The Beggar Maid (31 page)

‘You don't look very pleased,' Violet said chirpily. ‘It's a fortune if you ask me.'

They stepped outside onto the pavement and Gideon took Charity's hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. ‘I think this calls for a small celebration.'

‘I don't think so, cully.' Bert Chapman emerged from a shop doorway. He barred their way, but when he spotted Violet in her advanced state of pregnancy his mouth dropped open and his eyebrows knotted together over the bridge of his nose. ‘You little slut! You're a bloody disgrace, flaunting your shame for all to see.' He raised his hand as if to strike her, but Gideon stepped in and grabbed him by the wrist.

‘What sort of man would strike a pregnant woman?'

‘An outraged father, that's who.' Bert pushed him away. ‘Vicar or no vicar, I'll not allow you to interfere in family matters.'

‘No, Dad,' Violet cried, clinging to Charity. ‘Don't start a fight.'

Bert grabbed her by the hair. ‘You're coming home with me, my girl. We'll see what you have to say when your interfering friends aren't around.'

‘What's all this?' A police constable strolled up to them, wielding his truncheon in a way that did not invite argument.

‘It's a family matter, constable,' Bert said gruffly. ‘This here is my daughter and I'm taking her home. She's fallen in with a bad lot and look what come of it.' He jerked his head in the direction of Violet's swollen belly. ‘A good girl she was until she got in with that young madam.'

‘How dare you?' Charity stormed. ‘Don't touch her, you brute. I've been taking care of this girl, officer. That man may be her father, but he'll beat her senseless when he gets her home.'

‘That's a lie,' Bert roared. ‘And if I want to chastise me daughter that's up to me.'

Violet began to sob hysterically as her father tried to pull her away. ‘Don't let him take me!'

Gideon faced up to the constable. ‘Officer, you can see that the young lady is distraught. I beg you to intervene and allow her to return home with her friend.'

‘I can't interfere in a domestic matter, vicar. You should know better than to ask, if you don't mind me saying so.'

‘I do mind, as it happens.' Gideon took a swing at Bert and caught him a hefty punch on the jaw. Bert was a big man and the blow was not hard enough to knock him down, but it caught him off balance and he staggered, letting go of Violet as he blundered into a group of people who had just emerged from the saleroom.

‘Run,' Gideon shouted above the raised voices as people demanded that the constable stop the fracas. Bert lunged at Gideon and the constable swung his baton, hitting out at both of them.

Charity seized Violet by the hand and ran.

Violet had been put to bed with a stone bottle filled with hot water at her feet, and although she was shaken and upset she seemed none the worse for the headlong flight from the auction house. Charity was in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea, which was Mrs Diment's panacea for all ills, and Dorrie had been set to peel vegetables to add to the beef bones that were simmering on the hob.

Mrs Diment sipped her tea, relating gory accounts of miscarriages that had been brought about by quite trivial incidents, but Charity tried not to listen. She was more worried by the fact that Bert must have found out where they lived, and she knew that an altercation with the police would not be enough to stop him coming for Violet at the first possible opportunity. He must, she thought, have followed her home, or perhaps he had made enquiries in the area and someone had recognised her description. In the end it did not matter how he had discovered their whereabouts; the problem was what to do next.

‘When will we get the five guineas?' Mrs Diment asked, having apparently exhausted her supply of horror stories relating to childbirth.

‘I'll collect it from the counting house tomorrow morning.'

Mrs Diment's wrinkles creased into a wide smile. ‘What a relief. It will keep us fed for weeks and we won't have to kill Bessie.'

Dorrie dropped the potato she had been peeling and it rolled across the floor gathering a furry coating of dust. ‘Who's Bessie?'

‘My hen, dear. Some folks think it silly, but I always give them names. Poor Hettie was the one we ate, although I could hardly force down a morsel without choking.'

Dorrie shot a wary look at the blackened saucepan on the hob. ‘Do you think the cow had a name?'

‘No, of course not,' Charity said hastily. ‘Mrs Diment's hens are a different matter altogether.'

‘Why?' Dorrie asked plaintively. ‘They'll all animals, aren't they?'

Charity rose to her feet. ‘I think I heard someone knocking on the door. Stay here, Dorrie. I'll go.'

‘D'you think it's him?' Mrs Diment asked anxiously.

‘I hope not.' Charity hurried from the kitchen. Her heart was hammering against her ribs and she could hardly breathe. ‘Wh-who's there?'

‘Gideon. I've come to see if you and Violet are all right?'

She opened the door. ‘Yes, thank you. I'm fine and I hope Violet will be when she's got over the shock. Come in.' She stepped aside and he crossed the threshold, taking off his hat.

She closed the door quickly. ‘You weren't followed, were you?'

‘The constable told Chapman to go about his business or he'd be arrested for breach of the peace. Of course he protested, but that only made it look worse for him. I got off with a caution, but the crowd were on my side. I even got a cheer as I walked away.'

‘You're hurt,' Charity said, noticing for the first time that he had a cut above his right eye and a bruise was already forming. ‘Come into the kitchen. I think Mrs Diment has a bottle of arnica on the dresser.'

He hesitated. ‘I really should be getting back to my duties.'

‘Nonsense. I'm sure that God wouldn't expect you to go to work with blood trickling down your face, or begrudge you a nice hot cup of tea.'

‘I hadn't thought about it in those terms,' he said, laughing, which caused him to wince with pain and hold his hand to his head. ‘Perhaps a short break is in order. Since I've been playing truant this morning anyway, it's not going to make much difference.'

‘I don't suppose you'll go to hell because you took a morning off to help a friend.' Charity walked off in the direction of the kitchen. ‘Come along, vicar. You can meet Dorrie and maybe you can explain why we humans make pets of some animals and are happy to kill and eat others.'

Luckily Dorrie had forgotten about the fate of poor Hettie, and she showed off her prowess in making a pot of tea while Mrs Diment bathed Gideon's cut and Charity searched for the arnica.

‘I could get used to this,' he said when it was done and Dorrie handed him a cup of tea.

‘It was the least we could do after you stood up for us against Bert Chapman,' Charity said with a grateful smile. ‘Things would have turned out very differently if you hadn't been there. Goodness knows what Bert would have done to her when he got her home.'

He shook his head. ‘It's a bad business, but I'm afraid there are too many men like him, and the law turns a blind eye to the way they treat their families, especially when they're drunk.'

Dorrie stared at him in horror. ‘Then I ain't never going to get married.'

‘All men aren't like that,' Charity put in quickly. ‘Remember the doctor, and how good and kind he was?'

Dorrie's blue eyes brimmed with tears. ‘Don't keep reminding me that he's gone. I never had a father, nor a mother come to that, but if I could choose someone it would have been Dr Marchant.'

Gideon rose to his feet, placing the cup and saucer back on the table. ‘That was the best cup of tea I've ever had, Dorrie. And Charity is right: we aren't all monsters. I'm quite a nice chap when you get to know me.'

‘But you got into a fight,' Dorrie said, pointing at his injured face. ‘You use your fists too.'

‘Violence is always wrong, but occasionally we have to resort to it in order to protect others. I didn't want to hit him, but I couldn't allow him to hurt Violet. Can you understand that?'

Dorrie's solemn expression melted into a wide grin. ‘I'd have punched him too. I wouldn't let no one hurt Vi and her baby.'

‘Quite right too.' Mrs Diment rose to her feet, holding out her hand to Gideon. ‘I'd like to shake your hand, vicar. I don't go to church as often as I should, but I might attend more regularly if the parson was like you.'

Gideon held her hand, smiling down at her. ‘I'm flattered, ma'am. But I doubt if the rector would approve of my actions today, however justified. Thank you for tending to my needs, but I really must be on my way.'

‘I'll see you out,' Charity said, but as she made a move towards the door it opened and Violet barged into the room. ‘He's outside. I heard him shouting my name. Me dad's out there and he's bellowing like a bull in the slaughterhouse.'

MRS DIMENT LEAPT
up from her seat and seized Violet by the shoulders. ‘Sit down, dear. You mustn't upset yourself.'

‘I'll have a word with him.' Gideon headed for the door, but Charity ran after him and caught him by the sleeve.

‘No, please don't. It wouldn't do any good.'

‘But the man must be stopped. He must be made to see reason.'

‘My dad don't know the meaning of the word,' Violet sobbed, burying her face in her hands. ‘Belt and fists is all he knows, and I had the benefit of both when I was living at home.'

‘If we ignore him he might go away.' Charity looked to Gideon for confirmation but he shook his head.

‘He'll come back again and I won't be here to protect you.'

She smiled despite the ice-cold claws of fear that gripped her insides. ‘It isn't your problem, Gideon.'

He covered her hand with his. ‘I'm making it my problem, Charity. Is there anywhere you and Violet could go until her child is born?'

Violet raised a tear-stained face. ‘I got nowhere else to go. Ma's parents disowned her when she married my dad, and he was raised in an orphanage.'

‘What about me?' Dorrie's bottom lip trembled ominously. ‘You can't run away and leave me, Charity.'

‘Of course not,' Charity said stoutly. ‘We're in this together, but I think Gideon is right. We can't stay here now that Bert Chapman has found out where we live.'

‘Oh dear.' Mrs Diment clutched her hands to her breast. ‘Don't say you're leaving me and Jackson to fend for ourselves. What will become of us now that the master is dead and gone?'

Gideon looked from one to the other, frowning thoughtfully. ‘Am I correct in thinking that Daniel owns this house now?'

‘Harry should be the legal heir.'

‘But he's left the country and is unlikely to return.'

‘So Wilmot says, but Harry doesn't know that his father is dead.'

‘I'm just thinking about the here and now, Charity. Daniel is your friend, and it was he who sent you back to London.'

‘Yes, that's true.'

‘He's a good fellow and I'm certain he'll help you.'

‘There's no real reason why he should. It was Sir Hedley who employed me, and I daresay the contents of both libraries will be sent to auction in order to raise funds.'

‘I used to work for the old master when he lived in Bligh Park,' Mrs Diment said, sighing. ‘Those were the days.'

The sound of Bert's hammering and shouting was growing louder by the minute and Gideon shut the door. ‘As I see it the only solution is for you all to pack up and go to Bligh Park. Tell Dan how things stand and let him decide what's best to be done.'

‘You're right about Mrs Diment and Jackson,' Charity said slowly. ‘But I've no claim on the family and I wouldn't want to impose on my brief friendship with Dan.' She turned to Mrs Diment with what she hoped was an encouraging smile. ‘I agree with Gideon.'

Mrs Diment eyed her doubtfully. ‘But what will happen to you girls?'

‘I don't know. We can't stay here, that's for certain. I'll think of—'

Charity's words were cut shot by a loud scream from Dorrie. She pointed a shaking finger at the kitchen window and Charity spun round to see Bert's face pressed against the windowpane. He hammered his fists on the frame, shouting at them to let him in.

Charity ran to the window. ‘Go away or I'll send for a constable.'

He was purple in the face as he used his elbow to shatter the glass in one of the small panes. Violet leapt to her feet but the colour drained from her face and she would have fallen to the ground in a dead faint if Gideon had not caught her in his arms. Charity backed away from the window, torn between fear of what Bert would do and her need to look after Violet. Dorrie cowered in Mrs Diment's arms as Bert's shouted obscenities echoed round the room. He picked up a brick and was about to smash his way in when Jackson came up behind him and lashed out with a horsewhip. Bosun threw himself at Bert growling ferociously, and in a flurry of raised hackles and flying paws the dog knocked Bert to the ground.

‘See to her. I'll go outside and help your man.' Gideon set Violet down on a chair and headed for the back door, leaving Mrs Diment and Dorrie to care for her.

Charity hurried after him. ‘What are you going to do?' she demanded as he stepped out into the yard.

‘Go inside and let us deal with this.'

She had no intention of hiding away like a frightened schoolgirl and she stood her ground watching as Gideon went to Jackson's aid, although by the look of things Bosun and his new master had the upper hand. Bert lay on the ground looking nervously up at the dog's bared fangs, and Jackson stood over him, whip in hand. ‘Get up and fight like a man,' he said through clenched teeth. ‘You're very brave when it comes to bullying women and children. Let's see how you go on with someone your own size.'