The Beggar Maid (34 page)

Daniel shook his head. ‘Not to my knowledge. I don't suppose it's worth much.'

Charity continued to polish the smooth surface. ‘I've seen plenty of rusty iron railings in London. This is as smooth as silk and it's beginning to shine.'

‘Must be lead then,' Daniel said casually. ‘Hardly worth the trouble of taking the thing apart, besides which the mermaid is part of our family history. It's supposed to be bad luck if we disturb her resting place.'

‘She's just a statue, Dan.' Clutching the metal brick in her hands, Charity rose to her feet. ‘I must go and see Mrs Diment and Mrs Trevett. They'll be most offended if I neglect them.' She had had an idea but she did not want to say anything until she was sure of her facts. She walked briskly in the direction of the kitchen, breaking into a run when she was out of sight. If what she suspected was true it would be the answer to Dan's problems and they would be able to raise enough money to pay off Harry's debts and bring him home. She entered the kitchen to find Mrs Diment and Mrs Trevett deep in conversation. They looked up and smiled when they saw her. Mrs Trevett leapt to her feet. ‘You look as though you could do with a cup of tea, my dear.'

‘Thank you, but I need your advice, ladies. This is something that only you will know.'

Mrs Diment angled her head. ‘You look excited, Charity. What's that you're holding in your hand?'

Charity placed it on the table. ‘Tell me how to clean silver.'

Mrs Trevett put the kettle on the hob and returned to the table, peering at the blackened brick. ‘Baking soda dissolved in hot water with a little soap, and I'll add some vinegar to make the solution stronger.' She looked up at Charity with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. ‘Do you really think this is silver?'

‘I started rubbing it and it began to shine. If the ship that sank was carrying a cargo of silver bullion then most of it is right here under our noses.'

‘The villagers use these as doorstops. You've seen them, haven't you, Fanny?'

‘Yes, Polly.' Mrs Diment nodded emphatically. ‘Ma and Pa had one for years. It's probably still in the cottage.'

‘Which has been empty since they passed on,' Mrs Trevett added knowingly. ‘The old place has gone to rack and ruin, and there's been no one to take up the tenancy.'

‘Silver or no silver, that could be the answer for you and the girls,' Mrs Diment said eagerly. ‘Master Daniel is in charge now and I'm sure he won't object.'

Charity turned to Mrs Trevett. ‘Have you got baking soda and vinegar, Mrs Trevett? We need to clean this ugly piece of metal and make it beautiful.'

Mrs Trevett waddled over to the larder and went inside, re-emerging seconds later with a bottle of vinegar and a stone jar filled with white powder. ‘I haven't done this for years. Fanny will remember the days when Sir Hedley and that woman he married threw parties for the local gentry. We spent hours cleaning the silver and polishing the crystal wine glasses, but all that went to auction bit by bit and now there's only the library that's untouched, and if Mr Wilmot has his way all the books will be sold and the house too.'

‘It's true.' Mrs Diment's mouth turned down at the corners and her bottom lip wobbled ominously. ‘He wants to sell up and spend the money on Mrs Barton's estate in Devonshire. The house in London will go too.'

Charity stared at them, horrified. ‘But it belongs to Harry. Daniel is only taking care of things until his brother returns.'

‘Master Daniel won't stand up to his mother and Mr Wilmot.' Mrs Trevett produced a large bowl and began mixing the ingredients, largely ignoring the advice given by Mrs Diment. Charity submerged the brick in the liquid and waited, hardly daring to breathe. Slowly, bubble by bubble, the black coating began to dissolve, leaving the ingot gleaming in the bottom of the bowl. ‘It is silver,' Charity gasped. ‘Ladies, we've found the Bligh Park treasure.'

Daniel and Gideon stared at the shiny ingot in disbelief. ‘Silver,' Daniel said slowly. ‘Do you mean to say that my family has been sitting on a fortune quite literally for a hundred or more years?'

‘Mrs Trevett tells me that the villagers have been using them for doorstops,' Charity said with an excited laugh. ‘There's one in the old keeper's cottage where Mrs Diment grew up.'

Daniel took the ingot from her, cupping it in his hands as if it were the Holy Grail. ‘This is unbelievable. You're a wonder, Charity.'

‘It seems like a miracle,' Gideon murmured. ‘And I remember the keeper's cottage. Mrs Diment's mother used to bake gingerbread, and if we were lucky she'd give us a piece each. That cottage hasn't been inhabited for years.'

Charity met his smiling gaze with a flash of understanding. ‘But it might be made habitable with a bit of elbow grease.'

‘My thinking exactly,' Gideon said enthusiastically.

Daniel picked up as many of the heavy ingots as he could manage. ‘We'll need a wheelbarrow to start collecting these and taking them into the kitchen. If they're pure silver, we really have found the treasure of Bligh Park.' He gave Charity a sheepish smile. ‘I should say that the credit goes to you. I would never have thought of cleaning one of these things in a million years.'

‘There is something you might be able to do for me, Dan.' Charity studied his expression carefully; he was not good at masking his feeling and she would know instantly if the plan did not meet with his approval. ‘Do you think we could take a look at the keeper's cottage? And if we can make it habitable would you allow us to live in it until I can find work elsewhere?'

Daniel stared at her as if she were speaking another language. ‘What are you talking about? I said you could have your job back sorting the library.'

‘You won't have to sell all those beautiful books now, and Violet's baby is due in a few weeks. The cottage might be the answer to our problems.'

‘Of course you can have it, if that's what you really want, although you could live here and be much more comfortable.'

‘I don't think Wilmot would approve.'

Daniel's expression darkened. ‘Perhaps you're right. Of course you can have the cottage, and instead of rent you can help clean all these hundreds of ingots. I'll pay you a proper wage as soon as I'm able. We'll be rich.'

Charity could have kissed him, but she did not want to embarrass him in front of Gideon. ‘Thank you, Dan. Might we have a look at the cottage before I leave today?'

‘I don't see why not.' Daniel glanced at Gideon. ‘It's up to you, old chap.'

‘It's fine with me. Let's make a start on this.' Gideon bent down to pick up more ingots.

Charity hesitated. ‘You won't forget your brother, will you, Dan? You do want Harry to come home, don't you?'

‘Of course I do. I never wanted to run the estate anyway, and if the silver fetches a high price it will enable me to do what I want. I'll go to Egypt and join Petrie on his archaeological excavation.'

Gideon tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Where's this wheelbarrow you were talking about?'

They invaded the kitchen to Mrs Trevett's obvious annoyance, and after Daniel broke a mixing bowl, spilling the cleaning fluid on the floor, she shooed them all out of the room. ‘Leave the cleaning to those who know how to do it,' she said crossly. ‘This is a job for experts, not clumsy boys.'

‘I'm sorry about the basin, Mrs Trevett,' Daniel muttered, hanging his head.

‘You'll have to send Tapper into town to fetch more baking soda and vinegar, Master Daniel,' Mrs Trevett said crossly. ‘And a new mixing bowl to make up for the one you just broke.'

‘Yes, Mrs Trevett.' Daniel made his escape, followed by Charity and Gideon.

Charity looked from one to the other, giggling. ‘You look like a pair of naughty schoolboys caught scrumping apples in the orchard. You're supposed to be the master of Bligh Park, Dan. You should stand up to her.'

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘That's easy for you to say. You weren't brought up by a nanny who ruled you with the proverbial rod of iron. Mrs Trevett is a good sport just as long as you don't get on the wrong side of her.'

‘Never mind, Dan,' Gideon said with a sympathetic smile. ‘At least we've proved that we're useless in the kitchen and that gets us out of cleaning the ingots. Let's concentrate on collecting them up and bringing them into the house. If word gets round that they're valuable you'll have every rascal in the county looking for them.'

‘I'm sure there must be another wheelbarrow in the potting shed.'

‘I'll help,' Charity said eagerly. ‘And then we can go and take a look at the cottage.'

The keeper's cottage was concealed beneath a cloak of dark green ivy, and the garden was a tangle of brambles and bindweed. Anyone unfamiliar with the area could be forgiven for driving past without realising that there was a dwelling place hidden beneath the encroaching woodland. Daniel had to force the gate open and the rusty hinges gave way, sending the rotting wood to rest on a bed of nettles. ‘I'm afraid the building itself might be in the same condition as that gate,' he said as he made his way towards the front door. He produced a bunch of keys and began trying each one in the lock until he found one that fitted, and the door opened with a groan of protest. He stepped inside, tugging at a frond of ivy that had somehow managed to squeeze through the gap between the lintel and the door. Charity could barely wait to see the interior, but the smell of damp and dry rot was not encouraging.

It was gloomy inside due to vegetation excluding most of the light, and the windows were grimed with an accumulation of dirt. There seemed to be one large room downstairs with a small lean-to at the rear of the cottage. Gideon opened the back door and a trickle of sunlight revealed a flagstone floor, a deal table and a stone sink beneath the window. Dead leaves blew in from the garden but the waft of fresh air dispelled some of the mustiness. ‘What's out there, Gideon?' Charity asked, peering over his shoulder.

‘Nothing much, other than a rusty old mangle and a pile of dead leaves. The roof leaks, but I'm sure it could be fixed without too much trouble.' He turned his head to give her an encouraging smile. ‘I've seen worse in the back streets of Whitechapel.'

‘The place is uninhabitable,' Daniel said, shaking his head. ‘I couldn't allow you girls to live here. It wouldn't do at all.'

Charity was not going to be put off. ‘I've slept in shop doorways and under railway arches in the middle of winter. This will be paradise compared to sleeping under the counter in Jethro's shop.'

‘Better you than me,' Daniel said, pulling a face. ‘Let's check upstairs before we come to a decision. For all we know there might be a hole in the roof.'

They made their way up the narrow, twisting staircase to a narrow landing, off which were two bedrooms. The ceilings were festooned with cobwebs and there were a few damp patches where slates had fallen off the roof, but if they were replaced there was nothing that could not be sorted out by soap and a scrubbing brush. ‘It's fine,' Charity said firmly. ‘We can make ourselves very comfortable here.' She glanced anxiously at Daniel. ‘You did say you wouldn't charge us rent, didn't you?'

He threw back his head and laughed. ‘I ought to pay you for putting the place in order. It's yours for as long as you like, and maybe Violet and Dorrie will help to clean the ingots. I expect Mrs Trevett will allow females into the kitchen. It's just us chaps who are banned.'

‘You'll need some furniture.' Gideon gazed round with a worried frown. ‘And you'll need bed linen and all manner of things.'

‘We've got rooms filled with furniture and cupboards overflowing with linen,' Daniel said cheerfully. ‘Take what you want, Charity. You've more than earned it.'

Charity reached up to kiss him on the cheek. ‘Thank you, Dan.' She turned a smiling face to Gideon. ‘Would it be possible to bring Violet and Dorrie over to see the cottage in the morning? We could start cleaning it up straight away.'

‘Of course it will. I'm afraid I'll have to return to London at the end of the week, but I'll gladly do all I can to help in the meantime.'

Charity hurried downstairs to take one last look at the living room. She tried to memorise all the details so that she could tell Violet and Dorrie what to expect, but she knew they would be thrilled at the prospect of having a home of their own no matter how much hard work it entailed. She clapped her hands in delight. ‘I can't wait to start scrubbing the floor. We'll need buckets and mops and dusters and . . .'

Daniel laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘Stop, you're making my head spin. Just tell Mrs Trevett what you want and she'll sort it out for you. I'm going to spend tomorrow going round the estate to make sure there are no more silver ingots being used as doorstops.' He glanced round. ‘I don't see one tucked away here.'

Gideon went to open the back door. He stepped outside and returned holding two lumps of blackened metal in his hands. ‘I thought I'd noticed something propping up a mangle,' he said, laughing. ‘Here are two more to add to the collection.'

Daniel held his hands up, shaking his head. ‘Take them, old chap. Get them cleaned up and use the money to restore the church roof, or to help families in need.'

‘That's very generous of you. I'll give them to my father and he can decide what to do with the money they raise.'

‘Tell you what,' Daniel said thoughtfully. ‘I'll travel up to London with you. We'll hire a carriage and I'll take the ingots that have been cleaned to a bullion dealer.'

Charity eyed him curiously. ‘Why the hurry?'

‘To be perfectly frank, I don't like the way Wilmot has been behaving since he married my mother, and I think that both Sir Hedley and I should have been told the truth long ago. I love Mama, but neither she nor Wilmot is entitled to a share in the Bligh Park treasure.'