‘Where’re we going?’ Lily ran alongside Johnny towards the bottom of the square. Most of the houses were brimming over with people. Women were standing in their doorways with lamp or candlelight behind them, calling out to men who were idling about in the dark road. ‘Where are Ted and Daisy?’
‘I’ve left Ted at ’hostelry where we’ve been stopping. Daisy went back to ’Walkers’. She said she’d leave and come wi’ us.’ He glanced at her. ‘If you were coming too.’
‘Mrs Walker won’t let her leave. Not straight away. And she’ll kick up a fuss. She’s not quite right in her head, poor woman.’ She pondered for a moment, not answering his implied question. ‘We’d best go there first, and then I want to see Rena and Lizzie and her new bairn.’
‘And then?’ he queried. ‘What then?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said, shuddering. Would Jamie come looking for her? What would she do next and where would she go? With Johnny, or to live a solitary unloved life?
‘Would you come back to Hollym? We were happy there – we could start again. Get a little house.’ He hadn’t told her that after selling some of the amber he now had some money to his name.
Lily slowed to walking pace. ‘We can’t go back. And anyway, you don’t know what it was like. You were hardly ever there.’ She stopped and put her hands to her head. ‘I don’t know what to do. I feel that there must be summat – something I can do to help women who’ve come to rock bottom in their lives, just as I did. I keep seeing Angelina’s face.’ When she saw his puzzled expression, she explained. ‘That girl back at ’house. She was so frightened and she reminded me of Alice. My poor Alice.’ She started to sob. ‘She was lovely, just as Angelina is now, yet she got diseased and she got consumption, and then she died. And she was so young!’
‘It happens,’ he said quietly. ‘All ’world over.’
‘But don’t you see,’ she cried passionately. ‘There should be more done to help them! Like Hope House, where I was sent. If onny there were more places like that. Where young women could find refuge and weren’t at ’mercy of men!’
‘Who pays for summat like that?’ he asked. ‘Where does ’money come from?’
‘I don’t know. Donations, I think,’ she said vaguely. ‘And people like Dr Fulton give their services free. And there are women who run the house, sort of matrons and housekeepers, and they help young women to find other work or go back home if they can.’ She sighed. ‘I heard they were trying to buy another house because there’s such a need. So many young women in desperate situations!’
‘Is that what you’d like to do if you had ’money? Wouldn’t you rather have a little house of your own?’
‘At one time, yes,’ she said. ‘That’s what I wanted more than anything. But now …’ She turned to him. ‘I’ve seen decent young women having to sell themselves in order to live. And it’s a downward path, Johnny. They think that it’ll onny be for a short time till they get some money together. But it never is. They can never earn enough to get out, especially if they owe a man like Jamie.’ She took a breath and exhaled. ‘So if I ever came into money I’d use it to try to save some of these girls.’
Johnny said nothing. He didn’t want his newfound wealth to be spent on women he didn’t know, deserving or not. He wanted to set up a business, provide Lily and his children with security to make up for the years when he had let her down. He strode by her side as she hurried past St Mary’s, which was in darkness, and Holy Trinity, whose windows were dimly lit, and on towards King Street. The street traders had gone, their empty stalls ghostly in the gaslight, but the local hostelries were brimming over with revellers, some of whom were spilling out on to the pavements.
The chemist’s shop was closed, and a low-lit oil lamp glowed dimly in a back room. Lily tapped on the door and peered through the glass. Presently an inner door opened and Oliver Walker came through. He drew back the bolts and turned the key and opened the door. ‘Can I help you?’ he began, and then recognized Lily. ‘Mrs Maddeson!’ he said. ‘I’m afraid my father isn’t in.’
He looks agitated, Lily thought. He’s upset about something. ‘I wondered if I might have a word with Daisy.’
‘She’s with my mother,’ he said. ‘My mother is unwell and Father has gone to fetch a doctor. Would you like to come in?’
Lily hesitated. ‘I’ll come back,’ she said. ‘If your mother’s ill she’ll not want anybody else with her.’ She bit on her lip. ‘Is Daisy looking after her? It’s not anything infectious?’
‘No, it’s not. Mother is rather overwrought,’ he murmured. ‘She – she doesn’t want anyone else to be with her but Daisy.’ He looked at her reassuringly. ‘She’s bearing up very well – Daisy, I mean – and Father won’t be long.’
‘All right.’ Lily nodded. ‘I’ll come back. I, erm, Daisy will probably be leaving.’ She made the decision. She’d move Daisy no matter what. There was something not quite right in this household.
‘I’m sure that would be for the best,’ Oliver agreed. ‘In fact …’ He hesitated as if unsure whether to explain. ‘That is the reason my mother is unwell. Daisy told her that she would probably be handing in her notice. They’re in my mother’s bedroom with the door locked.’
‘Then we’ll wait.’ Johnny spoke up. ‘When your father gets back with ’doctor we’ll force ’door.’
‘This is Daisy’s father,’ Lily explained, seeing the startled expression on Oliver’s face. ‘He wants to take her back to Hollym, our old village.’
‘You’d better come in and wait,’ the young man said, and Lily felt some sympathy for him. He must have been anxious about his mother.
‘Can I go up?’ Lily asked. ‘Just to see if everything’s all right.’
Oliver agreed and led the way upstairs to his mother’s room and knocked on the door. ‘Mother,’ he called. ‘Mrs Maddeson is here. She’d like to speak to Daisy.’
‘Well she can’t,’ Mrs Walker called back. ‘Daisy doesn’t want to speak to her.’
‘I do. I do.’ They heard Daisy’s answering piping voice. ‘Ma! I want to come home!’
Johnny moved both Oliver and Lily out of the way and put his shoulder to the door. It was quite firm; a good solid door. He stood back and with a great heave he put his foot to it and felt the lock break. Another heave with his shoulder and the door crashed open and they saw Daisy and Mrs Walker sitting on the edge of the bed.
‘Oliver! What’s happening? Oliver!’ They heard Charles Walker in the shop below and he came running upstairs, followed by Dr Fulton. ‘Mrs Maddeson! I’m so very sorry. Is Daisy all right?’
Lily nodded. Daisy was sobbing in Johnny’s arms and Mrs Walker was gazing vacantly into space.
‘Poor woman,’ Lily murmured as she, Daisy and Johnny trudged across to Rena’s. ‘I hope she’ll be all right. I’ve heard tell that those asylums are terrible places.’
‘He’ll send her to ’best there is,’ Johnny said quietly. ‘It’ll onny be for a short time. They’ll mebbe give her electric shock treatment to bring her back to normal.’ He heaved a breath. On his travels he’d seen people with a craving for opium and Mrs Walker looked to him as if she had had quite a large dose. He’d helped the doctor to put her into his carriage whilst Mr Walker and his son had looked on helplessly.
Lily and Daisy went into Rena’s to visit Lizzie and admire the new baby whilst Johnny waited outside. When they emerged half an hour later, Lily said, ‘Daisy wants to stop wi’ me. I expect that Ted will go back to Hollym with you.’
‘But where will you go?’ he stammered. ‘Where will you live? Lily! Please!’
She sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Johnny, but I can’t go back. Billy Fowler’s there for one thing and if I saw him I think I’d be tempted to kill him.’ She looked at him and saw despair. ‘And I’m not free, am I? Whose wife am I? Yours or his? You can sort that out, because—’ Her voice broke. ‘I can’t.’
‘Where will you go?’ he said miserably. ‘What will you do?’
‘I’m going back to Hope House,’ she said. ‘I’ll tek Daisy with me, and I’m going to ask if I can work there.’
Johnny trudged back towards the hostelry where he’d left Ted. He felt more dejected and dispirited than he had ever done, even during his captivity with the Sikhs. How could he win Lily back? How could they ever start again?
‘Hey! Hey you!’ somebody shouted and he automatically lifted his head and looked across the street. It was that pup Jamie shouting to an old woman. Johnny watched, his eyes narrowing, and then he walked towards them.
‘You old hag,’ Jamie was saying. ‘Don’t you come near my place again! Do you hear?’
‘I hear you, you little toad,’ she answered back, and Johnny recognized Mrs Flitt. ‘Don’t you tell me what to do! I do as I like. Not that I’ll ever set foot through your door. Why would I want to?’
She flinched as Jamie came towards her with his fists raised and put her skinny arms up in defence. ‘Don’t you touch me,’ she screeched, ‘or I’ll yell for ’constable and I’ll tell what you’re up to, you dirty little pander.’
She ducked as his fist came down, but he yelped as Johnny caught his arm and wrenched it back, hearing his shoulder click.
‘You’ve broke my arm,’ Jamie shrieked. ‘You’ve damned well broke it. You! You owe me money. You never paid for that whore Lily.’
He shrieked again and staggered as Johnny’s left fist struck his chin. ‘That’s my wife you’re calling a whore,’ Johnny growled, shoving his other fist in his stomach.
Jamie retched. ‘Well, that’s what she is!’ He doubled over in pain. ‘And she’s not your wife. I met her husband and he was more than willing to be rid of her.’
Johnny grabbed him by the neck and putting his face close to Jamie’s said menacingly, ‘Don’t ever breathe her name again, and don’t ever threaten this old woman or I’ll come after you. I mean it. Don’t think I won’t. Now get out of my sight. Hop it to whichever sewer you came from.’
Mrs Flitt dusted herself down. ‘Thank you very much, sir,’ she said. ‘Much obliged.’ She peered at him. ‘It’s Miss Lily’s husband, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Johnny murmured, giving a wry smile. She was a tough old biddy and no mistake. ‘Where’re you off to?’
‘To ’workhouse,’ she said. ‘I was on my way there. I’ll get a bed and a bit o’ food. I’ll stop ower winter and then – well, I’ll see what happens. If I survive, that is. When you see Lily, will you tell her? Tell her I’ll be all right and that I hope as it works out for both of you.’
Johnny’s eyes glistened. ‘I’ll tell her.’ He swallowed. ‘When I see her.’ He turned about and walked in the direction of the hostelry. ‘Well,’ he muttered, ‘I’ve got my son. And if I want my wife and daughter back I’ll have to prove myself.’ But first, he thought, I have to confront that blackguard Fowler.