Ruby McBride (40 page)

‘Yes, I do know. Bart told me.’

‘And no doubt he also told you why he’d left home, and that we’d not parted on the best of terms.’

‘He said something of the matter, yes, but I’m not sure that it is any of my business. I only came to ...’

‘Too damn’ right it’s none of your business! None whatsoever. By heck, but he had poor choice when it came to women. First a piddling grocer’s lass and then you. Which bush did he drag you out from under?’

Ruby could hardly believe what she was hearing. She certainly had no intention of pretending to be what she wasn’t, but she met his accusing gaze with as much dignity as she could muster. ‘As a matter of fact, he found me in the reformatory.’

Giles Pickering snorted his derision. ‘Aye, he would. That’s typical of him, that is. Daft bugger. ‘Always did have a soft heart when it came to a pretty face. For all I know you could have stolen that pendant from Jess. We’d assumed a sneak thief had got into the house. She was proper cut up about it when the police failed to catch him.’

Now Ruby was on her feet too, indignant colour flaring upon each cheek and the pair faced each other across the mahogany desk, open animosity on Pickering’s face, a mixture of defiance and dismay on Ruby’s. ‘I never did anything of the sort. Bart took it himself, if you want to know.’

In that moment everything finally slid into place. Bart had taken the pendant from the dressing table because it had once belonged to his mother. No doubt he believed that he’d more right to it than the woman who had supplanted her. Jessica must have been his father’s second wife, perhaps his mistress before his first wife died. No wonder Bart had known where the study was, and that he’d been careful to wear a disguise.

‘Even my rapscallion son wouldn’t be so soft as to give away his mother’s heirloom. He worshipped the ground she walked on. And you can kiss goodbye to any hopes you might have had for that son of yours. Oh aye, I know all about him. Tommy, isn’t it? Well, so far as I’m concerned he’s no relation to me. He’s no doubt a by-blow of that no-good-piece of rubbish who came to sell me the piece in the first place.’

Ruby’s mouth dropped open. ‘He’s your grandson!’

‘Not unless I say he is. And I don’t say any such thing. He’s nothing to do with me. Not my responsibility, and neither are you.’ He wagged a finger at her. ‘So if you think you can smarm your way in here and have me grease your palm with silver, you’ve mistaken your man this time round, madam. I suggest you take yourself off home, before I call the constabulary.’

‘Don’t worry, I’m going.’ Ruby marched to the door, pausing with her hand on the brass knob. ‘I came here for your help because Kit Jarvis, that no-good-piece-of-rubbish as you call him, is making my life a misery as well as damaging all the other carriers by undercutting them. I can see now that
you
probably put him up to it. Which means your grandson’s livelihood is at risk, but clearly you don’t care about that either. I didn’t come here for any of your money. It never entered my head, and as for the pendant, I never thought it particularly valuable in the first place. I just loved it because Bart gave it to me. And now he’s dead, so…’ She could say no more. Her throat closed, choked with emotion, her eyes filling with tears. Ruby valiantly drew breath and finished what she had to say. ‘I can see now why Bart left home. You’re a nasty, mean, selfish old man who deserves to be left all alone, even by your own son. And I certainly don’t want mine anywhere near you. Good day to you, sir.’

She was vastly proud of the fact that she didn’t even slam the door.

As Ruby walked briskly home, ignoring the tram in the hope that the fresh air might help to cool her temper, she suddenly began to laugh as she recalled how the woman, Jess, had flirted with Bart, not recognising her own stepson. But then the laughter changed to tears.

Bart had given her the pendant. The fact that it had once belonged to his beloved mother somehow made the gift infinitely more precious, and even more painful that she had lost it. Did that mean that perhaps he had cared for her a little, after all? Oh Bart, if only we could start all over again, she thought. She had lost more than she’d realised that day. A love that could never be regained.

The Friday following her visit to Giles Pickering, they suffered yet another `accident’, on a return trip from Liverpool. A load of timber broke free from the strap securing it, and a third of
Blackbird’s
cargo was lost, not to mention a good deal of time wasted before they managed to make the rest of the load secure. Nor did they catch the culprit. Jackdaw heard running feet and gave chase, but could see nothing in the darkness.

The following morning as they tied up at Trafford Wharf, Kit strolled over. ‘Dear, dear. Having problems, are you?’

‘As if you didn’t know,’ Ruby drily remarked.

‘You should take more care. The canal system is a dangerous place for a woman. Anything can happen.’

Ruby spoke through gritted teeth. ‘Is that some sort of threat?’

‘As if
I
would threaten
you
. Why, yer like family to me, being Pearl’s sister. No, I just wondered if you’d like me to ask around for you, see if I can get wind of who’s causing all this trouble?’ His face was a picture of innocence as he smiled at her.

‘No, thanks, I can manage.’ She walked away from him, determined not to get involved in an argument. But to her great annoyance, he followed her.

‘Make it worth me while and I’d see you were safe in future, Ruby.’

‘Oh, and how would you achieve that, I wonder?’

He grasped her by the elbow, pulling her to a halt. ‘Whatever you’ve suffered so far is nowt to what could happen. Believe me, life could get pretty nasty for a woman alone on these waters.’

‘Ah, but I’m not alone. I have Sparky and Jackdaw with me at all times.’ She tried to pull her arm free, but he was holding her so tightly there was no hope of escape.

‘Lot of good they’ll do you. You know, of course, that there are some nasty rumours doing the rounds about what exactly did happen to your husband? It wouldn’t do your business any good at all were they to get wind of the truth: that it was you who pushed him overboard.’

Ruby gasped. ‘You know very well that’s not how it was.’

He gave a sad little shake of his head. ‘Aye, but since there were no witnesses, who’s to say? Then, having got yer hands on his boats, you sent me to sell that pendant. Now, having spent all of that money, you’re now after the insurance money on the tug and barges, which no doubt your careful husband was astute enough to take out, which would nicely compensate for these so-called “accidents” to your boat.’

‘Dear heaven, you’re trying to blackmail me!’

‘Now that’s not a nice word, Ruby.’ He chuckled softly as he drew her closer. ‘I’m trying to help you, pet. All you have to do is hand over them barges to me, which is only right and proper after the fuss and bother I went to. Oh, we’ll make it look as if I’ve paid you a fair price, on paper that is. Not what you’d get on the open market, of course, but then you’re not in a position to dictate terms, are you? What with your business going down the sewer after all these careless mistakes you’ve been making. Everyone knows that.’

Ruby was gasping. ‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this. I haven’t made any mistakes. You’re the one deliberately damaging my vessels, and I’ll see that everyone knows it.’

He looked sadly at her. ‘They’d never believe you. They’d only think you were trying to prevent yourself, a reformatory girl, from being accused of murder.’

‘And why would they believe you, a reformatory lad?’

‘Oh, there’d be some who wouldn’t, I’m sure you’re right. But you wouldn’t want to take any risks by arguing the toss, now would you? No, Ruby, I’d say that, all told, your best bet would be to get out of the carrier business altogether. Otherwise things could get very nasty. Very nasty indeed.’

The bare-faced cheek of the man was almost beyond belief, and Ruby told him so, in no uncertain terms, using the kind of reformatory language she hadn’t used in a long while. He simply laughed, finding her fury amusing.

Finally, she managed to wrench her arm free. `You’ll never get your hands on my business. Never! It’s my son’s inheritance. And don’t you
ever
come anywhere near my boats again. If, as I suspect, it’s you who’s damaging my cargo, then make no mistake, we’ll have the police on you.’

He chuckled as he turned to leave. ‘You have to catch me first. Remember what I’ve said, Ruby. Give in gracefully or it’ll be the worse for you.’ And with an arrogant smirk on his handsome face, he stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled away.

Three nights later they were all asleep in their cabins, save for Jackdaw who was on watch, when Ruby woke to the smell of smoke and pandemonium all around her. A window had been smashed and a ball of burning, oily cotton waste thrown inside the tug. In the seconds it took her to grab her coat, the fire had already taken hold in the main cabin. Children were crying, Aggie was having screaming hysterics, and poor Sparky was doing his best to get everyone up and tackle the blaze all at the same time.

‘Tommy, Tommy!’ Ruby was frantic to wake her son. Gathering him into her arms, she fled, almost falling into the water in her terror.

The minute the other children were all safely ashore, Ruby left him in their care and was back beside Sparky, beating at the flames, Aggie and the older children were filling water buckets from the canal for them to throw. But they could see from the start that it was hopeless. They were fighting a losing battle. Nothing could save the tug. It was more than an hour later that they found jackdaw, lying unconscious on the tow path, a pool of blood spreading beneath his battered head. The shock made the loss of the tug and Ruby’s income seem small by comparison.

They believed that Jackdaw must have heard a sound or spotted something moving in the darkness. With his keen senses, he was always the most effective on watch. It was clear that he must have gone after whoever it was, and this had been the result.

Ruby saw red. She left Aggie and Sparky tending to him and, unable to bear the sight of the blackened ruin of her precious boat, she marched off down the tow path, head held high and war in her heart.

Perhaps it was the very depth of her anger that saved her, the fire alight in her now so that nothing would quench it. This matter had to be settled once and for all. Certainly nobody she met on the canal bank that day was in any doubt that she meant business, and every single one of them offered their assistance, which she politely, if somewhat brusquely, refused.

‘I can deal with my own troubles, thanks all the same.’

And she did. She found Kit, as expected, skulking in the messiest pair of barges she’d ever had the misfortune to step aboard. Ruby stepped over one man prostrate on the deck, presumably the worse for drink, and strode the length of the barges with practised ease. The first mate looked on, goggle-eyed, evidently enjoying the show.

Hands on hips she confronted her enemy. ‘So, you’re up to your old tricks again? Not content with cutting the wire on my timber and losing me half my load, now you’ve resorted to arson. Well, let me tell you, Kit Jarvis, this is your last warning. If you ever come within a hundred yards of my tug again, it’ll be your throat that is slit, from ear to ear. Do I make myself clear?’

He was foolish enough to snort his derision.

‘Oh, don’t think I can’t. So far I’ve been very patient. Too patient perhaps. But don’t forget, I’m a reformatory girl too with friends in the right places. Jackdaw was always on at me about being too soft before it all got out of hand. Now he’s the one who has suffered the most because I refused to heed his warning. That was a bad mistake, Kit, attacking your one-time friend. If Jackdaw wasn’t such a hard nut to crack you’d have done for him. It’s a miracle he survived.’ She allowed herself a small smile as she saw uncertainty creep into his blue eyes. ‘I’ll certainly be hard pressed to hold him back now. But then, why should 1 care what he does to you? You’re not the only one who can take revenge. You and Pearl had best watch out.’

‘Huh, I haven’t seen Pearl in months.’

For a moment Ruby was thrown off her stride, but quickly recovering she continued, ‘Be that as it may, my sister must make her own way in the world, as she insists that’s what she wants. What she does with her life is no longer any of my concern. And what you do with yours is your business too. But interfere with me and mine, and you’ll wish you’d never set eyes on Ruby McBride.’

‘I already do,’ he grumbled sourly.

‘Good. Then you’ll think twice before taking me on again. Do your worst, Kit Jarvis, if you dare. Tell your sordid little tale and I’ll tell mine, and we’ll see who they believe. I’m willing to call your bluff. And don’t forget, if anything were to happen to me, Jackdaw and Sparky would know well enough where to coming looking for you. Believe me, there’d be no holds barred. And just to show you that I mean business, how about this for starters.’ Whereupon she picked up the long pole used for hauling the barge through tunnels, and stabbing him in the chest with it, pushed him into the canal. He gave a yell of surprised fright as he toppled backwards into the filthy water. ‘Now why don’t you tell everyone that I shoved you overboard, because that bit would be true, wouldn’t it?’