his. 'You know when you said we could meet again? Well, perhaps I'd like that, after all.'
He shrugged her off. 'Yes, but not now,' he muttered. 'I'm being met.'
'Really?' She affected surprise. 'Your wife, is it? Perhaps you'd introduce us.' She gazed up at him. 'What would she think, eh, if she thought you'd been— you know? Wi' me?'
He stared at her, a horrified expression on his face. 'She— you wouldn't,' he blustered. 'She wouldn't believe you.'
Bridget pouted. 'She'd wonder though, wouldn't she? No smoke wi'out fire? And that crewman that went by, he'd know it was true. He wouldn't know you'd forced me, of course; I'd have to admit to that.' Her mouth turned down and tears filled her eyes. 'And me a good Catholic girl.'
There was a thud as the gangplank hit the ground. 'All right,' he said hastily. 'How much?'
She made a moue. 'Five bob?'
He took a breath. 'It wasn't worth that much!'
'It was to me,' she said. 'You took my virginity. It was worth all of that.'
He fumbled in his pocket as he was jostled by people anxious to be off, and looked down at the coins in his hand. 'Four shillings,' he said. 'That's all I've got.'
She took the silver. 'Look in your other pocket,' she said nonchalantly, as if she had all the time in the world.
Muttering, he did so and brought out sixpence and a silk handkerchief.
'That'll do,' she said, taking them both. 'Go on then.' She smiled sweetly. 'Go and meet your lady wife, and don't forget to look behind you.'
He hurried off and Bridget laughed as she saw him dash down the gangplank and greet the woman, then glance behind him before urging her away towards a waiting cabriolet.
Bridget ambled down to the dockside and then began to hurry as she saw Mikey pacing impatiently. 'Mikey,' she called. 'I'm here. Sorry. Had a call o' nature.'
'Come on then,' he said. 'Let's be off. I'd like to be in Lincoln by nightfall.'
'He's coming, poor lamb.' Nanny peered from behind the window drapes as the chaise drew up at the door. Simon had suffered the ignominy of travelling by public coach from school to the railway station, and now a hired vehicle was transporting him and his luggage on the last lap of his journey.
Eleanor peered from beneath Nanny's arm. 'I hope Papa doesn't beat him,' she said softly. 'I so hate it when Simon cries.' And he takes it out on me sometimes if he thinks I've heard him, she thought. The last two times Simon had been beaten by his father he had held Eleanor against the wall afterwards and punched her in the stomach and warned her not to tell anyone.
'We must be patient with him,' Nanny said. 'Though it will be difficult if we can't speak to him.'
Eleanor opened the door to her room just a crack and listened intently for the sound of voices. She heard her father giving terse instructions and she could imagine him standing in front of Mary telling her that the servants mustn't speak to Simon either. Then she heard her brother dragging his bag up the stairs. She turned a tearful face to Nanny. 'Poor Simon,' she said. 'Whatever will he do?'
Simon passed her door and looked in. He lifted his top lip sneeringly. 'I'm to unpack, wash and change and then go down for a beating,' he muttered and, as Eleanor took a gasping breath, added scornfully, 'Nobody need think I'm scared of that, because I'm not.' He glanced at Nanny, and Eleanor saw him give a hard swallow and blink his eyes before moving on.
Nanny tutted and shook her head, then sighed. 'Nothing we can do, my dear. I'm afraid he's brought it on himself.'
Eleanor hung about the landing, unable to concentrate on anything but Simon, even though Miss Wright had set her some schoolwork. If only I could speak to him, she thought, I would tell him that I am his friend as well as his sister. What would I do, I wonder, if this was happening to me? I would be very unhappy, I know that. And I think— yes, I know, she mused, that I would probably run away.
Simon's door opened and closed and Eleanor
He shrugged her off. 'Yes, but not now,' he muttered. 'I'm being met.'
'Really?' She affected surprise. 'Your wife, is it? Perhaps you'd introduce us.' She gazed up at him. 'What would she think, eh, if she thought you'd been— you know? Wi' me?'
He stared at her, a horrified expression on his face. 'She— you wouldn't,' he blustered. 'She wouldn't believe you.'
Bridget pouted. 'She'd wonder though, wouldn't she? No smoke wi'out fire? And that crewman that went by, he'd know it was true. He wouldn't know you'd forced me, of course; I'd have to admit to that.' Her mouth turned down and tears filled her eyes. 'And me a good Catholic girl.'
There was a thud as the gangplank hit the ground. 'All right,' he said hastily. 'How much?'
She made a moue. 'Five bob?'
He took a breath. 'It wasn't worth that much!'
'It was to me,' she said. 'You took my virginity. It was worth all of that.'
He fumbled in his pocket as he was jostled by people anxious to be off, and looked down at the coins in his hand. 'Four shillings,' he said. 'That's all I've got.'
She took the silver. 'Look in your other pocket,' she said nonchalantly, as if she had all the time in the world.
Muttering, he did so and brought out sixpence and a silk handkerchief.
'That'll do,' she said, taking them both. 'Go on then.' She smiled sweetly. 'Go and meet your lady wife, and don't forget to look behind you.'
He hurried off and Bridget laughed as she saw him dash down the gangplank and greet the woman, then glance behind him before urging her away towards a waiting cabriolet.
Bridget ambled down to the dockside and then began to hurry as she saw Mikey pacing impatiently. 'Mikey,' she called. 'I'm here. Sorry. Had a call o' nature.'
'Come on then,' he said. 'Let's be off. I'd like to be in Lincoln by nightfall.'
'He's coming, poor lamb.' Nanny peered from behind the window drapes as the chaise drew up at the door. Simon had suffered the ignominy of travelling by public coach from school to the railway station, and now a hired vehicle was transporting him and his luggage on the last lap of his journey.
Eleanor peered from beneath Nanny's arm. 'I hope Papa doesn't beat him,' she said softly. 'I so hate it when Simon cries.' And he takes it out on me sometimes if he thinks I've heard him, she thought. The last two times Simon had been beaten by his father he had held Eleanor against the wall afterwards and punched her in the stomach and warned her not to tell anyone.
'We must be patient with him,' Nanny said. 'Though it will be difficult if we can't speak to him.'
Eleanor opened the door to her room just a crack and listened intently for the sound of voices. She heard her father giving terse instructions and she could imagine him standing in front of Mary telling her that the servants mustn't speak to Simon either. Then she heard her brother dragging his bag up the stairs. She turned a tearful face to Nanny. 'Poor Simon,' she said. 'Whatever will he do?'
Simon passed her door and looked in. He lifted his top lip sneeringly. 'I'm to unpack, wash and change and then go down for a beating,' he muttered and, as Eleanor took a gasping breath, added scornfully, 'Nobody need think I'm scared of that, because I'm not.' He glanced at Nanny, and Eleanor saw him give a hard swallow and blink his eyes before moving on.
Nanny tutted and shook her head, then sighed. 'Nothing we can do, my dear. I'm afraid he's brought it on himself.'
Eleanor hung about the landing, unable to concentrate on anything but Simon, even though Miss Wright had set her some schoolwork. If only I could speak to him, she thought, I would tell him that I am his friend as well as his sister. What would I do, I wonder, if this was happening to me? I would be very unhappy, I know that. And I think— yes, I know, she mused, that I would probably run away.
Simon's door opened and closed and Eleanor
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