India Dark (22 page)

‘Why do there have to be sides? Why can't we all be friends?'

‘Because sometimes you have to choose,' said Tilly.

I bit my lip and thought of how Tilly twisted everything I'd said, how Ruby was turning back to her old, troublesome self. ‘Then I choose the truth.' I turned to Lionel and said, ‘Let them sit with the babies. Why should anyone care? I'll sit next to Lizzie.'

I didn't look back as I followed Lionel through the rattling carriages, back to Lizzie and Mr Arthur.

40

NAKED TRUTHS

Poesy Swift

I tried to keep my distance from Tilly and Ruby as we sat on our trunks in the cool dawn, waiting for Mr Arthur and the men to organise bullock carts for the sets and costumes and carriages for us. Bombay Railway Station was the grandest we'd seen yet, more a palace than a place where trains came and went, but I was so miserable it might just as well have been a slum.

When we walked into the foyer of Watson's Hotel I wandered away from everyone, into the hotel's grand atrium. Guests were seated at little tables, enjoying tea and tiffin, and gazing up at the Indian sky. When I was called back to the group, I realised I should have stayed with Lizzie. Mr Arthur had lumped me back in with Ruby and Tilly, along with Iris, Daisy and Flora. I dragged my feet as we trudged upstairs to our room. The others flung themselves on their beds but I went straight to the big French doors that opened onto lacy cast-iron balconies. I stood outside, feeling the morning breeze drift up from the water.

Even though I was cross with her, I know what happened next wasn't Tilly's fault. Mr Arthur was very pale when he came and ordered Tilly, Ruby and me to come to his room. For a moment I thought it was because of what had happened between us on the train but then Mr Arthur pulled up a seat in front of us and his face grew very serious.

‘Now, my dear girls,' he began, ‘I know this has not been the easiest of tours. I know there have been moments where some of you', and here he looked pointedly at Ruby, ‘have wished to go home. But I also believe you are serious young actresses who are committed to your craft.'

We looked at each other, mystified. What on earth had happened?

‘Downstairs, in the dining room, the Police Commissioner is waiting to interview you. He asked specifically for you three girls. Apparently, someone in Melbourne wrote to the Police Commissioner saying that he should investigate the troupe and that “acts of cruelty” have been perpetrated against you and mentioned each of your names.

‘I know there have been times when you have deemed me harsh, but I have always acted in your best interests. And I expect you to act with the best interests of the troupe at heart and defend our integrity. If the Police Commissioner feels there are grounds for it, he will end our season. And here we are in the best hotel in Bombay with heavy bookings for all of this week's performances. You simply cannot let the other children down and deny them this, and you cannot let yourselves down either, especially you, Ruby.'

Tilly and I both looked at Ruby.

‘If it comes out what you did in Penang, running away with a sailor, it is not the Lilliputians who will be judged, it is you, your decency and your moral integrity.'

Ruby looked down at her skirt and picked at a loose thread.

‘Is that understood?' asked Mr Arthur. ‘By each one of you?'

We nodded mutely and followed him down the wide staircase. I could feel my heart racing, pounding against my chest like a frightened bird, as if at any moment my ribs would break and the bird would fly out into the hot Bombay street.

Mr Arthur left us standing in the foyer while he went to speak with the Police Commissioner.

‘What am I going to do?' said Ruby. ‘If my father finds out about what happened in Georgetown, he'll kill me! Tilly, you mustn't breathe a word. We have to put a good face on it. Even if it means covering up for that sneaking ass of a Butcher.'

‘I hope this isn't because of the letter I wrote to Ma,' said Tilly. ‘I told her how badly the Butcher was treating you and asked her to send for me, but I never heard from her. She was probably so sozzled when she read the letter that she simply forgot she'd received it. You know what she's like.'

‘You didn't tell her about Penang?' asked Ruby, distraught.

‘No, of course I didn't. Maybe Max and Freddie's ma wrote. She's got a fine temper and she'd be furious that she hasn't been getting her sixty shillings.'

‘Then why aren't Max and Freddie here? Why does the Commissioner want to speak to me?' I asked.

They both looked at me as if they had forgotten I was there.

Tilly grabbed my hands. ‘It doesn't matter why they've asked you along. You've simply got to help. For Ruby's sake. I'm sorry if you think we were beastly to you on the train,' she added, more as an afterthought than because she meant it. ‘But it's time to stick together.'

I drew a deep breath and looked from one to the other. ‘All right, for Ruby's sake,' I said.

By the time we were all sitting before the Police Commissioner and his secretary, I had to fold my hands, one over the other, to stop them from trembling. Mr Arthur stood behind us, listening to every word we spoke. I didn't want to tell a lie but I didn't want to betray Mr Arthur and the troupe either or get Ruby into trouble. I didn't know then that lying is easier than truth-telling.

I watched Tilly and Ruby transform themselves into different people when they spoke to the Commissioner. That's when I knew they were real actresses and that perhaps I'd never be very good at performing. When the Commissioner asked them if they were happy with the way they were treated they simply crooned with satisfaction. You would have thought they'd never had a troubled moment in their lives.

But when he turned to me, I fumbled for words.

‘I'm not sure why you wanted to see me, sir,' I said, my voice no more than a whisper. ‘Mr Arthur has shown me nothing but kindness.'

‘Miss Swift,' said the Police Commissioner. ‘This letter, accusing your manager of mistreatment, is from Mrs Agnes Niall. She is extremely concerned for your welfare.'

For a split second, I couldn't think who he was talking about. And then it hit me, as if I'd been slapped. Yada. How could she!

I saw the look of shock on Tilly's face. Her mother hadn't bothered to write at all but she must have told Yada what Tilly had written. Ruby was staring so hard at me I could feel her fear. I didn't want her to think I had told Yada about her troubles. I took a deep breath, as if I was relieved, and then I laughed.

‘Oh my granny,' I said breathlessly. ‘She's such a silly old thing! She has fits, you see, where she's not quite right in the head. She gets ideas about things and won't let them go. Oh, and she can have such an evil temper. She is a trial to my mother, I assure you, sir. Mother knew coming away with the Lilliputians was a great opportunity for me but Yada got in a fuddle about it all. She's simply not right in the head.'

The Police Commissioner looked taken aback by how quickly the words tumbled out of me. He glanced down at the letter before him again.

‘Your grandmother writes with great clarity,' he said, ‘saying she has heard from a most reliable informant that the children in the troupe have been subjected to cruel and unnecessary punishments. She particularly mentions Miss Sweeney and Miss Kelly.'

‘I don't know what she's talking about,' I said. ‘It's typical of her to take a perfectly innocent remark from one of the other girls' mothers and grow completely muddled. She is not to be relied upon. My mother knows what a fine thing it is for all of us to be travelling the world and learning a trade.'

I could feel my cheeks grow flushed as my mock outrage grew.

‘Why, this is a terrible thing my granny has done, to trouble responsible people like yourselves. I shall go upstairs and write to Mumma immediately and tell her exactly how meddlesome my granny has been!'

‘And may I suggest, Miss Sweeney and Miss Kelly,' said the Police Commissioner, obviously annoyed that his time had been wasted, ‘that you also write to your mothers and reassure them that you are being well treated by your employer.'

‘I'm not sure . . .' began Tilly, but I interrupted her. I could see her having second thoughts.

‘What she means is that she's sure that Mrs Sweeney isn't worried. If she was, she would have written to you herself, wouldn't she?'

As we farewelled the Police Commissioner in the foyer of the hotel and turned to walk up the stairs, Mr Arthur pinched my cheek playfully.

‘You were wonderful, little Poesy,' he said. ‘You have saved the day.'

Tilly and Ruby walked ahead of us and I slowed my pace so that Mr Arthur and I fell further behind them.

‘I think you deserve a reward for your loyalty, young lady. What say you to coming out on a little shopping expedition with Miss Eliza and myself this afternoon? I believe a new hat to cover your fair hair from this south Indian sun is just the ticket.'

At the landing, Tilly and Ruby turned to stare at me and I felt the heat of all the lies I'd told rush to my head. I felt the shame of speaking badly of Yada and all the loving concern that must have gone into her letter, but I held my head up high and turned to Mr Arthur. ‘That would be lovely, Mr Arthur, thank you.'

Back in our room, Tilly slammed the door and made Daisy and Flora jump with fright.

‘We just made a terrible mistake,' she said.

‘You had to help me,' said Ruby.

‘The truth would have helped all of us. Can't you see? The Butcher will blackmail you forever if you let him.'

Ruby burst into tears and flung herself onto her bed.

‘He wasn't blackmailing Ruby,' I said, ‘he was trying to protect her.'

Tilly stomped across the room and kicked the French doors to the balcony wide open. ‘We should have dobbed him in,' she said. She scowled at the busy street below. ‘He's been a beast and we sat there and lied through our teeth to protect him. We should have told the truth and been done with all this.'

‘I was protecting Ruby,' I said softly. ‘And besides, Mr Arthur hasn't been that beastly. Only when we misbehave.'

‘Now that's rich. You've become such a fine liar you can lie to yourself as well. Or perhaps you knew your lies would buy you a new hat?'

Her words flew into me like sharp little darts.

‘You should have told him about the trains,' said Daisy, adding her bit. ‘It wasn't very nice that Mr Arthur made me hide under the seats on the way to Allahabad. The policeman should have punished him for that.'

‘And it wasn't nice that he wouldn't buy us new clothes,' said Flora. ‘Poesy's getting a new hat but we haven't had any pretty new dresses, only everyone's old hand-me-downs.'

Suddenly, Tilly turned around and her face grew very sly and cat-like. ‘It's too hot for clothes anyway. You don't want to nap in those old shifts, do you, little darlings?'

That's the last thing I heard her say before I left the room to meet up with Lizzie and Mr Arthur. So although I don't blame Tilly for the Police Commissioner coming to see us, I don't doubt for an instant that Tilly was behind Flora and Daisy's shamelessness.

Mr Arthur, Lizzie and I were crossing the Esplanade after a lovely afternoon of shopping and icecream treats when we heard a faint childish song drifting on the air. There they were, Flora and Daisy, on the third floor above the street, dancing as naked as two little birds. They'd not a stitch on their plump white bodies. The balcony was their own tiny stage and everyone in the street below was frozen in surprise, faces turned upwards to watch the spectacle. Even the coolies stopped their jennyrickshaws and the
dhobi
s put down their loads of laundry. Motorcars, carriages, gharries, bullock carts and every person perambulating along the Esplanade stopped in their tracks. Everyone watched.

Suddenly the breeze brought the song down to the ears of the audience. Daisy and Flora sang at the top of their voices, ‘Old man Percival lived in a shoe, he had so many children he didn't know what to do, he gave them all broth without any bread, then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.' They wiggled their chubby bottoms at the crowd below and hooted with laughter.

Mr Arthur turned bright red and shoved the hatbox he was carrying into Lizzie's hands. Then he ran. Lizzie turned to me and covered her mouth with her hand. We knew we should both be scandalised but we had to fight the urge to giggle. Later that evening, I realised there was nothing to laugh about.

41

BETWEEN THE CRACKS

Poesy Swift

The little ones were hysterical when Mr Arthur threatened to cut off all their hair, and Daisy wet her bloomers. When he threatened the same to Tilly, she kept that cat-like smirk on her face the whole time.

‘Even if he shaved my head, it would be worth it,' she said, as we headed out to the theatre that night. ‘Of course, he's only bluffing. We'd look so wretched bald it would ruin the show and he knows it.'

‘Oh Tilly,' said Ruby, laughing. ‘You are such a devil.'

Tilly grew even more cheerful when she spotted the Bartons in the audience that night. They had brought a party of friends and they sat in a booth to the right of the stage. We performed
The Belle of New York
and Tilly played the lead, Violet Gray. It was a lovely role because you had the chance to be nice, naughty and noble, changing from one moment to the next.

In the first act, we dressed as Salvation Army girls while Tilly led us in ‘They All Follow Me'. And it was true. We did follow her. She was especially good when she sang ‘At Ze Naughty Folies Bergère'. She could be so wickedly grown-up when she flashed her ankles. When we came to the finale, Tilly turned towards the Bartons' booth and curtseyed for them, as if they were royalty.