy as there was only an old bloke on his own. It wasn’t my usual caper. I’ve always worked alone; breaking into houses when I knew everyone was out. You got any fags?’
Expecting this, Albert pushed a packet of cigarettes across the table with matches, and then waited.
Tommy lit one and took a deep drag, then continued. ‘Well, I thought we was only going to take things we could sell, but the other two jumped behind the counter and started threatening the old bloke, trying to make him open the safe. I tried to stop them, but they shoved me out of the way. I didn’t want to have nothing to do with robbin’ the safe.’
When Tommy dropped his gaze and began examining the cigarette packet, Albert’s mouth set in an angry line. He knew when someone was lying. ‘Start again,’ he snapped, ‘and I want the truth this time.’
‘All right, all right.’ Tommy looked up, defiance shining in his eyes. ‘I’m good at opening safes. That’s why they took me along. I was working on it when the old man tried to stop me, but I didn’t hit him. It was the others. When they saw what they’d done they did a runner, and I was the one who got caught. The old man can’t remember what happened, so he said it was me.’
That was a more believable tale, though Albert was still not convinced. ‘Who were the other two?’
‘Oh, no you don’t, mate. I ain’t no grass. They’d have put me away for robbery anyway.’
‘True, but if it could be proved that you didn’t hurt that man, then we might be able to get your sentence reduced.’
‘The only way you could do that is if the old man remembers who hit him, and from what I’ve heard, he don’t remember a blasted thing.’ Tommy eyed the man opposite him with renewed interest. ‘All right, I’ve told you what happened, now it’s your turn, mister. Who the bleedin’ hell are you, and why are you here?’
Albert didn’t like this boy, and he still didn’t believe his story. He was very different from Ted and Jack, but he had to do this for Eleanor’s sake. If it had been up to him he would have walked away when faced with Tommy’s hostility and outright lies. With Ted there had been a spark of something good in him, but he could detect nothing likeable in this Bonner. ‘Your sister sent me. She’s concerned about you.’ Albert sat back watching the boy’s expression intently.
Tommy started to stand up. ‘You ain’t a bad liar yourself, mate. Pearl and Maggie don’t know I’m in here.’
‘No, but Queenie does.’
It was as if Tommy froze on the spot, taking in deep breaths as he stared at Albert in disbelief. ‘Queenie?’ The name came out in a growl. ‘That poor little bugger? The old man sold her, and we never found out where she’d been taken.’
‘I know where she is.’
‘It was you! You bought her. A little scrap of a girl, full of laughter and innocence.’ Tommy’s hands were bunched into tight fists. ‘It must have been you, or you wouldn’t know about this.’ In a rage, Tommy launched himself at Albert. ‘You bastard. What kind of a man are you?’
Before Tommy could land a punch, two guards burst into the room, pinning his arms to his side. ‘Back to the cells for you.’ They started to drag him away.
‘Wait!’ The authority in Albert’s voice stopped them. ‘Sit him in the chair. I haven’t finished with him yet.’
The guards looked doubtful. ‘He’s a nasty piece of work, sir.’
‘I can look after myself, but if you’re that concerned, you can stay in the room.
When the guards moved to the other side of the room, Albert pointed to the chair. ‘Sit down, Tommy, and stop acting like a bloody idiot. Do I have to go back to Queenie and tell her you are nothing but a violent criminal?’
The boy slid into the seat, looking thoroughly confused. ‘How is she?’ he asked, huskily, showing the first sign of gentleness.
‘She’s very well, and has had a happy life. My wife and I adopted her and brought her up as our own daughter. I’ve told her how she came to us and she wishes to find all of her siblings.’
Albert then gave him an edited version of what had happened, but mentioned no names. By the time he’d finished talking, Tommy’s head was bowed, and when he glanced up, there was a suspicion of tears in his eyes. ‘Do you love her?’
‘I couldn’t love her more if she were my natural daughter.’
Tommy studied Albert with a curious gleam in his eyes. Then he smiled and the tears miraculously vanished. ‘You’re a posh gent, mate, so how did you manage to tame her. She did love a good scrap.’
‘She still does.’ Albert’s expression remained serious. ‘I have had to write numerous letters of apology.’
Slapping the table in glee, Tommy roared. ‘You ain’t changed her that much, then?’
‘We’ve never tried. Queenie, or Eleanor as we have always called her, is a unique person, loving, loyal, with strong opinions. We have always encouraged her to think for herself, to express her views without fear, and to be the person she was born to be. I could not have wished for a finer daughter.’
‘You’ve done well by her.’ Tommy held out the packet of cigarettes. ‘Can I keep these?’
Albert nodded. ‘I’m afraid I will not allow her to come here, as much as she wants to see you.’
‘Oh, no!’ Tommy shook his head vigorously. ‘You mustn’t let her come to a place like this. Can I write to her, though?’
‘I’m afraid not. I’m not prepared to give you any further information until I’ve looked in to your case.’ That was crafty of Tommy, but Albert wasn’t fooled. By showing concern for his sister, he had tried to get their address.
Tommy gave a resigned shrug. ‘I’m sorry I had a go at you.’
‘You would do well to hold that temper in check.’
‘I know.’ Tommy grimaced. ‘It keeps getting me into trouble. I always did explode easily.’
Standing up, Albert paused for a moment. ‘Will you tell me who the other men were? I promise they will never know the information came from you. I do have connections, but I’m making no promises that I can help you.’
Tommy glanced anxiously at the two guards, and then whispered two names, adding where they lived.
‘I’ll do what I can for you.’ Albert wrote down the names on a piece of paper from his pocket.
Tommy hauled himself out of the chair. ‘Tell Queenie that I’m relieved to know she’s all right.’
‘Of course. Do you happen to know where Bert and Harry might be?’
‘Bert always said he was going to America, but we all thought it was daft. He was a dreamer, but I hope he made it.’ Tommy sighed. ‘Harry just seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. He walked out the door and we never saw him again.’ Tommy hesitated at the door. ‘I really am pleased to know about my little sister.’
Albert watched the door as it closed, hearing the clunk of the locks, then turned, eager to get out of the depressing place. That boy was a fool. He had thrown away ten years of his life. He’d had very little chance in life, by the look of him, but he would have even less now. He would always be labelled a criminal.
Hailing a cab, Albert gave the address of a friend who was a lawyer. He knew he was wasting his time, but he had promised to try. He was not completely convinced that the boy was beyond reform. Or was it just that he didn’t want to admit that one of his beloved daughter’s brothers was a hardened criminal?
Resting his head against the back of the seat, Albert thought over the meeting, allowing the sway of the cab and clip-clop of the horse’s hooves to relax him. He must let Mr Steadman know that Tommy mentioned Bert’s dream of going to America. It was a hopeful lead, but there would be little chance of finding him in America. It was a big country.
When Eleanor had declared that she wanted to see all of her brothers and sisters, he had never expected his reaction to meeting them. Because they were related to Eleanor, he felt that they were his responsibility, that he owed them something; the same chance in life he and Mary had given that little girl. He swore under his breath. Henry was right, this was crazy, but he couldn’t turn back now unless Eleanor decided to stop, and he knew she was never going to do that. Thank God there were only two more, and the chances of tracing them were extremely slim.
The cab stopped outside a fashionable house in Bloomsbury. Albert paid off the driver, and knocked at the door, hoping Joshua Hargreaves was at home. He was lucky, and was quickly shown into the library. As usual, a mountain of papers surrounded his friend.
‘Why don’t you leave that all at the office?’ Albert asked, amused.
Josh held out his hand. ‘There isn’t enough room. The place is full to the ceiling. Good to see you, Albert. What brings you here?’
‘I’ve been visiting a Tommy Bonner in Pentonville prison, and was wondering if you know anything about the case. Robbery with violence.’
‘Bonner …? The name’s familiar.’ Josh began to sort through files on his desk, and when that proved fruitless, he started on the heap on the floor. ‘What’s your interest, Albert?’
‘When we adopted Eleanor her name was Bonner, and he’s one of her brothers.’
Josh’s face appeared from under the desk. ‘Ah, you’ve told her then.’
‘Yes, and she wants to trace all her siblings. There were nine, but two are dead. We’ve found five so far, and that includes Tommy.’
‘He must have come as a nasty shock.’ Josh heaved himself upright and began on more papers piled high on a chair. ‘What are the others like?’
‘Decent and hardworking.’
‘How did your beautiful girl take the news?’
‘She was very upset at first, but she has accepted it. Any hope I had that she would leave things there were soon dashed.’ Albert lifted his hands in a resigned gesture. ‘But you know Eleanor.’
‘Indeed I do.’ Josh chuckled. ‘A most determined young lady. Pity she wasn’t a boy, for she would have made a fine lawyer. Ah –’ he held up a file in triumph – ‘I thought I knew the name, but I didn’t handle the case myself.’
Albert waited while his friend read through the notes, shaking his head from time to time, and muttering under his breath. Then he tossed the file on his desk and sat down, pursing his lips. ‘One of our young lawyers took on the defence, but there was little he could do with the evidence against Bonner, even though he was denying he carried out the attack.’ He turned a couple of pages. ‘He had a fair trial, Albert.’
‘He’s still saying that he’s innocent of the assault.’
‘They all say that, but the evidence against him was overwhelming.’
‘Tommy told me that there were two other men with him, and they attacked the man while he was trying to open the safe. They fled, leaving Tommy to take the rap.’
‘And you believe him?’
‘I don’t know what to believe, but he did give me two names.’
‘Let me see them.’ Josh held out his hand.
‘Bonner doesn’t want it known that he has given these men away.’
‘Obviously.’ Josh wiggled his fingers. ‘I’ll be discreet.’
Albert handed over the paper, knowing he could trust Josh not to do anything stupid and get Bonner into even more trouble.
Josh grunted. ‘You can safely leave this with me. You have my word that I won’t do anything to harm Bonner, or upset Eleanor.’
Albert relaxed, relieved that he’d kept his word and it was now out of his hands. ‘We’re holding a celebration on Saturday week in honour of Eleanor’s eighteenth birthday. We hope you will be able to join us?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Stay for lunch, Albert?’
He readily agreed, looking forward to a relaxing couple of hours with his friend.