Bath Belles (20 page)

I thought my ordeals were bad, but what cruelty this child had been subjected to, and only because she was trying to be honest! “That is a great pity, Kate. The fact is, Graham didn’t give me your address, either.”

She accepted this nonsense humbly. I realized that Yootha had known all about Kate Norman. She had known what a miserable state the girl had been reduced to when Graham was unexpectedly killed, and she hadn’t stirred a finger to help her. She’d have been here fast enough if she’d known about the money! The money was still to be handled. I felt sure I could convince Des to give Kate a good portion of it as a reward.

“About the money, Kate. As I am here, I shall take it with me.”

She looked puzzled. “But it’s gone now. I gave it to my new gentleman two days ago.”

I sat still, trying to figure out what had happened, who her new gentleman was. “Mr. Stone, you mean?”
I inquired.

“Oh, no. It’s Mr. Maitland. He explained that it was his money all along. He gave me ten pounds’
reward and is going to move me and Baba to the country. He told me not to see anybody, but I don’t care what he says. I couldn’t bar the door to Grame’s aunt.”

“Mr. Maitland!”

“Yes, the Lloyd’s agent. Such a fine gentleman.”

I sat, numb, trying to make heads or tails of her story. Two days ago Des had collected the money. He had had it when he brought Officer Roy to search my house. Eliot was right, then—he was planning to bilk Pelty out of his five thousand. Surely she was mistaken! “A tall, dark-haired gentleman, is he?”

“And handsome. We had such a jolly time out looking for a cottage. Oh, Baba will like the country!”
She smiled happily.

“I’m so glad.”

I wanted to leave, but I sat holding the gurgling little pledge of Graham’s love and trying to think of a polite way to leave. It was the sound of Hotchkiss’s feet on the stairs that finally got me up. Kate grabbed her child and ran to lock the door.

“That will be my groom. I must go now. I’ll be in touch with you, Kate. I’ll write a note....”

“That’ll be nice. Desmond will read it for me. That’s Mr. Maitland’s name,”
she said, again with that little trace of pride. Baba and Des—the two bright spots in her poor, tawdry life.

I should have felt some resentment that she had stolen the two men I loved, but I was numb. “Yes, well, goodbye, Kate. It was—nice meeting you.”

“Grame told me so much about you. We’ll keep in touch.”

Hotchkiss’s knocking grew louder. I said good-bye and stumbled out the door. Loud recriminations rang in my ears as we hurried down the steep staircase. Hotchkiss had a deal to say about the fright I had given him. Ten minutes I had been gone, and such a parcel of ragamuffins had clustered around the carriage that he hadn’t dared to leave it unattended.

I was still numb when he dispersed the boys and the carriage clattered over the road back to Elm Street. Graham was a father, though he had never seen his son. Kate must have conceived shortly before his death—about three months before. And he had been engaged to me at the time. So much for Eliot’s assertion that the affair had happened long before Graham had met me. He had juggled the two of us, mistress and fiancée. It was a terrible shock, but my former suspicions had helped to prepare me for the pain. It was of Desmond’s treachery that I thought as the carriage pounded along.

He had gone darting off to Fleury Lane and had learned the story from Kate. He had sweet-talked the money out of her and had muddied the trail by pretending to believe that I had it. He had subjected my family to that ignoble search and had known all the time that we were innocent. It was perfectly clear why the neighborhood had been so unsuitable a place for me to visit. And he was still pestering me to reveal what Eliot and I were up to. He knew Eliot had been there once and feared he would return, too, for Kate had been warned not to let a man in. “A lady”
she thought it safe to entertain. In his generosity he had given her ten pounds and a promise to set her up in the country—to get her out of the city so no one would learn the truth.

Where should I go with my knowledge? Bow Street seemed the likeliest place, but I wouldn’t go alone. I needed moral support. Mama? No, she would hate it. Eliot? Wouldn’t he crow “I told you so!”
And so he had. He had
warned
me away from Fleury Lane and Mr. Maitland. I wished I had heeded him. Regret clung to me like a shadow as we retraced our path to Elm Street. But it wasn’t a shadow; that requires a source of light, and there was no light in this dark business.

I had not taken the precaution of forbidding Mama and Esther to go out. Ettie told me Mrs. Mailer had called and was driving them to Bond Street. Once I had determined there were no gentlemen in the carriage, I was happy they were out of the house, as it gave me privacy to settle the unsavory Maitland business. I chose Eliot as my protector, mainly because his groom was to arrive shortly to remove the carriage. I would order Eliot off to Bow Street to report the affair. I took some cold comfort in imagining Mr. Maitland in the dock, revealed as the scoundrel he was.

What charges would they lay against him? Stealing? But recovering your own money is not illegal, and he would doubtless claim that he meant to give Pelty his share. Leading poor Kate Norman astray? That would hardly land him in jail, or half the male population of London would be behind bars. Graham himself would be, if he weren’t buried. There had to be something! It wasn’t possible a man could behave as badly as Maitland had and not be held legally accountable for it. But my best efforts at conjuring up an indictable offense brought only frustration. He would get off scot-free to ruin other women and pester other law-abiding ladies.

Eliot’s groom received the brunt of my humor when he arrived late to take the carriage away. “I told you one hour!”
I scolded.

“I was here an hour ago and waited in the kitchen till I was led out the door,”
the saucy fellow replied in the most insolent way imaginable.

“I want you to go to Mr. Sutton at once and ask him to come here. It is a matter of utmost urgency. And don’t dawdle along the way.”

He did not verbally acknowledge my order but turned an impudent shoulder on me and ambled from the room. I thought he had moved swiftly in spite of his bold show, however, when Eliot arrived at the door within fifteen minutes.

“That’s a nasty piece of merchandise you’ve hired to run your stable, Eliot,”
I chided him. “I never saw a more rag-mannered boy.”

“City servants are impossible," he agreed. “What did you think of the team I got for you?”

“They’re fine, but that’s not why I sent off such an urgent summons. Eliot, I’ve been to Fleury Lane.”

He made an involuntary jerk toward me, and his eyes grew wide with dismay. “What? Belle, I told you not to go there.”

“Don’t dismay yourself, Eliot. I wasn’t harmed.”

He settled into a disparaging smile. “Then you’ve seen how Kate Norman and her sort live. Not a pretty sight. I only misled you to spare you the pain of discovery, Belle. You must not think too badly of Graham. It is regrettable, but many fellows do the same. If you had met Kate, you would have seen that at least she is a genteel soul, not vulgar and common as so many women of that sort are.”

“Genteel? That was not my impression!”

He started up from his chair. “But surely you didn’t meet her! I told—I was told she had moved to the country when I stopped at Fleury Lane. Oh, dear, then you know about the child. I had hoped to spare you
that,
at least. Still, you must have wondered why Graham bought such a small house for himself. It was the other family he had to provide for, of course, that necessitated it. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know Graham. He introduced me to the girl once—I don’t know what he saw in her.”

I waved these details aside. “It is all a hum that she’s moved to the country!”
I exclaimed, and had the pleasure of outlining the true story for him. He was nonplussed. “I didn’t think you would be so surprised. You told me all along Maitland had the money.”

“Yes, Belle, but I had no idea Miss Norman was involved.”

“She is innocently involved. Maitland is paying her off with ten measly pounds and the promise of a house in the country, with himself playing her protector. His aim is to remove her from the city so Pelty won’t learn about her, of course. At the very least I mean to write Mr. Pelty a note and report on Maitland. I wish I could see him behind bars.”

“He’s shifty as a snake. Pelty will stick by him in the end. You’ll see. It is a waste of time to bother going to Bow Street, though I should, perhaps, warn Miss Norman.”

“Poor Miss Norman. What will become of her and the child?”
This had been bothering me, and a plan of action had begun to form. It was a radical one, but right.

“It’s generous of you to
worry
about her! She’ll land on her feet. Her sort always do, and she has youth and beauty on her side for a few years.”

“I have determined to help her in some way. Financial help, I mean.”

“Fifty guineas, perhaps ... And I’ll kick in the same amount, for Graham’s sake.”

“That is kind of you, but a hundred guineas won’t see a boy reared and educated. You will think I’ve run mad, but I mean to do more—a great deal more.”

He looked at me uncertainly. “How much ...”

“Everything Graham left me. The house—I can’t bear the sight of it since I have learned the truth. He ought to have left it to his child, Eliot, not to me.”

“No, really, this is too much! You’re agitated. Think about it for a few days.”

“No, I’m afraid I’ll change my mind, and I know this is the proper thing to do.”

“She wouldn’t be at home in a neighborhood such as this.”

“I know that,”
I agreed, with a wistful memory of the story of her being run out of the West End. “I’ll sell the house and set the money up in a trust for her, giving her an income that she can’t be bilked out of. She is such a naive, gullible girl, it is the only thing to do. Perhaps she could buy a little cottage in the country. She seemed to like that idea.”

“It wouldn’t take all the money Graham left you.”

I shook my head. “Eliot, I expected better of you. This is Graham’s son we are speaking of—your cousin.”

“Damme, who is to say Graham was the father?”

“Oh, if you had seen the child, you would not say that. He is the image of his father.’’

He frowned and considered the matter. "That’s true. I haven’t seen the child. There was no one home when I went. The old lady downstairs told me they had moved.”

“That would be because Mr. Maitland had hustled her off to the country to look for a cottage. He won’t keep his promise, though. I am the proper one to look after her, as a duty to Graham. Do you think he knew—about his son, I mean?”

“Yes, he knew
.
It troubled him greatly. That is the only reason he went on seeing her after your engagement.”

“The child was conceived after the engagement, Eliot. It is no longer necessary to spare my feelings. I want Kate to know her future is secured, and I want to warn her away from Maitland. Will you come with me to tell her so?”

“Let me do it for you. There is no need for you to go back. It must be painful for you. In fact, as you said, the child is my cousin. Why don’t you appoint me its guardian? In that manner we can be assured Kate won’t do something foolish with the money.”

“I want to talk it over with Mama, but it sounds a good idea. You will know about proper schooling for the boy and so on.”

We were both eager to get on with it, and Eliot left very soon after to call on Miss Norman. It was sad to know I was no longer an heiress, but I would never have had a moment’s pleasure from the money, knowing Kate’s straitened circumstances. Now she had a chance, and if there was any character in her, she could have a decent life. I thought she was young enough to make something of herself and Baba.

These were my thoughts as I sat alone, awaiting Mama’s return. I would give Yootha a piece of my mind if she came in. She was as bad as Maitland. Maitland, who, alas, was still Desmond in my secret thoughts. How could he be so treacherous? But he had behaved with unmitigated duplicity since the moment I had first laid eyes on his handsome face. He had always weaseled his way back into favor, but this time there would be no cajoling. Just last night he had spoken of our having trust in each other. It stung, he said, that I thought he was out to bilk Pelty. He’d probably been doing it for years! What had stung him was that he had finally fallen under suspicion. This would be enough to make him lose his license at Lloyd’s, and I was vengeful enough that I meant to make sure Lloyd’s was aware of his scheme.

I had just drawn out paper and pen to write to Mr. Pelty, care of Lloyd’s of London, when the door knocker sounded. Everything reminded me of Desmond, even the door knocker, which he had put on crooked. What a fine, genial gentleman we had all thought him that night.

Hotchkiss answered the door, and soon I heard the unmistakable accents of Mr. Maitland in the hall, making some joke about the weather. Hotchkiss, who remained in ignorance of my findings at Fleury Lane, welcomed him like a long-lost friend.

I flew to the doorway to have Maitland ejected, but I was too late. He already had his hat off and was removing his coat.

“Don’t bother undressing, Mr. Maitland. You won’t be staying,”
I said.

That caused him to open up his eyes. He stood regarding me, a question on his face. “What is it, Belle?”
he asked.

I let him enter the saloon and waited till Hotchkiss had returned to the kitchen before delivering my tirade. “I have been to Fleury Lane and met Kate Norman, Mr. Maitland.”

He looked uncertain and finally said, “Pretty little thing, isn’t she?”

“She is to your liking? It doesn’t surprise me. Have you actually taken her under your protection, then? I was sure it was a ruse to get her out of London.”

A doubtful, uneasy smile flickered briefly, petering out in a question. “I beg your pardon?”

“I know everything. There’s no need to walk on eggs. I daresay it is not illegal to recoup your money, or even to seduce that poor, ignorant girl, but I would advise you most strenuously to make sure Mr. Pelty receives his share of the blunt. I was just writing a note to inform him that you have recovered the funds.”