Daring Masquerade (29 page)

"All right." Ruby lowered her voice. "I'll see what I can do."

How terrible to think a person had to bribe guards to get treated with decency and humanity. What she wouldn't give to be home tucking into some of Mrs. Bates' shortbread. How was Jack faring?

Would Andrew help? Sarah was Virginia's friend, but surely they wouldn't stand by and let an innocent person be jailed for something they hadn't done.

Mid afternoon, she sat in the sewing room helping Ruby sew patches on some sheets, when a guard marched up.

"You've got a visitor. He's waiting in Matron Jones' office."

Andrew, in full uniform, appeared embarrassed and uneasy, but rose to his feet when she entered.

"Hello, Harriet. Jack told me what happened."

"Oh, thank God you're here to get me out of this horrible place."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that, Harriet. These are serious charges you're facing."

"But I'm innocent I tell you. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Inciting men doing important work for the war effort to go on strike. Expressing sympathy for the Germans. What on earth came over you?"

"I didn't, not really. I asked them to stop destroying Devil's Ridge to get the timber. After they set fire to Ross' paddocks they almost burnt the homestead. You're his friend, you have to help me."

"I'd like to help, but Virginia and Sarah are best friends. Think of the scandal. You can see what an awkward position it would put me in. I'm in line for a promotion. A full colonel. Just think of it."

She didn't care about him being made a stupid colonel. "What about me, locked away in this horrible place? Andrew, please. Ross is your friend, you have to help me. There isn't anyone else."

She would have thrown herself at his feet and begged if it would have done any good, but it was useless. Selfish, stuck up snob, he was too scared of scandal to stick up for his friend's wife.

"I understand. Thank you for coming anyway. I'm sorry if I put you in an embarrassing position."

"I've spoken to a lawyer friend of mine and he'll come to see you tomorrow. I'm sure he can clear everything up for you."

He stepped back, ready to go.

"You haven't heard from Ross?" she asked him.

"No, have you?"

"He's in France, but I've only received one letter so far."

"There's been problems with the mail. I understand most of it goes to England first. We've received numerous complaints."

"Andrew, would you do something else for me?"

"What is it?"

"There won't be any risk of scandal attached. I've got a friend, Elsie, can you ask her to try and visit me. I need a few personal items of clothing."

"Oh?"

"Everything happened so quickly, I only have the clothes I stand up in. They've given me this awful dress but nothing else."

"Do you need money?"

"Yes, but I can't take money from you."

"I wish I could help you more, but you understand how it is."

"Yes." Strangely, she pitied him for being so weak. "Ten shillings or a pound would be enough. You can buy a few luxuries on the black market in here if you have money."

"Is that all you need?"

"Yes. If I have too much someone might steal it."

He gave her two ten shilling notes and some two shilling pieces. "I've got a fiver if you want it."

"This will do, thanks." She put the money in her pocket. "You wouldn't happen to have some cigarettes?"

"Good Lord, surely you don't smoke?"

"No." She laughed, wondering how she could. "For barter."

He pulled a packet of tobacco from his pocket and gave it to her. "My friend will be here tomorrow."

"Perhaps he won't want to get mixed up with me either, bad publicity."

A red flush colored his cheeks. "It's different for lawyers. They're used to dealing with sordid controversies."

"Yes, couldn't get much more sordid than a spy and a traitor," she retorted.

"I really am sorry. I have to go now. I'll ring your friend and I'll speak to the woman in charge to make sure they let you see her. I'd like to do more for you, I really would, but—"

She cut him off. "It's all right. I'm grateful for what you have done. Would you contact Jack, tell him I'm all right, he'll just about be out of his mind with worry."

"Yes, he sounded in a terrible state when he rang me. I couldn't understand what he was talking about for a while."

"Andrew, if something happens. I mean the very worst scenario, you'll make sure Ross' baby is safe. That it gets to Devil's Ridge." She couldn't risk the authorities taking it away like they did with Ruby's baby.

"Harriet." His face blanched.

"Swear, on your word of honor, you'll make sure nothing happens to our baby."

"I'm sure it won't come to that."

"Promise. I'm due in October or early November. Please, for Ross' sake. You have to do this for me."

"I'll make sure your baby is safe. On my word of honor. I'm a cowardly swine, but Sarah means everything to me. If I lost my commission in the army I think I'd lose her, too. She likes being an army officer's wife, loves the social life."

"I understand."

Surprisingly, she did. Could even feel pity for him. What a sad, artificial life he led. She told him how to contact Elsie.

"Goodbye, Harriet."

"Goodbye, Andrew. You won't forget your promise, will you?"

"No, I won't forget."

After he left, a guard escorted her back to the sewing room.

"How did it go?" Ruby asked.

"Not so good." She told her friend what had happened.

"Weak bastard."

"I know. Here, I got these off him." She glanced around to make sure no-one watched then slipped the tobacco into Ruby's pocket.

"You don't have to."

"Yes I do. I owe you for getting me in here, for one thing."

"What else did you get out of him?"

"A bit of money and he's arranged for a lawyer to see me tomorrow."

* * *

John Summers, Andrew's friend, turned out to be a short, dapper little man with thinning hair and thick glasses. He spoke with the same plum in the mouth voice as Andrew.

"Well, Mrs. Calvert, I've read through the police reports. You've certainly landed yourself in a fix."

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"Several witnesses gave sworn statements about what you said."

She read through the reports, and rage surged through her. No deliberate lies as such, but the witnesses had lied by omission, and taken what she said completely out of context.

"It isn't like they said. I only wanted to stop them from ruining my husband's property to get access to the forest. They lit a fire and nearly burnt our house down."

"These are very serious allegations. Now I'm sure I could get them reduced, if you entered a guilty plea. After all, you're distraught at your brother's tragic death, your husband is away fighting, and in your delicate condition."

"No. Why should I plead guilty to something I didn't do?"

"I'm trying to help you. If you're convicted on all charges, you risk life in prison or the death penalty."

"I'm innocent."

"The evidence against you is damning."

"It's a set up. Bromley wants to get rid of me."

"Mrs. Calvert, please."

"With Ross away it would..." Her tongue ran away with her again. This man could have also been bribed by Bromley.

"I didn't do anything wrong, so I'm not going to say I did."

"Perhaps it might be better if you got someone else to represent you."

"Yes, good idea," she shot back. "If you don't believe me, how can you expect anyone else to? Thank you for your time. Send your bill to my husband's uncle, care of Andrew, he'll forward it."

"Mrs. Calvert, really."

"I don't want you as my lawyer," she said, furiously.

"If that's the way you feel," he said indignantly, signaling for the guard to escort him out. "I don't think we have anything more to discuss."

"You're right, we don't."

Harry inwardly trembled, her position grew more tenuous by the minute, but no point having a lawyer who did not believe in her. The only thing left to do now was wait for Elsie, and get her to contact Judge Renshaw. Her last hope. If he wouldn't help, she was doomed.

She wanted to cry and scream at the injustice of it all, but forced herself not to break down and give the guards the satisfaction of seeing her broken. Even here in jail many inmates thought her the most despicable woman in the country.

"Look at her," a woman accused in a voice shrill with condemnation. "All la-de-da, and she's helping those Germans kill our boys. My son's in the army."

"For your information, you old cow," Harry retorted angrily, ignoring Ruby's hissed warning. "My husband is away fighting in France, and Gallipoli killed my brother."

"Shut up, for God's sake." Ruby pinched her arm. "Stop drawing attention to yourself. Most of these women hate your guts. They'd like to see you dead."

"Oh, my God." Harry lowered her head.

"Why do you think they keep you in a cell on your own and watch you all the time?"

"Really?" Sick with dread, she swallowed down on a wave of nausea.

"Bloody well keep working. If they take you out of here it will be solitary confinement, you silly little bitch."

"I can't control my tongue. It's what got me in here. I can be so stupid. Why have you befriended me?"

"Curiosity, I've never met a traitor before." She laughed, but her laughter did little to soften the calculated hardness in her eyes. Ruby had lived a hard life and it showed.

"Suppose I felt sorry for you with those other bitches all set to make things bad for you." She shrugged. "You're a fighter. I like that."

"I wouldn't have survived in here without you. It's been terrible." Her hands shook so much she jabbed the sewing needle into her finger. "I have to stop this injustice. To think Ross is away fighting for freedom, and a rich man can tell lies, bribing people to keep me in here, so he can ruin our land."

"Hun lover." A woman deliberately elbowed Harry in the back as she spoke.

Being in prison was terrible, but knowing practically everyone in here hated her was soul destroying.

At meal times Ruby always pushed them to the front of the line so their food was at least warm. For those at the end of the queue, by the time they got their ration it was cold, and often there wasn't much left.

"Kitchen duty is the best job in the prison," Ruby explained. "You need money to get in there, unless Matron Jones takes a liking to you, but then it still costs you."

She did not dare ask what the payment was, in case Ruby told her. She didn't want to hear the words spoken out loud. The food tasted little better than slops, watery stew with a few slivers of meat and a couple of small pieces of vegetable, if you got lucky. No wonder the women looked lean and hungry, many of them with hacking coughs.

An all-prevailing, horrible smell permeated the place, a damp, rank mustiness. In the morning, when a woman came along with a large drum on wheels to empty the night buckets, the stench became so vile in the confined space, Harry dry-retched.

* * *

Two terror filled days passed before Elsie came to visit. No such thing as the privacy of Matron Jones' office as it had been for Andrew and the lawyer. Rank and position obviously counted for something, even in here.

Harry burst into tears on seeing Elsie, even if it was through a barred door. "Andrew contacted you?"

"Yes, Mr. Calvert, too. I can't believe what's happening."

"Listen, Elsie, I don't think they'll give us much time. You have to get on to Judge Renshaw for me. Ross' brother Eric saved his son's life on Gallipoli. He's my last hope now."

Elsie went to squeeze Harry's hand, but jumped back when a guard growled, "No physical contact or the visit will be terminated."

"I don't know where this judge works from, but he lives in Melbourne. I'm relying on you. Don't let me down, will you? I can't survive in here for much longer."

"Don't say that. You're so brave."

"No, I'm not, not in here anyway. These last few days have been an absolute nightmare."

"I bought you a change of underwear and some rose soap. It's not much, but it's all I could afford."

"I didn't mean for you to spend your own money. I'm an ungrateful pig. I'll never be able to repay you."

Elsie shrugged. "I used the money you gave me and I gave everything to the guard. Maybe they thought I might smuggle a knife in to you." She gave a nervous little giggle.

"Have you heard from Ted?"

"A couple of letters from France. He's well."

"I've only had one letter from Ross since he arrived there. He mentioned having leave in Paris."

"Time's up." The guard stomped in to escort Elsie out.

"Thanks for coming, Else."

"Chin up. You can rely on me."

When she received her package, the rose soap was missing, but there was a pair of bloomers and a chemise, so at least the scratchy calico wouldn’t rub against her skin.

* * *

Three days had passed since Elsie's visit, and Harry became demented with worry because there had been no word from Judge Renshaw. What if he wouldn't come? After all, Eric had saved his son, not her. Even Ruby's crude optimism could not lift her from the depression that weighed her down. The fear of being incarcerated for years. Giving birth in prison. Separation from her baby and losing Ross.

"You'll survive, Harry, you've got guts. If you get sick of being married to your officer, come and work for me."

"Ruby!" She laughed. "I couldn't."

"Yes you could. It's not like you haven't been with a man before."

"Ross is my husband and I love him. I couldn't bear to let another man touch me." She shuddered.

"You would if you got hungry enough." Ruby's eyes turned hard with bitterness.

"Is that how you started?"

"More or less. My father was a drunken bastard. When I was about thirteen my mother died and he expected me to take her place."

"What!" Disgust curdled Harry's stomach.